Chapter 149: The Strange Leaderboard

Xi Yan noticed that any system message or prompt in this amusement park would invariably conclude with an encouraging remark.

Even the rule sheet that Bai Yuan had procured from goodness knows where ended with words of encouragement.

"It seems the only way is to participate in the entertainment facilities here as much as possible and earn more points," Xi Yan muttered, shaking his head and sighing. A second later, his expression suddenly turned serious.

"Wait a minute. I've only just entered this instance, yet my points are already high enough to rank in the top ten. Why are the points of those people who entered earlier so low? Could it be..." Xi Yan began to think deeply.

"Could it be that these points can decrease?"

At this thought, Xi Yan immediately redirected his gaze back to the ranking rules in his hand.

Earlier, he had only read the first item on the paper before his mind wandered, so he hadn't finished reading the rest of the text.

Reading further now, he discovered there were actually two clauses on the paper. The first was the one he had just seen, and the second was...

"Points and Session System:
Points: If a player participates in fewer than five game sessions within a day, 100,000 points will be deducted for that day (calculated starting from the fourth day of the player entering this instance).
Sessions: If a player fails to participate in at least ten sessions a day, 200,000 points will be deducted for that day (calculated starting from the fourth day of the player entering the instance)."

These two clauses were all that was written on the paper Bai Yuan had given him, and they gave him a complete understanding of the ranking rules within this amusement park instance.

To leave this amusement park instance, one needed to become the number one ranked player on the amusement park leaderboard, and to become number one, one had to work hard to earn points according to these two rules written on the paper.

However, the provisions of these two rules were hardly friendly. It turned out points really could be deducted, and by such massive amounts.

Xi Yan suddenly understood why the points of those players on the leaderboard always fluctuated so wildly.

Putting aside whether players were willing to participate in so many sessions, simply judging by his observations throughout the day, almost every entertainment facility had such long lines that it was extremely difficult for anyone to meet the required number of sessions each day.

Consequently, many players likely had 100,000 or 200,000 points deducted on any given day.

Although the rules for climbing the leaderboard were not explicitly spelled out to every player, one relatively humane aspect of this rule was that the point deductions would only begin on the fourth day after the player entered the instance.

During these first three days, every player still had a chance to search for any clues hidden here.

"So, if I want to become number one, Qing Yan and I must participate in the entertainment facilities as much as possible. First, we need to stabilize our points; only when the points stop dropping can we talk about continuing to grow them," Xi Yan said to himself quietly.

"Oh, right, thankfully becoming number one doesn't restrict forming a team, otherwise Qing Yan and I wouldn't be able to leave this place together." Xi Yan continued sitting on the steps, whispering softly to himself.

"You should go in and rest for a while. It's already midnight," Qing Yan said as she walked out of the tent, rubbing her eyes.

Xi Yan turned his head and, seeing Qing Yan looking so adorably sleepy, felt his heart skip a beat.

"Ah... well... no need, you can continue resting," Xi Yan suddenly stammered.

Qing Yan let out a yawn and walked over to him, sitting down right beside him—a movement that instantly made Xi Yan's body go rigid.

"Alright, don't try to act tough with me. Go inside and rest for a bit. Tomorrow we still have to keep visiting these amusement facilities, right?" Qing Yan said, continuing to yawn.

Seeing Qing Yan like this, how could Xi Yan possibly let her keep watch for the second half of the night? Setting aside whether she could manage the security of the late night, whether she could even take care of her own safety in her current state was already questionable.

"I'm really fine. Look how tired you are, hurry up and go to sleep."

Xi Yan pulled Qing Yan up from the ground and gently pushed her toward the tent. "Listen to me, I'll go rest, okay?"

"Th... then alright..." Though Qing Yan desperately wanted to refuse Xi Yan's suggestion, she didn't know what was wrong with her; she felt exceptionally sleepy tonight.

After Qing Yan left, Xi Yan let out a long breath, patted his chest, and muttered to himself, "What's wrong with me now? I feel a bit unlike myself."

Xi Yan shook his head helplessly and sat back down on the step he had just occupied. Looking at the dark night sky, a sudden sense of relaxation washed over him.

Now that he had found his younger sister's whereabouts and knew she was safe—with someone very capable protecting her by her side—he no longer worried as much.

Yet, thinking about the cause of the apocalypse, Xi Yan felt as though something was blocking his chest.

By all accounts, an issue involving the survival of the entire world had nothing to do with him. He didn't know why, but right now, he cared deeply about the fate of this world.

If anyone were to overhear such thoughts, they would probably mock him.

Xi Yan let out a self-deprecating, cold laugh.

He stretched lazily, then stood up to move his limbs and shake off the fatigue.

At that moment, he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes behind him. Xi Yan instantly perked up and walked slowly toward the bushes.

"Don't! Don't hit me, I'm not a bad person..."

A very skinny man was squatting in the bushes, looking at Xi Yan with terror.

Xi Yan did not underestimate the man just because he looked frail; after all, there were plenty of people playing the pig to eat the tiger in the Land of Survival.

"I'm not a bad person, I... I'm just too hungry..."

The man slowly emerged from the bushes, stumbling just before he cleared them, and nearly fell flat on the ground.

Seeing the man's frail appearance, Xi Yan relaxed his vigilance slightly, though he still maintained his guard against him.

"Hungry? So you want to ask me for some food?" Xi Yan asked.

Hearing this question, the frail man immediately nodded frantically with a look of pleasant surprise. "Yes, sir! If you can share some food with me, I will be extremely grateful to you!"

Xi Yan looked the man up and down for a brief moment, then retrieved some previously stored biscuits from his inventory and handed them over.

The man quickly took the biscuits and began to wolf them down ravenously. As he ate, he kept glancing at Xi Yan, as if terrified that Xi Yan might snatch the food back.

"Eat slowly, I won't take them from you. If it's not enough, I can give you more." Xi Yan had naturally noticed the man's reaction and couldn't help but feel a mixture of amusement and pity.