[Real World, Site 13]
'Here we go! The Boss is finally making his move!'
'Are the Stars Studio producers going for an 18+ rating now? Why have the visuals and plot suddenly become so "intense"?'
'The number of deaths in this episode already exceeds the total from the previous two seasons plus a movie.'
'Wait a minute, buddies, did I see that right? Mi Yao, that high-level player, just got his send-off?'
Just as Tendo stepped forward from the surviving students, the camera of the series panned past his side, allowing dimensional viewers a glimpse of the edges of the beach.
Yet, these fleeting glimpses of the surroundings profoundly shocked many dimensional viewers at Site 13.
On a black reef at the edge of the beach, Stars NO.13 Mi Yao lay slumped beneath the rock. His fringe was soaked with blood, clinging to his pale cheeks. Bloated blood still bubbled from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were vacant and lifeless.
The cause of all this was the three bowl-thick, dark purple vines that pierced through his chest.
The thick, dark green sap from these vines mixed with Mi Yao's own fresh blood, flowing out from the puncture wounds on his chest and dripping onto the bluish-grey sand.
What was going on? Mi Yao had only just appeared, hadn't he?
And he was already dead?
Watching Mi Yao's sudden and simple exit, many dimensional viewers were greatly surprised.
If Mi Yao was just a dispensable extra, why had the Stars Studio producers spent so much effort giving him screen time before?
Could there be some hidden meaning here, perhaps that the guy wasn't actually dead?
Or were there some specific rules on Longevity Island?
Since the crucial information currently available was too scarce, even though some dimensional viewers vaguely sensed the abnormality of the beach plot.
Without concrete proof, all speculations remained just that—speculations.
Besides, the focus on the beach was clearly not Mi Yao right now, as students like him, casually killed by the elder, were abundant across the shoreline.
As Tendo got closer and closer to the mysterious elder, the full scope of the horrific situation on the beach was unveiled to the dimensional viewers.
On the beach of Longevity Island, some people were wrapped up like mummies by vines, only showing a face twisted in despair and agony.
Others had half their bodies dragged into the sand, leaving only a hand still twitching.
Still others attempted to break free from the vines but were instead drained of all energy, turning into withered corpses.
Just one simple landing had brought the previously somewhat orderly group of students close to a 'total wipeout'.
'A near total wipeout right at the start? This plot is too brutal!'
'Isn't Longevity Island a trial ground? It feels more like a slaughterhouse!'
Before the dimensional viewers' shock could completely subside, the series' focus had entirely converged on the center of the Longevity Island beach, which had long since devolved into a vine purgatory.
Vast dark purple vines surged across the sand like a tide. Each one bore thorns and sticky sap, drilling dense, countless holes into the beach.
The bluish-grey sand, the special plant sap from the vines, and the students' fresh blood were all mixed together, turning the Longevity Island beach into a muddy mess that sank to the ankle with every step, making a sickening 'squelching' sound.
The tragic nature of the scene momentarily caused a sense of 'physical discomfort'.
However, in stark contrast to this view of purgatory, the sand beneath Tendo's feet was spotlessly clean.
This was because an invisible vector field unfolded around him, instantly crushing any vine that attempted to approach, which then dissipated into specks of light.
Those frantically writhing vines didn't even dare to touch his shadow.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Tendo's pale blue eyes, under the black eye-band, focused on the mysterious elder's staff.
The top of that white jade staff, which featured a rose design, was currently skewering a student's corpse.
Fresh blood flowed down the wood grain of the staff, but when it touched the elder's cuff, it was blocked by an invisible force, not leaving a single stain.
Noticing his gaze, the elder casually flicked his wrist.
The next second, the corpse was easily tossed onto the sand like trash.
When the student's body hit the sand with a 'thud', a multitude of vines immediately enveloped it, frantically vying for this precious 'food' like 'stray dogs fighting over scraps'.
Having finished this, the mysterious elder looked up toward Tendo.
The instant their eyes met, the Longevity Island beach suddenly vibrated violently.
The dark energy field surrounding the elder and Tendo's vector field collided invisibly.
The magnitude of the disruption was so great that the air emitted a 'crackling' sound of space twisting.
Massive amounts of vines, reefs, and even some students' corpses were instantly crushed into fine dust in the crossfire of these two forces.
Looking at the silent, mysterious elder, Tendo slowly began to speak.
"Caroline, you take the others and leave first."
"I will find you at the rendezvous point within three days."
Tendo's tone was calm, yet unyielding and commanding.
This was not a request, but a notification.
Caroline, standing behind the team of survivors, looked up at Tendo's back after hearing his words, then swept a glance at the menacing elder not far away, and finally nodded: "Understood. I will send you the Star Energy coordinates of the rendezvous point as soon as possible."
There was no hesitation, and no melodramatic scene of 'I won't leave if you don't.'
In the face of Tendo's instruction, Caroline only ever had one response: 'execute,' never to raise 'objection.'
Quickly, under Caroline's direction, the remaining survivors on the beach sprang into action.
Some supported the injured, while others cleared a temporary path to help the wounded successfully withdraw.
However, before Caroline organized the crowd, some students had already chosen to flee at the first sign of trouble.
This included Ye Shenlin and Huan Qianying.
Therefore, the number of people still standing on the beach was actually quite small, totaling fewer than thirty individuals.
Compared to the initial number of two hundred and fifteen, this was a reduction of nearly ninety percent.
And what was strange was that, perhaps deterred by Tendo's strength or for other reasons, the mysterious elder on the beach did not choose to attack the retreating group again.
It wasn't until the survivors' figures had completely vanished into the jungle's edge, leaving only him and Tendo on the Longevity Island beach, that the mysterious elder slowly spoke.
"If that's all, they won't be able to leave Longevity Island."
At the elder's cryptic remark, Tendo suddenly smiled.
"I know, after all,"
Tendo said, reaching up and slowly removing his black eye-band.
"...I just don't want anyone to interrupt what I'm about to do."