"I object," Yan Ao said almost instinctively.
"Why? Are you scared, big brother?" The boy's tone remained punchy as he looked at Yan Ao with contempt. "If everyone does the three-legged race and cooperates properly, a fifty-meter distance is easy to clear. Wouldn't it be great if we all get the reward?"
"You said it yourself—that's *if* we cooperate properly. If we fail, people die," Yan Ao said flatly.
"So what? What's the fun in life without a little thrill? Aren't you looking forward to those rewards? Who knows, we might get some superpowers or treasures out of this." The boy grew more animated as he spoke, his face filled with anticipation.
Yan Ao couldn't fathom the psychology of this chuunibyou kid. He simply pointed at Zheng Yunyun, who was still unconscious, and Lei Yuyao, who stood there in a daze, and said, "Do you think my two companions in this state can play a proper game of three-legged race?"
"Uh..." The boy was instantly left speechless. He looked at the two women and realized they were indeed in no condition to cooperate with the group, making him look rather disappointed.
"Never mind this little death-wish brat. Let's all vote for 'O' and do random rock-paper-scissors in pairs," Lan Zhijie said, stepping up to show unconditional support for his best friend.
The square-faced man agreed as well. The remaining problem was Lei Yuyao and Zheng Yunyun—one had a disordered mental state, and the other was unconscious, making it impossible for them to make a choice.
They only had four minutes and forty-four seconds to choose. Both Yan Ao and Lan Zhijie were growing anxious. Finally, Yan Ao gritted his teeth, dashed forward, and slapped each of the two women across the face.
"Slap!" Following the crisp sounds, a handprint appeared on Lei Yuyao's face. Lan Zhijie was dumbfounded, but Yan Ao quickly snapped back to his senses and hurried to explain the situation to Lei Yuyao.
After taking the slap, Lei Yuyao seemed to regain some clarity. Prompted by Yan Ao's persuasion, she finally chose "O." Though he had no idea how these options were being confirmed, Yan Ao had at least managed to make her speak the choice aloud.
Zheng Yunyun proved more troublesome because she still hadn't woken up from the slap. As Yan Ao and Lan Zhijie panicked, the four minutes and forty-four seconds flashed by in an instant. Without warning, and with no doubt left, her head exploded with a loud bang.
Yan Ao, standing closest to her, was splattered with blood and brain matter.
"Blech!" This horrifying and sickening spectacle broke the group's last threshold of endurance. Lei Yuyao let out a shriek and was the first to vomit. Though Yan Ao and Lan Zhijie didn't react quite as dramatically, they were hit with a wave of dry heaving just the same.
Once the selection phase ended, new blood-red characters appeared once more on the outdoor screen of the building across the shopping mall. The option "X" had vanished, and two names now appeared beneath "O."
O: Yan Ao
X: Zhang Yu
Hint: The two randomly selected individuals must complete the game within four minutes and forty-four seconds. Exceeding the time limit will be treated as a forfeit, and those who forfeit die.
Seeing this, Yan Ao shoved his nausea aside. He never expected to be chosen. That meant he would now have to play rock-paper-scissors against another person, and the loser would die immediately.
An ungrounded chill crept over him. Even though he had experienced so many terrifying events over the past hour that his nerves were starting to grow numb, actually facing death in person filled Yan Ao with immense fear.
"Yes!" The boy let out a loud cheer. Clearly, the person named Zhang Yu on the screen was him. His reaction bore no resemblance to that of an ordinary person, let alone the fear Yan Ao displayed. Instead, he said with extreme excitement, "If I win, I get a reward. Am I going to become a superhero?"
"A-Ao?" Lan Zhijie looked at Yan Ao with deep concern.
"N—Nothing, I'll be fine. I won't necessarily lose," Yan Ao forced out a strained smile, speaking the words to comfort both Lan Zhijie and himself.
"Big brother, let's start right away." The boy Zhang Yu licked his lips and raised his right hand, maintaining an eerily calm demeanor, as if the game they were about to play was nothing more than a casual match of rock-paper-scissors.
Yan Ao likewise raised his right hand, but his fingers were visibly shaking.
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Zhang Yu moved with lightning speed, giving Yan Ao no time to think. The moment his voice fell, both of their hands dropped.
"A-Ao?" Lan Zhijie cried out in suspense, but immediately exclaimed with joy, "You won! A-Ao, you won!"
Yan Ao's right hand was still trembling, his index and middle fingers extended in the shape of scissors, while Zhang Yu opposite him had his entire palm open—he had thrown paper.
Won?
Seeing this outcome, Yan Ao let out a breath of relief.
Zhang Yu stared at his own hand, frowning as he muttered, "Lost?" Then he shrugged indifferently and said, "Whatever, there are still two rounds left."
Hearing this, Yan Ao felt tension grip him once again.
"Rock, paper, scissors!" Zhang Yu's delivery remained brisk, leaving Yan Ao no choice but to brace himself and follow suit.
Two seconds later, Zhang Yu shouted in excitement, "Yes, I clawed one back."
In the second round, Yan Ao threw scissors again, but Zhang Yu threw a rock, meaning Yan Ao lost.
Only one round remained, and the loser would die instantly.
"Thump, thump..." Yan Ao's scalp tingled, his entire body shook violently, and his heart felt as though it was about to leap out of his chest.
"Big brother, the third round is coming up. But don't worry, because the one who wins is definitely going to be me. Just rest easy and go die." Zhang Yu licked his lips excitedly, the gleam in his eyes revealing a cruelty ill-suited to his age.
"Rock..." Just as Zhang Yu was about to make his move, Yan Ao suddenly shouted out of nervousness, "Wait."
"What is it this time, big brother?" Zhang Yu frowned, the mockery on his face growing heavier. "Can't you just be decisive like a man?"
"You die if you lose! How can anyone take something like this so casually?" Yan Ao wiped the cold sweat from his face and took a deep breath.
"I don't care. We're about to decide the winner anyway, stop dawdling," Zhang Yu said impatiently.
"All right, I understand." Yan Ao drew a deep breath, then slowly closed his eyes. After forcibly suppressing the terror gripping his heart, he suddenly snapped his eyes open and said in a deep voice, "In a moment, I'm still going to throw scissors."
"Huh?" Zhang Yu was left dazed by this unprompted declaration. Before he could react, Yan Ao had already raised his right hand and shouted, "Rock, paper, scissors!"
Yan Ao's sudden seizure of the initiative caught Zhang Yu off guard. With no time for second thoughts, both parties moved simultaneously.
Paper beats rock. Yan Ao won.
"How... how can this be?" Seeing the paper Yan Ao had thrown, Zhang Yu stood in a daze for a long moment before bursting into rage. "Didn't you say you were going to throw scissors?!"
When Yan Ao announced earlier that he would throw scissors, Zhang Yu hadn't had time to process the truth of that statement. As a result, his brain's conditioned reflex had made him throw a rock. Yet he never dreamed that Yan Ao wouldn't throw scissors at all, but paper instead.
Gone was the panic on Yan Ao's face. Instead, he calmly withdrew his hand and said, "It doesn't matter what I threw. The fact is, I won this game, and you lost."
"Eh?" Disbelief plastered across Zhang Yu's face, and he opened his mouth to argue with Yan Ao. At that exact moment, with a dull thud, his head exploded without warning.