Chapter 23

"Boss, don't kill me, I'll give you all the hearts, please don't kill me." Another injured person frantically begged for mercy, wriggling like a worm to escape.

"Old Five, do you think you can hold on with your injuries? This game is either you kill or be killed. Although I, your brother, am reluctant, it's better to help me out than to let others profit from it!" The muscular man clearly had no intention of letting his teammate off, and after digging out a heart, he squatted in front of Old Five with a blood-dripping knife.

"You lunatic, you'll die a terrible death! And you, see his true colors, you'll all die at his hands! Ah~ Huh~~" Old Five cursed these silent teammates, spitting out curses until the muscular man swiftly slit his throat, finally silencing him.

"Old Seven, according to the rules, it's your turn to act, and all the spoils go to you." The muscular man, considering his teammates' thoughts, generously gave Old Five and the two hearts on his body to one of his teammates.

"Old Eight, that one is yours." The muscular man pointed to the unfortunate one who had been blown up at the beginning, letting another person collect the spoils.

Just then, Chu Ci finally made his move. If Old Eight had opened the chest and found no heart, it would have been troublesome. Without hesitation, he pulled out an RPG and fired, the rocket streaking with a thick trail of smoke, piercing into the center of the crowd.

Throwing the launcher to the ground, Chu Ci didn't bother to check the battle situation. He immediately picked up an M4A1 with a full magazine and fired in a fan-shaped pattern. After emptying the magazine, he threw it to the ground and continued with another, specifically targeting areas that could provide cover or hiding spots.

The area of about ten square meters was swept by rockets and bullets. Confirming that most of the enemies were dead or injured, Chu Ci, holding a straight knife in one hand and a Browning in the other, emerged from his hiding place to check for any missed spots.

The originally flat lakeside was now covered in smoke, with a large crater where the rocket had hit. The ground was littered with bodies and severed limbs, likely from the three who had just died. The other five had also been blown away, and the subsequent barrage easily finished them off. If it had been a direct confrontation, one or two might have escaped, but only in the darkness and with a surprise attack could such a glorious victory be achieved.

Nineteen hearts appeared in the Parasite Worm space. If Chu Ci wanted to return, he could now apply to the Overlord.

"Still, let's wait a bit longer." Chu Ci silently contacted the Overlord, confirming that returning would take only an instant. He decided to stay. "Even if I face those other participants, if I can't win, I can still run."

With a way out, Chu Ci immediately changed his battle plan. He first moved to a new position. The explosions and gunfire would likely attract unwanted guests, so he didn't even take the sleeping bag from the tree, instead retrieving six generators and immediately moving along the lake, heading upstream.

Unlike the other participants, Chu Ci had his own inventory, filled with equipment recommended by Bond. Therefore, while the other participants were uneasy about the darkness, Chu Ci put on a night vision goggles, which, aside from making travel a bit inconvenient, largely protected him from being ambushed.

Chu Ci thought that, apart from team actions, no one would dare to move alone at night. However, just as he rounded the lake and reached a shallow, rising area, he saw a second stranger that night.

A solitary figure was huddled by the lakeside, indistinguishable as male or female. The sound seemed to be... sobbing?

Chu Ci removed his night vision goggles, attached an infrared sensor to his M4A1, and closed his left eye, aiming at the black silhouette. To his surprise, it was a little girl, no more than ten years old by her age and build.

To see such a child forced into a killing game, even Chu Ci's cold heart felt a sense of absurdity and anger.

Chu Ci slightly lowered his gun, opening his mouth a bit, but quickly suppressed the impulse with reason, raising the gun again. "Be cautious, first check the surroundings for enemies!" He didn't want to be ambushed because of a soft heart.

At this stage, the participants likely hadn't accessed the weapons left on the island by the organizers. Therefore, a large group like the one that had just been wiped out had only a few knives. If they were to set an ambush, a homemade trap would be the best choice.

Chu Ci mentally divided the area, using the infrared sensor to scan each section. Confirming there were no signs of human activity, he held the gun at chest level and stepped out of the forest, walking toward the little girl.

"Hello, I..."

"Ah!!!" The little girl screamed in terror, quickly running away.

"Wait, I didn't..." Chu Ci extended his hand, but the little girl had already darted into the forest, out of sight.

"This..." Chu Ci was momentarily stunned. "Are the people in this world all in such good physical condition?" Yesterday's muscular man had beaten him senseless, today's man had sliced open a human chest with one cut, and now even a little girl could run so fast.

"Do I look like a bad guy?" Chu Ci touched his chin, his stubble was clean, and his clothes didn't smell.

