"Then, guests will come up here in the order of arrival to draw the ingredient requirements you need. The group player who obtained first place in the second project will come up to draw first."
Did he change his personality?
Lin Ye stood in place without moving.
Cold Frost subconsciously thought Lin Ye didn't want to go up, so she planned to set off herself, but her wrist was grabbed by Lin Ye. Erina Nakiri was startled; she thought Lin Ye wanted her to go up, but as a result, her wrist was also grabbed.
Why?
Both women were puzzled.
"By the way, it is in reverse order."
The sentence that followed immediately made the two women understand.
That Host did it on purpose.
Starting from the last place, but saying first place first, then supplementing with 'reverse order' afterwards—this was absolutely intended to target Lin Ye from the very beginning, waiting to see Lin Ye's joke. However, Lin Ye had long since seen through it.
The rest of the players also increasingly felt the Organizer's targeting of Lin Ye.
They could also understand the reason. It was because Lin Ye's involvement caused the Strange Coins reward for the first place to increase by a full 350 coins. For the Organizer, this was a huge cost increase.
If a troublemaking player like Lin Ye wasn't targeted, that would be the strange thing.
As competitors, they should have felt fortunate about this, but compared to feeling fortunate and watching the fun, many players felt more about the Organizer's injustice and dissatisfaction with Lin Ye's treatment.
After all, Lin Ye had provided them with a certain amount of help in the previous two project competitions.
Starting from the 23rd place,
Representatives from one group after another went up to the stage to draw the requirements from the box.
"Red plant, and a single one must reach 500g? What is this thing? I originally thought chili peppers would be enough."
"Mine is even more absolute. It directly says rabbit, but it wants one with six legs. Are there rabbits with six legs?"
"A creature swimming in the water, body length must reach one meter. What am I supposed to do about this? It's over!"
"What the hell requirement is this? Is there even such a creature?"
...
...
Sounds of complaints rose from all directions.
Many players looked at the requirements with total confusion, completely not knowing how to handle it.
"Hey, are you sure the things on this requirement exist here?"
"Of course, please be at ease. Everything mentioned above truly exists. As long as the guests search and observe diligently, they can be found. There will absolutely be no problems."
These words were very sincere,
The players had no choice but to believe.
In the end,
Lin Ye stepped forward.
"Sir, please."
"There's only one left, right!"
Lin Ye had already seen through it. With a glance using the Perspective Skill, he saw the situation inside.
"We only prepared twenty-three slips. As the guest who was first in the second project, I believe you will definitely have good luck."
"Yes, I also believe I will definitely have good luck."
Lin Ye smiled.
He reached his hand in and groped around for a while. Very quickly, a paper slip was drawn out.
Soon, the paper slip was opened. The Host watched, and in the next moment, he was stunned. The mask he wore seemed unable to conceal his astonishment.
[Red, Plant, Quantity 10]
This...
They simply hadn't put this paper slip in there!
Because this requirement was too simple, simple enough to be found just by strolling around randomly.
The ingredient requirement they prepared for Lin Ye was definitely not this one.
"It seems my luck is really good. If the quantity was just one, it would be even simpler, but 10 isn't a big problem either."
Facing the increasingly brilliant smile on Lin Ye's face, the Mask Man Host's expression became even uglier. He realized one point: this guy Lin Ye had guessed from the very beginning that they would tamper with the raffle box to target him, and he had prepared long ago, secretly swapping it.
But,
When did he do it?
There was completely no detection at all.
In this instant,
Cold sweat broke out on the Mask Man Host's forehead. He only felt that Lin Ye was becoming increasingly terrifying.
But things having reached this point, he also didn't have any room to retreat.
"Sir, good luck."
The Host Mask Man smiled, but his words were filled with angry emotions.
The trap designed didn't succeed; how could he possibly be happy!
"Of course, I was favored by the Goddess of Luck this time."
Lin Ye left.
The Organizer's relevant staff members recorded the requirement for the ingredients Lin Ye needed to retrieve.
Meanwhile, the Mask Man touched his own pocket. Very quickly, in the pocket where he kept the other requirement slips, he found that slip that should have been prepared for Lin Ye.
"Did I remember wrong and put it wrong?"
"Or is it that guy's doing?"
The former could only be lamented as his own bad luck, but if it was the latter, he had to take Lin Ye even more seriously.
Half a minute later,
Facing the players who cast their gazes over one after another, the Host Mask Man once again raised a powerful aura, scanned the circle, and continued to speak, "Everyone has now obtained the ingredient requirements for your own group."
"For the next three hours, guests must search for the ingredients you need to find within this area. Returning within the stipulated time and submitting the relevant ingredients constitutes completing the mission."
"I offer my sincere blessings to every guest here, hoping every guest can find them."
