Chapter 295 – Colosseum (III): “Humans Are Beasts Too”

Almost every player froze.

None of them had expected that, with victory within reach, Nian Fu—who’d started with the lowest points—would deliberately stir up trouble.

The girl had only six hundred initial points; even if she survived today, she’d gain little later. Was she courting death by standing against the majority?

A few players caught on: an old fox like Qi Si would never lack a backup plan; dragging teammates into a con is standard for Slaughter-path players.

Hoping to knock him out on day one had been naïve.

Nian Fu’s earlier open hostility toward Qi Si had probably been to lower everyone’s guard, setting them up for this ambush.

Lin Ye barked, “Do you even know what you’re doing? Only he had to die, but now who knows how many death points are coming—how many will get hurt!”

With The Goat present he dared no big moves, only his mouth: “You’re his accomplice, right? I knew it—slippery as an eel, no way he queues an instance alone…”

Nian Fu shook her head, grinning. “Sorry, wrong guess. First time I’ve met the guy today. As for why I bid—because I felt like it, okay?”

The words carried no weight; Lin Ye treated it as sophistry and gave two cold laughs.

The Goat smiled. “One hundred, first call.”

Nian Fu turned from Lin Ye to Qi Si, chummy: “Little bro, I just saved you—owe me a favor, deal?”

Qi Si laced his fingers, smiled gently. “Sure. After the instance we’ll put it on Unnamed Guild’s tab.”

Their open chatter, utterly unbothered by onlookers, sounded as if Nian Fu acted purely because she saw promise in Qi Si and wanted to sell him a favor.

But none present were kids; no one bought such a flimsy reason.

Chu Xun, already teamed up and standing aside, seemed to think of something; he swept Lin Ye with a cool glance, a flash of light glinting off his lenses.

In the end he said nothing.

“One hundred, second call.”

Lin Ye raised his hand. “Six hundred!”

Stunned by Nian Fu’s play, he’d frozen a moment, but quickly grasped the stakes.

Nian Fu’s bid, risking public wrath, might not stem from knowing Qi Si—merely from having the lowest starting points.

She didn’t trust that every player would rationally unite to oust Qi Si, and feared a hidden teammate might jump in to save him.

Then, as the lowest scorer, she’d lose the auction for sure, fail to find a team, and become the first casualty.

To dodge that death risk, she bid before anyone reacted—cheaply forming a team and selling Qi Si a favor, while letting his possible hidden ally stay undercover.

Her public demand for a favor was smoke and mirrors, misleading others into ignoring the danger and letting her snag a bargain. Once Lin Ye saw the logic, he realized that if Nian Fu and Qi Si teamed, he would become the lowest scorer and face elimination.

So he had to bid.

“Six hundred, first call!” The Goat shouted.

None of the animals had expected the auction, seemingly doomed to silence, to erupt into a bidding war at the last second; whatever the cause, the sudden reversal thrilled them.

Creatures around the arena let out a cacophony, like cages in a slaughterhouse awaiting the blade.

“Six hundred, second call!”

Qi Si glanced at Dong Xiwen, who was doing his best to stay invisible, and spotted the bright number 【2100】 on his chest: “You’ve got 2,100 points—lend us 300.”

“Huh?” Dong Xiwen looked up blankly, pointing at himself. “Bro, you mean me?”

At the final second, as a Balance Church member who couldn’t let a Contract Authority holder die, he’d almost bid—only for Nian Fu to beat him to it.

Figuring Qi Si was safe and wouldn’t need him, he planned to stay sunny and low-key—never expecting Qi Si to call him out.

Was this for real? Normally you’d keep him hidden as a secret pawn among the players for a rainy day, right?

What was the point of exposing him like this?

Nian Fu beamed at Dong Xiwen. “Little bro, how about lending me 300 points? I swear every point goes to the bid.”

Dong Xiwen nodded with a constipated look; the next second his chest showed 【1800】, while Nian Fu’s became 【900】.

He knew that with Qi Si’s words the others already saw him as an accomplice; if they couldn’t get Qi Si, they might come after him.

