After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 44

Time passed quickly. Even before the second class placement test, the second phase of the Super A Games arrived. Posters for the Jungle Survival challenge were stuck all over the hallways, attracting countless students who stopped to discuss the rules with excitement.

There were many happy people, but Ruan Yubai was not one of them.

Bi Biba hooked an arm around her neck and shook her vigorously. “Cheer up, Old Ruan! Have you seen the forums? A lot of netizens are already saying they will be watching you. Why not take this chance to contact some cosmetic sponsors? You could make a fortune while the traffic is high. I will even be your manager. Does that not sound great?”

Ruan Yubai, who was drinking water, suddenly choked. Wiping the water from her lips, she asked in disbelief, “People are actually optimistic about me? Heavens, if they see my performance, will they not be disappointed?”

The kindhearted salted fish felt worried for her nonexistent supporters. “I hope no one is betting on me. I hope they do not lose too much money.”

“As for betting, quite a few people have actually put money on you,” Bi Biba said.

Looking at her friend’s eyes, which were shining like a hopeful salted fish because she felt expected, Bi Biba fell silent for a moment and swallowed her original words. People were indeed betting on the salted fish, but they were not betting on her to win. They were betting on which day she would lose.

Of course, more netizens were mainly there to admire her beauty. In such a harsh competition environment, compared to rough and muscular Alphas, a rare soft girl like Ruan Yubai was very eye catching. Aside from the cool beauty Qing Ling, who eternally occupied the top spot on the trending list, Ruan Yubai was the second most discussed contestant.

In Bi Biba’s view, most viewers tuned in with a “she is here today but might be eliminated tomorrow” mindset. It was tragic. The consensus was that Ruan Yubai was the mascot of this brutal competition. The only person who did not know this was the mascot herself.

“Speaking of which,” Bi Biba decided to hide the truth to avoid dampening the salted fish’s rare momentum, “have you decided what to bring with you?”

At the mention of this, Ruan Yubai’s face slumped. “Not yet. I have never operated a weapon like a laser cannon, so it is hard to control. I originally wanted to bring a cold weapon like a dagger or a small knife, but even those are easily snatched away. Then I thought about bringing a mecha or some other defensive weapon, but those are also easily stolen. Maybe I should bring a bodyguard? But I do not have enough money to hire one.”

Bi Biba’s eyes widened in shock. Ruan Yubai was actually actively preparing for the match!

“When you return in triumph, I will treat you to a jam barbecue,” Bi Biba said, patting Ruan Yubai on the shoulder and deciding to postpone their reservation by a few days. “When you really cannot hold on anymore, think about the barbecue. Just survive for half a week and come out.”

Ruan Yubai blinked. “Is the competition not a week long?”

“That is true. Half a week might be too long. If you can last two days, you will be the greatest hero!” Bi Biba replied.

“The day I pass the level, I will wait for you to kneel down and call me Daddy,” Ruan Yubai joked.

Jokes aside, Ruan Yubai knew very well that with her strength, it would be hard to last even a day. She would likely raise the white flag and return in disgrace within hours of landing.

The jungle survival venue was Planet G404, a planet specifically designed for the competition. After the first round of on campus trials, a total of 1,000 contestants from the twelve schools advanced to the second round. G404 covered all sorts of dangerous natural environments: steep peaks, lonely islands surrounded by the sea, tropical jungles full of poisonous insects, and endless snow mountains.

The entire competition site was divided into ten sectors. Contestants would be randomly dropped into different areas and would need to spend seven long days and nights there. They had to race against time to reach the finish line at the center of Planet G404. Victory could only be achieved by pulling up a limited number of flags.

During the competition, contestants could use various methods to defend their right to survive. Besides being allowed to bring one self prepared item, they also wore a survival bracelet. A contestant could press it if they felt they could no longer continue, effectively forfeiting the match. Otherwise, even if their life signs disappeared, no rescue would come. In other words, if the bracelet was separated from the body, the contestant could only pray for the competition to end early, unless they called for help from the nearby filming cameras.

When Ruan Yubai heard this, she was startled. “This is just a peaceful and friendly exchange match. Can there really be a danger to one’s life?”

Dian Hong, another contestant also preparing, glanced at her and sighed. “Where exactly did you see that this competition was harmonious and friendly?”

Despite being called the Super A Games, this competition had nothing to do with a regular sports meet. As an event that caused a sensation across the star system, even if there were no actual fighting, the committee would forcibly arrange dramatic conflicts to ensure high ratings.

“Furthermore, the venue this time is not a virtual space but an actual planet. Although the organizers say they will do their best to guarantee safety, if an accident really happens, how could they possibly arrive in time for a rescue?” Dian Hong sighed. “For people like us, the most important thing is to avoid all conflict, protect the bracelet, and survive for as many days as possible. Just getting more screen time is a win!”

