"Fuck..."
Wang Yongxin cursed subconsciously, but he had no time to think, relying only on instinct to hoist the mechanism again and move forward.
And Ding Wenqiang was even a step ahead of him.
Clearly, in a situation like this that required no thought, only mindless execution of the rules, Ding Wenqiang had a clear advantage.
The most miserable, of course, was Cai Zhiyuan.
Because the sooner one finished the first stage, the more rest time one could secure.
Ding Wenqiang could use the remaining 22 seconds to rest, but Cai Zhiyuan had to set off again just as he reached the rest area.
He could only gasp for breath, forced to hoist the mechanism again without even waiting for his heart rate to calm down slightly.
The only good news was that the mechanism had wide support feet at the bottom, so it wouldn't topple over forwards, backwards, or sideways.
Otherwise, if he fell from exhaustion and got pinned underneath the mechanism, it would be a dead end.
The distance for the second stage was 15 meters, 5 meters shorter than the first, but the time limit was also reduced from 60 seconds to 38 seconds.
Coupled with the physical exertion, the game actually became more difficult for those with less stamina.
Just then, an emotionless electronic voice sounded clearly from the speakers.
[Audience 5 has tipped Ding Wenqiang 8000 minutes of visa time, with the attached message: Press it when the countdown is almost over.]
[Special reminder: The tipped player is free to decide whether to fulfill this request.]
The sudden announcement left everyone a bit confused.
The five people on the field had no time to think, under immense pressure, with almost no spare blood to supply their brains.
However, this broadcast revealed at least two basic pieces of information:
Those who had freely signed up to participate in the game had become "Audience" in the game.
And it seemed the Audience didn't need to do this physical labor themselves, they could tip the five players on the field, granting visa time and attaching a request.
Of course, the person being tipped could also choose not to do it.
It was a bit like a streamer being tipped on a live streaming platform.
Ding Wenqiang hesitated for a moment, Audience 5's request wasn't very difficult to fulfill, it was a simple task for him.
Anyway, he could put down the mechanism on his shoulder and rest after reaching the rest area, as for when to press the button, it didn't seem to have any special effect on the game.
Gaining 8000 minutes of visa time so easily put Ding Wenqiang in a good mood and gave him more motivation.
He continued to stride forward.
However, just as he was about to reach the rest area, the broadcast sounded again.
[Audience 1 has tipped Ding Wenqiang 8000 minutes of visa time, with the attached message: Press it immediately for your own sake.]
"Huh?"
Ding Wenqiang was at a loss for a moment.
These two audience members who tipped him had made completely opposite requests. Fulfilling one meant inevitably defying the other.
Seeing that he was about to reach the rest area for the second stage, Ding Wenqiang was momentarily undecided.
Just then, Wang Yongxin suddenly realized something and shouted, "Uncle Ding... don't... don't press it yet!
"I get... I get it! The time... you press... press it now, is the time for the next... next stage!"
Because he was carrying a heavy object, Wang Yongxin's voice was intermittent.
And because he had lost his breath from shouting, his core gave way, and the mechanism temporarily hit the ground.
Immediately after, he took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and hoisted the mechanism up again, continuing forward.
Hearing Wang Yongxin's words, Ding Wenqiang instinctively froze for a moment.
And the others on the field also instantly understood what was going on.
The time limit for the second stage was 38 seconds, a number that wasn't round.
At first, no one thought much of it, assuming it was a time set by the game, but the message from Audience 5 made Wang Yongxin realize that this 38 seconds was actually the time Ding Wenqiang had taken to complete the first stage.
In other words, if Ding Wenqiang pressed the button at 58 seconds, the standard time for the second stage would become 58 seconds.
If he pressed the button at 20 seconds, the standard time for the second stage would become 20 seconds.
The same logic applied to the third stage.
...
Through the glass window, Lin Sizhi looked towards the position of Audience 1.
According to the numbering, Lin Sizhi was Audience 5, and he was the one who sent the initial message.