Since Qi Si wouldn’t die soon, he might as well stand firmly on his side—at least he wouldn’t be alone.

Under everyone’s gaze Dong Xiwen slipped the white ring off his little finger and tossed it to the ground, no hesitation left in his eyes.

Another Jiuzhou-mass-produced Team Ring. Coupled with Qi Si’s earlier mention of “Unnamed Guild,” some players were already cooking up a conspiracy: Jiuzhou Guild using a joint operation to crush a rising guild.

A guild barely a week old already targeted by Jiuzhou at any cost—just who was their leader, “Lin Crow”?

The Goat timed it perfectly: “Six hundred, third call!”

Nian Fu said, “Nine hundred.”

Exactly the upper limit of points Lin Ye could muster.

Lin Ye’s face darkened.

He couldn’t raise further. Though a loan system existed, who would lend him points now?

Qi Si’s survival was sealed; players would rather keep their points for later fights.

He’d entered alone, no teammates—elimination seemed certain. He opened his mouth to curse, to hurl threats, when Qi Si chuckled: “Why not try borrowing some from Chang Xu? He’s Jiuzhou and has a sterling rep—surely he’ll help you, right?”

Lin Ye swallowed the curses and stared at the young man in the red suit and slacks, clueless what act this was.

Qi Si sighed. “It was meant to be private business between Chang Xu and me; I didn’t want to drag you all in…”

Chang Xu cut in coldly: “You killed players in Carnivore, Frog Hospital, and Wraith instances—death is too good for you.”

Qi Si’s expression didn’t waver. “Popular clamor can melt metal; baseless accusations. I’m merely curious—does Jiuzhou always wrap its murders in high-sounding reasons?”

He looked at Lin Ye. “With your brains you should realize: if Chang Xu hadn’t activated his Identity Card effect, none of you would be ganging up on me.

“You wouldn’t have targeted me first, and I wouldn’t have helped Nian Fu borrow points from my friend. Then the player eliminated this round would have been Nian Fu, the lowest scorer…

“Unfortunately, there’s no ‘what-if’; fairness has already been shattered. Now we can only hope Chang Xu still has a shred of responsibility and is willing to own up to what he’s done.”

He was talking utter nonsense, yet Lin Ye clung to it like a lifeline, staring at Chang Xu: “Chang Xu, lend me some points—I shouldn’t have died at all! If you hadn’t added that main quest, I’d never have stood up and said those things…”

Chang Xu’s gaze sharpened slightly.

Liu Yuhan cut in first: “It’s no use. Dong Xiwen has 1,800 points; keeping only 1,000 guarantees safety, so he can lend at most 800.”

“Add Nian Fu’s 900 and Qi Si’s 1,000, and the pool is 2,700. Lin Ye needs 1,800 to dominate, but that’s unnecessary…”

Lin Ye interrupted: “I only need to borrow 200—then my total becomes 1,100. I won’t be lowest anymore and won’t be eliminated.”

Liu Yuhan shook her head: “But that’s unfair to others. If you survive, someone with 1,000 points must die.”

“But I was never supposed to be eliminated…”

“You’re right.” Qi Si approved. “So the ideal outcome is to eliminate Nian Fu.”

He spoke as though Nian Fu weren’t right there—despite her timely help—analyzing solemnly: “Right now Nian Fu has only 900. If Lin Ye wins this bid, she’ll still be the one voted out.”

“Liu Yuhan miscalculated one thing: as a rational actor who’s already safe, I won’t touch my points, so Nian Fu can theoretically raise only 1,700.”

“At most, since Lin Ye openly targeted me, I might—out of spite—chip in 300 to keep things balanced.”

“Even then, Lin Ye needs just 1,100 more to team with me. You guys can scrape that together, right?”

Qi Si laid out the pros and cons, sounding perfectly helpful.

Nian Fu glanced at him with a smile, not angry in the least.

Chu Xun adjusted his glasses. “Trying to bleed our points with that speech?”

