The eighth day of the main race.

This is because most of the contestants have reached the fourth stage and have received supplies from merchants.

The number of eliminations has finally stabilized, and there have been no more batches of people being eliminated.

Of course, on another scoring page that the contestants cannot see, the gap between the upper and lower half of the Earthfire Desert becomes increasingly obvious.

Upper half: 469 people (251 people have been eliminated)

Lower half: 632 people (87 people have been eliminated)

According to the principle of equal distribution, the number of people entering the upper and lower half areas is more than 700.

However, after eight days of elimination, the difference in the number of eliminations between the two sides has tripled.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"

"Either there is a statistical error, or the initial number of people in the lower half is much greater than that in the upper half."

Golden Eagle territory, temporary medical room.

Faced with the reminders from several staff members, ‘Yuli’, who had just withdrawn from the main competition, wolfed down the food on the table and subconsciously retorted.

No one understands better than him how terrifying that desert of earth and fire is!

The extreme heat, the lack of supplies, and the endless sandy road.

Even without the disaster that happens every three days, the combination of other factors would be a hell-level test.

"And if there were not those two profiteers in the top half, we would never have been eliminated until now."

After drinking another whole bottle of water, Yuri's eating and drinking speed slowed down a bit.

Thinking back on the past seven days, it was like a nightmare that I don’t want to mention anymore.

In the second stage, Marr withdrew, and they used the points they contributed to buy fresh water to survive until the third stage.

In the third stage, Carlos was forced to withdraw, and only then did he collect enough points to continue purchasing fresh water.

Although he hated that Taoist-looking profiteer, Yuri had to admit it.

If the other party hadn't provided fresh water along the way, their team would have been forced to be eliminated in the middle of the second stage!

How can we persist all the way to the fifth stage and still have Cosim as the captain in the team to lead the team forward.

But at this moment, the door of the infirmary opened from the outside, and Mal and Carlos, who had left early, received the news and came to visit.

But before I even opened the door, I heard a stubborn retort coming from inside.

The two of them were stunned at first, and then couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Hey, why are you here? There's no penalty for voluntarily quitting, right?"

Seeing the figure walking in, Yuli put down the bread in his hand, a look of surprise on his face.

What he was most afraid of before quitting was that the territory would blame them for wasting opportunities.

Now that the two of them can still move around freely, there shouldn't be much of a problem.

"There is no punishment, but..." Mal hesitated, with a look of regret on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid we missed a big opportunity!"

Carlos also felt a little regretful and sat on the stool at the door and drank some water in one gulp.

Although the time between the two withdrawals was two days in the main game, to the outside world it was only half a day.

After half a day, compared to Yuri, who is still confused now, he has learned a lot from the audience's perspective.

"It's useless to talk more. Just open the game panel yourself and go in to watch the battle."

Hearing what Carlos said, Yuri was slightly startled, and an unpleasant feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

Without bothering to ask any more questions, he quickly opened the game panel and entered the viewing angle.

A trance flashed through.

The perspective was initially fixed on the place where he exited, which was the fifth stage of the first half.

Most of the contestants who escaped the sandstorm that hit them on the sixth day and rushed to the fifth stage on the seventh day were exhausted and exhausted.

Since a major disaster would strike on the ninth day, the contestants did not dare to rest.

I can only drag my heavy body and walk scatteredly in the desert, walking towards the finish line step by step.

Yuli watched patiently for a while, and finally found captain Cosim and the last remaining teammate Lisa in the huge oasis near Rolling Stone Canyon.

"So fast?"

Yuli was a little surprised, and suddenly felt that his withdrawal was so worth it.

It was the points and fresh water he contributed that allowed the remaining two people to save most of their energy and reach all the way.

And if he had stayed inside and held back, he would probably still have to walk at least half a day before the finish line.

Once the clock turns at night, we may encounter a large-scale natural disaster more terrifying than a sandquake.

"but."

I saw a lot of people gathered around the reed hut in the center of the oasis, and Cosim stood nearby and joined in the fun.

Yuri frowned and zoomed in closer.

But when he saw it, he couldn't help but exclaimed.

"What, these two profiteers haven't been eliminated yet!"

In the shack, the old Taoist was busy greeting the guests, while the male gunman lowered his head and dug at the hole in the ground.

After about a few minutes, a small bucket was lifted up from the entrance of the cave.

What is contained inside is exactly what the contestants are eager for.

freshwater!

"The first bucket of water, 920 ml, is being auctioned now!"

After clearing his throat, the old man took the bucket and placed it in front of him, with a proud look on his face.

At first, the two of them just planned to make a quick buck, scrape together enough points and buy a modular device before quitting.

However, in the first stage, the second time I encountered low-priced water purchased by a merchant brought me a precious first pot of gold.

Relying on these initial funds, the veteran took action decisively with the merchants in the fourth stage.

For 5,500 points, I won the ‘small drilling well’ that can only be placed in the oasis.

Facts have proved that these adventures are indeed worthwhile.

"I'll give you 80 points!"

"80? I'll pay 110!"

"120!"

"."

After a while, the bucket of water was successfully sold for 220 points.

Although it was not as good as the price from the merchants in the fourth stage, in this oasis, even the contestants who bought 2,000 points of 'micro-drilling wells' showed envious expressions.

Micro-drilled water wells can only harvest four times a day, and the water volume fluctuates between 200-600.

A small drilled water well can harvest ten times a day, and the water volume fluctuates between 600 and 1,200.

Calculated based on the average of 900 ml, if it can be sold at this price every time, the daily income can easily reach 2,000 points.

It only takes three days to get your money back, and you will make a steady profit from now on!

"The next auction will be in two hours, thank you all for coming."

The veteran smiled and announced the time for the next round, and the contestants who didn't take the photo could only leave in frustration.

Finding Cosim mixed in with the crowd again, he walked to the next place where fresh water was being auctioned.

"These guys."

Yuri was immediately itchy with hatred.

Of course, I am not angry at these profiteers for selling water at high prices, but I am angry at why I cannot be one of them.

besides.

"Cosim, that stupid pig, if he hadn't banned us from buying water in the first place, the five of us would have persisted to the end of the desert, and the combined points could have bought a small drilled water well!"

The feeling of regret rose from the bottom of his heart, making Yuri feel even more unhappy.

At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he also saw the headcount comparison floating above the viewing page.

Indeed, as the medical staff said, there is a clear gap between the number of people in the upper half of the district and the lower half.

"Is there really such a gap? I want to see what's going on!"

As an eliminated contestant, you can choose the viewing angle at will, which is also one of the hidden benefits.

Yuri tried to switch the perspective, and soon came to the lower half of the Earth Fire Desert.

First, I took a quick glance at the terrain from a high altitude, and found that there was basically no difference between the two halves.
To be continued...