Chapter 118: The Second Day of Competition

The night passed with unexpected stillness. The madman, Shen Feng, did not appear again, nor did the survivors cause any further trouble. These tough characters, who usually walked with arrogance on the fringes of society, had become uncharacteristically docile. Perhaps they were terrified by the slaughter, or perhaps it was because of the clean, decisive back-throw executed by the woman in the corner. Fear is the best tranquilizer. When a sliver of light filtered through the only gap in the warehouse, everyone had safely made it through the first day on the island. Yet, no one felt relieved. Everyone knew that the "game" of the second day was about to begin.

At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, the massive metal door rose slowly with a harsh, grating sound. The sunlight was blinding. Standing at the entrance were the same muscular, armed men in pink suits; their expressions were blank, and the pink rifles in their hands looked like invitations from the Grim Reaper. Shen Feng did not appear. Under the duress of the gun barrels, the hundred survivors walked silently out of the warehouse that had imprisoned them overnight and headed deep into the unknown jungle.

After crossing a damp and dense woodland, they were brought before a pitch-black cave. Inside, the cave held a surprising secret. What met their eyes was not a rugged, natural cavern, but a massive, sci-fi-looking metal elevator. It was large enough to hold over a hundred people. The group was driven inside, the doors closed, and it began to descend at a steady speed. A sensation of weightlessness took hold. Chen Yu silently counted the time. The elevator descended for a full half-minute before slowly coming to a halt.

"Damn, how deep did they dig this?" Chen Yu estimated that they were at least a hundred meters below the surface. Had this madman hollowed out the entire island?

The elevator doors opened to reveal a vast, spacious room. The walls were constructed of rough red bricks, exuding an eerie blend of the primitive and the industrial. Directly above them, on both the left and right sides of the ceiling, were semi-open circular holes, each over a meter in diameter, leading into darkness. There were two similar giant holes on the walls on either side of the room. From these holes, two massive hemp ropes, as thick as a human thigh, extended into the room. Once they reached the center, they branched out into dozens of thin ropes that scattered across the floor. The setup was identical on both sides.

Just as Chen Yu frowned, trying to figure out what kind of twisted setup this was—

Hum!

The "Crisis Warning" in his mind began to scream uncontrollably, without any warning! This time, the alert was more violent than any he had experienced before! It was not a passing sting, but a constant, intense heart palpitation that felt as if it were tearing his very soul apart!

Danger! Extreme danger! And this danger was present every single second! Chen Yu’s expression darkened instantly.

Just then, a face poked out from one of the semi-open holes in the ceiling. It was the familiar white mask painted with a grotesque, smiling face.

"Good morning, friends!" Shen Feng’s voice echoed throughout the underground space via an amplification system, carrying a sick, cheerful tone. "Welcome to today's game site! Before we begin, everyone, please draw a lot to decide your fate!"

As he finished speaking, a pink-clad muscleman pushed out a giant lottery box. The box was transparent and filled with wooden sticks in two colors—red and blue—which appeared to be equal in number. The survivors lined up, their faces ashen, to draw their lots. When it was Chen Yu's turn, he reached in and pulled out a red stick. He glanced at Li Qing beside him. She held a red stick as well.

*Heh, destiny,* Chen Yu thought with a cynical internal shrug, though his expression grew increasingly grave.

Soon, everyone had finished drawing. Shen Feng looked down at the teams, now clearly divided, and clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Excellent! Now, you are divided into the Red Team and the Blue Team, fifty people each! The next event is an exciting... game of tug-of-war!"

Tug-of-war? Everyone was stunned. Chen Yu looked at the thin ropes on the ground branching from the main cables, then scanned the composition of his Red Team. His frown deepened. The Red Team, including Li Qing, was composed mostly of women, and the remaining men were mostly thin and weak. The Blue Team, on the other hand, included almost all the strongest, most robust men among the survivors. This was not a fair fight; it was not even on the same level.

*This is supposed to be tug-of-war? This is a one-sided slaughter! Could this constant crisis alert be because of this? Are we doomed to lose?*

Chen Yu sensed that things were not that simple. If it were a pure test of strength, the "Crisis Warning" should fluctuate based on the situation as the match progressed, rather than being maxed out from the very beginning. This meant the danger came from the game itself!

"Come now, my friends, please tie the ropes on the ground around your waists!" Shen Feng urged. The crowd dared not defy him and bent down one by one, wrapping the thin ropes around their waists and tying tight knots.

Chen Yu picked one and tied it around his waist; Li Qing was right beside him. He could feel a tremendous pulling force coming from the other end of the rope, as if it were connected to a ten-thousand-ton freighter. Once everyone had secured their ropes, Shen Feng’s voice sounded again.

"Now, I shall announce the rules of the game! It's very simple. In this game, the winners live, and the losers die!"

"Damn it!" Chen Yu cursed inwardly. Another fifty-percent survival rate! Was this pervert addicted to killing half the people?

"You two teams will compete here, giving it your absolute best for thirty minutes!" Shen Feng pointed to the holes above their heads. "The rule is simple: when your rope is pulled forward, the corresponding hole above your team will slowly close. Simultaneously, the hole above the other team will slowly widen!"

"Hehehe!" Shen Feng let out a sinister laugh that made one's scalp tingle. "Ultimately, the team that manages to fully close the hole above them first... wins!"

"Hmm?" Chen Yu caught a loophole in his words. "If closing the hole means winning, what was the point of the thirty-minute duration mentioned earlier?" he asked aloud. "Does the game only end after thirty minutes have passed?"

"Great question!" Shen Feng seemed to appreciate Chen Yu's sharpness and laughed even more gleefully. He explained directly: "My point is, regardless of which team closes their hole and when... this match will last for a full thirty minutes! Not a second less."

That statement made Chen Yu’s heart sink completely. This was a trap! If you win, the game doesn't end? Then what was the extra time for? The "Crisis Warning" screaming in his mind seemed to have already provided the answer.

Shen Feng did not give them time to think. He spread his arms wide and announced loudly: "I can't wait any longer! So, I declare! The game... begins!"