Chapter 1683: Chapter Two: Forced Erasure

“In this kind of game, no one dares claim they can survive till the end. Mu Nianqi’s previous team is the cruelest example!” Bai Guo saw that Qin Yan was still trying to persuade him and decided to ignore her. “Trojan, teleport, I want to leave.”

“If she’s not leaving, can I have her spot?” Yu Deye looked at Tang Zheng eagerly, only a step away from snatching it.

Slap! Jiang Xiuming flicked his finger against Yu Deye’s forehead, irritating the latter to no end.

“Is your brain broken? Didn’t you hear Silver say it? Below English Grade Two, you can buy immunity for 10,000 points. Above English Grade Two, the price is even higher. Obviously, you’re beyond the limit.” Jiang Xiuming really didn’t want Yu Deye to antagonize Tang Zheng’s group. Being somewhat isolated himself, he thought it might not be bad to curry some favor.

“Damn, I’m so flustered I lost my mind.” Yu Deye slapped his own forehead and groaned miserably. “Forget it. Trojan, teleport me out. I’m going to eat and drink my fill—damn, this time I’m seriously losing out.”

As Yu Deye vanished, he cursed for the impending doomsday to arrive sooner while preparing to party wildly for the fifteen days he had left.

“The next round is the Holy Land battle. Can I resurrect someone?” Tang Zheng frowned. If Xu Liangmao were present, it would mean an extra bit of strength.

“Sorry, you can’t.” Silver rejected his request outright. “Besides, given his level, he’s not exactly indispensable.”

Shen Qingshuang moved his lips slightly but eventually sighed and gave up. As a man, he had his pride—begging for a chance to survive wasn’t something he would stoop to doing.

“There’s no point in continuing this stalemate. Does anyone want to leave? Raise your hand!” Dantai glanced through the group.

“I won’t leave. I absolutely must catch the mastermind behind this and figure out what the Trojan really is!” Dong Zixuan’s sense of justice surged. Having undergone the psychological metamorphosis brought by the Dark Fairy Tale, the policewoman had become increasingly fearless of death. She believed her sacrifice would be for a noble cause, and dying this way would be weighty as Mount Tai.

“Lunatic.” Ruan Feifei muttered under her breath and waved goodbye. “You guys decide; I’m heading out first.”

The female streamer’s choice surprised Dantai and made him see her in a new light.

“Xueqi, Tao Ran?” These two girls were younger than Tang Zheng, and he considered them like sisters. It seemed a waste for them to throw away their youth here.

“I will rely on my own strength to leave the Trojan Room.” Gu Xueqi declined firmly—with her pride and, more importantly, a desire to repay a debt of gratitude. “I already owe you too much.”

Tao Ran shook her head without saying a word, clearly unwilling to leave.

“Bi Yun, Li Huiwen, Lu Fan—you three leave.” Dantai glanced at Tang Zheng and picked the lucky ones.

“I’m not leaving.” Lu Fan continued to pout.

“I’m staying too.” Xu Biyun hesitated, her mind in utter chaos.

“Thank you, Vice Captain, and thank you, Tang Zheng. On behalf of my family and Liangmao, thank you both.” Li Huiwen practically jumped for joy, thrilled by the opportunity she hadn’t expected.

“Tang Zheng!” Fang Zhiwen attempted to play the emotional card, her tone mournful.

Xie Yundan also wanted to leave but didn’t know how to bring it up. After all, her relationship with Tang Zheng was only that of normal classmates, and he had already helped her so much.

“Brother Dantai, I’ve decided not to leave.” Xu Biyun smiled. “I’ve come this far; there’s no way I can fall behind now.”

“Are you all trying to drive me mad?” Tang Zheng roared in anger for the first time.

“Brother Tang, Sister Qin Yan, I’ll leave now.” Xu Biyun didn’t know what else to do, so she opted to escape, letting the Trojan teleport her out.

“This girl!” Dantai chuckled bitterly and then patted Tang Zheng on the shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. What you need to do now is to give it your all to lead everyone through the Holy Land.”

“Easier said than done!” Tang Zheng worried about losing his momentum but ultimately didn’t voice this thought.

“Li Huiwen, Lu Fan, Xie Yundan—you three leave!” Dantai grabbed Lu Fan and covered her mouth. “Give up the idea of ditching early!”

“Hmm!” Lu Fan’s eyes flickered with an idea; she nodded slyly.

“Why not me?” Fang Zhiwen wasn’t foolish. She immediately guessed Dantai’s plan. “Is it just because I’m part of the healing system?”

“Exactly!” Dantai admitted bluntly.

“You selfish bastard! Because of your one sentence, I might die—do you even realize that?” Fang Zhiwen couldn’t hold back her fear any longer and lashed out.

Dantai didn’t retaliate.

“Tang Zheng—don’t forget our relationship.” The white, rich, and beautiful woman played her trump card.

“Tang Zheng, please confirm.” Silver Trojan prompted.

“Fine, let’s do it this way.” Tang Zheng didn’t want to drag things out.

“Tang Zheng, you bastard—now that it’s done, you’re pretending nothing happened.” The white, rich, and beautiful woman felt like she’d lost out completely; her body hadn’t even come in handy. If she’d known earlier, she would’ve tried seducing Dantai instead.

“Exemption enacted. You all may leave. Before the Holy Land battle starts, you have fifteen days for rest—please enjoy them!”

“I’m out.” Tang Zheng waved his hand, and his body disappeared.

When his vision cleared, Tang Zheng found himself in an alley under the bright full moon. His eyes turned misty. The Old Soldier and the others were staying behind entirely because of him.

