Volume Two, The Devil’s Game Chapter Fourteen: Turning the Tables on the Villain

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Green lights drifted down from the sky, each fragment a symbol of Cui Xin’s purification.

Shen Yixue raced along a narrow forest path when, without warning, a dark shadow shot toward her from behind. She stifled a groan, yanked the flower from her back, and continued her desperate run.

A user called “The Old Salty Fish” commented, “After watching how the Warden targeted Lu Yi, this scene feels almost harmonious by comparison—so much less difficult.”

“True! When the Warden was chasing Lu Yi, it was so intense—skills flying everywhere, three darts thrown at a time, and several attacks coming within inches. Now the skill frequency has dropped, and even the number of darts is down.”

“Yeah, I think this girl in the skirt might actually escape.”

“Heh, I’m not so sure she’ll get away unscathed,” another interjected.

The Old Salty Fish: “How is that possible? She’s been chased for five minutes already. In another five, the Warden will have to switch targets.”

“You’re all focused on the drop in attack and skill frequency, but you’re missing the most important thing,” said another viewer with a smug emoji.

The Old Salty Fish: “What is it? Spill it, don’t keep us hanging.”

“I actually think this girl is even more unlucky than Lu Yi. She’s the last one being hunted, and soon it’ll be overtime—five minutes during which the Warden will go berserk. The attack and skill frequency will spike back to what we saw with Lu Yi, plus there are special rage abilities.”

The Old Salty Fish: “Special rage skills? How special? Are they stronger than the Warden’s sea of flowers?”

“Ahem, that ‘sea of flowers’ was Lu Yi’s own doing. If the rage skills were that overwhelming, the contestants wouldn’t stand a chance. Still, even if they’re weaker, they’ll be more than enough to catch everyone off guard. Imagine attacks that were steady and manageable suddenly multiplying several times over—how could anyone react in time?”

The Old Salty Fish: “So by your logic, this girl is about to be purified.”

“I never said that. Maybe she’ll run into someone kind enough to help her escape.”

Amidst the lively chatter in the live broadcast room, Shen Yixue burst out of the woods and onto a street. She activated a stealth talisman, ducked her head, and sprinted forward. At the corner, she came to a sudden halt.

The street ahead was thoroughly blocked, the lowest point of the barricade towering more than four meters high. The base was made up of shipping containers and other solid, gapless objects—a setup that could only have been arranged by experienced challengers.

Shen Yixue scanned her surroundings; every door and window nearby was sealed shut. There was no way to bypass the obstacles by entering the buildings, and across from this street was a solid wall.

In other words, she was trapped—no way forward, and the Warden still pursuing from behind. She wasn’t ready to give up, though, and examined every detail. If they’d built such a tall barrier, there had to be an entry or exit point.

But a quick look along the building walls revealed no ladders or ropes—nothing.

The Old Salty Fish: “Oh no, looks like this girl’s been blocked by her own people’s obstacles.”

“What a pity. When I saw her catch up to Lu Yi earlier, I was sure she had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Too bad we won’t get to see them.”

Panic was clear on Shen Yixue’s face. “Is the path through this barrier back where I just passed? But if I go back, I’ll run right into the Warden while searching for an entrance.”

The sound of the Warden’s humming grew louder and louder. Sweat beaded on Shen Yixue’s brow. Should she force her way past the Warden, or find a way through the barrier?

Just then, a whistle sounded nearby. “Yo, isn’t that Miss Shen?”

She looked up to see three figures standing atop a building: Wang Xun, Peng Kai, and Guo Fu.

The realization struck Shen Yixue at once; she’d guessed wrong. She’d assumed a single person had built the barricade and would have left a way through during construction, but this was the work of several people. That meant there could be a removable passage—one that was withdrawn when not needed or quickly assembled on demand.

She called up from below, “Wang Xun, let me up!”

Wang Xun scratched his ear and peered down, clicking his tongue. “Miss Shen, you look pretty miserable being chased like that.”

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Shen Yixue sensed something off, but the urgency of the moment left her no choice but to compromise. “Hey handsome, can you let me up?”

Wang Xun grinned. “No problem, no problem. But you see, it wasn’t easy for us to set up this barrier. How about three different talismans for each of us?”

Shen Yixue clenched her fist. “Fine. I agree.”

Wang Xun produced a toothpick from who-knows-where, picking at his teeth. “Hold on, I’m not done. My brothers and I would also like a taste of Miss Shen’s charms. What do you say?”

The Old Salty Fish: “That’s just taking advantage of her situation!”

“Tsk tsk. I thought with someone like Lu Yi among the contestants, maybe they’d have a chance. But now there’s only fifteen left, and three—one-fifth—are turning to robbery. The strongest team watches from the sidelines. What a waste of talent.”

“There are always bad apples, but this time it’s especially rampant.”

Shen Yixue’s face froze, but she forced herself to speak sweetly, tamping down her anger. “You must be joking; things like that don’t happen so quickly.”

“Heh, Miss Shen, just because I call you pretty doesn’t mean I want romance,” Wang Xun sneered. “This is a one-time deal.”

Her expression changed drastically. She was about to retort when a flower dart struck her back—the Warden had caught up.

