Zheng Wei Is Suspicious

He Fei's cries of resistance received no acknowledgment from the system.

As the final countdown commenced, a pair of black hands reached out from the mirror, seizing He Fei and pulling him inside. He Fei screamed desperately, kicking wildly, but it was futile. We watched, helpless, as his body was gradually dragged into the mirror until only half remained visible.

Suddenly, He Fei’s body separated from the mirror. The portion that had entered vanished completely, while the remaining half appeared as though it had been sliced cleanly. Blood erupted as his severed body crashed to the ground.

“Ah!” Xu Tingting shrieked at the gruesome sight and clung tightly to Hu Xing’er’s hand.

The rest of us displayed little reaction; death had become routine for us. Yet this manner of dying was a first. The game did not halt with He Fei’s demise, for Xu Tingting had lied during the first round of the Truth game, triggering this disastrous round of Dare. I truly could not fathom why Tan Tou would lie. I looked at him, seeking some response, but he remained indifferent.

He Fei was supposed to host the second round, but with his death, the role skipped directly to the third host, Zheng Wei.

Zheng Wei, perpetually ostracized by the group, had been singled out by He Fei for claiming he disliked meat. Now it was his turn to host the game. Trembling, Zheng Wei stepped out from the corner, his voice barely audible: “I’m Zheng Wei, and for this round, I plan to play…”

“Speak louder!” Su Mu barked impatiently.

Zheng Wei flinched, clearly terrified. After all, Su Mu had indirectly caused He Fei’s death and was considered a murderer. Being shouted at by someone like that, Zheng Wei, already timid, was too frightened to speak.

Su Mu was seething. Winning this game should have been effortless for him, but Tan Tou had forced him to lose a round, turning his absolute advantage into a disadvantage. Though with his abilities, he would never lose to an ordinary person like He Fei, the situation was nevertheless humiliating—to pit a powerful contract-holder against a regular person in a life-or-death struggle.

But did Su Mu have the confidence to confront Tan Tou? In the past, he’d feared nothing from the bone-controlling youth. Yet after the last battle, Tan Tou possessed an intangible aura; Su Mu had already lost in terms of presence. If it came to a real fight, Su Mu estimated he could only muster half his strength.

So Su Mu vented his anger elsewhere. Hu Xing’er was his nominal ally now, while the three of us formed another group. Poor Zheng Wei became his target.

“Say something! Don’t waste my time,” Su Mu snarled, growing more irate as Zheng Wei remained silent. He strode over and roughly hoisted Zheng Wei.

Zheng Wei’s helpless gaze swept over us. Hu Xing’er merely smiled; Xu Tingting wanted to intervene but was stopped by Hu Xing’er.

“Just enjoy the show,” Hu Xing’er said.

Xu Tingting obediently retreated.

Fat Qian continued eating. I had no idea how much food he carried, but his mouth never stopped. Unless he was needed, he didn’t even look up. Now he had somehow procured a tub of instant noodles and was slurping away.

That left only Tan Tou and me. Tan Tou’s expression was icy, uninterested in involvement.

Zheng Wei’s pleading eyes reminded me of my own past. When I first entered university, I was timid and always chose the least confrontational approach to problems. Though I often considered violence, the consequences always deterred me, so people thought I was easy to bully. Fortunately, my temper was poor, so I had few enemies and managed to get by.

I vividly recall once asking someone for help and being refused. It was a trivial matter, but that moment made me abandon the idea of asking for favors. I feared rejection and the awkwardness of being laughed at. I began to solve everything alone, growing accustomed to solitary resilience.

Now, seeing Zheng Wei, I saw a reflection of my younger self, seeking help for the first time. If I refused him, he would likely feel disheartened, just as I once did.

In the end, I couldn’t be the villain; my overabundance of empathy made me grab Su Mu’s arm.

“Let him go.”

Su Mu turned, annoyed to see me. “Lin Zijian, are you meddling again?”

With that, he released Zheng Wei, letting him fall to the floor.

Su Mu’s gaze swept over me. I stared back, unflinching.

“Lin Zijian, just you wait,” Su Mu muttered, seemingly unnerved by my stare, swallowing hard, and retreating to Hu Xing’er’s side.

I thought perhaps my aura had grown stronger, but when I turned, I bumped into someone.

Recognizing the familiar attire, I said, “Tan Tou?”

Tan Tou didn’t reply, simply walked to the wall, leaned against it, and turned his head away, lost in thought. So he had been standing behind me; no wonder Su Mu left like a deflated balloon.

I wanted to check if Zheng Wei was alright, reaching out to help him up, but Zheng Wei lifted his head, and our eyes met. For a fleeting moment, I saw a playful glint in his gaze, but it vanished instantly, replaced by reddened eyes, ready to cry.

True to form, Zheng Wei squeezed out a few tears and, with a quivering voice, declared, “I choose Dare!”

This choice astonished us all.

Ordinarily, people like Zheng Wei would pick Truth to greatly increase their chances of survival. Choosing Dare meant facing at least one contract-holder in combat.

Of course, he could choose Xu Tingting, but now Xu Tingting was under Hu Xing’er’s protection. Choosing her would make him an enemy of Hu Xing’er, whose strength and intelligence had been demonstrated in the Death Rock-Paper-Scissors game, marking her as a formidable opponent.

I doubted Zheng Wei would pick Xu Tingting or Hu Xing’er as his target.

Tan Tou was even less likely; his aura alone could suppress others. Challenging him was tantamount to suicide.

That left me, Fat Qian, and Su Mu. We were all contract-holders, each possessing abilities unmatched by Hu Xing’er. I didn’t believe Zheng Wei could surpass us—unless he was hiding his true strength and was a contract-holder himself.

If so, he had impressive patience. To endure Su Mu’s blatant provocation without reacting, he was certainly capable of great things.

But could contract-holders be so easily encountered? I wasn’t inclined to believe it.

Even if Zheng Wei was a contract-holder, I didn’t mind. At least, in the previous games, I hadn’t harmed him. Even if we weren’t friends, we wouldn’t be enemies.

“I choose Su Mu as my opponent for Dare.”

Before I finished analyzing, Zheng Wei had already spoken his second sentence.

Clearly, he knew that facing two opponents would be harder than a one-on-one match. Our group was divided into two alliances; if the system randomly selected, it could easily pit him against two from the same side, making it a two-on-one situation.

Su Mu raised an eyebrow, regarding Zheng Wei with disdain.

“Looks like you really have a death wish,” he sneered, stepping up to Zheng Wei again. This time, Zheng Wei did not cower but straightened his back to meet Su Mu’s gaze.

Su Mu laughed contemptuously.

“Ridiculous.”

He saw the flicker of fear in Zheng Wei’s eyes, clearly an attempt to bolster his own courage. Su Mu did not consider Zheng Wei a worthy opponent.

But I, observant as ever, noticed a hidden playful smile beneath Zheng Wei’s fear.

The second round, assigned by the system, began.

“Dare Round Two: Death Quiz begins!”