Chapter 125: A Simple Game

"I shall announce the rules of this sweet game!"

Shen Feng's voice, laced with a morbid, frenzied excitement, echoed through the cavernous warehouse.

"Next, you and your beloved partners must stand upon these one-meter-square cardboard sheets and hold your positions for five minutes!"

He gestured toward the grey squares on the floor.

"The rules are simple: no part of your body may extend beyond the boundaries of the cardboard! Like this!"

As he spoke, Shen Feng crouched down theatrically, stretching out a hand and a foot to intentionally poke past the edge of the board.

"See? That is a foul."

He straightened up, brushing non-existent dust from his tuxedo.

"The most important point: if either person in a pair crosses the boundary, the entire team is eliminated!"

"I trust you all know what happens to those who are eliminated."

"Is that simple enough for you?"

With that, he began to clap for himself, the applause sounding jarringly sharp in the deathly silent warehouse.

Chen Yu watched him, his mind racing with doubt. What on earth was this? Had this perverted madman had a change of heart today? No blood, no gore, just some team-building activity like a three-legged race? He didn't believe for a second that this bastard had such good intentions.

However, after a brief moment of shock, the faces of the survivors around him began to show a sense of relief, as if they had survived a catastrophe. Compared to yesterday's tug-of-war, this felt like heaven. Was it just standing for five minutes? They could stand for fifty!

People began to wander one by one toward the grey cardboard squares. A one-meter square wasn't exactly large, but it wasn't tiny, either. If two adults stood side-by-side, it would be a bit tight, but if they changed their stance—perhaps face-to-face or back-to-back—there would be more than enough room.

Chen Yu scanned the room. He quickly spotted a detail that had been overlooked. Because of yesterday’s tug-of-war, many people were injured and had limited mobility. Moments ago, they had been allowed to form their own teams. The result was that those who were healthy and agile had instinctively paired up with other strong individuals, while those dragging injuries were naturally shunned. In the end, they had no choice but to pair up with other wounded survivors.

Human nature, when faced with life and death, was always this honest and this disgusting. Chen Yu sneered inwardly. He watched one pair, both men limping on one leg, struggling to support each other as they tried to find a balance point on their small board. Their clumsy, pathetic appearance drew undisguised snickers from those nearby.

Shen Feng, that pervert, didn't even need to lift a finger; he only needed to set a simple rule to amplify the ugliness of human nature to its absolute limit.

"I won't wait for you all."

Shen Feng glanced at the timer on the wall, where a bright red countdown had appeared.

[00:05:00]

"The game begins!"

At his command, the countdown started to tick.

Chen Yu and Li Qing had already chosen a piece of cardboard in a corner and stepped onto it. They opted to stand face-to-face. The distance was too close—so close that Chen Yu could clearly see Li Qing’s long eyelashes, like two small fans, trembling slightly and betraying her inner tension. He could even smell the scent of her skin. Her warm breath brushed against his face, carrying a hint of sweetness.

Damn it. I'm losing my composure.

Chen Yu groaned silently; this was a greater test of his self-control than any fistfight. He could feel Li Qing’s body stiffening. Her clear eyes didn't know where to look, finally settling on his chest. To alleviate the damnably ambiguous atmosphere, Chen Yu coughed and lowered his voice, speaking with a roguish grin: "Don't be nervous. Just pretend we're dancing a ballroom dance. I'll lead."

Li Qing’s cheeks flushed scarlet instantly. She looked up and glared at him, though the look lacked any real lethality and was instead filled with a touch of embarrassed annoyance.

"Shut up," she whispered, her voice soft and sweet, making Chen Yu’s heart itch.

He grinned but remained silent, watching her with burning intensity. He could feel Li Qing’s tense body slowly beginning to relax under his gaze. She no longer avoided his eyes, instead looking back at him quietly, her gaze overflowing with reliance and trust.

Time ticked by, second by second. Most of the people in the warehouse thought the game was absurdly easy. They even began to chat in low voices, discussing what they should do once the game ended. Only those teams composed of the wounded were having a particularly difficult time. They had to expend immense energy to maintain their balance, and every tick of the countdown felt like it was hammering against their fragile nerves.

But fortunately, five minutes was not a long time. When the timer finally hit zero, everyone was still standing securely on their cardboard.

"Phew—"

Sighs of relief rose and fell throughout the warehouse. People hopped off their tiny cardboard squares in joy and impatience, stretching their stiff bodies with smiles plastered on their faces. It was over. They had survived another day.

"Alright! It seems everyone has understood the rules, so then..."

Just as everyone thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, Shen Feng’s unhurried voice rang out once more. He paused, the angle of the smiling mask on his face seemingly becoming even more mocking.

"Let us proceed to the second round!"

The second round?

These words hit the survivors like a bucket of ice water. The smiles that had just emerged froze instantly on their faces. Chen Yu’s heart sank.

Here it comes. He knew that dog of a man was up to no good.

Before the crowd could recover from their shock, the "Pink Hulks" who had been standing by the walls like statues began to move. They walked to the center of the floor, working in pairs to bend down and pick up the cardboard sheets one by one. Then, one of them pulled a sharp utility knife from his waist.

*Swish—*

The blade sliced through the cardboard with a crisp, clean sound. They worked with extreme speed, not a single movement wasted. First, they cut the one-meter-long boards in half from the middle. Then, they picked up one of the halves and cut it in half again. The original one-meter-square sheets, in their hands, were transformed in the blink of an eye into squares only one-quarter of the original size.

The Pink Hulks laid these trimmed pieces of cardboard back onto the floor, right where they had been. The entire process was filled with a sense of ceremony. Shen Feng deeply enjoyed the shifting expressions on the crowd's faces—from joy to horror, and finally, to despair.

"Heh heh, now..." His voice was filled with suppressed malice. "This piece of cardboard is your true boundary!"

Half a meter by half a meter.

Chen Yu’s pupils contracted sharply. He stared fixedly at the pitifully small grey cardboard under his feet. The size was barely enough for one adult to stand on; even a slight lapse in attention would result in one's heels dangling off the edge.

Squeeze two people onto this? And keep it up for five minutes?

Damn it. This wasn't a balance game at all. This pervert wanted to watch people get crushed to death while pressed against one another! This was the true face of the game!

Chen Yu’s heart sank to the bottom. An ominous premonition, like a massive net, instantly enveloped the entire warehouse.