“Oh dear, look at the time. Less than a minute before the bell rings—you know what that means,” Wang Xun teased.

Shen Yixue glanced at her watch. Sure enough, less than a minute remained.

“Well? You don’t lose much by agreeing to our terms. What’s more important, your life or your dignity? You don’t have much time to decide, Miss Shen,” Wang Xun finished with a wicked whistle.

“You’re ruthless,” Shen Yixue shot him an angry glare.

“So what’s your choice? Every second you waste is your own,” Wang Xun replied, unfazed.

Dodging another projectile from the Warden, Shen Yixue said through gritted teeth, “You’re right—staying alive is what matters most.”

Wang Xun clapped in delight. “Ah, Miss Shen, so smart. If you’d agreed sooner, you’d already be up here.”

He quickly set up a telescoping ladder against the wall. “Come on up.”

A flash of murderous intent flickered in Shen Yixue’s eyes. She looked up at Wang Xun and said softly, “Why don’t you come down and help me up?” She winked at him.

Wang Xun visibly shuddered, his gaze growing hazy. He reached out, drooling slightly, and mumbled, “Okay, I’m coming down.”

“What are you doing, boss?” Guo Fu called anxiously.

“Guo Fu, Peng Kai, come help me,” Shen Yixue said, winking at them as well.

“Okay, okay,” the two replied, falling under the same strange spell and stumbling toward the ladder.

Wang Xun was almost down. If the other two climbed down as well, Shen Yixue wouldn’t make it up. “Hurry! Jump down from the lower part,” she urged.

Guo Fu and Peng Kai immediately climbed atop the barricade and leapt from over four meters high, landing with a pair of screams and collapsing in pain. Wang Xun now stood on the ground as well.

Shen Yixue rushed to the ladder. Waving her hand in front of Wang Xun’s dazed face, she said, “There’s a mad dog chasing me—go hold it off.”

“Okay,” Wang Xun replied in a stupor, heading toward the Warden.

“Ah! It hurts! What happened? Why am I down here?” Peng Kai, shocked out of his trance by the pain, looked up to see Shen Yixue climbing the ladder and Wang Xun heading straight for the Warden.

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“Boss, no! We’ve been duped!” Peng Kai shouted.

Shen Yixue had already reached the rooftop, where she hauled the ladder up and regarded the three men below with icy disdain.

Wang Xun, still dazed, walked toward the Warden, who paused in confusion—just as a melodic bell rang out, cutting her actions short.

A patch of dark cloud appeared above the clock tower and quickly spiraled outward. At the same time, a wave of dense darkness erupted from the Warden. Her body trembled slightly; after a few seconds, she snapped her head up, crazed red light shining in her eyes.

Wang Xun, stunned by the sudden surge of menace, broke free from the trance and felt his heart pound as he faced the now feral Warden. He leapt backward to put distance between them, but the barricade behind left him no room to retreat.

“How could this happen?” he roared, gazing at his two injured companions.

“Boss, we’ve been played!” Peng Kai wailed beside him.

Fortunately, Wang Xun still had his awakened talent. Even without turning, he could sense the Warden’s rising aura and the mounting savagery.

Faced with mortal danger, Wang Xun gritted his teeth and dashed for a wall, scaling it before kicking off and reaching for the barricade. Shen Yixue watched coldly, neither helping nor hindering.

Wang Xun swung his arms, trying to grab the top, but fell short. He crashed against his own barrier and slid down, face pressed to the makeshift wall.

On the ground, he clutched his face and called up to Shen Yixue. “Miss Shen, we’re all human, after all.”

Just as Wang Xun was about to beg for mercy, the Warden unleashed a chilling roar, accompanied by a torrent of dark energy.

Everyone turned to look. The Warden, wearing a twisted smile, slowly drew a flower from her basket—not to throw it, but to sniff it and twirl it in her hand.

In an instant, the concrete around her shattered as sharp, meter-long vines burst upward and spread rapidly from her position.

Wang Xun and his companions stared in terror, but before they could react, the vines pierced them and demolished the barricade they had so painstakingly constructed.

The vines quickly vanished, leaving the three sprawled on the ground, clearly doomed.

Shen Yixue watched in horror. In the earlier warnings, it was only said that the Warden would go berserk and leap out of sight; what happened afterward, few challengers ever knew. Now, Shen Yixue witnessed a glimpse of that nightmare with her own eyes.

The Old Salty Fish: “Whoa, that was brutal. If they’d turned one loose near Lu Yi, he’d be dead too.”

“So whoever’s closest to the Warden in the last five minutes is the unlucky one?”

The Warden looked down at the three fallen men. Tilting her head, she abruptly spread her arms, causing them to float into the air. With a flick of her finger, their bodies straightened, and their wounds stopped bleeding.

Finally, the Warden stomped the ground, causing several wooden stakes to shoot up and pin the trio in place.

With that done, she looked up at Shen Yixue atop the roof.

Under the Warden’s gaze, Shen Yixue shuddered violently. The Warden hadn’t moved, yet Shen Yixue felt a tangible sense of doom. She immediately leapt to the next rooftop.

As Shen Yixue sprang away, two massive vines lashed out from beneath her former perch, demolishing the entire building.

She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, then dove through a window, with the Warden close on her heels.