Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 12: New Game Launch [Complete]

1389: Ji Shanqing's Considerations

Perhaps everyone was tired, so the Anonymous Thoughts Zone on the wall was still blank for the time being; no one's thoughts made it onto the list.

This gave Lin Sanjiu a significant amount of hope.

Anyone but a fool, upon a little thought, would understand why the game would set up such a thing — it simply hoped to tear them apart, turning them against each other. It would certainly not choose thoughts like "I want to strive hard with everyone." If it was blank now, was it because no one had intrusive thoughts that could make it onto the list?

The four farmers worked silently for a while, and as the time was getting closer to the agreed-upon rest time of ten o'clock, everyone's faces began to show some signs of relief for the impending end. The other three had long since stopped their search, pulled out a blanket from their backpacks, and sat down to rest. Though no one was asleep, the room was quiet for a while.

If they considered 10:30 PM as bed time, then to get a full eight hours of sleep, they would need to get up by 7:30 AM to begin work. However, the farmers' output on the first day totaled eleven food balls, which was barely enough to get by. Keeping in mind that they just entered the game that day and had a base from before, by tomorrow, if they continued to rely on the same output, it would be insufficient for their energy expenditure.

To be safe, it was better to start tilling the fields around four or five in the morning.

The thought of the long and seemingly endless hard work the next day made even Lin Sanjiu feel a little apprehensive. Just as she was about to discuss this with everyone, she heard a low, indistinct groan. Startled, she followed the sound and found that it was Han Suiping, who had been in a stupor for most of the day.

His face was so red it looked as if it had been boiled; even a glance was frightening.

"Louisa," Lin Sanjiu called out urgently, "Can you check what's wrong with him?"

Louisa made her way through the narrow path between the fields and squatted in the corner, her back shielding Han Suiping's face. She touched his forehead and looked up, surprised. "He's running a fever; his face is burning up."

Developing a high fever wasn't unexpected for Han Suiping, who was unable to relieve pain or fight infections. Despite being somewhat prepared, Lin Sanjiu still felt a wave of dread wash over her.

"Does anyone have a handkerchief, or anything similar?" she asked. Seeing that no one did, she ripped off a piece of her pant leg, soaked it in the irrigation water, and placed it on Han Suiping's forehead as a makeshift compress. It was a crude remedy but better than nothing.

Han Suiping's intermittent groans, like a nearly broken record, dragged and echoed in the room from time to time. Fractured ribs were extremely painful, let alone that he broke several at once. By the time everyone finished farming, laid out their blankets, and turned off the lights, his groaning was the only clear sound in the room.

"We need to be up by four-thirty at the latest," Lin Sanjiu said to the group. "The next two days will be tough, but we'll get through this game."

The news was met with resignation rather than enthusiasm, but thankfully, no objections. A few murmurs of "Got it," filled the room, soon overlaid by the sound of Han Suiping's labored breathing.

Lin Sanjiu quietly bid goodnight to the grand prize, and as she was about to fall asleep, she thought she heard someone sigh impatiently. But she was so tired, she didn't even bother to think about it and slipped into a deep sleep.

When the grand prize woke her up, the room's lights had been turned back on.

"Sis," the grand prize said, his cool fingers resting on her shoulder. "It's four o'clock. There's something you should see."