Chapter 124: An Open Conspiracy

You!

Li Qing’s trembling lips quivered, her once pure and delicate face now drained of all color, leaving only shock behind.

Her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Chen Yu, filled with disbelief.

Under Chen Yu’s piercing gaze that seemed to see through everything, all her pretenses were shattered to pieces.

“You and I have appeared together in public more than once.”

Chen Yu’s voice was calm.

“Many people have assumed you were mine. Obviously, that sick bastard thought so too!”

Chen Yu was burning with rage.

He had deduced the cruelest part of the entire ordeal.

“So he brought you here.”

“He wants to torment me!”

Chen Yu felt utterly miserable at that moment.

He would rather face a hundred Shen Fengs than see Li Qing suffer even the slightest harm here.

This madman had precisely found the soft spot that could break him.

“As this damn game progresses, I have to consider the most fucked-up question.”

“That is, by the rules, only one person can survive in the end!”

He didn’t want to say more, because that conclusion was too brutal.

“In other words, by the end, you and I…”

“Only one of us can survive!”

“He wants to see, he wants to see what I’ll choose in the end!”

Chen Yu irritably scratched his head, a thousand curses burning in his heart aimed at Shen Feng.

This pervert wasn’t satisfied with physical torture alone; he wanted total psychological destruction!

He craved the most riveting drama of human nature, with Chen Yu and Li Qing as his designated leads.

The warehouse fell into a terrifying silence again, only the sound of their suppressed breathing remained.

A long time passed.

Li Qing’s voice came softly.

“So…”

“What would you choose?”

She asked the most fatal question.

Chen Yu turned his head, quietly looking at her in the dim light.

Her face was still dusted with grime, long eyelashes streaked with tears that hadn’t dried, revealing the pure and fragile innocence she usually hid, now laid bare before him.

Those eyes, full of reliance, made a certain place in Chen Yu’s heart twitch sharply.

Damn it.

No one would be allowed to harm the people he cared about.

Chen Yu did not answer directly.

He reached out and gently wiped the dust from her cheek with the back of his relatively clean hand.

“I absolutely won’t let anything happen to you!”

Having said that, he lay back down, closed his eyes, and said no more.

Sometimes, a promise speaks louder than any explanation.

Li Qing looked at his sharply defined profile, at his tightly shut eyes, her nose tingled, and tears nearly fell again.

She forced herself to hold back.

She sniffed quietly, turned over, lying on her side, then cautiously reached out, gently holding Chen Yu’s arm just like she had in the hotel.

The warmth of his touch brought a solid sense of security that instantly dispelled most of her fear.

She pressed her cheek against his arm, feeling his steady heartbeat, and contentedly closed her eyes.

Being alive was truly wonderful.

Being by his side was even better.

...

A slender ray of sunlight pierced through the metal seams of the warehouse roof.

Day had broken.

“Bang—!”

The massive metal door was violently pushed open from outside with brutal force, the screeching noise waking all the survivors still in their light sleep.

Shen Feng strolled in, dressed in a well-tailored tailcoat.

Behind him, two rows of burly men in pink pushed carts.

On the carts were steaming milk, golden fried eggs, crispy bacon, and heaps of various breads.

The aroma instantly filled the entire warehouse.

“Good morning, lucky ones!”

Shen Feng spread his arms wide, the white smiling mask on his face looking especially eerie in the morning light.

“Did you sleep well? I guess not so much.”

“But that’s okay. Let’s give everyone half an hour to wash up and eat breakfast to recharge.”

“Then…”

He announced with a delightfully wicked tone.

“We’ll start the third, even more fun, game!”

Devil.

That word flashed through the minds of all the survivors.

They looked at him like a grim reaper crawling out of hell, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

No one knew what twisted method this madman would devise next to torture them.

Yet, among the terrified crowd, there were two anomalies.

Chen Yu yawned, slowly sitting up on the cot, stretching lazily.

He pulled the still sleepy Li Qing along and headed straight for the simple washing station in the corner.

They washed up as if no one else was there, then went to the food carts, each taking a plate and picking out what they liked.

“Eat more, so you’ll have strength later.”

He chewed bacon heartily, mumbling indistinctly to Li Qing.

Li Qing nodded, sipping milk in small sips, her gaze never leaving Chen Yu.

This fearless, even brazen attitude surprised Shen Feng not far away.

The slightest twitch of his brow beneath the mask was almost imperceptible.

Interesting.

The “undead” guy’s mental resilience was better than he had imagined.

Not only hadn’t he collapsed, he acted as if nothing was wrong.

The more like this, the more fun it would be.

While they ate, the burly men in pink were busy.

They began arranging things in the empty space at the center of the warehouse.

They placed square cardboard pieces, each about one meter on a side, dull gray in color.

One by one, they were laid out methodically, quickly forming a gigantic grid.

From start to finish, Shen Feng said nothing, merely folding his arms and watching his masterpiece and the survivors’ growing terror with interest.

A suffocating atmosphere silently spread through the warehouse.

Half an hour passed in a flash.

The huge electronic timer above suddenly lit up, displaying a bright red countdown.

[05:00]

“Very good, looks like everyone’s full and the field is set!”

Shen Feng clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Next, you may freely pair up, two people per group. Remember, it must be two!”

“You have five minutes to find your preferred partner!”

His voice brimmed with mockery as he pointed to the giant screen on the warehouse wall, which was broadcasting live footage of the airship on the sea.

Countless bills cascaded like a waterfall into the massive glass prize pool again.

“Oh, by the way, did you notice?”

Shen Feng smiled, “There’s even more money on the airship now! Every person who died last night is worth a hundred million in cash!”

Those words struck like a shot of adrenaline deep into some hearts.

Faces once dominated by fear slowly revealed greed.

Human nature was always such an interesting thing.

The pace of forming teams suddenly accelerated.

People began scrutinizing and evaluating everyone around them.

Should they pick someone strong? Or someone smart?

The warehouse filled with whispers of probing, persuasion, and bargaining.

Chen Yu obviously didn’t need to worry about this.

He wiped his mouth, smiled broadly at Li Qing.

“Beauty, wanna team up?”

Li Qing rolled her eyes but couldn’t help a small smile at the corner of her mouth.

Five minutes passed quickly.

The fifty survivors had automatically formed twenty-five pairs.

“Time’s up!”

Shen Feng looked at the scene with satisfaction, snapping his fingers.

“Looks like everyone has found their beloved partner!”

“Now then…”

His voice suddenly turned dark and excited.

“Heh heh, let’s begin the game!”