That was true. These ordinary people who had accidentally gained the right to compete were not the focus of the match; they were merely optional additions.

Regarding this, Father Ruan was much more optimistic. “Our daughter has strength. Look at that student from the Purple Martial Arts Academy who signed up for handstand running. Because no one else signed up, he got in easily. Netizens call him the King of Lucky Pickups. This competition has many uncertainties. There are many people with good strength, but there are also many in a similar situation to yours. Do not worry too much.”

This talk effectively calmed Ruan Yubai’s nerves. Father Ruan continued to comfort her. “If it really does not work out, just go ask Xiao Qing for help. I do not have high expectations otherwise. Just come back in one piece.”

Just as Ruan Yubai opened her mouth to speak, a clamor arose from downstairs, mixed with the piercing screams of a child that made her eardrums vibrate. It was no wonder Ruan Yubai often doubted if she was biological. With her competition starting the next day, their mutual friends had brought a child over to play the day before. Now, the floor of the house was no longer a floor, but a fairy tale town smeared with cream cake.

Due to the noise, Father Ruan was also briefly distracted. He turned to ask, “Xiao Bai, what did you just say?”

Amidst the piercing cries and the harsh scolding of the parents, Ruan Yubai shook her head, indicating it was nothing. The heavy rain of that day felt like a dream. Because it came and went so quickly, the chaotic pheromones in the classroom and the scent of freesia spreading through the long rain felt like an absurd fantasy. Only the bruise on her arm reminded her that it had all truly happened. Since then, Lin Yi had not appeared in front of her again, and Ruan Yubai was happy to maintain that silent understanding.

And Qing Ling. Ruan Yubai bit her lip, her teeth leaving small marks on her pink lips. When Father Ruan’s next question reached her ears, she looked up somewhat blankly.

“I asked if you have prepared your things,” Father Ruan said, enunciating each word amidst the loud party noise.

“Is it not just that protective shield? I packed it long ago and put it in my bag,” Ruan Yubai shrugged.

As a salted fish whose offensive power was nothing to write home about, the philosophy that “offense is the best defense” was as useless to her as dog droppings. To survive longer, she had to rely on defense. Thanks to modern high technology, Ruan Yubai used her meager allowance to buy a cheap but good quality protective shield. Although it could not block magical attacks, as long as she did not provoke a powerhouse, it could still block one major hit for her at a critical moment.

The shouting downstairs paused, and the two in the bedroom sighed in unison. Ruan Yubai looked at her father and hummed. “Comparison creates beauty, and comparison creates love. Does the comparison with a brat make me look instantly adorable?”

Although he felt the same way, Father Ruan would not say that to a junior. He shook his head. “How old do you think you are? Today, the child from the Li family is only in kindergarten, yet he has the same backpack you are going to carry. You are an adult, yet you are using an In the Night Garden backpack for the competition. Are you not ashamed?”

Ruan Yubai argued righteously, “No! He is carrying an In the Night Garden bag, but I am clearly carrying a Teletubbies one. This is proof that we live in two different eras. They are completely different, okay?”

Whatever. Amidst the deafening cries of the child, Father Ruan had no energy left for lecturing. He simply patted his daughter’s shoulder. “Get some rest today. I will head down in a bit and send your defense ring to the contestant center. Tomorrow morning, you will not have to carry it. Just take yourself and go.”

A backpack containing only a defense ring was certainly not heavy, but Ruan Yubai was lazy to an appalling degree. If she could reduce the weight by even a little, she would. Plus, salted fish and brats naturally did not get along. Ruan Yubai did not want to go downstairs to deal with the cream covered hallway, so she readily agreed. She said happily, “Thank you, Dad. You really are a good father. I really should not have doubted that I was your biological daughter before.”

Father Ruan flicked her forehead. “Fine, go to sleep early. I will get them to leave soon. I hope the Li kid has not had the chance to open that snack gift pack yet.”

Seeing Father Ruan’s silent prayer, Ruan Yubai almost could not help laughing mockingly. “Do not worry, Dad. I will pray for you.”

As it turned out, Ruan Yubai’s prayers were effective. The brat did not open the snack gift pack after all. Ruan Yubai knew this for certain because the next day, at the competition center, she saw the In the Night Garden backpack with her own eyes. Yes, the In the Night Garden backpack stuffed with all sorts of snacks.

When they gathered at the contestant center, Ruan Yubai had not yet realized the severity of the situation. Because time was tight, she did not have time to check properly before putting on the bright jelly bag with her name on it. She waved happily to the fans gathered nearby, smugly thinking that many viewers truly recognized her strength.

