Chapter 026: The Intensifying Danger of the Second Night
As night deepened, the Trial Ground was enveloped by vast silence and the undulating sounds of danger.
For those trial participants who had a poor start, failed to adapt in time, or couldn't find resources...
The second night in the Trial Ground was destined to be especially long and grueling.
Not all factions were like Huaxia, possessing a [Fate Net] that allowed real-time communication, sharing of survival knowledge, and even material trading.
In those factions lacking effective organization and information flow, despair grew like vines in damp darkness, silently entangling more and more hearts.
Hunger, thirst, fear of darkness and unknown beasts, and the cold loneliness of facing the endless wilderness alone... The accumulation of these pressures finally shattered the last psychological defenses of some.
Thus, in different corners of the Trial Ground, soft yet abrupt beams of white light began to appear one after another.
In the light, the outlines of human figures gradually faded, became transparent, and ultimately vanished into nothingness.
This was the light of those choosing to abandon the trial and voluntarily exit.
According to the rules, those who abandon must recommend a "faction other than their own," adding 10 Points to that faction.
At the same time, elimination also deducts 10 Points from their own faction.
One side gains while the other loses.
The Faction Ranking refreshed at noon tomorrow was destined to undergo a dramatic shift.
In contrast, the situation within the Huaxia Faction was far better.
The existence of the Fate Net acted like a giant safety net, catching most individuals who were falling into despair.
The survival guides on the forum, the mutual encouragement and coordinate sharing in the Regional Channel, the Fate Points gifted by friends and family at critical moments, and even the cheapest food and clean water in the Trading House... all became lifelines.
What the vast majority felt was the warmth of collective support.
But even so, with a massive base of over a billion people, various problems still existed.
Some had diarrhea from eating wild fruits; some suffered from severe abdominal pain after drinking raw water; others were bitten by unknown poisonous insects, their wounds swelling, festering, and causing high fevers...
These problems might have been minor in civilized society.
But in the wilderness, lacking medicine and doctors, they were enough to cause immense suffering and even shake one's will to survive.
The Help Zone on the Fate Net Forum began to be filled with similar posts:
"Help! My stomach hurts so much I'm rolling on the ground, feels like knives twisting inside. Am I poisoned?"
"Does anyone know herbal medicine? I got bitten by an insect on my leg, it's swollen like a steamed bun, itchy and painful!"
"I have a fever, my whole body is cold. There's not even a blanket in the wooden hut. I feel like I won't make it through the night..."
Replies below increased rapidly, though most were just common-sense advice or simple comfort:
[Try drinking some boiled hot water? Might not help much though...]
[Did you eat something you shouldn't have? Think carefully!]
— "That can't be. I appraised everything before eating, and it all showed as edible."
— "Edible doesn't mean you can eat it. Our modern stomachs are too fragile. You can check the Trading House to see if there's any painkillers."
— "Thanks, bro, but I'll tough it out for now... The medicine in the Trading House is too expensive."
【Be careful with insect bites—they might be poisonous. Keep an eye on the wound's changes, and if necessary, Abandon the Trial... Don't push yourself.】
【Fever and chills mean your immune system is working; it's likely an infection or inflammation. Drink plenty of hot water, and if you have enough Fate Points, buy some fever reducers.】
— "I'm alternating between hot and cold, and I feel like medicine won't help. I'm so miserable, I really can't take it anymore. I want to give up..."
— "Hang in there, buddy! Think of your family, think of Huaxia!"
— "The guy above is right! Persistence is victory! Every extra day you live is +1 point for the faction!"
— "There are so many of us in Huaxia—one more or less doesn't make a difference, right? My head is spinning, and I think I see my Great-grandmother waving at me..."
— "Well, if you're already seeing your Great-grandmother, maybe you should just give up? Don't actually cross over."
— "Yeah, if you really can't hold on, giving up is fine... I was going to suggest you tough it out until noon tomorrow to open another box."
— "Oh right, I forgot! There's another box at noon tomorrow! Hehe, I've got to survive this immune system!"
— "Great-grandmother, please bless me to draw the Golden Legend at noon tomorrow and change my fate!"
— "Don't mention Great-grandmother anymore... I only have 6 Fate Points left, and I'm transferring them all to you. Go buy medicine! I'm afraid you'll actually go meet her."
— "By the way, if you really can't hold on and want to give up, remember to pick one of the lower-ranked factions when it asks for a recommendation."
— "Got it! Thanks for the Fate Points, bro! I'm going to buy medicine now—at least... at least I need to hold on until noon tomorrow to open the box!"
— "Stay strong."
Perhaps out of pure goodwill, or maybe mixed with a motive to earn Faction Contribution.
In any case, posts in the Help Zone were rarely ignored. Often, multiple "helpful netizens" would offer advice or even generously donate to a single person seeking help.
It had to be said, the impact of Yu Jing's "Revelation Post" was far more profound than imagined.
It had successfully turned "helping others" into a more widespread and motivating behavior.
Of course, most of the credit still went to Faction Contribution.
And besides the "bustle" of the Help Zone, the number of posts and activity in the Casual Chat Zone skyrocketed during this time.
After nightfall, many people finally had free time, or felt the need to vent their anxiety, and they flooded in.
The topics were all over the place—some shared their gains from the day, some talked about interesting encounters, and others just wanted someone to talk to, to dispel the loneliness of the long wilderness night.
But soon, a recurring similar topic caught widespread attention.
And it quickly overshadowed other discussions, becoming the unavoidable mainstream topic of the night in the Casual Chat Zone:
"Is it just me, or does it feel like the noise outside tonight is way louder than last night?"
"You're not imagining it! I heard it too—sharp, piercing howls, like they were right next to my cabin. I was so scared I curled up in a corner and didn't dare move."
"Coordinates: Forest Edge. Confirmed that beast activity is much more frequent than last night. Something just slammed hard against my wooden wall! It didn't break through, but my heart nearly stopped!"
"Everyone, is Rule Three starting to take effect? 'Beasts become more dangerous over time'... and this is only the second night!"
"Why is everyone saying the beasts are getting louder? I don't feel it—I'm in the Gobi Desert."
"Coordinates: Desert. I asked people in the same area, and they all say it's quiet, nothing unusual."
"Someone just posted on our Regional Channel saying they were attacked by a beast in their wooden cabin. They only had time to shout once before abandoning the trial!"
"I'm on the grasslands. The howling tonight is definitely closer and more frequent! Feels like I'm surrounded!"
Similar posts sprang up like mushrooms after rain. People from different regions and terrains, without prior agreement, reported the same anomalies.
Uneasily, people discovered that aside from extreme environments like deserts and the Gobi, almost all other areas had experienced an increase in beast activity.
Tension and panic spread and amplified rapidly through these posts.
This wave of unease also quietly reached other corners.
Beneath Yu Jing's now-iconic motivational post, the comment section—once filled with encouragement and trust—had quietly been infiltrated by a few threads of worry.
Many of her followers began leaving messages asking:
"Sister Jing, how are things on your end? The noises in my forest are terrifying. You're alone—please be careful!"
"Doesn't Sister Jing have that large handgun? But is there enough ammunition... I'm a bit worried."
"Sister Jing said before she wanted to overcome her fear, but with this situation, even the wooden cabin doesn't feel safe. Is she really okay?"
"Sister Jing, if you're reading this, can you tell us how it's going on your end? Or share some survival tips?"
These messages were mixed in with a flood of daily greetings and words of encouragement, not particularly conspicuous.
But they truly reflected a widespread anxiety that was taking hold.