Chapter 132: Eat Well

"The name of this game is: Eat Your Meal Properly!"

"The rules are very simple. Within the next hour, you must finish everything on your plates!"

As soon as Shen Feng’s voice faded, the metal door to the room was opened from the outside. Two expressionless, hulking men in pink suits walked in, each holding a tray covered by a silver lid. Their movements were as standardized as a copy-paste operation; they placed the two trays side-by-side on the pristine white tablecloth, turned, left, and closed the door. Throughout the entire process, not a single unnecessary sound was made.

The room returned to that unsettling, heart-pounding silence. The loudspeaker remained mute, and Shen Feng’s voice did not return. Chen Yu and Li Qing exchanged glances, both seeing intense wariness in the other's eyes.

Eat properly? Even with your toes, you could figure out that things definitely weren't that simple.

Chen Yu stepped forward and lifted the lid of one of the trays. A fragrant aroma of food wafted out. Inside the tray were fried eggs, bacon, a few slices of toasted bread, and a small portion of vegetable salad. It looked like an incredibly normal Western-style breakfast—one could even call it hearty.

"This psycho killer is quite particular about balanced nutrition," Chen Yu muttered to himself, then lifted the lid of the other tray. The contents were identical. He had originally expected that, given Shen Feng’s twisted nature, the trays would at least contain something like maggots or scorpions, if not some disgusting item that challenged the limits of human endurance. He hadn't expected them to be just ordinary food.

But in the next second, both of their gazes locked onto the center of the trays simultaneously.

Between the two breakfasts lay a single capsule. An unremarkable capsule, half white and half red. There was only one. Placed on the tray, it too fell under the rule of "things that need to be eaten."

Chen Yu’s pupils constricted violently. Li Qing’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.

It was here. This was the true core of the game. This was the death trap that madman had prepared for them.

What was inside this capsule? This appeared to be a psychological game. Perhaps the capsule was harmless, but the food was poisoned? Or perhaps the food was safe, and the capsule was the poison? Countless possibilities flashed through Chen Yu’s mind, but he lacked X-ray vision and had no way to judge. Yet, his danger intuition was sounding the alarm across the entire tray!

The most lethal problem lay right before them: there was only one capsule. Between the two of them, who would eat it? This wasn't a multiple-choice question; it was a death warrant. That bastard Shen Feng just wanted to watch them kill each other.

Li Qing’s breathing grew rapid as she stared at the capsule, her eyes filled with struggle. The situation she feared most had arrived. The speculation about a "calculated plot" and the prophecy of a "life-or-death choice" had come so quickly, so unexpectedly.

In the breathless moment of their standoff, Chen Yu’s gaze hardened; he had already made up his mind.

Damn it, it’s just gambling with my life! I have the system; at worst…

He raised his hand rapidly, his muscles tensing as he reached for the capsule. But he was a step too slow. Or rather, Li Qing’s reaction this time was faster than he could have imagined. Just as he moved, Li Qing’s seemingly slender and delicate hand snatched the capsule with greater speed and precision. Without a moment's pause or the slightest hesitation, she shoved the capsule into her mouth, tilted her head back, and swallowed.

The entire movement was fluid and completed in one breath.

Time seemed to hit the slow-motion button. Chen Yu’s hand froze in mid-air, his eyes wide as he stared in disbelief at what was happening before him.

"No..." A hoarse roar squeezed out of his throat. "You... spit it out for me!"

Chen Yu was truly panicked this time; a sense of fear unlike anything he had ever felt gripped his heart. He looked at Li Qing—the woman he had sworn to protect—and she had just chosen to risk her life right in front of him without a shred of hesitation. He felt a mix of being deeply moved and overwhelmed by frantic anxiety.

"Why didn't you listen to me! Why didn't you trust me!" Chen Yu’s composure crumbled. He rushed over and grabbed Li Qing’s shoulders, shaking her violently. "Did you treat everything I told you last night as wind passing your ears?"

