Chapter 39: Chang Jiao'e's Ranking on the Longevity List!

Finally!

Hearing those words from Jiang Yi, the last shred of Li Shoude’s wishful thinking shattered completely.

He finally realized—

This person, who had clearly looked like a rookie entering the Beast World for the first time, actually knew so much!

He knew everything!

He knew about the side effects of "Abdominal Clarity."

He knew about the existence of the "Curse Roulette."

He had even acted with such curiosity from the very beginning, when he first consumed that "Abdominal Clarity," as if he were truly a clueless novice!

But in reality...

It was all an act!

Jiang Yi!

He was no rookie at all!

He was a ruthless predator playing the part of a harmless prey.

In truth, Li Shoude himself was also a cunning operator. His honest, unassuming appearance made it easy for others to lower their guard, while in the shadows, no one knew how sinister and ruthless he truly was.

But at this moment, almost the instant Jiang Yi exposed the side effects of the "Abdominal Clarity," Li Shoude seemed to be guided by some instinct. He made a split-second decision and crushed a stone.

*Whoosh!*

His entire body vanished from before Jiang Yi’s eyes!

Li Shoude possessed a teleportation stone, something even faster than the trigger mechanism of a teleportation talisman!

That was strange, wasn't it?

Items like teleportation stones required at least a blue-tier roulette to be drawn. How could a member of a suicide squad, who wasn't even an official player, have one in his possession?

And to use such a precious life-saving item so decisively...

It was as if he had anticipated that Jiang Yi would strike the very next second, and that he truly possessed the ability to kill him in one blow!

This Li Shoude...

He had entered the Qin Lake Beast World earlier than Jiang Yi. Yet, during this encounter, there was something fundamentally odd about him.

Jiang Yi pondered for a moment, but he did not feel overly frustrated. His gaze swept across the mountain hollow once more before he quickly departed.

Soon, he found a cluster of "Abdominal Clarity" and "Ice Silk Fruit" in a nearby thicket. He decisively consumed the Ice Silk Fruit, neutralizing the side effects of the Abdominal Clarity.

Just as Li Shoude had said—within a hundred paces of a venomous snake, there is always an antidote. In the polar night environment, both "Abdominal Clarity" and "Ice Silk Fruit" grew in abundance. These two fruits almost always grew in tandem, and they were intended to be consumed together.

The effect of "Abdominal Clarity," as Li Shoude noted, granted night vision for two hours. But if a player consumed it alone, they would feel a burning pain in their stomach after ten minutes, and as time passed, this agony would spread throughout their body, severely impairing their combat effectiveness.

Only by consuming the "Ice Silk Fruit" within those ten minutes could one clear the side effects. To veteran players, this was mere common knowledge for survival in the Beast World. But in the early days of the apocalypse, many rookies entering for the first time were completely ignorant of such facts.

Jiang Yi remembered that within a few months, top-tier factions would begin establishing specialized educational institutions to teach new players how to survive in various Beast Worlds. Such institutions would become a major incentive used by large factions to attract new recruits.

But at this stage, much of what would eventually become common knowledge had to be learned by thousands of players with their own lives. This was the reason for the high mortality rate of the suicide squads. Information asymmetry was often more dangerous than the beasts themselves!

Take this instance: if Jiang Yi had truly been a rookie, he likely would have been sabotaged by Li Shoude.

First, the information gap regarding "Abdominal Clarity" would have caused debilitating side effects after ten minutes.

Second, the information gap regarding the "Curse Roulette."

The Curse Roulette looked identical to the Fate Roulette, and its ten options were actually filled in by the player themselves! It sounded heaven-defying that a player could fill in the options, but in reality, the essence of the Curse Roulette was a magnificent scam.

For instance, the one Li Shoude had prepared—which looked like a premium blue-tier roulette—was a trap. If Jiang Yi had believed it was a high-grade roulette and used it to draw, he would have paid with a hundred years of his lifespan. In the end, he would have spent the time, but received absolutely nothing!

The Curse Roulette would store that century of life. A day later, a scarlet Longevity Pill would condense within the device. Li Shoude would then consume the pill, gaining a hundred years of life!

Because of this, in the later years, players mockingly referred to the Curse Roulette as the "Scam Roulette." In times of peace, scams targeted the money in one's bank account; in the context of the apocalypse, they targeted a player’s lifespan!

Jiang Yi recalled many cases of rookies falling victim to such scams in the early days of his previous life. They would often drain their hard-earned savings, believing they had acquired a premium roulette. They would even bow and scrape, expressing gratitude to the "big shot" who handed it to them, all while期待 (expecting) to change their fate by sacrificing their lifespan.

But the result? The greater the hope, the greater the despair. They would receive nothing, their hope would be extinguished, and most of the time, they would be silenced to cover the tracks.

If Jiang Yi had been a fool, he would have gone through the motions: believing he’d struck gold with a blue roulette, excitedly burning a century of his life, imagining what riches he might win... only to find he’d gained nothing. Then, the side effects of the Abdominal Clarity would kick in, leaving him in agony and defenseless. Only then would Li Shoude drop the facade, likely revealing the truth before finishing him off.

And for what? So Li Shoude could enjoy his stolen century of life.

*Heh.* Li Shoude? He should have been called Li Despicable! If they ever met again, Jiang Yi would certainly slaughter the old wretch on the spot.

As for now... the teleportation stone had covered too much distance, so Jiang Yi wasn't in a hurry to track him down. He moved to another hidden corner, ensured there were no dangers nearby, and turned his attention back to his personal Life Plate.

He checked the current player rankings. In the early stages of the apocalypse, regions were completely isolated by the Endless Sea, so player functions were currently segmented. Jiang Yi could only see the rankings for the Jiang City District.

These regional rankings were divided into three categories: [Longevity Rank], [Combat Power Rank], and [Level Rank].

As the names suggested, they ranked players based on lifespan, combat power, and level. Of course, level-zero non-official players without a personal Life Plate did not participate.

These rankings were not updated in real-time; they refreshed at midnight game time based on the data of surviving official players. With the refresh came rewards, which was why powerful players strived to climb the lists.

It created a rule of thumb in the apocalypse: the strong get stronger, and the gap between players seemed to widen. But that wasn't entirely true. Luck played too large a role in roulette draws. A long-standing powerhouse could be reduced to nothing or killed in a single draw, while an unknown bottom-dweller could ascend to the heavens with one lucky roll.

In short, the apocalypse was unpredictable, and anything could happen. Having lived two lifetimes, Jiang Yi’s mind was remarkably calm. His gaze first landed on the [Longevity Rank] for the Jiang City District.

Back in the underground garage of the Letian Club, the Life-Tumor Worms had claimed that Chang Jiao’e held the top spot. But those creatures weren't even official players; their words were merely the wishful thinking of losers. They assumed that because Chang Jiao’e was the only player in the district capable of refining Longevity Pills, she must be ranked first—assuming she kept the best for herself.

In reality, Chang Jiao’e was only ranked 27th.

Jiang Yi wasn't surprised at all. There were two very important reasons that affected her ranking...