Chapter 27 - 23: Contention
Qin Ziwen stared at the Card on the crocodile’s corpse.
It was obvious. To be precise, "Home" had no intention of hiding the Card’s existence—by, say, tucking it inside the crocodile’s stomach or hiding it under the corpse for someone to discover secretly.
Instead, it had been revealed publicly, right in front of everyone.
"Wh-what is that!"
"That Card is actually floating in the air. Does using it give you a Superpower?"
"I bet that thing is something special."
"No kidding. Even an idiot can see that."
"Could this thing be related to how we were transported here? Can we use it to go back to Earth?"
As the crowd by the edge of the pit chattered, a figure suddenly rushed forward and leaped down, landing steadily on the rear of the tilted SUV.
Before he could even steady himself, the SUV wobbled slightly, and then its angle of incline grew steeper and steeper...
The man only had time to let out a cry of alarm before his grip failed. He fell with a THUD to the bottom of the pit, where two Long Spears pierced through his chest.
He lifted an arm unwillingly, gazing at the faintly glowing Card just a few meters away.
No one moved to save him. Everyone was staring at the Card.
But having learned from this cautionary tale, the onlookers grew more cautious. The bottom of the pit was filled with sharp spears; falling down there would, at the very least, leave one black and blue.
Qin Ziwu’s eyes shone as he stared at the Card. ’That thing looks so cool.’
"Bro, should we go for it?"
"Just watch the show." Qin Ziwen shot his brother a warning glance.
There was only one Card, but the entire Gated Community had over a thousand people.
Before getting the Card, you’d have to compete with the hundred-plus people on site. After getting it, you’d have the other thousand people in the Gated Community watching your every move.
Being the first one to openly take the plunge wasn’t guaranteed to end well.
’It’s just a Building Card.’
’He had already gotten three of them. They felt mediocre, not even as good as a Resource Card.’
’The spring at home provided a steady twenty to thirty liters of drinkable water every day. At its limit, it was enough to sustain a dozen people’s daily needs.’
"Heh heh, if none of you are going to take it, then I will." Zou Sheng took off his jacket, scouted his landing spot, and leaped onto the hood of the car in the middle.
The onlookers were both angry and anxious. "Be careful! Don’t fall!"
"Buddy, come back up! It’s dangerous down there."
"Slow down! Why don’t you just come back?"
They could all work together to hunt a crocodile for a common goal, but watching someone else get their hands on this Card... that was unbearable.
Zou Sheng ignored the crowd’s chatter. No matter what they said, he had already steeled himself for the consequences of jumping down despite the clear warning from the man before him.
He tiptoed carefully around the Long Spears sticking out of the crocodile’s back, reached out, and snatched the Card.
Once it was grabbed, the Card lost its faint glow.
It became an ordinary-looking gray metal Card.
After gripping the Card, Zou Sheng’s expression went blank, as if he had heard something.
Then he stared at the Card in his hand in disbelief. His expression shifted, and finally, he spat out a single word, "Fuck!"
’This thing has to be taken Home to be used!’
’So what was the point of going through all this trouble to get down here?’
Furious, Zou Sheng felt the Card in his hand was nothing but a hot potato. "This thing..."
Seeing that the Card hadn’t vanished from Zou Sheng’s hand, the people by the pit breathed a sigh of relief. They started to taunt him, "Hey buddy, what is that thing? If you can’t use it, just give it to us."
"Sure, go and fight for it." After speaking, Zou Sheng actually threw the Building Card out of the pit.
The Card traced an arc through the air and landed just outside the crowd.
Many people hadn’t expected Zou Sheng to actually throw the Card away. They swarmed toward it, shoving and grabbing at each other in a noisy scrum.
Seeing this, Zou Sheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
’This [Building Card] Level 1 Woodworking Hut sounded very strange, like a building from one of those management sim games he used to play. The part about needing to use it at Home was what he didn’t get. Was he supposed to build another house inside his house?’
Zou Sheng climbed out of the pit.
Huang Tao came over, speaking with a hint of regret, "My man, why’d you throw the Card away? I saw you go through so much trouble to get that thing. Oh, right, what exactly was that Card anyway?"
Zou Sheng scoffed inwardly. ’This guy Huang is pretty direct. He said all that just to get to his last question. If I hadn’t thrown it away just now, I probably wouldn’t have even had the chance to climb out of this pit.’
He immediately patted the dirt off his clothes and said meaningfully, "You’ll understand everything once you hold it in your hand. You have to take it Home to use it. If you’re interested, brother, go get it."
’A gray Building Card? And you have to take it Home to use it?’
Huang Tao was a little confused, but he latched onto the key phrase: he’d understand everything once he held it. He immediately thanked him, "Haha, thanks, buddy!"
With that, Huang Tao hurried off with a few of his men toward the crowd fighting for the Card.
"It’s mine!"
"Fuck, let go!"
"Who the fuck kicked my ass?"
"Let me see it."
The crowd descended into chaos.
Pulling hair, throwing punches, kicking people.
A mob of people fought wildly for the Card.
But without exception, anyone who held the Card would hear a voice from their Home.
Outside the mob, a disheveled man with red marks on his neck and arms sat slumped on the ground. "I thought that thing could get me home, but it’s just some bullshit Building Card."
In the crowd, a man in white clothes snatched the Card and desperately sprinted toward the Gated Community, trying to run home to use it.
"THWACK!"
An iron pipe slammed heavily into his leg.
The man let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell to the ground.
"THWACK!!!"
Another blow smashed into his head.
The man in white convulsed once, then lay motionless on the ground, his clothes stained red with blood.
The hook-nosed man holding the iron pipe pried open his fingers and picked up the Card.
He scanned the crowd fiercely, his voice laced with menace. "Anyone who tries to take this from me, I’ll kill them!"
Then he turned to leave.
"CRACK."
An egg-sized rock struck the back of his head.
The man’s legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed. He twisted his head to look behind him before his body fell uncontrollably to a sitting position.
Someone nearby delivered a flying kick.
The hook-nosed man was knocked to the ground, the Card and iron pipe snatched from his hands.
And so began a new round of fighting.
Qin Ziwen watched the massive brawl involving over a hundred people. ’Such heavy malice.’
"They’ve all gone crazy, and for just one Card."
Zheng Yuan, who hadn’t joined the fight, walked over to Qin Ziwen’s side. Watching the scene, he lamented, "Was it really necessary? I feel like even killing the crocodile wasn’t this intense."
Qin Ziwen asked, surprised, "You’re not going?"
In his memory, Zheng Yuan had always been the bearded, hot-tempered guy who wasn’t afraid to confront anyone.
"Nah. I heard what Zou Sheng said earlier. It’s some kind of Building Card. It can’t get me back to Earth, so what’s the point in fighting for it? Besides, with so many people here, I wouldn’t be able to hold onto it even if I did get it."