He roared, his eyes welling up with moisture. However, Li Qing acted as if she hadn't heard him, showing no reaction to his violent shaking. She simply lowered her head, letting her long hair veil her face. Chen Yu could see tears falling from between her strands, splashing onto the cold floor. Yet, she stubbornly pushed Chen Yu away, walked to the dining table, picked up her utensils, and began to eat the food on her tray in silence.

"Li Qing!" Chen Yu continued to roar, his voice now laced with sobs, filled with helplessness and despair. He couldn't understand it; he truly couldn't understand! He had clearly told her that he had a hundred-percent ability to protect himself, and that she had to prioritize her own safety no matter what! Why! Why wouldn't she believe him!

Li Qing’s body stiffened. She slowly raised her head, wearing a smile—a smile that carried a poignant, tragic resolution.

"I am selfish," she said. Her voice was soft, yet it pierced Chen Yu’s heart like a knife. "I thought... the capsule was the antidote, and the food must have been poisoned. So, I wanted to survive."

"Li Qing! You..." Chen Yu’s lips trembled. He pointed at her, shaking with rage. "Do you love lying this much? Who do you think you are? A savior? You’re clearly the top investigator from the police academy! You lied to everyone, making Su Qingzhu hate you so much! Do you think you can fool me with these little tricks?"

"Hurry! Induce vomiting now, you can still get it out! Spit it out for me! Spit it out!"

Chen Yu rushed forward, trying to force her mouth open to make her spit out that damned capsule. But Li Qing bit her teeth together tightly, struggling desperately, her tears falling like beads from a broken string.

"Chen Yu... let go of me..."

"I said... I want to live..."

"Live my ass!" Chen Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, and he practically screamed. "When you lie, can you at least draft it first! Your heart rate is accelerating, your pupils are contracting, your whole body is telling me you're terrified! You're lying!"

The data fed back by the [Eye of Insight] was like needles pricking his heart with pain. In that very instant, Li Qing’s favorability rating had soared to 95! Would the favorability of someone who snatched an antidote to save their own life skyrocket? Don't lie to me! This stupid woman! This hopelessly stupid woman! She had simply concluded that the capsule was poison, and she was using her own life to trade for his!

The two of them continued to struggle and stalemate. Suddenly, Li Qing’s strength began to fade. Her complexion began to turn deathly pale at a speed visible to the naked eye. It was a pallor devoid of any blood, as if her life force were being continuously drained. Her pupils began to dilate slowly, losing their focus.

"Ugh..."

A pained moan escaped her throat. She clutched her stomach, her body collapsing limply toward the ground.

"Li Qing!" Chen Yu caught her in his arms. Feeling the tremors coursing through her body, his own heart sank into an bottomless abyss.

It was over. The poison was taking effect.

"Why... why did you do this..." Chen Yu cradled her, his voice heavy with agony. If he had been just a little faster, if he had stopped her sooner...

Li Qing leaned against his chest, gasping for air. Her vision was already blurred, but she still tried to raise her hand to touch Chen Yu’s face.

"Chen Yu... I... I just... didn't want to see anyone else... die for me..." Her voice was intermittent, as faint as a gossamer thread. "I once... caused the death of my partner... I don't want... you to also..."

"Stop talking! Don't say another word!" Chen Yu interrupted her, his tears finally falling uncontrollably. "You won't die! I'm telling you, you absolutely will not die!"

"I don't allow you to die! Do you hear me!"

He held Li Qing, frantically pulling up the system store, his eyes scanning it at lightning speed. Antidote! Healing potion! Anything would do! Hurry!

[Ding! No medicine found in the store!]

Medicine! Emetic! Anything! Hurry!

[Ding! No relevant items found in the store!]

System, I beg you! Please!

[Ding! No relevant items found in the store!]

...

Yet, among the dazzling array of items in the store, there was precisely nothing he needed at this moment. Those enhancement potions could only bolster physical functions; they were completely incapable of neutralizing poison.

"Chen Yu..."

The voice of Li Qing in his arms was already too faint to be heard.

"Promise me... live on... help me... tell Qingzhu... I'm sorry..."

Her hand slipped powerlessly from Chen Yu’s face. Her eyes closed slowly.

The entire world went quiet in that moment.