“I won’t think about it now. Let’s head home first!” Watching a taxi drive past the alley entrance, Tang Zheng realized it had been a long time since he’d seen his family.

“Whew, finally rid of everything.” The darkness faded, revealing a sky full of brilliant stars. Breathing the slightly dry and warm air, Li Huiwen let out a long sigh.

On the Main Street, the dim streetlights couldn’t dampen Li Renqi’s joyous mood.

“No more murder charges, my bank card still has over three hundred million RMB—I can finally enjoy life to the fullest.” Li Huiwen felt like a bird freed from its cage. “I’m a billionaire—this is amazing! No need for hard work ever again.”

Stepping onto the cement road surface, Li Huiwen aimed to hail a taxi.

“Xu Liangmao, although I’m sorry for what happened to you, I’ll raise our child properly.” Thinking about an unrestrained future, Li Huiwen couldn’t help but burst into happy laughter. The next moment, however, she froze.

“Huh? That’s odd. Didn’t Li Xinlan and the others say you’d lose your memory after leaving the Trojan Room? Why do I still remember Tang Zheng and the others?” Doubts flooded Li Huiwen’s mind. Sure enough, Silver’s voice boomed in her ear like thunder the very next second.

“Did you really think you could earn exemption?” Silver’s tone was dripping with mockery. “Watching you all argue over a nonexistent slot was truly entertaining.”

“You…” Li Huiwen was too shocked to speak, her legs trembling so much that she nearly collapsed onto the ground.

“This was merely a routine test before entering the Holy Land. Except for you and Xie Yundan, everyone else passed.” Silver sneered. “In regular games, there’s no opportunity to spend points for others, let alone in the secretive Holy Land battle. You have only two options: to win—or to die!”

“Why are you being so cruel to us?” Li Huiwen cried.

“Survival of the fittest—that’s all.” Silver Trojan sighed for the first time. “You probably don’t realize your predicament. Since you failed the test, you will be erased!”

“What? No! I’ll participate in the Holy Land battle!” Li Huiwen, thinking she’d be forced into the battle, panicked upon realizing she wouldn’t even have the chance. “Please don’t kill me—please! I’ll do my best in the Holy Land battle.”

“Too late. In thirty seconds, you’ll be erased via head explosion!” Silver offered no further response, beginning the countdown: “Thirty, twenty-nine…”

Li Huiwen was stunned, her mind chaotic, unsure what to do next. She staggered to her feet and started running blindly forward.

“Right—call Tang Zheng! He’ll save me!” Li Huiwen’s trembling hands pulled out her mobile phone and desperately tried to dial.

Silver was deliberate, keen on watching Li Huiwen’s desperate struggle before death.

Finding Tang Zheng’s name in her contact list, Li Huiwen pressed it as if that alone might let her survive.

“Pick up, pick up!” Li Huiwen muttered frantically under her breath.

“The number you’re calling is currently turned off.”

The cold mechanical voice crushed Li Huiwen’s hopes completely. In despair, she screamed and hurled the phone to the ground.

“The child! Yes—please let me see my child one last time!” In the final moments of the countdown, Li Huiwen thought of what she wanted. But Silver was no empathetic companion.

“Time’s up—erasure executed!”

Bang! Li Huiwen’s head exploded like a rotten watermelon, her headless corpse collapsing onto the road surface. Within seconds, her body fragmented into glowing particles and vanished bit by bit.

Xie Yundan appeared in an alley and hurriedly started running. When she finally dashed onto Main Street and saw the iconic shopping mall, she relaxed visibly.

Thud. Xie Yundan sat on the ground, hugging her knees and crying.

“Mom…I’m scared!” Although Xie Yundan had survived, she felt even more isolated than Fang Zhiwen. The white, rich, and beautiful woman could at least talk to Tang Zheng; Xie Yundan experienced the feeling of utter abandonment—like being marooned on a desolate planet all alone.

“Want to see your mom?” Silver’s voice suddenly broke the silence, startling Xie Yundan.

The virtual screen on her wristwatch popped up, displaying scenes of her family’s daily life.

“Her younger brother, still in middle school, wasn’t asleep yet. Under the glow of the desk lamp, he furiously worked on solving a complex algebra equation. Meanwhile, their mother, working overtime, was sorting out rotten fruit.”

“The fruit’s been selling well these past months—no need to worry about Dan Dan’s tuition fees for next year.”

“Mom!” Hearing her mother’s comforting murmur, Xie Yundan’s eyes brimmed over, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Looking at the wrinkles at the corners of her mother’s eyes, Xie Yundan reached out, longing to touch them.

Boom! A sudden explosion obliterated Xie Yundan’s skull, spraying blood across the street. Her right hand passed through the virtual screen showing her mother’s face and landed lifelessly on the ground.

“Sorry—erasure executed!”

Silver Trojan looked at the corpse; for the first time in its existence, it uttered an apology. Yet rules are rules—erasure was something it couldn’t circumvent, even if minimizing pain was the only consolation.

“Planning to ditch me? Not a chance!” Lu Fan grunted to herself. She quietly typed a rejection command into her wristwatch, a small gesture even Dantai didn’t catch. This tiny detail ended up saving her from being erased, or Tang Zheng’s group might have unwittingly caused harm despite their good intentions.

“Time’s running short. First, I’m going to see Dad. Whatever excuse he has this time, he’ll have to spend fifteen days with me!” Lu Fan resolved. If any of those mistress foxes dared stir up trouble, she’d sell them off to Brazil without a second thought. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian [qidian.com] to vote for recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)