The medical team, who had been on standby, rushed to the crash site. However, the high temperature and thick smoke prevented them from rescuing Anthony.
Judging from the situation at the scene, they were only doing their best. No one thought that Anthony would survive the crash.
The fire brigade arrived soon after, and it took them five minutes to put out the fire. However, the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle was beyond recognition, and there was a charred body in the pilot's seat.
"Morning training is canceled. Everyone, stay in your dormitories," the captain said. A rare look of seriousness appeared on his usually expressionless face. "Don't tell anyone about what happened just now, especially the reporters. At noon, an expert will conduct a psychological assessment on you. Also," he paused, and his eyes swept across the players again. "Those who want to quit can tell me now."
"…"
The players remained silent. Quitting was obviously impossible. Even if an accident like this happened, no one would quit as long as the main mission was not completed. Even if only one person died, no one would quit.
Although the young man's words were harsh, Anthony's death was not necessarily a bad thing for the remaining players. Hence, everyone had mixed feelings about this.
Everyone returned to their dormitories according to the captain's instructions. Zhang Heng took out a carton of milk from the fridge and poured it into a glass. As soon as he picked up the glass, he heard a knock on the door.
Zhang Heng opened the door and saw Zhen Xiong standing outside.
Ever since Zhang Heng warned Zhen Xiong in class on the first day, the two no longer had any private dealings. Zhen Xiong chose to form an alliance with Jia Lai, but this didn't cause too much of a stir among the players. Even if the two players at the bottom of the competition joined forces, the others didn't feel threatened.
"What's the matter?" Zhang Heng asked.
"Can we talk inside?" Zhen Xiong didn't seem to be in a good mood. The smile on his face was forced, and there was a hint of panic in his voice.
"There's no need for that," Zhang Heng said. "If you have anything to say, just say it here."
Zhen Xiong bit her lip. "I know what you think of me, but what can I do? I didn't have a choice from the beginning to the end. It chose me, not the other way around. I received the invitation and was sucked into the game for no reason. I had to do my best to survive, just like how I entered society after graduating from university. I just wanted to work hard like everyone else, support my family, and be an ordinary person, but my boss stopped me in the pantry and threatened me to become his secret lover. Otherwise, he would make it difficult for me to move a single step in the company."
"This is the cruel truth of this world, isn't it? The weak never have the right to choose." Zhen Xiong laughed self-deprecatingly. "Sometimes, I really wish I were a man. Perhaps then I wouldn't have ended up like this." She looked up. "I'm not lying to you. I can see that you're different from the others. I'm not here to use you. I just want to tell you to be careful of Jia Lai."
"Why? Isn't he your ally? "
"Don't be fooled by his appearance. He's the one who hides the most among us. More than anyone can imagine … I …" Zhen Xiong was halfway through her sentence when the door on Zhang Heng's right suddenly opened.
Jia Lai poked his head out. "Oh, you're here. I was just about to go look for you. Didn't you say that the coke in your fridge was finished? I still have some here. Do you want to come and get it?" As he spoke, he stole a glance at Zhang Heng, a flash of fear in his eyes.
Zhang Heng had always been the most mysterious existence among the players. He was a loner and rarely interacted with other players. He was strong and performed well in all kinds of training. Some even suspected that he was an astronaut. Although the dangerous aura he exuded wasn't as strong as before, Jia Lai was still instinctively afraid.
Zhen Xiong didn't say anything more. She looked at Zhang Heng and squeezed a smile at Jia Lai. "Okay, I'm coming."
Less than five minutes after Zhen Xiong left, someone knocked on Zhang Heng's door again.
This time, the person standing outside the door was a middle-aged man who looked like an intellectual. He pushed the glasses on his face and said, "I think we need to talk about what just happened. I've already informed the others to gather in my room in a quarter of an hour. Do you have any questions?"
"No."
"Very well, I'll see you then."
… …
This was the first time Zhang Heng visited another player's residence. The middle-aged man's room was slightly smaller than Zhang Heng's, but the layout inside was similar. The only difference was that there was no TV. Instead, there was an antique radio. When Zhang Heng entered the room, the other players were already there.
The high school student and the listless young man occupied the only two chairs in the room. Jia Lai and Zhen Xiong could only sit on the bed, but the only sofa in the room was empty. The middle-aged man gestured for Zhang Heng to sit down.
After Zhang Heng sat down, he closed the door and walked to the center of the room.
"Then I'll get straight to the point. I don't think Anthony's death was an accident."
"Why do you say that?" The listless young man peeled a peanut and tossed it into his mouth.
"Don't tell me you didn't see it. Anthony strictly followed the instructions given to him by the staff. When he realized that he could no longer control the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle, he pulled the ejection lever under his seat. All of this happened a few seconds before the vehicle crashed."
"Then why didn't he eject from the training vehicle?" Jia Lai asked, puzzled.
"Good question. I think there's someone here who can answer our questions." The middle-aged man who looked like an intellectual looked around.
"Oh, my favorite part is finally coming." The listless young man applauded.
"I remember you saying that he might accidentally kill himself," the high school student suddenly said.
"So what?"
"How did you know that this would happen?"
"Because I'm smarter?" The listless young man shrugged. "You guys don't really believe that nonsense, do you? With my training results, I didn't have to kill anyone to get on Apollo 11. Among everyone here, other than that cool guy over there, I should be the least suspicious one."
"Seems like it," Jia Lai muttered.
"Sorry?" The listless young man's eyes flashed with a cold light.
Fatty immediately shrunk his body out of reflex.
"I think he meant that the results aren't out yet. A lot of things are still uncertain." The middle-aged man wiped his glasses. "You could be bluffing."
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