The tree hollow was quite spacious, about ten square meters. Su Xiao lay on a blanket, taking a nap. If it weren't for the threat of Alice's clone, being one of the game participants would have been the safest approach. However, with Alice's clone watching him, Su Xiao couldn't act recklessly.
While Su Xiao couldn't act recklessly, Alice's clone also didn't come looking for him. The reason was simple: a forest was different from a sealed room. In a sealed room, Su Xiao's movements with his blade were restricted, and Alice's clone could use her long-range, melee, and summoning abilities to suppress him. But in a forest, the outcome of their encounter was uncertain.
After a few hours of napping, Su Xiao woke up and patted Bubtters, signaling for it to rest. Sitting at the entrance of the tree hollow, Su Xiao began his usual meditation. During meditation, his awareness of the surroundings was heightened, so he didn't worry about being ambushed.
As Su Xiao had long suspected, meditating in a natural environment was more effective. Even though this was a man-made natural environment, the effects were still noticeable. The benefits would be even greater in a purely natural setting.
Time passed slowly. While other game participants struggled to find food, Su Xiao had more than enough. As for water, after driving the Parasite Crabs to relocate, the water supply became inexhaustible.
The scorching sun was high in the sky, the only weather condition in the Forest of the Strong. Su Xiao sat in the tree hollow, playing a puzzle game on a tablet.
At that moment, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Notification: The Hunter has successfully survived in the Forest of the Strong for five days. Proceed to the starting point to tally game points as soon as possible.]
Receiving the notification, Su Xiao was a bit surprised. Time had passed faster than he expected.
"Was the fourth game this easy?" Su Xiao picked up a bucket of fresh water and washed it up. Among the game participants, only he dared to use water so liberally in the Forest of the Strong.
A man and a dog walked out of the forest. Soon, Su Xiao arrived near the small wooden house, where someone had already arrived—Fatty Pi.
Pi Pang had transformed. Once a mass of fat, he was now only slightly chubby. Based on previous experiences, it wouldn't take long for him to regain his fat reserves.
"It seems you had a good five days," Su Xiao remarked.
Fatty Pi, chewing on dried meat, looked a bit tired. "Not bad. At least I got enough sleep."
As they chatted, the three brothers from the national football team walked out of the forest. Seeing them, Fatty Pi's mouth curved into a smile.
"H... Hello," the eldest brother greeted awkwardly. All three had bruised faces.
In truth, the three brothers had fought Pi Pang and been taught a lesson. Among the seven participants, Pi Pang's combat power was second only to Su Xiao's.
Judging by the haggard appearance of the youngest brother, their food had likely been stolen by Pi Pang.
"Looks like it's time to compete for points," Su Xiao said as the bespectacled man and detective loli emerged from the forest. The bespectacled man was missing an arm, and the detective loli staggered, looking ready to faint.
With all seven gathered, it was time to tally game points. The wolf butler was already waiting by the wooden house.
"Congratulations to all seven of you for surviving in the Forest of the Strong. This is a rare occurrence. Now, I will announce your game points," the wolf butler said, pulling a parchment scroll from his pocket. As he unrolled it, his eyes narrowed.
"First, the participant with the fewest points is..." the wolf butler began, looking around before pausing dramatically. "The participant with the fewest points is Coco Bean."
Coco Bean was the detective Loli's code name, as everyone had learned in the third game.
Upon hearing this, the detective loli opened her mouth, but the bespectacled man laughed.
"Sorry, but survival is selfish. Goodbye, no, farewell, Coco Bean," he said, laughing heartily. For five days, he had been mostly on the run, evading the pursuit of the 'guests.'
The 'guests' avoided those who exuded a strong aura of blood. They didn't dare hunt Su Xiao, Pi Pang had faced fewer attacks, and the three football brothers' hammer tactics were effective. This left the detective Loli and the bespectacled man.
The two had cooperated, knowing they were likely the lowest in points. They weren't allies but competitors, vying for survival. Understanding one's enemy meant staying close, which is why they teamed up.
"Coco Bean is eliminated," the wolf butler announced.
"Wait," the detective loli raised her hand.
"Don't struggle unnecessarily. It's unsightly. We've cooperated for so long, let's end this with some dignity," the bespectacled man said, his smile fading.
"I offer this treasure to Alice," the detective loli said, pulling out a fiery red crystal.
Seeing this, the wolf butler's eyes lit up.
"This is a fragment of the artificial sun. Where did you get this?" he asked, stepping forward.
"From the stomach of a beast. If I'm not mistaken, the artificial sun above once fell, losing a piece. Without it, there's only one type of weather here. After observing and reasoning, I concluded that you might need this," she explained, breathing heavily.
"You're gambling," the bespectacled man said, his face darkening.
"Yes, I am," she admitted, still holding the crystal.
"This is indeed a piece of the artificial sun. Without it, the artificial sun in the Forest of the Strong cannot be turned off, resulting in only one weather condition," the wolf butler confirmed, taking the crystal. He then communicated with someone. After a while, he spoke again.
"You have two choices: receive 10,000 game points or avoid elimination and receive a reward from Queen Alice."
The two options were clear, but before the detective loli could choose, the bespectacled man spoke.
"Congratulations, Coco Bean, on receiving Queen Alice's reward. It should be substantial," he said, grinding his teeth.
"Wosh Ge, we've been archenemies since we teamed up, knowing there were only six slots for survival. Compared to having a lifelong enemy, I'm not interested in the reward. I choose 10,000 game points," she declared.
"You..." the bespectacled man stepped forward, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her.
The detective Loli's feet dangled, her dusty face expressionless. "Goodbye, Wosh Ge, no, forever goodbye," she said sweetly.
"The game points have changed. The eliminated participant is Wosh," the wolf butler said, emotionless despite his friendly terms with the bespectacled man.
He threw the detective loli aside, realizing participants couldn't harm each other now. He lunged at the wolf butler, grabbing his collar.
"Our deal..." he began but was cut off as iron chains descended, binding him.
"We had no deal," the wolf butler said, pushing him away. The chains tightened, pulling him into the sky.
"No!!" he screamed before being torn apart, his bloodied glasses falling to the ground.
Did they have no deal? Of course not; they did. But the detective loli had a higher personal favorability with the wolf butler.
"Next, the highest game points," the wolf butler announced. Hearing this, the detective Loli's breathing quickened. She had over 10,000 points. The highest scorer could choose any item from Alice's treasure trove.