Chapter Twenty-Seven: Fratricidal Strife

Once the four of them had gathered, Shen Li spoke into the walkie-talkie to their coach: "Coach, take care of yourself. We are very safe together. If you come up with any tactics, feel free to share them with us over the radio."

The novice coach: "???"

He tried to persuade her: "How about I come over? What if you end up needing me?"

Shen Li was blunt: "Coach, who has more years of experience with guns, you or the opposing coach?"

The novice coach was baffled, but answered honestly: "He has about eight or nine years more experience than I do."

"Then it really doesn't make much difference if you come over," Shen Li analyzed with a straight face. "Look, if you come over, they’ll just call their coach over too. You might not be able to beat their coach, and then we’d be left with nothing... So, you should just find a spot to focus on coming up with strategies for us. We’ll contact you if any issues arise."

Qiao Le nodded repeatedly as she listened, finally leaning into the radio: "Yeah, Coach, you’d better stay put, lest you get beaten too badly by their coach and ruin your reputation in the industry. See? I’m looking out for you. Just accept my good intentions." She truly meant it.

Coaches care about their reputation; if he were to lose too miserably and word got around the industry, he might never find another client.

Bai Qiuya nodded in agreement, while Ji Beishu, having caught the subtext in Shen Li’s words, stared at her thoughtfully.

Why did he get the feeling that Shen Li hadn't trusted the coach from the very beginning?

Could it be...?

He had an epiphany.

She must be worried that the production team is up to something!

He excitedly patted Shen Li on the shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up: "Smart." Shen Li cupped her hands in a salute: "Brother Ji, you flatter me."

Behind the monitors, the director was itching to go to the scene himself to drag the coach over to Shen Li, or better yet, delete Shen Li from the game entirely. This woman was simply too difficult to handle.

"Does she know about our mole plan?"

"Impossible!" Pei Wenxuan said with a dark face. "Stick to the original plan. Ignore whatever Shen Li says, and have him find a way to get Shen Li eliminated directly."

"Understood," the director obeyed.

Initially, he had only listened to Pei Wenxuan for the money, but now he genuinely hoped that Shen Li would end up exactly as Pei Wenxuan planned—her reputation completely ruined, eventually leading to a suicide out of fear of punishment.

If that happened, the show’s reputation would soar, its influence would expand, and he would become the most respected variety show director.

If he couldn't get rid of Shen Li, he might be destroyed by her instead. The worst-case scenario was that the show would become notorious because of her and vanish entirely.

He would never let that happen.

***

The forest was deathly silent. Aside from the sound of footsteps on leaves and sand, not even a bird chirped.

The four members of the "Blacklist Team" were heading toward the south side of the forest. The area was filled with small slopes; while they weren't very high, they were an excellent tactical vantage point compared to the flat ground.

Shen Li had devised this plan based on her memories. In her past life, when only she and Bai Qiuya were left, they had tried to run to these slopes to take cover and gain a tactical advantage, but it had been too late.

The production team wouldn't give them a chance, and with the opposing team having a coach with over ten years of experience as a guide, they were bound to lose.

But this time was different. They could occupy the high ground before the other team even reacted, giving them a massive advantage for the subsequent battle.

The four arrived one after another, with Shen Li in the back. As they climbed the slope, the director wanted to notify the "Top Tier Team" to go and stop them, but it was already too late.

The Top Tier Team’s coach brought his three teammates near the southern slope: "Find a way to circle to their rear. They can easily spot us from the high ground. Find some grass to camouflage yourselves, and remember, don't rush the attack," the coach instructed.

The three dispersed according to the coach's orders, trying not to group up to avoid being detected by the Blacklist Team.

Shen Li leaned against the back of the small slope, feeling relaxed: "Watch for moving grass on the ground. If you see any, open fire immediately." Since they occupied the high point, the only way for the enemy to break through was to sneak up on them.

The best way to do that was to use grass as cover and try to circle around to the back of the slope. That was why she had been prepared all along, guarding her teammates' backs.

*Bang!* Ji Beishu pulled the trigger decisively.

[Jiang Fuya has two lives remaining.]

*Bang, bang!*

[Jiang Fuya is out.]

Lan Ting, who was in the middle of moving, stopped instantly upon hearing the broadcast. It seemed the opposition had already discovered their ambush method; that strategy was now useless.

She looked around, only to find that none of her teammates were there. She took out her walkie-talkie: "Jiang Nian, are you okay?"

Jiang Nian, who should have been crawling forward draped in grass, was currently leaning against a tree bathed in bright sunlight, replying lazily: "I didn't start moving."

The coach’s angry voice came over the radio: "I told you to sneak attack, why aren't you following orders!"

Jiang Nian was expressionless: "Jiang Fuya followed your orders, and she’s been eliminated."

The coach opened his mouth, then shut it again.

He had nothing to say.

***

—Pfft, hahahaha, Jiang Nian has such a sharp tongue.

—If he weren't so good-looking, I’d really hate him.

—He seems to never fit in.

—Why fit in? To go to his death? Does the coach really have over a decade of experience? The enemy has the high ground, and you actually thought you could move under their noses? It’s a joke.

—Wuwuwu, Yaya and Weiwei are both out. All that's left is that murderer Shen Li. I'm not watching anymore!

—+1. This show is just here to whitewash Shen Li. It’s boring.

—Our Yaya and Weiwei were just stepping stones. It makes me so mad!

...

Seeing that the situation was dire, the director was so stressed that a patch of his hair turned white: "What do we do? Quickly, think of a way to give them a reward. If this continues, they’re going to lose for sure."

If they lost the fourth round, the production team would be savaged by criticism. Most importantly, they couldn't let Shen Li continue to perform so brilliantly; otherwise, it would be too late to reverse her reputation.

Pei Wenxuan, who had been silent the whole time, curled his lips into a sinister smile: "I have a way."

Over in the forest, after the Top Tier Team retreated, Shen Li signaled her teammates: "Let’s retreat too. They won't attack again." Occupying the high ground but waiting for an enemy that wouldn't come meant the game couldn't end. Since there were only two people left on the opposing team, it was time to end it quickly.

Suddenly, the voice from the sky boomed:

[Game halfway through. Hidden mechanism triggered: The final reward is split into team and individual portions. The player who survives until the end wins the individual reward, and the team represented by that player wins the team reward. Hint: Your guns can kill your teammates.]

The members of the Blacklist Team looked at each other in confusion.

Shen Li rested her chin on her hand. This rule was a new addition, not present in her previous life. It must be the production team trying to force them to turn on each other to reverse their losing streak.

But internal strife could be left until after the team won. She couldn't figure out how this rule would help the Top Tier Team overcome their defeat.

The next words from the sky answered her question...