"Then, the third project 'Hunting' officially begins."
He clapped his hands. A crisp sound rang out and echoed.
The third project had begun.
Several players closest to the forest area strode out and wanted to start running.
But a voice stopped everyone, attracting everyone's line of sight.
"Wait, I have words to say."
It was Lin Ye.
Only Lin Ye's words could get all players' attention in the first instant.
This was something other Veteran players hadn't achieved up to now.
Being first in the previous two projects, and having helped many players pass 'Rice Bucket' in the first project—this kindness forced them to pay attention to Lin Ye.
The gazes of dozens of people converged on Lin Ye. At this time, Lin Ye looked up at the Host Mask Man who intended to leave but hadn't left yet.
"Mr. Host, I have a question."
"What question?"
"Is that forest area safe?"
One sentence immediately caused the Newcomer players who were just preparing to rush in first to instantly stop their hands and feet, and even actively retreat several steps, with expressions of lingering fear.
The rest of the players reacted one after another.
Is it safe?
Who knows if it's safe or not.
Why didn't they think of this point?
"Does Mr. Host not know how to answer?"
Lin Ye maintained his politeness and continued to question.
"There are no traps set by us in the forest, please be at ease, guests."
He continued to speak, "Resources in the forest are limited. If they are snatched first by other players, please do not cause conflict. It is suggested that players set off early."
Lin Ye spoke up again, "No traps?"
"Yes."
"Understood. No man-made traps."
A sentence with deep meaning. By this point, players with a bit of comprehension ability knew what situation would appear.
This area was not safe; there were pure wild dangers.
The simplest were wild beasts.
Average people fighting wild beasts—one on one, they truly might not necessarily be able to beat a wild beast.
Very dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
"I propose here that we can use the groups where Veteran players are located as the core, spread out to search, and look for the required ingredients. In this round, our groups will no longer be in a competitive relationship, but a cooperative relationship."
Facing Lin Ye's proposal, numerous players were moved.
But the problem lay in whether the Veteran players could accept it.
After all, having to cooperate with other pure Newcomer groups would greatly lower the efficiency of searching.
Several Veteran players were deep in thought, considering whether to accept.
Not accepting was equivalent to pushing themselves to the opposite side of Lin Ye and numerous Newcomer groups; the environment of the subsequent project competitions would be relatively difficult.
And accepting would affect search efficiency, and potentially, when accidents occurred, they would need to exert effort.
A few seconds later,
Someone gave an answer.
"I can accept, but at most two groups."
A Veteran player accepted.
Subsequently, several Veteran players all made decisions; all were to accept.
Under the general trend, the few players who didn't want to accept much could only choose to accept.
If they refused, they would very likely be isolated. Although these few Veteran players felt that as long as their own strength was strong enough, being targeted didn't count as anything.
However,
If possible, it was still better to avoid this situation as much as possible.
"If players find ingredients that do not belong to what you need to search for, I suggest not taking them all away."
On one hand, it was to prevent someone from deliberately using this method to reduce competitors. On the other hand, it was also to allow mutual exchange of found ingredients at the key point upon return,
In order to satisfy the ingredient needs of each group.
Numerous players also expressed agreement.
Afterwards, Lin Ye also solemnly declared,
In this joint action, the Veteran players would only provide a certain degree of protection and response to crises that appear. If it involved work like catching and collecting target prey, the players themselves needed to complete it.
Lin Ye knew that with so many people, it was inevitable that a few people with poor character who liked moral kidnapping would be mixed in.
Since that was the case, he simply explained it in advance to avoid this situation appearing. If it still appeared, the Veteran players' refusal wouldn't arouse too much resentment from the Newcomers.
Lin Ye was responsible for 2 groups, adding up to a total of ten people.
"Zero, Brother Zero, we'll be troubling you next."
Facing the temporary team-up of themselves and Lin Ye, the Newcomer players were happy!
"First talk about what the ingredient requirements you want to search for are."
"Eh, didn't you just say..."
"When searching, we can also discover them in a timely manner."
"Oh oh oh, so that's how it is."
The Newcomer players spoke immediately,
"Mine is golden fur and wings, weight must be two jin."
"Our group's is black fruit, single weight must reach one kilogram."
...
The ingredients required by the Organizer basically all involved color and weight.
But the effect analyzed from this pattern wasn't very large.
"Let's go! Pay attention to things under your feet. Once you detect problems, inform in a timely manner."
"No problem, please be at ease, Brother Zero."
...
The two groups of Newcomers were full of confidence. With Lin Ye present, they fundamentally wouldn't have any danger. Being able to join a team with Lin Ye, their luck was truly too good.
After all players left and proceeded,
The Host Mask Man waved his hand. "Immediately rush to those few trees and pick all the red fruits. Don't leave a single one for him."
