Qiyu sent a message to his friends in Zone 88.

【I Love Survival Game: Do you need this?】

Attached was information about the bright sunflowers.

【God Has No Form: Do you guys already have mutated plants over there?】

【God Has No Form: I’ll take it. I’m just a little curious—these sunflowers can survive for 15 days where you are, but will they last that long in the desert?】

Qiyu fell into deep thought.

【I Love Survival Game: I don’t know.】

Dan Xingyu chuckled.

His friend was truly honest and straightforward, not holding back on his persona at all.

He rummaged through his backpack and sent over the details of a few items.

【God Has No Form: See if there’s anything you want.】

Qiyu looked at the list, which included 【Second-Tier Mutant Fire Lizard Skin】, 【Energy Orb: Fire】, 【Iron Chunk (Green)】, 【Basic Stamina Potion】, 【Tang Sword (Green)】, and other items.

Dan Xingyu was doing this on purpose.

He shared the same thought as Qiyu: since everyone started in different areas, there were bound to be resources they hadn’t obtained yet.

This was an opportunity.

So, how could he demonstrate his value to his new friend?

Naturally, by appropriately showcasing his strength while keeping some cards up his sleeve.

Qiyu carefully read through the descriptions of all the items.

【I Love Survival Game: What kind of ore do you have over there? Can I have some of each? We haven’t spawned any ore here yet, and I’m a bit curious.】

Seeing that he didn’t even mention potions or weapons, Dan Xingyu knew that although his friend was honest, his strength was likely no joke.

He was even more pleased.

No wonder he could offer a mutated plant like the bright sunflower as a trade.

He sorted out a few sets of ores and sent a trade request to Qiyu.

【Iron Chunk (Green) x5】【Red Crystal x10】【Copper Ingot x10】【Sand Crystal x10】.

Qiyu recognized the iron chunks and copper ingots.

He used his survival panel to identify the Red Crystals and Sand Crystals, but the results only indicated they were basic materials.

It seemed that Zone 88’s primary resources were various types of ore.

Qiyu was very satisfied with this trade.

Dan Xingyu was also satisfied.

This magical plant wasn’t just bright enough to dazzle the eyes; the moment it appeared in the house, the faint sounds from outside vanished instantly.

Dan Xingyu felt as though he had gotten the better end of the deal.

Your friend 【God Has No Form】 is trading you 【Lantern of Rest】.

【Lantern of Rest: Light it when you rest, and you will enjoy a sleep as deep as eternity.】

【God Has No Form: Don’t get the wrong idea—the name might be a bit out there, but its hypnotic effect is truly top-notch! Plus, it restores stamina.】

Qiyu didn’t beat around the bush; he simply thanked him.

He placed the hourglass-shaped night lamp in his backpack.

The second hour was finally coming to an end.

The number of players in Zone 01 had settled at 85,037.

Everyone who had survived stared nervously at their survival panels, fearing that the moment the time ran out, the system would announce, “The third round of the survival test has begun.”

2:00 a.m.

【Congratulations to the players for successfully passing the second round of the survival test. Reward: Resource Pack x1. Please claim it yourself.】

Unlike the first round, Qiyu hadn’t seen a single actual “enemy” during the second round of the survival test. Most of what other players encountered were illusions born of their own minds, so naturally, there were no kill rewards.

Nine dark green cards appeared on Qiyu’s personal panel.

【Please draw one card at random to receive the corresponding reward.】

The nine cards looked exactly the same. Qiyu hesitated for a moment before selecting the one in the very center.

The card flipped over.

【Congratulations, player. You have obtained 1 Golden Apple Sapling.】

The card depicted a large, golden tree.

The next moment, a golden apple the size of a fist fell from the sky and landed in Qiyu’s palm.

【Golden Apple Sapling: A rare and delicate magical plant that requires careful tending.】

Qiyu examined the apple in his palm from every angle, puzzled by the word “seedling.”

In the end, he could only conclude: perhaps survival games have different customs than back home, and they like to call fruits “seedlings.”

This golden apple looks delicious.

However, clearly, this apple is a “seedling”—not meant to be eaten.

He carefully stowed it in his backpack.

Unable to see the other eight cards, he had no way of knowing whether drawing this one was a good or bad outcome.

He opened the chat channel. Just moments ago, the channel had been filled with panic, but now it was brimming with excitement, as many people shared what they had drawn:

【Farewell Glasses: I drew an Alchemy Cleaning Kit that automatically cleans the shelter. If this were on Earth, I’d buy it in bulk—but what use is it here? 】

【I’m a Lucky Star: Holy crap, this game actually has Epic-tier items! I got an Epic Material Set.】

【Need a Little Money to Save Me: What the heck is a tier two shelter blueprint? Is that what you need to upgrade the shelter? I’m still stuck in the initial wooden cabin!】

A tier two shelter blueprint? Someone actually got that? Before he could even click on that player’s avatar, he saw their next post: 

【Need a little financial help: Guys, don’t DM me. I’m not selling it. I’m definitely keeping this for myself.】

……

The Survival Panel popped up again, startling quite a few players.

【Congratulations to the player for successfully completing two rounds of the Survival Trial. The newbie period has officially ended. Welcome, everyone, to the Survival Game.】

【Next, the third round of the Survival Trial will begin. Participation in the third round is voluntary. Passing grants rewards; elimination is at your own risk.】

Many breathed a sigh of relief:

【A string of mysterious numbers: “Scared to death. Voluntary sign-up? I’m not participating.”】

【bdhjgfdh: I’m not participating either. I’ve already scraped through the survival trials anyway; keeping my life safe is the priority right now.”】

Voluntary sign-up?

Qiyu looked at the golden apple in his backpack.

Then he looked at the basic resource pack he’d obtained from scavenging rats earlier.

Survival Challenge = Rewards = More supplies.

It also seemed to equal a better chance of survival.

The 01 survival squad was discussing this, too:

【Civil Engineering Brother: Are you guys going to participate in the upcoming Survival Challenges?】

【Dare Not Open My Eyes: Let’s give it a shot. The newbie period is over, and starting tomorrow, survival will obviously get much tougher. I think building up resources early on will make the road to survival a bit easier.】

【Tranquility Yields Transcendence: A step ahead now means a lead every step of the way. Just look at how miserable those who didn’t upgrade their shelters are tonight—I’m afraid it’ll only get harder from here on out.】

Qiyu felt they had all voiced their thoughts.

A notification popped up on the Survival panel:

【Do you wish to participate in the third round of the Survival Challenge?】

Without hesitation, Qiyu selected “Yes.”

Almost the moment he made his choice, a bestial roar echoed from the darkness.

Several pairs of eerie green eyes glowed in the thick fog.

At the same time, a leaderboard appeared on the survival panel for players who had not chosen to participate in the third round of the Survival Trial.

【Survival Trial Completion Rankings】

On the right, a number was displayed.

12,201.

Out of 85,037 players in Server 01, 12,201 chose to continue participating in the Survival Trial.