Unfortunately, this happiness was ruthlessly shattered by a single sentence from Dian Hong. On the helicopter, Dian Hong rubbed her eyes. Because she could not believe what she saw, she rubbed them again. “Xiao Bai, is this the weapon you prepared after thinking hard for many days?”

What is a world shattering event? What is an earth shaking change? What is moving mountains and filling seas? Before the helicopter landed, Ruan Yubai felt she was already suffering from altitude sickness.

Many contestants nearby had been nervous, but seeing this, they could not help but burst into laughter. The air was filled with a joyful atmosphere. “Student Ruan, is the thing you brought a snack gift pack?”

It was too powerful. As expected of a top trending topic on the forums, such a move was not something an ordinary person could pull off. Ruan Yubai’s paws went numb. Father Ruan truly was not her biological father; he was a pure “pit dad.”

The helicopter’s blades sliced through the air, emitting the cold smell of gunpowder. Ruan Yubai’s face was numb. “Do you look down on snack gift packs?”

The contestant, who had been on the verge of vomiting from nerves, could not help but laugh. His pale face turned rosy. “I would not dare. Student Ruan’s choice is truly unique.”

In this joyful atmosphere, the people in the helicopter were divided into teams of four and scattered toward different directions in Sector 9. As the drone of the aircraft engine grew more distant, Ruan Yubai brushed the dust off her hands and scanned the surroundings.

The landing spot was a jungle. The scorching afternoon sun made the leaves curl slightly. The ubiquitous sound of cicadas wailed mournfully, their cries making one feel irritable. Looking at the others, Dian Hong unhesitatingly pulled out a dagger and cut the vines that had tangled around her ankles. Looking at the bright backpack on her partner’s back, she still found it hard to believe. She nudged Ruan Yubai’s shoulder and whispered, “What kind of mechanism is in that bag?”

Ruan Yubai withdrew her gaze and confessed very sincerely, “If I said the flavored beans inside taste a bit like smelly socks, would that count as a mechanism that could stink someone to death?”

Each contestant had a small drone camera hovering nearby, filming every area from all angles and broadcasting it live on the platform. At this moment, the live thread on the forum had already exploded.

“God damn smelly sock flavored beans. This kid really brought a snack gift pack.” “This is it. I laughed so hard I sounded like a rooster crowing. I woke all my neighbors, and when they saw the stream, they vibrated their souls with me in a bright chorus of ooh ooh.” “What can I say? Ruan Yubai, it could only be you! The painful losses I have had in betting are finally seeing a hope for a turnaround through you!” “Shorting stocks is really a lack of virtue. Investing with the mindset that someone else will lose, you really have a bad conscience.” “Heh, do not pretend. When you bet last time that Xiao Bai would not last two days, I was the one who gave you your 250th like.” “Well, I am still better than you. At least I bet on the number of days; you bet directly on the number of hours.” “I am truly fed up with this Beta. I did not expect her brain to come up with a defense ring or a self defense dagger, but even bringing a mecha would be better than a snack pack.” “Hahahaha! In the Night Garden fans disagree! Do you look down on our Igglepiggle?” “How does In the Night Garden sound? Wabby wabby, wabby waboo?” “You fake fan! That is Plants vs. Zombies! Igglepiggle is going to smash your head with his crest!” “Makka Pakka, Akka Wakka, Mikka Makka.” “How do you people in Sector 9 have time to chat? Sector 10 has already started fighting. Someone with a mecha was sent away at the start. The medical team has likely arrived. I hope they survived.” “What?” “What happened?” “Nokia 2G network online. Why can I suddenly not understand what everyone is saying?” “I am going to migrate to Sector 10 for some sightseeing. Brothers and sisters, wait for me.” “Gosh, Sector 10’s server crashed because of too many posts. Nothing is loading now. Is the first day in the jungle this brutal?”

The class representative for Sector 10 is here. Because the shock was too great, my words are a bit messy, so just bear with it.

“The Lucky Pickup King from Purple Martial Arts Academy is still lucky. He landed in the only plain area among the ten sectors. He knew he got here by luck, so he did not even think about carrying heavy weapons. Instead, he operated a light mecha he bought with a lot of money just to escape. But before the mecha’s legs could even stand straight, the cockpit was blown up by a cannon shot. The King’s blood was everywhere; the whole screen was pixelated. Two Alphas from Laurels directly dragged him out and threw him on the ground. Carrying a female Omega on one shoulder, they stripped the defensive shield off the mecha, showing no mercy at all.”

“My heavens, that is terrifying. What are those Alphas thinking? Did they forget there are cameras filming them live? What will they do once they come out?”

“What to do? Cold mix! Sector 10 already has fans calling this violent aesthetics. They say these two Alphas are truly interpreting the Law of the Dark Forest. Carrying girls, getting kills, and stripping equipment. I even suspect the administrator personally closed and blew up the sector because the atmosphere was too wrong.”

