Chapter 27

Chapter 027: Go to Sleep, the Big One’s Not Coming!

Here.

The forest area where Yu Jing was located was unusually quiet at this moment.

Inside the wooden cabin, she had just completed a transaction and was now methodically tidying herself up under the soft white light cast by her newly purchased [Portable Solar-Powered Lamp].

The spoils from her recent hunt had been exchanged at the Trading House for over thirty thousand Fate Points.

This "windfall" allowed Yu Jing to leisurely improve her living conditions.

Besides this lamp, which could be charged by sunlight, she also bought a full set of brand-new quick-dry outdoor clothing, a thermos, and some basic hygiene products.

The hunt earlier wasn’t difficult for her.

It was simply a matter of locking onto a target and delivering a precise strike.

But moving through the forest inevitably left her covered in dust and drenched in sweat.

Yu Jing really wanted to take a bath.

However, conditions were lacking, and it was getting late, so she had to make do for now.

Standing in a corner of the cabin, she stripped off her clothes.

Using heated water, she soaked a towel and carefully wiped away the sweat and dust left on her body from the battle.

Cool droplets slid across her skin, washing away fatigue and gradually calming her mind, which had been racing all afternoon.

Soon, she finished thoroughly cleaning herself.

She changed into a snug, form-fitting black sportswear set, tied her long hair up with a simple wooden hairpin, and looked neat and sharp.

Dinner consisted of grilled meat, noodles, and a bowl of vegetable soup purchased from the Trading House. While it wasn’t exactly delicious, it provided enough nutrition and calories to replenish her body’s losses.

After quickly finishing her meal, she cleaned up and put away the utensils.

Then, Yu Jing sank her consciousness into the Fate Net.

First, she clicked on the motivational post she had made under her real name.

Skipping over the flood of daily greetings and words of encouragement, some newly posted questions tinged with obvious worry caught her attention.

"Big commotion tonight? Beasts restless? The wooden cabin might not be safe?"

Yu Jing instinctively focused on listening to the sounds outside the cabin—only the rustle of wind through leaves and the occasional faint, listless chirping of insects.

Compared to last night, it could even be described as... too quiet.

"Why is it so silent?" She frowned slightly.

But the next second, she realized what was going on.

This wasn’t some anomaly; it was because the sources of danger around her had been cleared out during her earlier hunt.

Within a radius of several hundred meters centered on her cabin, all living creatures detected by "Digital Perception" as having some level of threat—whether lurking venomous snakes or prowling jackals—had been turned into the growing Fate Points in her account.

"I see..."

"So, my situation here isn’t a reliable reference."

Having figured out the key point, Yu Jing quickly switched to the Casual Chat Zone of the Fate Net.

She needed to understand the overall situation.

The first thing that caught her eye were posts filled with anxiety and fear.

The entire board was almost flooded with titles like "Beast Anomalies," "More Dangerous Tonight," "Has Rule Three Started?" and so on.

It was as if everyone was shouting, "Don’t sleep, the big one’s coming!"

Panic was spreading.

Seeing this, Yu Jing frowned slightly.

After quickly scanning dozens of posts from forest, grassland, and hilly regions, combined with the scattered and panicked messages in the Regional Channel...

She pieced together the scene unfolding outside: a noticeable increase in beast activity, more frequent approaches toward human cabins, and even a few isolated successful attacks.

However, Yu Jing soon realized this wasn't a universally acknowledged phenomenon.

At least aside from lifeless zones like deserts and the Gobi Desert, some people in forested areas claimed everything was normal.

Considering the mentality of "keeping quiet if nothing's wrong," the actual number of people who hadn't encountered anomalies should be higher than those reporting online.

Thus, she overturned her earlier reconstruction.

Focusing instead on the beasts' behavior patterns:

More frequent roars, closer activity ranges to cabins, and even small-scale, purposeful ramming...

"Are they... testing?!"

A flash of insight struck Yu Jing, and she suddenly understood.

Trial Ground Rule Three: [Beasts will become more dangerous over time.]

While many attributed tonight's disturbances to this rule, she leaned toward the idea that it was merely instinctive, spontaneous probing behavior from wild predators.

From this, a more logical hypothesis quickly took shape:

For the native beasts of the Trial Ground, the "small cabins" and the two-legged creatures that suddenly appeared yesterday were entirely unfamiliar.

On the first night, they were mostly cautious, observing and keeping their distance.

After a day, these less intelligent beasts had more or less adapted to human presence.

Thus, tonight, some bold predators began testing and harassing, trying to gauge the threat level of these new neighbors.

Even some starving beasts took the risk of launching direct attacks.

This caused the panic across the forum.

...

After reaching this conclusion—denying that Rule Three had taken effect—Yu Jing couldn't help but relax her brow.

Because she believed that the "danger" explicitly stated in the rules would surely not be simple or mild.

So, naturally, Yu Jing hoped it would take effect as late as possible.

But considering the setup of "Survive one day, add 1 point" and "Elimination deducts 10 points"...

