Chapter 133: Play to the Death
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Time froze at the moment Li Qing’s eyes closed for good.
Chen Yu held her gradually cooling body, his mind utterly blank.
He could feel nothing.
No heartbeat.
No breathing.
Nothing.
There was nothing left.
“Ah—!”
A roar erupted from the depths of Chen Yu’s throat, filled with the most primal agony and despair.
“Ahhhhhhh—!”
Clutching Li Qing, he screamed and howled with every ounce of strength in his body.
His voice slammed against the metal walls and rebounded, turning the tiny cell into a hell of suffering.
He could not understand.
He had a system. He had a cheat. He was supposed to be the protagonist of this world!
Yet he could not even protect the woman he had sworn to protect!
He had watched helplessly as she swallowed that damn capsule for his sake!
He had watched helplessly as she slowly lost her life in his arms!
“Why? Why!”
Chen Yu pounded the floor furiously with his fists.
But he could not feel the pain at all.
No physical agony could compare with even one ten-thousandth of the pain of having his heart torn apart alive.
That foolish woman!
That hopelessly foolish woman!
He roared, howled, and sobbed until his voice was hoarse and nearly gone, yet still he did not stop.
Endless regret coiled around him, leaving him unable to control himself.
Yes, he had been far too arrogant, believing that with the system, he could do whatever he wanted!
In the previous game, only six bodyguards had remained. Why had he not risked everything then? Why had he agreed to participate in the next game?
Because he had the system?
Because he thought he was certain to win?
But what about now?
Was this what winning had led to?
He had brought all of this upon himself!
…
At the same time, the live broadcast of this bloody game was being displayed on countless screens before viewers all over the world.
The barrage of comments exploded completely at that moment.
[Holy shit! She’s really dead?]
[Oh my God, she actually swallowed it? I thought it was an act! This has gone way too far!]
[Has the production crew gone insane? They’re actually broadcasting a murder live? Isn’t this against the law?]
[New here? This stopped being some damn variety show a long time ago. It’s a global live-streamed murder game run by a madman!]
[That guy is crying so hard… Why do I feel like crying too?]
[What incredible acting. Someone get him an Oscar. He’s crying more convincingly than when my dog died.]
[The people in front should show some decency! Didn’t you see how pale that woman’s face became? How could anyone act that?]
[This is thrilling! So damn thrilling! It’s better than any movie! Streamer, you’re amazing—keep killing!]
[This is insane. The whole damn world has gone insane!]
…
In a villa living room in River City, Liu Hong covered her mouth, tears already blurring her eyes.
On the television screen, the man she thought of day and night was holding another woman’s corpse and letting out an animalistic howl.
His pain, his despair, his helplessness—all of it pierced her heart like a barrage of knives through the screen.
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Her heart ached so badly that she could barely breathe.
She knew that Chen Yu and the girl named Li Qing had an unusual relationship.
But only now did she truly understand how profound that bond was.
So profound that the girl could trade her own life for his without the slightest hesitation.
Liu Hong’s tears flowed even harder.
Within them were heartache, jealousy, and a trace of relief she could not even explain to herself.
…
Upon the vast, boundless sea, a speedboat cut through the waves at full speed, racing toward an unknown destination.
Su Qingzhu stood at the bow, the sea wind whipping her long hair into disarray.
She gripped the binoculars in her hand tightly, her gaze sharp as a blade as she swept it repeatedly across the horizon.
Suddenly, her heart spasmed without warning.
A powerful sense of unease seized her in an instant.
Then her right eyelid began twitching violently.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Qingzhu’s brows drew tightly together as an ominous premonition settled over her heart.
Was it merely an illusion?
No.
She had the feeling that something terribly bad had just happened.
Something involving someone deeply connected to her.
“Li Qing…”
The name escaped her lips unconsciously.
The girl she both loved and hated, once her closest sister—and also her greatest “betrayer.”
You… please don’t let anything happen to you.
…
An hour later.
The howling in the private cell finally ceased.
The metal door opened silently.
A pink-clad strongman with an expressionless face entered with the stiff, mechanical gait of a machine.
Without even glancing at the two people on the floor, he walked straight to the table and picked up the two empty trays.
Li Qing had eaten all the food.
The mission was complete.
Only then did he turn around and look toward the floor.
Chen Yu knelt there like a petrified statue, holding the silent Li Qing in his arms.
His eyes were hollow. Blood and tears streaked his face, and his entire soul seemed to have been emptied out.
The pink-clad strongman’s gaze remained utterly unmoved. He whispered something into the communicator on his wrist.
Soon, another pink-clad strongman entered.
The first pointed toward Li Qing on the floor.
The second nodded, stepped forward, and reached for Li Qing’s body, intending to drag it from Chen Yu’s arms with practiced efficiency.
At that moment, Chen Yu, who had seemed as lifeless as a corpse, moved.
He slowly raised his head. His bloodshot eyes held neither anger nor sorrow—only emptiness.
He stared at the hand reaching toward Li Qing and spoke in an unusually low voice.
“Get lost.”
It was only one word, yet it carried a chill that made the soul tremble.
The second strongman halted.
He seemed surprised that someone in the midst of a mental breakdown could still react.
The first strongman frowned, drew a pistol from his waist, and aimed its black muzzle at Chen Yu’s head.
“Let her go.”
His voice was likewise a toneless electronic synthesis.
Chen Yu ignored him and merely tightened his arms around Li Qing.
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He lowered his head and gently rubbed his tear-streaked face against Li Qing’s cold cheek.
The gesture was infinitely tender.
The pink-clad strongman’s patience seemed to have run out. He disengaged the pistol’s safety.
Yet at the very moment he was about to pull the trigger, the first strongman who had entered suddenly raised his hand and pressed his own gun against his chin.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Blood and brain matter sprayed across the second strongman.
He did not even turn to look at his companion’s corpse. He simply lowered his gun in silence, turned around, and dragged the body from the room.
The entire process was eerie, efficient, and cold-blooded.
Chen Yu watched it all without the slightest change in expression.
He was like an outsider, coldly observing this absurd farce.
The door closed once more.
Shen Feng’s amused voice came through the loudspeaker.
“Congratulations. Two contestants have successfully passed the bonus round.”
“As the final survivors, you will now enter the eagerly anticipated… final round!”
“Rest well, my dear actors. Tomorrow will be your grandest stage—and your last.”
The voice disappeared.
The suffocating silence returned to the room.
Chen Yu held Li Qing without moving.
Was he asleep?
No.
He was more clear-headed than ever.
At the instant Li Qing had died in his arms, while he had frantically searched the system shop and found no medicine capable of saving her—
When he had despairingly believed that he was about to lose everything—
He had seen it.
Beneath the “Miscellaneous Items” section was a category he had never noticed before.
“Weapons.”
When he opened it, the dazzling array of products inside made his breathing stop.
From pistols and rifles to heavy weapons, it had everything.
He scrolled farther down.
Grenades, C4, rocket launchers…
And even…
Tanks, armed helicopters, small tactical nuclear weapons…
As long as he had enough skill points, he could now wipe this damn island completely off the face of the earth!
He could rush out, kill Shen Feng, kill those pink-clad strongmen, kill everyone here, and avenge Li Qing!
But he did not want to.
Kill you just like that?
That would be far too easy for you.
Shen Feng.
Didn’t you love playing games?
Didn’t you love watching people struggle in despair?
Fine.
I’ll play with you.
I, Chen Yu, will follow your rules and walk toward you step by step.
I’ll play until you…
die!
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