064 Death Quiz

As the system subtitles faded away, those of us who hadn’t joined the game found ourselves enveloped in a red circle of light. It was clear this meant we were only spectators, unable to intervene in the game. Not that it mattered—even if we could interfere, none of us present would have the nerve to do so.

Su Mu and Zheng Wei noticed two glowing floor tiles and, without a word, stepped onto them. As soon as they stood in the designated spots, the floor began to tremble violently. In the next moment, all the floor tiles except the two glowing ones and the ones beneath the five of us inside the light circle dropped away uncontrollably. The entire dance studio transformed into a bottomless pit. Judging by the distance, a fall from this height would surely be fatal.

But it seemed the one orchestrating this trial had no intention of letting the players die so easily. From the depths below surged forth molten, fiery magma. Scorching heat erupted upward; even where we floated high above, we could feel the burning air. If anyone fell, they would be reduced to nothing in an instant—if even a trace remained.

Suddenly, a seed appeared in Su Mu’s hand. He murmured words I couldn’t understand, and the seed began to grow rapidly before our eyes, stretching out like climbing ivy. It coiled itself around what was left of He Fei’s corpse. Zheng Wei’s expression shifted, and he involuntarily stepped back, but with only the small tile for movement, he edged nervously toward its center.

Seeing Zheng Wei’s reaction, Su Mu looked pleased. He dragged He Fei’s remains closer and tossed them down into the magma below. Unexpectedly, the corpse was not immediately incinerated but was instead slowly consumed by the flames, turning to ash bit by bit. Su Mu frowned—this was no ordinary magma; its burning rate had clearly been slowed.

“It seems the punishment has been deliberately intensified,” I muttered to myself, “to make the competition fiercer.”

Zheng Wei’s face looked increasingly unwell—probably due to the heat. His cheeks were flushed red. Suddenly, the two tiles carrying Su Mu and Zheng Wei began to drop rapidly. Su Mu reacted swiftly, sending a vine to hook onto the ceiling light. But his expression changed at once—his feet were stuck fast to the tile, unable to break free. The vine stretched tight under his falling weight and finally snapped.

Zheng Wei’s face turned ashen as they plummeted, stopping only when they were about five or six meters above the magma. At last, their descent ceased.

The tiles beneath our feet began to float, suspending us high above so we could observe the contest in full view. The magma’s glow lit Su Mu’s face crimson. Even as a contract-holder, he found the searing pain unbearable.

Finally, a mechanical, systemized voice sounded—the deadly quiz game had begun.

“Game rules! There are 15 questions in total. Players may buzz in to answer. A correct answer allows you to either rise one level or cause your opponent to drop one. A wrong answer means you drop one level. The starting height is zero.”

“Rise five levels to escape danger. Drop three levels and you will face death.”

“When all 15 questions are finished, any player who has not escaped will endure the punishment of fire.”

“The game also ends if one side dies.”

I mulled over the rules. As I expected, from the second trial onward, the games were no longer designed solely to kill us. There was always a way for everyone to survive, but the method could be ruined if even one person refused to cooperate.

In this deadly quiz, if each player answered one question correctly, everyone could escape. But I sensed Su Mu would not make things easy for Zheng Wei. Who could say if he might not let Zheng Wei die on purpose? They would have to rely on their own luck.

“Zheng Wei. I’ll make you regret this,” Su Mu growled, tossing away his coat in the heat, baring his teeth in anger.

Zheng Wei silently threw off his jacket and shoes as well. The heat was clearly worse for him; he barely had the strength to speak.

“First question: Who, when sick, doesn’t go to the hospital to see a doctor?”

“Buzz in now!”

“I’ll answer!” Su Mu immediately seized the opportunity before anyone else could react. His reflexes were so sharp—though it was just a riddle, it took me two or three seconds to come up with the answer. For Su Mu to react instantly was suspicious; I suspected he hadn’t even listened to the question and just wanted to take the chance.

“Repeat the question, please,” Su Mu requested with a bright smile to the air above.

“First question: Who, when sick, doesn’t go to the hospital to see a doctor?” echoed the system’s emotionless voice. Su Mu grinned and replied at once, “A doctor. Because a doctor can treat himself.”

He laughed, “I’m too clever.”

Su Mu looked proudly at Zheng Wei, as if to say, “You fool.” In this game, whoever buzzes in first has the advantage; the answer can be figured out afterward. But I shook my head—Su Mu really was hopeless. If the riddle states they don’t see a doctor, then even a doctor is a doctor. Clearly, it was the wrong answer.

The system did not respond to Su Mu’s answer but simply dropped his tile one level lower, bringing a fresh wave of heat that left him gasping.

“A blind person,” Zheng Wei spoke softly. “A blind person cannot ‘see’ a doctor.”

“Second question: Your father’s sister’s cousin’s cousin’s father and your uncle’s son’s sister-in-law—what is their relationship to you?”

“Relative,” Zheng Wei buzzed in quickly—surprising all of us. He rose one level.

“Pretty clever,” Hu Xing’er remarked, her gaze toward Zheng Wei growing more somber.

Xu Tingting, who had remained silent, now reassessed Zheng Wei as well. He was known as a slacker in medical school, but that was only what he had told Xu Tingting and He Fei. Only Zheng Wei himself knew his true self—and if he wanted to hide it, no one else would know.

Su Mu gritted his teeth and said nothing, waiting for his chance at the third question.

“Third question: Is corn a seed plant or a spore plant?”

“Seed!” This time, Su Mu didn’t miss his chance and successfully rose one level. If the second question was a test of intellect, the third was basic agricultural knowledge—Su Mu would not let this opportunity slip by.

The fourth and fifth questions were both medical in nature, and Zheng Wei answered them with ease, rising to the third level.

The sixth and seventh were agricultural questions, and Su Mu seized those as well, reaching the second level.

If nothing went awry, there were enough questions left for both to make it through safely.

But after answering the eighth, an agricultural question, Su Mu made a choice that was unexpected yet understandable.

“Zheng Wei drops one level,” he declared.

Now both stood on the same level.

As the questions continued, by the twelfth, both had reached the fourth level.

Three questions remained.

If they each answered one more correctly, both could survive. But if one forced the other down, that person would surely die.

At this height, the searing heat was much less intense.

“Su Mu, do you still want to keep fighting?” Zheng Wei asked. “There will be plenty of chances in the future… Must it be now?”

For the first time, Zheng Wei spoke at length to Su Mu, sounding nothing like his former timid self. Every word was carefully chosen—a clear signal that he wanted a temporary truce.

If he accidentally killed Su Mu now, what would happen when they got out and faced others’ vengeance?

It seemed clear to me: since our arrival in the dance studio, alliances had formed naturally. Harm one member, and the rest would seek retribution.

Zheng Wei now saw Su Mu as one of Hu Xing’er’s group. Even if he could kill Su Mu now, he had no confidence he could handle the others. So during the quiz, Zheng Wei focused solely on his own progress and did not try to harm Su Mu.

Now it depended on whether Su Mu would let bygones be bygones, if only for now.

Su Mu’s lips parted slightly, and he uttered three words.