She speculated that the actual activation time for the rule might be around the tenth day.

This way, factions with vastly different population sizes could maintain some semblance of balance.

As for after activation—whether the beasts' danger would increase daily or fluctuate cyclically?

That was a matter for later; no need to dwell on it now.

Yu Jing returned to the comment section of her own post.

After a moment of thought, she began replying uniformly under the worried messages:

[Everything's normal on my end; I haven't sensed any unusual activity.]

[However, based on information from across the Fate Net, I can preliminarily conclude: tonight's events are just beasts testing based on predatory instincts, not Rule Three taking effect.]

[Friends who notice anomalies, please pick up sturdy objects nearby as defense, stay inside your cabin, and remain vigilant.]

[Don't panic excessively. Remember, humans wielding weapons are already at the top of the food chain.]

After an afternoon of hunting, Yu Jing discovered that the ecological chain of the Trial Ground was quite similar to Earth's.

The top predators here were only slightly more formidable than tigers.

If humans had suitable weapons, they could handle most of the beasts outside the wooden cabin.

If they gathered in groups, they had the potential to become "Species Exterminators."

In her view, before "Rule Three" took effect, humans had no reason to fear the beasts.

So, after leaving that reply, Yu Jing said no more.

Her thoughts turned to the aftermath: tomorrow, more people would likely choose to join regional teams, and weapons like spears and stone axes would become even more popular.

But none of that concerned her.

As the "Second on the List," Yu Jing's judgment about the unusual beast activity tonight instantly drew widespread attention.

And it spread rapidly.

In truth, other intelligent people or experts familiar with wilderness ecology had similar speculations.

Most of them even thought of it earlier than Yu Jing.

After all, they had learned of this matter much sooner than Yu Jing, who had only just looked at the Fate Net Forum after finishing her busy work.

Initially, similar claims were scattered here and there.

But as they spread, they quickly converged like sparks, becoming clear in the information torrent of the Fate Net.

Naturally, the involvement and push of state-organized forces played a role.

Clearly, the authorities had noticed the situation early on.

But...

"Nobody thought to report this to me?!" Yu Jing frowned.

She glanced at the "Special Task Force" group chat channel and confirmed there were no unread new messages.

Instantly, her mood soured.

Although this task force was set up specifically for the "Chief," as the Deputy Team Leader, her rank and treatment should have been considerable.

Even if she didn't have the authority to handle this matter personally, such a safety-critical development should have been promptly reported by dedicated personnel.

They should have even provided safety advice and relevant support early on.

Even if Yu Jing didn't need it, she should have received the information in advance.

Instead, she had to discover the clues herself on the forum.

This was truly...

From this, it was clear: the Special Task Force she belonged to might have high authority, but having high authority seemed unlikely.

This statement seemed contradictory, but it was merely a matter of emphasis versus neglect.

Yu Jing had originally thought that Old Zhuang personally taking command was enough to show that the highest decision-making level had adopted the right attitude.

But the facts proved they were still wavering.

This task force was more of a "backup plan."

Compared to actively leaning toward the "Chief," they still seemed to prefer acting on their own.

At least some of them did.

Just like the saying—"One won't give up until hitting the wall!"

This was human nature, and even political beings couldn't escape it.

Yu Jing was naturally dissatisfied with this.

When they invited her, they hadn't shown this attitude.

What she cared about was this civilization, and her loyalty was to this country, not certain individuals.

She wouldn't be fooled into foolishly sympathizing with the big shots.

But for now, it was useless for her to dwell on it alone.

Actually, there's no need to worry. Once the leaderboard refreshes at noon tomorrow, it'll naturally be someone else's turn to panic.

For now, the most important thing is to follow the plan and increase her own Faction Contribution.

Yu Jing turned her gaze to the Help Zone on the Fate Net Forum.

She currently had over thirty thousand Fate Points on hand and planned to convert them into Faction Contribution here.

By transferring Fate Points to help those in need, she aimed to achieve a win-win outcome.

This was the path she had long planned.

So, over the next hour or so, Yu Jing transformed into an efficient "Payment Robot."

She precisely screened, quickly responded, and directed Fate Points to the most urgent and deserving help seekers.

Only when her Faction Contribution smoothly broke through the one million mark, and her Fate Points dwindled to just over two thousand, did she stop.

By the time she finished, it was already late at night.

She took another look at the Casual Chat Zone and noticed many people reporting messages like "The beasts have retreated" and "Go to sleep, the big one didn't come."

Confirming her judgment was correct, Yu Jing prepared to turn in for the night.

She lay down on the newly purchased simple bed, closed her eyes, and a thought quietly surfaced before sleep:

"What's the Chief's Faction Contribution now...?"

This question was destined to have no exact answer, but Yu Jing knew the number must be staggering.

Although the first day's Faction Contribution was already impressive, the second day was bound to be even more outrageous.

Because of the Trading House's effect.

The specific number would probably drive people straight to despair.

That was also the fundamental reason why she felt she didn't need to worry—by noon tomorrow, it would be someone else's turn to panic.