Chapter 112: A Moment of Peril
That figure.
Clad in a pure white long dress that clashed starkly with this murderous playground, though dust-streaked, still unable to conceal the wearer’s ethereal beauty.
Her long hair was simply tied back, a few playful strands falling beside her cheek, gently swaying in the sea breeze.
Her expression, fraught with nervousness and panic, caused fine beads of sweat to form on her forehead.
Li Qing.
It was Li Qing!
Chen Yu’s mind felt as if it had been struck by a heavy fist, plunging into blankness.
A thrill thousands of times stronger than the activation of the Crisis Alert surged through him, making him forget even to breathe.
How could she be here?
Why was she here?
That madman Shen Feng! He had brought Li Qing to this island as well?
Damn it!
Chen Yu cursed silently within, his teeth grinding fiercely.
Damn it, this was no longer a game!
This was crossing his bottom line!
Li Qing was no criminal, nor was she some detective on a leaderboard!
She was... the woman he had set his heart on!
She was his white moonlight!
Chen Yu’s gaze instantly turned ice-cold, his entire being radiating a chilling murderous intent.
He could care less about the fate of the two hundred scumbags on this island; if they all died, he would pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
But Li Qing was different!
Not a single strand of her hair could be harmed!
Damn it, even though he had the full map hack, easily locating the “life” boxes, she did not!
In this deadly game with a fifty percent mortality rate, whether she survived depended entirely on luck!
Chen Yu absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.
He could never let fate judge his woman!
That was his white moonlight! There was no way she would fall here!
Suddenly, he lifted his head, locking his gaze firmly on the huge electronic timer atop the platform.
The bright red numbers mercilessly ticked down.
00:38
00:37
Only thirty-some seconds remained!
Chen Yu sprang up from the ground with a sudden jerk, no longer in the mood to watch.
He shouted at the top of his lungs toward Li Qing’s direction, using all his strength.
“Li Qing—!”
But his voice was instantly drowned out by the clamorous battle for the revealed boxes.
The chaotic brawl in the arena had reached a fever pitch.
Around the “life” box that Shen Feng had revealed, seven or eight people had already fallen, limbs broken, wailing in agony.
The remaining fighters still lunged wildly like rabid dogs, fists and feet flying, using primal violence to vie for what seemed the only assured chance of survival.
“Get lost! This one’s mine!”
“I’ll kill you!”
“Ah—my leg!”
The frenzied cries completely drowned out Chen Yu’s calls.
Damn it!
Chen Yu’s heart burned with anxiety as he watched the numbers on the timer rapidly diminish.
00:25
Time was running out!
Those fools scrambling for the revealed boxes clearly realized this too.
A few who hadn’t yet gone bloodthirsty finally tore their eyes away, rushing about like headless flies toward the surrounding unclaimed pink-suited men.
---
A spot was taken.
Another spot was taken.
The cases representing “life” or “death” were being quickly divided up.
The options left for Li Qing were dwindling!
Chen Yu’s heart rose into his throat.
He shouted hoarsely, nearly losing his voice, while fixating intently on Li Qing’s every move.
“Li Qing!! Look this way!!”
That foolish woman still stood rooted, unsure which to choose.
Which one to pick?
Every pink-suited man wore a blank expression, like lifeless statues.
The cases in their hands were like Pandora’s boxes; no one knew whether they contained life or death.
This helplessness—entrusting one’s fate entirely to others and luck—was enough to drive any sane person mad.
Struggle filled Li Qing’s eyes. She glanced left, then right, hesitating to take that life-or-death step.
00:15
Damn it! No time left!
Veins bulged on Chen Yu’s forehead in desperation.
If she hesitated any longer, she wouldn’t even have the chance to choose wrongly!
At this critical moment, as if guided by some unseen force,
Li Qing suddenly shuddered, as if sensing something.
She instinctively turned her head, drawn by a gaze she couldn’t ignore.
Their eyes met.
Across the blood-soaked battlefield, through the frenzy of the crowd,
their gazes collided with laser precision.
Seeing Li Qing’s face, written with shock and disbelief, Chen Yu’s pounding heart finally settled heavily.
He allowed himself a relieved smile.
Found her!
Finally found her!
At the instant Li Qing clearly saw Chen Yu’s face, she froze.
Shock, confusion, disbelief—a tumult of complex emotions surged wildly in her clear eyes.
How could he be here?
The same thought exploded in her mind.
“Stop standing there! Come over!”
Chen Yu summoned his last ounce of strength, shouting fiercely at her.
Li Qing trembled, almost instinctively lifting her skirt and sprinting wildly toward Chen Yu’s direction.
She stepped through the muddy grass, avoiding wounded bodies on the ground, eyes fixed solely on that familiar figure.
“How are you here?”
“How are you here?”
Almost simultaneously, they asked the same question.
Chen Yu suddenly paused, then grasped her wrist tightly, voice urgent.
“Don’t ask so many questions! Trust me, just stand right here! Don’t move!”
He pointed to the pink-suited man beside him.
“The case by me is a ‘life’ box!”
Li Qing, stunned by his shout, instinctively followed his finger.
The pink-suited man remained expressionless, the case in his hand no different from any other.
She looked at Chen Yu with confusion, eyes full of doubt.
Why was he so certain?
How did he know?
It made no sense at all!
Chen Yu saw the question in her eyes, then quickly glanced at the timer.
00:09
---
Damn! No time to explain!
He leaned in close to Li Qing, locking eyes with hers, speaking with unprecedented authority, enunciating each word clearly.
“Trust me!”
Two words, heavy as a thousand pounds.
Leaving those words behind, Chen Yu barely spared time to see her reaction before releasing her wrist and turning sharply, sprinting wildly toward another direction!
He had to find a “life” box for himself in the final seconds!
Li Qing stood dazed, feeling the lingering warmth on her wrist, the resolute command “Trust me” echoing in her ears.
Her heart, inexplicably, calmed.
Meanwhile, Chen Yu had switched into life-or-death sprint mode!
His mind went blank, all senses heightened to the extreme, his eyes fixed only on the unclaimed pink-suited men!
He charged toward the nearest empty spot.
As soon as he approached—
Thunk!
A violent pounding in his chest followed by a shockwave—
A death box!
Chen Yu’s expression changed; without hesitation, he pivoted sharply and dashed toward the next spot.
Thunk!
Still a death box!
Damn it!
Chen Yu cursed furiously in his mind.
He quickly scanned the arena with peripheral vision.
Only a few empty spots remained!
Most people had already chosen their places, numb, silently awaiting the final judgment.
Only a handful of scattered spots were left!
00:05
Chen Yu’s breathing grew heavy.
He swept past another spot.
Thunk!
Still that damned, heart-stopping beat!
He had no choice but to aim for the last, and farthest, empty spot.
There, a particularly burly pink-suited man stood alone.
No time to hesitate!
00:03
Chen Yu pushed his speed to the limit, the turf flying beneath his feet.
00:02
He shot forward like a cannonball straight toward that final empty spot!
00:01
At the very moment he lunged beside the pink-suited man—
Beep!
A shrill buzzer echoed across the entire island.
From the platform above, Shen Feng’s mocking voice boomed through the loudspeakers, reaching every corner.
“Time’s up!”
“Everyone stay where you are. No one is allowed to move!”
“Anyone who moves…”
“Will be immediately eliminated!”