Qi Si said calmly, “People fear inequality more than scarcity. After this redistribution all three teams will have 1,000 each—perfectly fair.”

Lin Ye looked from Green to Chang Xu, words tumbling out: “Lend me points so Qi Si and I pair up. We’re already enemies—I sure won’t help him!”

“Nian Fu and Qi Si are in cahoots; the instance could’ve ended fine, but she ruined it! She’s clearly another Slaughter-path player—she deserves to die!”

“Chang Xu, your Jiuzhou Guild always claims it wipes out every Slaughter-path player it meets, right?”

The players shared one goal: kill Qi Si, clear the new main quest, and end the instance.

Knowing Nian Fu likely allied with Qi Si, while Lin Ye had clashed with him, ousting Nian Fu and keeping Lin Ye served the group.

Chang Xu nodded at Lin Ye. “All right, I’ll lend them.”

His counter dropped to zero; Lin Ye watched his own jump to 1,300 and thanked him profusely.

“Nine hundred—third call,” said The Goat.

Lin Ye hastily shouted, “Thirteen hundred!”

Qi Si said, “Dong Xiwen, lend Nian Fu another six hundred.”

Dong Xiwen obeyed; right now he was nothing but an emotionless ATM.

Nian Fu’s display changed to 【1500】, two hundred above Lin Ye’s bid.

She thought for a moment. “Fourteen hundred.”

Lin Ye shot Green a pleading look.

Green snorted. “No loan. Whatever I give, we can’t eliminate him today, so why waste my points?”

“Besides, only an idiot believes teammates in this instance won’t back each other up. Who’d trust you to keep fighting him?”

Chang Xu frowned at the stubble-cheeked Green.

Earlier Green hadn’t objected, tacitly agreeing to pool points—why the sudden flip?

Liu Yuhan finally caught on and grasped Qi Si’s plan.

She’d thought he only wanted to equalize everyone’s totals.

Now it was clear: he’d targeted one person from the start.

He’d bet the players weren’t united, staked everything on human selfishness—and won.

Green wouldn’t sacrifice for an uncertain outcome; Chang Xu’s loan was useless—coins flung at a dog. Lin Ye jabbed a finger at Green, ready to curse him for breach of faith, then realized he didn’t need those points at all.

With 1,300, he was safe from elimination; no need to force a team-up with Qi Si.

His hostility was obvious—best to keep far from Qi Si rather than stand under a crumbling wall.

Lin Ye lowered his hand and stayed silent.

Liu Yuhan pinched her glasses and asked The Goat, “Can we recall lent points?”

The Goat smiled. “You can borrow them back—through a loan, of course.”

Lin Ye, calmer now, looked at Liu Yuhan. “You still have points to lend. Give me another seven hundred and I’ll keep bidding.”

It was an empty offer—bidding without certainty was pointless.

Liu Yuhan knew Lin Ye had no intention of returning those points.

She wouldn’t lend more; she didn’t know what use points had after the auction, but too few could only hurt.

Her reserve had to protect her team.

“Fourteen hundred—first call.”

“Fourteen hundred—second call.”

“Fourteen hundred—third call.”

No further bids came after the three calls.

The Goat announced with feeling, “Congratulations to players Qi Si and Nian Fu for forming a team!”

Qi Si strolled over and shook Nian Fu’s outstretched hand.

Nian Fu smiled brightly, “Hope we cooperate well!”

Qi Si smiled too. “Pleasure working together.”

Still smiling faintly, he lifted his gaze toward Chang Xu standing nearby with lowered eyes. “I hear every wolf pack has an omega wolf—last to eat, fed on scraps, skin and bones, bullied by all.”

“If it dies, the pack chooses a new omega. They need one wolf to live in misery so the rest can reassure themselves: ‘At least I’m not the worst off.'”

“They say humans are beasts too; the principle must be the same. Congratulations—your stupidity and arrogance have won you and your teammates the honor of becoming that ‘omega wolf.'”

“Chang Xu, are you satisfied with this outcome?”