Well, if he couldn't help, he would let her fend for herself. The sympathy Chu Ci had felt for a moment quickly faded.

The next morning, as Chu Ci was walking, he suddenly heard an explosion. He felt another heart appear in the Parasite Worm space, calculating the distance, it must have been where he had landed after parachuting.

Where is... the half-drunk cola can I left? Someone really fell for it? Chu Ci's eyebrows raised. A pie in the sky really exists.

Since there was a stupid rabbit that had run into a tree, he couldn't let the opportunity pass. Chu Ci's spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace. The chip in his brain pulled up the image records, and Deep Red analyzed suitable ambush locations.

Five minutes later, Chu Ci was crouched behind a four-meter-high boulder. The oval-shaped rock barely concealed his figure. Below the rock was a swift stream, and on the opposite side was a chaotic scene. A half-body lay in the stream, the other half presumably washed away. Fortunately, the upper body remained, suitable as bait.

The wait for prey was long, but Chu Ci, accustomed to the tedium of coding for long hours, didn't find it particularly uncomfortable. He lay on the rock, unmoving even as the rising sun heated the stone.

As noon approached, the prey Chu Ci had been waiting for finally arrived!

"How is it her?" Chu Ci's eyes moved away from the scope, surprised to see the little girl again so soon.

The little girl seemed to be passing by, head down, hurrying along. She almost stepped on the body before screaming and jumping to the side. Seeing the dead person, her first reaction was to look around, fearing that a bad person might appear and attack.

"Huh?" The little girl waited for a long time, but the expected bad person didn't appear. She let out a surprised "Huh?" and looked at the dead person with an uncertain expression. Chu Ci had originally wanted to greet her but saw her face turn cold and raised his gun again.

The little girl slowly approached the body, seemingly very afraid and worried. Finally, under Chu Ci's increasingly cold gaze, she squatted down and searched the body.

Just as Chu Ci was about to shoot, the little girl let out a joyful cheer, finding a half-eaten chocolate bar on the body. She devoured it, clearly very hungry.

Chu Ci's gaze softened slightly. After eating the chocolate, the little girl even prayed over the body, crossing her fingers in front of her chest, as if praying for the soul to go to heaven. Chu Ci, though not religious, could see that her actions were pure and uncorrupted by the game. He found himself smiling faintly, and the gloom from the days of fighting dissipated.

The little girl, perhaps moved by the dead person's food, had already eaten enough to be half-satisfied. She then used her strength to pull many leaves from the forest to cover the body, perhaps not wanting it to be exposed in the wilderness.

Chu Ci thought for a moment and decided to let the little girl continue. If he called out again, she might run away. Chu Ci didn't think he could jump down from the four-meter-high rock in one go.

"Ha, look what I found? A weak and helpless little chick!" A wild voice, in an unknown dialect, broke Chu Ci's brief respite.

In Chu Ci's scope, two men and a woman emerged from the forest behind the little girl, surrounding her on three sides by the stream.

"Little girl, where are you going?" The woman brandished a folding knife, clearly confident and sure of the little girl's helplessness. Indeed, without Chu Ci, a tired and hungry little girl would be no match for three adults.

The little girl kept retreating, almost falling into the stream, her face full of despair, as if recalling a terrible memory of blood, bodies, screams, and sneers.

"Help... Help me!" The little girl, using all her strength, could only manage a weak cry, barely audible.

"Shh, shh, shh!" The little girl's prayer seemed to work! From the opposite bank came a suppressed and steady gunfire, the M4A1 with a silencer. At the last moment, Chu Ci decisively fired!

At a distance of about ten meters, for Chu Ci with the combat template, it was as close as pointing the gun at someone's head. Three steady shots directly exploded the head of the man directly in front, and then Chu Ci quickly adjusted his aim, firing another three shots to kill the second man.

In the blink of an eye, the woman realized she was the only one left!

It's a trap! The woman, thinking she was clever, assumed the little girl was a decoy set by the shooter.

"I surrender..." The woman raised her hands high, about to shout, but a bullet flew directly into her mouth.

"Sorry, I don't like vicious women." Chu Ci didn't hear the woman's words clearly but could guess. He shook his head and whispered, "Anyone who bullies children needs to be taught a lesson."

Chu Ci climbed down from the boulder, and the little girl remained in place, probably afraid that running would get her killed.

"Little girl, don't be afraid, Uncle is not a bad person." Chu Ci tried to smile gently.

"Are... Are you a creepy uncle?" The little girl timidly looked up and down at Chu Ci, then asked in a soft, gentle voice he had never heard before.

"..." Chu Ci was momentarily petrified.

Page AD begins

Page AD ends