When Mo Teng saw the system's position swap prompt, he was utterly stunned.
"How is it so fast?!"
He felt as though time was slipping away too quickly. Because his mind had been kept in a state of high alert throughout, he hadn't noticed how much time had passed. Meanwhile, the players who saw the reminder were equally surprised. They found themselves just as tense as Mo Teng—perhaps even more so, if that was possible.
"I'm going, why is five minutes passing so quickly…?"
"I just thought of an idea that gave me goosebumps. You guys said Steve planned everything long ago, and as soon as Mo Teng escaped, the time would come…"
"Wow… Brother, please don't say it. My Nima sweat is standing up just thinking about it…"
The others quickly chimed in, sharing their speculations.
"It's definitely possible… Otherwise, why would it be so precise?!"
"Is this what you call, 'am I on the fifth floor?'!!!!"
"Bro, this isn't even on the fifth floor—it's already in the ceiling…"
"Is this in the basement, maybe?"
"Stop joking around—we might have to go through the sewers next…"
At this moment, the players' minds were racing, creating all sorts of elaborate theories about Xu Yuan's planning. They began to revere the man, elevating his status to that of a god-like figure.
Before, when Xu Yuan had achieved so many first kills, everyone saw him as a highly skilled tactician. Now, after witnessing his numerous operations and responses, they truly understood what it meant to be a top-tier expert—technical mastery, quick reflexes, an extraordinary brain. To become a real boss, these qualities are indispensable.
Meanwhile, Mo Teng saw the countdown timer in the lower left corner of the system interface, and suddenly, a cold wave of numbness swept over him. He felt like what awaited him was endless challenges and torment. A wave of retreat washed over him—wasn't this a two-person game?!
He didn't even have the chance to think about how to kill Steve anymore. Everything was now completely in Steve's control, and Mo Teng felt like a lamb waiting for slaughter—powerless to resist.
Countdown to the exchange of positions between the two sides: 5, 4, .3, ..2, ...1!?
As the timer hit zero, Mo Teng's eyes fluttered open again. Before him stretched a tranquil lake, flat and featureless, with no mechanisms on the surface. In front of him lay a chest, and on top of it was a sign with a line written:
"Congratulations on passing the test. This is your reward—enjoy it to your heart's content!"
Mo Teng opened the chest, revealing three pork chops inside.
Seeing this, the players immediately began to feel a twinge of sympathy for him.
"I thought Mo Teng's change was just another test, but I didn't expect Steve to actually give him a rest and a reward…"
"Steve is the true master of this game. If he wants you to play, you play. If he wants to reward you with a few pieces of meat, so be it…"
"If I were Mo Teng, I'd probably just kill myself. This is too torturous…"
"After these five minutes, the next five will be even worse…"
"That's easy to say, but no one fights alone. If he commits suicide, it's like his guild surrendering voluntarily."
"Mo Teng is so pitiful… It's a real dilemma. Looks like Steve wants to drag this out even longer…"
This endless torment was the cruelest aspect. Knowing you're being toyed with, yet powerless to change the situation—this feeling of helplessness can drive a person to madness.
After seeing the three pork chops, Mo Teng's entire body suddenly collapsed. The previous illusion of hope shattered completely, replaced by endless suffering. This time, the scene before him was just another form of torture.
Mo Teng knew that he and Steve were on entirely different levels. He couldn't match Steve's tactics, and he didn't want to play anymore. All he wanted was to end this torment quickly.
At this moment, he seemed to go a little crazy. He let out a loud laugh, saying:
"Hahahaha, reward for me…!"
"Are you trying to restore my health so I can play with you even longer?!"
"Do you find it fun to be in control?!!"
"I'm telling you! I won't let you get away with this!"
After finishing, Mo Teng walked alone into the lake, his figure trembling with a mix of anger and despair.
The players watching this scene felt their hearts tighten.
"What is he going to do?!"
"What's he doing in the lake?!"
"No, is he going to kill himself?!!!!"
"Oh my God, don't!! Don't do it!!"
"I feel a little nose-sore… It's so pathetic…"
"Honestly, suicide might be the best choice for him. This is just too torturous…"
Though they still hoped to see what kind of mechanisms Xu Yuan had devised, seeing Mo Teng's state made everyone imagine how terrible it must be to be toyed with like this. It was almost unbearable.
But the game was brutal, and without strength, you could only be the one played with. The players understood now how crucial it was to improve their own skills.
In the guild's preparation area, the members of the Dragon Teng Guild watched helplessly. Many who were friendly with Mo Teng couldn't hide their sorrow—some even had tears in their eyes. But they understood him. If they were in his place, they might have made the same choice.
Guild Leader Long Teng also found it understandable. Although Mo Teng's actions brought shame to the guild, Long Teng knew Mo Teng well. If he wasn't desperate, he wouldn't give up.
After realizing there was no hope of victory, Mo Teng persisted for a long time and achieved what many could not. If blame was to be assigned, it was to the opponent's overwhelming strength.
This battle was essentially lost. The guild did not blame Mo Teng for this choice; instead, the entire guild's morale plummeted.
Meanwhile, the guild's ranking plummeted from first place to 100, losing 500 points for each failure. After deductions, their total score was below 200—an enormous blow. This defeat dealt a devastating blow to the Dragon Teng Guild's reputation.
As Mo Teng sank to the bottom of the lake, his blood mixing with the water, the game's final scene unfolded in silence. The other guilds' leaders could only reflect:
"Never challenge Steve's Cube Man Guild!"
"They've seen the end of the challengers. The gap in strength is clear."
"Steve's guild truly deserves to be number one."
One guild president sighed, "We were about to challenge the Cube Man Guild, but luckily, they refused…"
Another instructed his members, "Did anyone record Steve's three survival skills?"
A third asked,"Does anyone have a video of how Steve built that machine?"
And a fourth advised, "In the future, don't conflict with the Cube Man Guild. Help them if you can, build good relations."
Meanwhile, Xu Yuan was still busy working on mechanisms when the system announced the end of the game. He was immediately teleported back to the preparation area.
The guild members there were ecstatic. As soon as Xu Yuan appeared, they swarmed him, lifting him high.
"Long live Boss Steve!!!"
"Boss Steve, you're incredible! I worship you!"
"Genius! Boss, you're a true genius!!!"
"Boss, you're so good—this is our first guild event, and we felt so useless…"
"Boss, you've truly taught us a lesson today!"
At this moment, Xu Yuan had become the faith of all guild members. They were proud to be part of the Cube Man Guild and honored to have such a powerful leader.
They were confident that the guild would remain at the top!
With the conclusion of the battle, Dragon Teng had lost all initiative. They could only accept challenges passively. On the other hand, the Cube Man Guild still had three chances to challenge other guilds, giving their members opportunities to practice.
Soon after Xu Yuan's return, he began selecting other unions to challenge, further testing and honing his team's skills.
The guild leaders received challenges from the Cube Man Guild one after another, their faces draining of color as they hurriedly refused.
"Who's stupid enough to pick that up?!"