“Those people are indeed perverted. Even with Sector 10 closed, they are still going crazy. I have seen them in many sectors, shouting that scum do not deserve to survive. I really want to vomit.”

“Who is calling your grandpa? Grandsons, Grandpa is here. I just hate that the damn Lucky Pickup King was not blown up directly. Otherwise, would there be a place for you to bark?”

“How coincidental. Speak of the dog, and the dog appears.”

“Who the hell are you talking about?”

“Whoever is excited is the one I am talking about. Blehhh.”

“Your dad is dead, your ancestors are blown up, and your grandpa is being castrated by me until he screams. Are you satisfied?”

The next moment, the administrator appeared: “Commenters inciting conflict have been flagged in red and permanently banned. Please maintain the order of the forum and discuss peacefully. Thank you.”

Refreshing the page, two red comments were particularly eye catching.

Red comment: “Who is calling your grandpa? Grandsons, Grandpa is here. I just hate that the damn Lucky Pickup King was not blown up directly. Otherwise, would there be a place for you to bark?” Red comment: “Your dad is dead, your ancestors are blown up, and your grandpa is being castrated by me until he screams. Are you satisfied?”

A brief silence fell over the Sector 9 forum.

“I am starting a topic: #What on earth is happening#” “Did I see wrong? What are the Sector 10 brothers doing?” “Summary: I kill my son, I blow up my ancestors, I castrate myself.” “Hahahahaha! Summary above, are you trying to kill me with laughter? How will you pay for the time I spent lacking oxygen!” “The brain parasite has now achieved human to human transmission. Please observe three minutes of silence.” “Am I the only one curious about how the Lucky Pickup King survived? According to the red text, there is no one left in the plain area, only a camera. But the camera has no alarm function. Where did the rescue team come from?” “Heh, I watched it live. I have to say, the Lucky Pickup King’s luck is no joke. When he fell from the mecha, the watch on his hand happened to hit a screw, which directly pressed the distress button. Um, the rescue team has already picked him up.” “With that kind of luck, the King might have lasted a long time. It is a pity he met teammates like that. So tragic.” “What about the Omega girl who was carried away? Is she also a student from Purple Martial Arts? What is wrong with these Laurels Alphas? Are they intentionally starting a school war?” “That is not it. The Omega girl was originally a member of their school’s archery cheerleading squad. I remember her name is Tu Xinyao. She stood next to Xiao Bai last time. She is so thin I feel a bit sorry for her.” “Come to think of it, quite a few members of the Laurels archery cheerleading squad came to this competition. Tu Xinyao, Ruan Yubai, and the one named Dian Hong. Are they not all the girls we whistled at back then?” “This group of violent Alphas is killing too bloodily. I hope these cheerleaders can last a bit longer. At least they can purify our eyes.” “Actually, looking at it this way, Ruan Yubai’s choice was not wrong. At least a snack gift pack will not be coveted by others. If she really runs into something, she will have time to press her bracelet and escape.”

The events in Sector 10 were being discussed fervently on the forums, but the contestants on the field naturally did not know. At this time, Dian Hong was still clutching her head, feeling pained by her teammate’s choice. “Ruan Yubai, why did you choose a snack pack? Carrying it here is a burden. Even choosing a mecha would be better than Teletubbies.”

At this moment, the other two teammates had already taken the drinks Ruan Yubai handed them and were sipping silently. Ruan Yubai inserted a straw into the remaining bottle and handed it to her, smiling. “Do you want a bottle of O Pop Fruit Milk?”

Dian Hong’s head clutching movement paused. Knowing she should not, she still could not help but take it and take a sip. Drinking a fruity milk drink in the hot weather was indeed a pleasure. “Is this not A Pop Fruit Milk? Where did the O Pop come from?”

Ruan Yubai studied it for a moment and said with realization, “This is new packaging the manufacturer made specifically for the Super A Games. Old and new packaging are shipped randomly. See, this bottle of mine is still O Pop.”

The Sector 9 forum collective fell silent, lost in a speechless hush. After a long time, a post popped up.

“I did not tune to the wrong channel, did I? Is this not the jungle escape competition of the Super A Games? Why do I have the illusion that I am watching the Golden Eagle Cartoon children’s channel that even my nephew is too lazy to watch?”

Thus, against the background of the smoke and piercing screams of Sector 10, a small squad from Sector 9 lined up like a mushroom army belonging to a kindergarten. Before sharing their names, they first drank a bottle of fruit milk together.

“The Teletubbies bag is useful, right?” “Yeah, tastes good.”

Support After Dumping the Female Lead, It’s My Turn to Cry