My Abyss Survival Diary

Chapter 79 The Game Begins

Six glass jars were placed side by side on a wooden table, their inner walls crawling with frenzied wasps.

Carl stood behind the wooden table, his hands resting on the edge of the table, his body leaning slightly forward.

"The rules are simple: six jars, six leaders, and each jar contains a type of 'eating bee.' You can see for yourselves that some have red compound eyes and some have brown compound eyes."

"You need to capture new Spectral Bees on the second floor, mate them with the Spectral Bees you already have, and produce new Spectral Bees. Raise them from larvae to adults and observe the color of their compound eyes. Only Spectral Bees with golden compound eyes will score points. Whoever collects ten golden-eyed Spectral Bees first will be the winner."

A murmur rippled through the crowd as they processed the information.

The nun raised her hand.

"I don't understand," she protested in a calm and assertive tone. "Beekeeping sounds boring and tedious. How about we change to a simpler rule and decide the winner by force?"

Karl tilted his head and looked at her, the curve of his lips unchanged. "Wisdom is also part of the game, Sister. If you don't know how to raise bees, go find someone who does, or steal someone else's already raised ones. The rules have never stipulated that you can only use your own monstrous bees."

His gaze shifted from the nun to the other five people.

Elder Chalasu's brows were deeply furrowed, and the wrinkles on his forehead were like knife-carved ravines. His gray-white arms were crossed in front of his chest, and the corners of his mouth were turned down.

"The monstrous wasp is the most bloodthirsty creature I've ever seen. When it gets angry, it attacks its own kind indiscriminately; husbands devour wives, mothers devour their children," Charasu said professionally. "You expect this thing to reproduce more than three generations? Hmph, dream on!"

Karl smiled. "Elder, you don't need to worry. There should be someone in your clan who is good at this."

The two tunnel raiders, Wilson and Sophia, were surrounded by their companions. They didn't even pretend and immediately began discussing tactics, indicating that they had been preparing for an alliance for a long time.

The Imperial Adventurer wore a fully enclosed helmet, obscuring his face. He stood there motionless, his hands hanging at his sides, like a wax figure in protective gear.

Simon looked down at the swarm of predatory bees pounding against the glass in the jar. Their compound eyes flickered in the dark green light. He tapped the jar wall lightly with his finger, and the bees pounded even more fiercely, as if trying to break through the jar wall to bite his finger.

Karl raised his hand, signaling for quiet.

"The six leaders will be blindfolded and taken to six different locations scattered throughout the second layer of the abyss. You may only bring your personal weapons; you are not allowed to bring any supplies."

"Your men must remain in the camp. Every morning, I will randomly release one person from each faction. Note that it is a random release; you do not know who will be released today, nor will your men know who will be released first. Moreover, the moment they leave the camp, they will engage in combat with people from the different factions."

This rule is obviously more advantageous to the cave raiders, especially the two who formed an alliance. They brought significantly more people, and two of them will participate in the game on the first day. If two of them are lying in ambush near the camp gate, wouldn't their companion be in great danger?

And that nun, she seems to have no companions at all.

Simon looked at the lineup of adventurers and survivors. Now that things had come to this, perhaps forming an alliance was a good option?

"There are no rules in this game, no restrictions on the weapons you can use, and it doesn't matter which side you're on or which team leader you're on. Whoever hands me ten live Killer Bees is the winner. You can fight with all your might, or you can use some underhanded tactics." He smiled slightly. "Killing the tournament organizers is also a way to win, but I don't recommend you try it."

He paused, then grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"Everyone, let's fight to our hearts' content on the second floor!"

Some people were screaming, some were clapping, and some remained silent.

Elder Chalasu's face was grim; the nun closed her good eye, her lips moving slightly as she prayed to the Iron Emperor; Wilson patted Sophia on the shoulder, squatted down, and continued to discuss tactics with his subordinates.

Simon turned around and strode quickly toward his companion.

Klein and Flanye hurried over, and Pick, though a little nervous, followed behind them. Professor Loris, leaning on his cane, stepped forward.

"Listen," Simon said in a low voice, so low that only these few people could hear, "Whoever is released on the first day must take Brienne's head with them. Also, be very careful; the cave raiders are forming an alliance, and they might ambush you!"

The three nodded in agreement. Professor Loris stepped forward and gripped Simon's sleeve tightly.

"Simon, the color variation in the compound eyes of this ravenous wasp might be related to the theory of color source contamination. Listen to me..."

"There's no time, Professor Loris, get to the point."

Professor Lorris took a deep breath:

"White, you must first find white Devouring Bees. Golden Eyes mutated from white. Without white, you will never raise golden ones."

"I understand!" Simon looked at him and nodded vigorously.

Professor Lorris loosened his cuffs and took a step back.

Simon turned around and saw Carl walking towards him with sacks and glass jars.

He gripped the harpoon tightly, unloaded the backpack full of supplies, and then took the heavy glass jar. A burlap sack, smelling of mold and dried blood, was then placed over his head.

He heard Karl's voice coming from outside the sack, still in that cheerful tone.

"Mr. Simon, have a pleasant game."

He walked forward, his boots crunching on the broken petals and the muddy ground.

He was escorted by a steam armor, and he could clearly feel the change in temperature and the heavy weight as he stepped on it.

The ornaments jingled as he moved, suggesting that the person escorting him was a fanatical believer.

"I am escorting you on the orders of the Lord." The voice came from ahead, deep and muffled, as if squeezed out of a tin can.

After walking for almost an afternoon, when even Simon's legs started to ache, the sack was finally opened.

He was still standing in the flower field, but the surrounding terrain was different. In addition to the flower field, there were large stones poked out of the soil all around him, as if he were in a forest made of stones.

"I'll escort you this far." The voice was still the same, dull and devoid of any emotion. "Your opponents will also be sent to this area. Six people, three locations. You may encounter the enemy soon."

Simon silently gripped the harpoon tighter.

No matter which faction he might encounter, he will be prepared for battle.