066 The Deathly Stillness

Su Mu’s turn in the truth or dare game turned out unexpectedly successful; not a single person left in the group lied. Next, it was Hu Xing’er’s turn as the host for the fourth round. She strode forward, looking straight at Zheng Wei and declared, “Since you killed my sister, I won’t let you off.”

“Do as you please,” Zheng Wei replied, unfazed by Hu Xing’er’s fury.

Hu Xing’er announced, “I choose dare. My target is Zheng Wei.”

Her choice didn’t surprise us; clearly, she intended to resolve the murderer’s fate through the game. I was certain that if I were in Hu Xing’er’s position, facing the killer of my own kin, I too would choose to duel him immediately, hoping to end his life if possible.

The fourth round’s dare quickly appeared in the mirror.

“Round Four Dare: Death Red Light, Green Light.”

“The rules are as follows: There is a wooden puppet on the east side of the classroom. Contestants must start from the west and reach the finish line within the allotted time to survive.”

As expected, it was another game that allowed everyone a chance at survival.

“Note: When the wooden puppet turns around, any movement will trigger its attack.”

Another message appeared. I pondered, realizing this game seemed gentler compared to previous ones.

Firstly, it clearly stated that reaching the finish line within the allotted time meant safety. Secondly, the rules were basically the same as Red Light, Green Light; if you moved, you’d only be attacked by the puppet, not necessarily killed.

So, this game was merciful.

Hu Xing’er stretched, taking her place on the west side of the dance classroom. Zheng Wei lazily followed, stretching as he walked over.

The rest of us spectators found the best vantage point and settled in.

Once Hu Xing’er and Zheng Wei stood ready, two iron fences wrapped with wire suddenly appeared around them, narrowing the width of the playing field. At the far east end of the classroom, a pumpkin-headed wooden puppet appeared, grinning wickedly at Hu Xing’er and Zheng Wei, muttering under its breath.

“Move and you die!”

With that, the pumpkin-headed puppet turned its back, and the game truly began.

Zheng Wei didn’t rush into the field; instead, he bent over with mock gentlemanly grace and gestured, “Ladies first.”

Hu Xing’er shot him a look of contempt, scoffed, and drew the five of hearts.

“Air Wave.”

A flash of red light shot from the card, transformed into a bird, and merged with Hu Xing’er. An aura of energy radiated from her, and even I, seated in the middle of the field, could sense the stirring of wind.

The pumpkin man began to speak.

“Move— and—”

Before the fourth word was uttered, Hu Xing’er had already leapt, landing just as the pumpkin man was about to finish his sentence.

She soared three meters in one jump—no wonder she had survived this far as a contract-holder; everyone used their abilities with remarkable finesse. Hu Xing’er compressed air beneath her feet, and upon jumping, detonated the air to propel herself, boosting her leap to three meters.

The entire dance classroom spanned only fifteen meters. At this rate, Hu Xing’er would need just a few jumps to reach the finish line. I could guess her plan: once she reached the end, she could devise several ways to intercept Zheng Wei mid-route. Even if she couldn’t kill him outright, increasing his difficulty and preventing his completion would be her most desired outcome.

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Hu Xing’er timed her movements perfectly, hopping again just as the pumpkin man uttered the fourth word.

But then, an unexpected change occurred.

The pumpkin man suddenly sped up his speech.

“Will die!”

The words tumbled out, and he spun around swiftly, cackling as he watched Hu Xing’er still airborne.

Suddenly, countless wooden spikes appeared, hurtling toward Hu Xing’er.

Her face darkened instantly; none of us had anticipated that the pumpkin man would suddenly alter his tempo.

Facing the barrage, Hu Xing’er landed and met the attack with composure.

Her hand clawed at the air twice, then seemed to draw something in front of her.

“Air Shield,” Tan Tou remarked coldly, reminding me that Hu Xing’er had used a similar move before.

She gathered the surrounding air to form a high-density shield. The wooden spikes struck the shield without losing momentum, forcing Hu Xing’er to continue using her abilities until their force was spent.

She dared not move, for the pumpkin man had not yet turned away. If she moved now, she might face another attack, plunging her into real danger.

Sweat began to bead on her face—the mental strain of using her abilities was enormous.

Luckily, after the pumpkin-headed puppet’s attack, it stopped moving.

After Hu Xing’er maintained her stillness for about five seconds, the puppet began to turn away.

I noticed her arm trembling as she cautiously exhaled. Apparently, as the puppet turned, the spikes’ momentum dissipated.

When the puppet’s body was almost fully turned, the spikes finally stopped, dropping from mid-air.

But at that moment, Zheng Wei moved.

He stepped briskly onto the playing field, and as soon as his foot touched the track, the pumpkin man spoke again.

“Move and you die!”

He spun around quickly, grinning wickedly at the two on the track.

This time, twice the number of wooden spikes appeared, shooting toward both contestants.

Zheng Wei smiled serenely, stepping back to the starting point in one stride.

Hu Xing’er wasn’t so lucky. Forced to use her air shield again, she found the spikes this time far more powerful.

Unable to withstand them, she leapt backward, aiming to return to the starting point.

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But the spikes seemed almost sentient, pursuing her relentlessly.

Hu Xing’er twisted mid-air to dodge, but still suffered scrapes to her shoulder and waist.

Thanks to her air barrier enveloping her, the wounds were only grazes; otherwise, they would have been far worse.

Landing, Hu Xing’er shot Zheng Wei a venomous glare.

“You wanted to use me as a pathfinder.”

“Or were you trying to get me killed?”

Zheng Wei smiled, licking his fingers.

“Don’t you want to kill me too?”

Hu Xing’er said nothing, silently wrapping her wounds with her sleeves.

She had used her abilities to isolate the injuries from air, so infection was no concern.

This game was not as simple as it appeared.

After watching Zheng Wei and Hu Xing’er’s first attempts, I understood the game’s mechanics.

Cross fifteen meters to win, but with a ten-minute time limit—the difficulty was clearly not trivial.

The pumpkin man’s turning speed wasn’t fixed, but could be deduced from his words; he always turned after speaking.

The number and power of spikes seemed tied to how many people were on the track, but any trigger meant an attack on everyone.

During the second spike attack, Hu Xing’er hadn’t moved but was still caught up in it.

After being attacked, if you remained still, the pumpkin man would turn away again, causing the spikes to dissipate.

This meant that to complete the game, both contestants had to focus solely on moving forward; if one moved improperly, both would suffer the puppet’s storm of attacks. Even if not fatal, it would severely hinder their progress.

Hu Xing’er was forced back to the starting line; I guessed that returning to the start would nullify the spike attack.

Indeed, the spikes stopped at the starting line and vanished into nothingness.

Hu Xing’er sat on the ground, panting heavily—the attempt had drained much of her strength and spirit.

Zheng Wei, meanwhile, lost nothing; he’d simply stepped out and back again.

The outcome of this round grew increasingly unpredictable.

Though Hu Xing’er possessed contract-holder abilities, this wasn’t a game where power alone guaranteed success.

As I pondered how Hu Xing’er might quickly reach the finish line, Zheng Wei stepped onto the puppet’s track once more.

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