He just happened to remember that the varieties of red fruit in this area weren't many. Knowing the location, they could totally proceed and handle it with the fastest speed.
"Even if you swapped the paper slip, you simply aren't our opponent."
How could it be possible to let the person our Organizer wants to target continue to clear the level and obtain first place!
Letting Lin Ye become the champion of the 3rd Gourmet Sports Meet, that would simply be an insult to them.
In a short while, several staff members also disappeared into the forest.
...
Rustle...
Rustle rustle rustle...
Lin Ye's group walked one after another along a small path that couldn't quite be counted as a road.
The surrounding fragrant grass was lush, dotted with a few small pink and red flowers.
Crack...
Cold Frost, walking at the very front, slashed down with her sword, cutting down the tree branches blocking the front.
"We've walked for ten minutes, how come we haven't seen even a shadow of vegetables, fruits, or animals?"
Animals could hear the commotion and run away, but fruits and vegetables definitely couldn't. Yet why was it that up to now, they hadn't discovered even a single item? Looking at a glance, it was all a patch of green, as if the items they were searching for didn't exist at all.
"Still nothing."
Another ten minutes passed.
Their group still had found nothing.
This caused the Newcomers' sense of urgency to rise constantly.
But Lin Ye wasn't anxious at all; his mentality was very steady.
"Rest for five minutes."
After obtaining Lin Ye's instruction, the Newcomers found a place to sit down one after another.
Continuous walking was also not a small burden for them.
Erina Nakiri sat down, breathing lightly to adjust her state.
To tell the truth, under the accumulation of her current fatigue, it was already not something that could be alleviated simply by resting in place. What she needed was to lie down properly on a bed and sleep.
Only a completely deep sleep could completely alleviate her exhaustion from today.
She looked up toward the sky, but it was covered by dense tree branches and green leaves. Sunlight couldn't shoot in much, causing this place to be somewhat chilly.
"Miss Cold, you rest first."
Cold Frost understood Lin Ye's meaning; she sat down.
While Lin Ye stood and walked around, observing the surrounding situation.
Although they hadn't encountered wild beasts or animal-type creatures up to now, but... there definitely were some. It was just, where would they be!
Lin Ye observed, but line of sight wasn't very useful here. He also used the Perspective Skill, but after not discovering anything several times, he temporarily stopped using it.
Here, temporarily, he still had to search via hearing and feeling first.
Five minutes passed very quickly.
"Prepare to set off."
The Newcomers were a bit reluctant, but they still got up and followed the team to advance.
Cold Frost walked in front, Lin Ye walked second.
And at the end of the team were two strong male Newcomer players.
This was out of consideration for safety.
Tap tap tap...
Crisp footsteps rang out constantly. Branches issued creaking sounds when stepped on.
Swish swish swish...
Suddenly,
A burst of strange fleeing sounds rang out.
From near to far, fleeing.
"Over there."
Cold Frost pointed. "I'll go."
After finishing speaking and obtaining Lin Ye's agreement, Cold Frost immediately darted out.
Besides searching for the ingredients required to meet the conditions this time, they also needed to find ingredients that could be eaten to replenish Stamina and restore spirit.
The Organizer absolutely wouldn't provide them with dinner food and water. They could only rely on themselves to search for food in this jungle.
Swish swish swish...
Cold Frost's speed was very fast, but the dense forest still obstructed her pace and figure, causing her to ultimately fail to keep up with that unknown creature fleeing on the ground.
Half a minute later, Lin Ye caught up.
"Apologies, lost track."
"It's fine, we'll look following the tracks."
Lin Ye squatted down and found the traces on the soil.
Different from average players who had difficulty searching because their field of vision was obstructed, he could use Perspective to quickly find traces, making it convenient to pursue.
The only thing to note was that if used too much, the eyes would be sore. Continuous use would raise worries about nearsightedness and blindness.
Perspective was still very useful. Lin Ye decided to upgrade it later, extending the no-side-effect time and reducing the cooldown time.
He walked all the way, pursuing along the tracks. After lasting for about five minutes, Lin Ye stopped his steps.
"Found it?"
Cold Frost was already accustomed to Lin Ye's performance.
As for how exactly Lin Ye tracked it down this time, and what skill he used, she was naturally very curious and could offer several guesses. But considering this was detrimental to the relationship between both sides, she didn't ask. Instead, she treated everything as normal, not engaging in any probing or curious behavior.
"Mn, found it."
Rabbits. Grey. A sharp horn on the forehead. Teeth very long but not sharp. Body very fat, much larger than average rabbits. Quantity was three.
These three were also enough to enjoy a beautiful meal.
"Where are they hiding?"
Lin Ye pointed.