But clearly, Player 1 reacted quickly, almost instantly realizing the meaning behind his message and launching a counterattack.
...
Ding Wenqiang only hesitated for about two or three seconds before decisively slapping the button.
And the countdown on his path froze at 9 seconds.
This time, for the 15-meter path, Ding Wenqiang took 29 seconds. But after deducting the time spent thinking, his average speed was even slightly faster than the 38 seconds for the previous 20 meters.
"Shit."
The remaining four all cursed under their breath.
For Ding Wenqiang, waiting an extra 10 seconds had no obvious disadvantage, but it would have given the four people lagging behind a precious chance to catch their breath.
Especially Wang Yongxin and Cai Zhiyuan.
[Audience 1 has tipped Ding Wenqiang 3000 minutes of visa time, with the attached message: Well done.]
Hearing the new broadcast, Ding Wenqiang became even more convinced that he was right.
Although pressing the button would significantly increase the difficulty for Wang Yongxin and Cai Zhiyuan, but...
In a life-and-death game like this, who doesn't look out for themselves first?
You have to remember, whoever reaches the finish line first becomes the "King," and the game rules also stated that the player who becomes the "King" will have a huge advantage.
If he gave others a chance to breathe, what if he was overtaken at the last moment?
Since this game was called the "King's Game," then no price was too high to pay to obtain the status of King.
[Beep.]
In the last second of the countdown, Wang Yongxin barely crossed the finish line of the second stage and reached the rest area.
And along with a sharp buzzing sound, Cai Zhiyuan, the only one who hadn't completed the entire path, let out a miserable cry.
The countdown on the path reset to 38 seconds, and at the same time, several spikes and barbs extended from the mechanism on his shoulders, piercing deep into them!
These spikes and barbs were not thick, nor would they cause any serious damage to his body, even if they left wounds, the bleeding would soon stop naturally.
But the intense pain still made Cai Zhiyuan scream uncontrollably.
The pain stimulated a surge of adrenaline, causing strength to flood back into Cai Zhiyuan's body, allowing him to persevere and cross the finish line.
The spikes and barbs on the mechanism retracted, but blood instantly gushed out, dyeing the shoulders of Cai Zhiyuan's shirt red.
He had no rest time at all, because the countdown lit up again.
This time it was indeed 29 seconds, the time when Ding Wenqiang pressed it after completing the second stage.
Everyone seemed to have gone numb, with no capacity for extra thought, they just hoisted the mechanism again and walked towards the final finish line.
Cai Zhiyuan's condition was clearly the most worrying, and he was, without a doubt, left at the very back again.
[Audience 3 has tipped Cai Zhiyuan 2000 minutes of visa time, with the attached message: You can do it.]
The audience could influence the actions of the five people on the field to a certain extent, but it was only an influence.
Now, the only variable in the game was in Ding Wenqiang's hands, and with Ding Wenqiang unwilling to extend the time, there was nothing anyone else could do.
[Beep.]
The countdown ended, and this time only Ding Wenqiang, Zhang Peng, and Gao Zhankui finished within the time limit.
As the countdown once again changed to 29 seconds, the mechanisms on Wang Yongxin's and Cai Zhiyuan's shoulders simultaneously extended spikes and barbs.
Wang Yongxin let out a muffled grunt, although he had mentally prepared himself and tensed all his muscles, the piercing pain still made his vision go dark.
But he had no other choice, if he put the mechanism on the ground before the spikes extended to let his shoulders escape, he could indeed avoid the damage caused by the spikes, but then it would be troublesome to hoist the mechanism again, which would only lead to more suffering.
So, he could only grit his teeth and endure.
As for Cai Zhiyuan, he was even worse off, his unhealed wounds were torn open again, and the clothes around his shoulders were almost completely soaked in blood.
It was only after more than ten seconds of the second countdown had passed that he finally managed to struggle to the finish line.
All the spikes retracted, and Cai Zhiyuan stumbled as he slapped the final button.