SSSG Chapter 65: The Path to Fame and Glory (4)

You Have One Minute

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Du Yixin is quite aware of how much his older brother dislikes Ying Sheng, which is understandable, since he hasn’t exactly acted cordial since they finally met, first using him, Du Heng’s own younger brother as a hostage, and now proposing a battle royale while ignoring all the rules of the Instance. It’s all more than a little antagonistic.

So that his older brother wouldn’t worry, though, he still responds affirmatively.

After his older brother has left, he immediately turns to find Ying Sheng, who is really notable among the crowd.

“Ying Sheng!”

The person freezes in place but does not respond. Du Yixin hurries along and speaks to him, “we’re in the same group.”

“…”

“I wanted to look for you earlier, but to end up encountering you here either way. Must be fate,” he laments.

“…”

Du Yixin then continues blabbering over nothings, but Ying Sheng wouldn’t respond. Du Yixin then asks with a curious tone, “what’s wrong?”

What’s wrong, he asks?!

Ying Sheng finally turns, out of patience, and says, “… why are you even acting all buddy-buddy with me. We’re nobodies to each other already.”

Du Yixin says frankly, “of course we’re not.”

“Did you forget I held you as a damned hostage?”

“Yeah, but if you didn’t do that, my older brother would never have helped.”

“You——!” Ying Sheng thought Du Yixin would have distanced himself from him after that, but he never thought he would receive such a reception as if nothing has happened or he couldn’t care less.

“And, I need to apologise myself too,” Du Yixin suddenly turns all serious and says.

“That last Instance was opened by my older brother’s companion. And after that too, without the help from that unlikeable guy, you might have been trapped there. I really…” He sighs, then changes the tone, “so when I heard you were still alive later, I was really happy.”

Du Yixin has pointed directly at what Ying Sheng himself couldn’t understand.

Why would he have chosen to stay behind so that Du Yixin could escape? Why didn’t he just catch him and throw him out to be bait instead?

It is precisely this terrifying change in him that made him unwilling to further mingle with him… But somehow, all he has done to drive a wedge between themselves has had no effect.

Suddenly, the doll nearby speaks up and interrupts Ying Sheng’s tnoughts.

“It’s time. One minute exactly.”

“We’re missing some,” xiao-Mei says, then locks her gaze towards a couple not far away, “got it, there’s two of them.”

It seems to be a couple. The young man is dragging the woman behind him and running like hell, gasping for breath, “wait, please, we’ll be there immediately…”

They spawned a bit further from everyone else in the beginning, and after the dolls killed people, they would much rather move as close to the edge and far away as possible. If only they’d known they’d still have to participate in the damned game.

When they called for them to assemble, his girlfriend was really reluctant and he had to drag her to start moving. Now they’re about a dozen metres short.

“We won’t wait,” xiao-Mei’s mouth cracks open. More porcelain debris begin falling as she continues to say, “those who are late must be punished.”

“Punished.”

“Punished.”

One by one, like a sick game of telephone. It almost makes the man’s legs give out from all the surrounding noises. He can’t help but remember the fate of the poor man from the very beginning, and asks, his face all pale, “we-, we’re almost there. We are also the first group, so can’t you let this go?”

Yet the dolls would not hear any of it, and declare, “delivering punishment!”

“Wa——!”

Without time for them to say anything any longer, a cannonball fires right out from xiao-Mei’s wide gaping mouth. A white stream of light pierces precisely through the crowd and right through the man’s head. So now the man is only a headless corpse with white smoke gushing out where the neck was separated.

The shorter girlfriend behind him was spared by the difference in height, only having a few strands of hair burned. Her boyfriend suddenly suffering such a tragic death in front of her very eyes makes her cover her mouth, as she begins to puke.

“Oops, I missed,” xiao-Mei’s mouth slowly closes and says, “this must be the will of the Heavens. That girl over there, you’re forgiven this time. Come quick.”

“Wuh, uwu…” the girl’s legs give out, and she falls to the ground, sitting and sobbing uncontrollably.

“Come quick,” xiao-Mei hurries her.

Yet it looks like she is beyond reasoning at this point. She hasn’t moved an inch.

“Are you also giving up on the chance to debut?” Xiao-Mei asks for confirmation, but no reply comes, so it says, “then we will also send you away.”

The word ‘away’ finally draws a reaction from her, who lifts her head up——And is then immediately pulverised by the cannonball as well.

Two more people are gone now. The screen changes again, showing two fresh new red crosses for Group One.

Sixty-one people remain.

The wide space is eerily silent. Compared to the panic following the first death, right now, it seems everyone has come to accept the hopeless reality. All they can do is pray that fate does not pick them next.

“The entertainment industry is a cruel place! Never give up, everyone!” Xiao-Mei says something encouraging.

“Then Group One members, please vote and elect a Group Captain, who will be in charge of throwing the die to determine the number of steps forward. You have five minutes. Make sure you think it through!”

Another countdown starts.

Meanwhile, the crowd also begins to move and separate, heading for their respective porcelain dolls. While Group One had to choose a Captain, other mascots have also stepped forward and called for their groups to assemble.

“Group Two, assemble in one minute! Your time starts now!”

“Group Three. Your time starts now.”

“Group Four,” a porcelain doll with short hair, dressed in a white shirt and red dress, declares. It is the one in charge of Du Yixin’s group, “… your time starts now.”

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TL’s notes: The arc begins. I know this chapter was really short, but blame the raws, not me, hehe.