Cold Frost looked over and saw withered yellow and green dry grass; she didn't see the shadow of a single animal at all.
"Hiding inside. There are three in total."
Lin Ye could use Time Stop to grab them directly, but considering potential latent dangers, he temporarily didn't plan to use the precious chances on these few rabbits.
"Right there."
Lin Ye indicated the direction and approximate location for Cold Frost. "Five meters away, all three are hiding there."
"Okay, leave it to me."
Cold Frost gripped her sword tightly, slowly squatted down, and exhaled a breath. In the next second...
"Wait, try to leave one alive."
Cold Frost nodded. Her hand moved, turning the back of the blade forward.
State adjusted. She sprang with both legs, leaping out. Her whole person was fast as lightning, and the sword in her right hand slashed down.
Swish!
And the three grey rabbits also seemed to instinctively sense something and immediately darted up.
The moment they were locked onto by Cold Frost, it was completely too late for the few rabbits to jump up and flee.
Thump thump...
"Awoo..."
Several miserable screams rang out.
Very quickly, one grey rabbit after another fell to the ground.
One was still struggling and hadn't completely fainted. It was slapped on the head again by Cold Frost, instantly losing consciousness and fainting completely.
"All three are alive."
"Beautiful."
Lin Ye gave a thumbs up.
This girl with long black hair exceeded the target.
"What is keeping them alive for?"
"Very simple. Animals all know how to find food."
One sentence made Cold Frost suddenly see the light. "So it's like this."
She really hadn't thought of this point.
"In that case, having three rabbits should make it more convenient to find, right!"
"That is how it's said."
This reply made Cold Frost feel that Lin Ye hadn't spoken his true thoughts.
The two returned carrying three rabbits.
"Rabbits, so fat."
"I remember the ingredient Group 6 needs to search for is this. This rabbit matches perfectly."
A Newcomer player remembered other groups' ingredient requirements.
"If Group 6 followed Brother Zero, their ingredients would have been found by now."
"Their luck is bad, hahaha."
...
...
The Newcomers all looked at those three fat rabbits, curious how Lin Ye would handle them.
One rabbit woke up very quickly.
It discovered it was already tied up and wanted to flee, but was pulled back by Lin Ye with a tug.
"Awoo awoo oh..."
Looking at Lin Ye, it shivered.
"We want to find food, need your help..."
"Awoo awoo awoo..."
Completely didn't understand the reason.
It was completely not on the same level as John, that dog with relatively high IQ.
"Food."
Lin Ye looked toward Erina Nakiri. "Miss Nakiri, is there a way to make it understand?"
Erina Nakiri: ???
"I don't understand Beast Tongue."
"As a chef, you should have some understanding of rabbits' habits, right!"
"I know how to cook rabbits, but that doesn't mean I know their habits. And it isn't a rabbit from reality either; there is a huge difference between the two sides."
"I, I have raised rabbits."
A girl looking like a university student reached out a hand.
Lin Ye signaled the female university student to come over and express the meaning.
She racked her brains recalling, and used her hands, feet, and mouth together, expressing the meaning she wanted to say, but the rabbit's eyes stayed open, yet it didn't move at all.
Lin Ye signaled to Cold Frost at this time.
Cold Frost immediately swung her sword. With a swish, it passed by the side of the rabbit and chopped into the body of another rabbit.
In an instant, blood sprayed out.
One rabbit died.
That rabbit that was alive and tied up widened its eyes. With a shiver, it struggled, wanting to flee. But no matter how it struggled, it didn't have a shred of opportunity to flee.
Finally,
It gave up.
And at this time, that blood-stained sword in Cold Frost's hand was placed atop the rabbit's head.
It shivered.
"Take us to find it. Find it and we'll release you."
It looked toward the female university student.
The female university student performed vividly, finally making this rabbit understand.
It sniffed and immediately set off.
"Follow."
The group followed behind.
Lin Ye walked at the very front leading the rabbit.
After about five minutes, the rabbit stopped its footsteps.
"Awoo awoo ah!"
Its small head gestured towards one side ahead, signaling constantly.
"Go look and see."
Three Newcomers walked over, lowering their heads to look at the plants on the ground.
There were many weeds, but a few distinct plants in the middle attracted their attention.
One person squatted down and dug directly with both hands.
Before long,
A black, thick, circular plant root appeared.
"So big..."
It looked very much like a radish, only the color was black.
"This one is at least two jin, right!"
"Then, then is our mission completed? Black plant, two jin."
Shocked!
Their mission was actually completed so quickly.
"This is a vegetable, not a fruit."
One sentence caused the two players who had gotten excited to fall into silence.
Could this not be a fruit?
Is there a difference between vegetables and fruits?
They felt there could be none.
____
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