Chapter 1274: Chapter 1274: The Petty Thief Who Stole the Prize

Collapsed on the ground and already wrapped up tight in the Protective Shield, protected to the max, Sean Patriarch felt a chill sweep over his whole body, that coldness starting from the soles of his feet and shooting straight up to the tip of his heart, to the crown of his head...

Cold.

Very cold. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

It was like a polar north wind was howling toward him. The inside of the Protective Shield was clearly warm, but he just couldn’t stop shaking with cold.

I’m dead?

Dead?

The question was: how did I die?

Sean Patriarch racked his brains and still couldn’t figure out how exactly he’d died, how he could die so easily, so casually?

His tournament...

His grand plan...

His path to advancement...

This time, all ruined!

All gone.

Shaun’s face was blank; he stared dumbly at Ji You and the folding knife in her hand. His gaze was fixed and unblinking, as if he wanted to burn a hole through that folding knife in Ji You’s hand with his eyes alone...

But it was useless.

Shaun Zhang Dazui, and let out a shrill scream: "Kao! I... how the hell did I die? Why did I die in your hands?"

His voice was very loud, already at the maximum decibel he could produce, practically roaring as he glared at Ji You. Unfortunately, although the Protective Shield had saved his life at the critical moment, it was also a kind of shackle. So as not to interfere with the match, once the system judged a contestant as "dead," the Protective Shield would cut off all of their actions—sound, movement, and any other behavior... all sealed inside the Protective Shield. So Ji You, and Nina who Ji You was aiming her arrow at, could neither hear what he was shouting nor see his gestures and movements...

Shaun roared in fury: "Say something, come on, say it! Why did you kill me?"

"And why did I die so fast?"

"One move?"

"One move! I was only worth one move to you?"

"..."

The more Shaun talked, the angrier he got. He was genuinely pissed. In his whole team, he prided himself on being one of the top combat powers. Don’t say Ji You—add a few more Ji Yous and have them gang up together, they still wouldn’t be his match...

Yet?

Ji You had used just one move to kill him so dead he couldn’t be any deader. At that moment Shaun hadn’t even felt pain; he’d only felt utterly dumbfounded. Ji You’s timing was way too unexpected; her knife skills and speed were something Shaun had absolutely no defense against. When the blade stabbed into his chest, Shaun only saw a flash of silver. He sensed something was wrong and was still thinking about what kind of defensive move he could use against Ji You’s strike, and then—

The blade was already in his heart.

Shaun felt his face burning.

So humiliating it burned.

Everything Ji You had just done to him smashed the confidence and pride he’d built over 19 years into pieces—ground it into mush.

While Shaun’s whole being was metaphorically "fluttering in the wind," Ji You’s crossbow arrow was aimed at Nina, who had turned to run.

Nina had just taken one step when her whole body suddenly froze, then she staggered and fell toward the stone wall beside her. Shaun saw this and his eyes flew wide: "Kao! What the hell? You can’t even run away properly?"

But it wasn’t that she just "couldn’t run properly." Nina inexplicably went blank for a split second. When she realized what she’d just done, a chill spread from the bottom of her heart. She tried to run again, but a terrifying sense of pressure swept over her. In an instant, Nina felt as if she’d already been surrounded by enemies on all sides.

No!

This is bad!

Cold sweat broke out on Nina’s forehead. She practically used up all the willpower she’d ever had in her life to raise her hand and fiercely pinch the philtrum under her nose. Only then did she regain a bit of control. Then, just as Nina was about to run, she heard Ji You’s voice behind her, sounding like a Devil itself: "Hey, where are you going, you little ghost? I went to all this trouble to find you a weapon, and you’re just gonna run off?"

An even stronger chill swept through Nina.

She honestly wanted to faint.

She kind of regretted using her lifetime’s worth of willpower to pinch herself just now. She should’ve just knocked herself out; then she wouldn’t have to face this terrifying Ji You!

And then—

Without Nina needing to make any move or say anything, Ji You’s arrow had already bounced off the string.

Whoosh—

No way to dodge.

Absolutely no way to dodge at all.

Nina felt a bit of hopeless resignation well up inside. She closed her eyes slightly. Vaguely, she seemed to hear the sound of wind, of rain, and of death.

Then Nina felt someone flick her cheek with their fingertip. The next second, she heard that Ji You—who might as well be a Devil—speaking in a sing-song, smiling tone: "Dead girl, why are you closing your eyes? It’s not time for you to close them yet. Open them and look at me."

Nina: "..."

Nina was so angry she wanted to go berserk!

This person—can she even be called human?

Nina, a severe autistic who basically never wanted to say one word more than necessary in her entire life, was driven by Ji You to the point of cursing out loud: "Kao! What the hell do you want? If you’re gonna kill or chop, hurry up and do it already."

Ji You’s smile widened at that: "No need to be in such a rush to die, huh. Nina, my little baby, first hold onto your weapon."

Nina: "???"

Nina’s head was full of question marks as she stared at Ji You.

Ji You beamed, reached out, and forcibly shoved the crossbow and arrow into Nina’s hand. Then she raised her hand again and flicked Nina’s cheek. "Look at this little face, so cute. Why’re you so dead-set on dying? I killed Shaun, not you. Besides, Shaun had it coming—Shaun wanted to kill you, so I just killed him first, that’s all."

Nina: "..."

You think I’m brain-damaged?

You messing with me?

Nina really wanted to say, "Get lost," but she was too lazy to open her mouth. She just glared at Ji You with eyes full of hatred and anger.

Ji You pressed her lips together in a smile, then suddenly made her move, grabbing Nina and twisting her arms behind her back. Nina’s heart lurched and she struggled frantically, twisting her body. But though Ji You looked short and skinny, her strength was freakishly high. Nina was pinned so tightly she couldn’t move at all. She had no idea how many different synonyms for "this is bad" she’d already screamed in her head!

Because Ji You’s hand was reaching straight toward Nina’s chest. Nina’s eyes flew wide—

"You—"

The next second.

Ji You pulled a small pitch-black Box out from Nina’s chest. It was about the size of a palm and looked plain and unremarkable.

Nina: "..."

Shaun, who witnessed the whole thing: "..."

Then the two of them said in unison: "Kao!"

Kao!

Shaun pounded the ground in rage. "I knew it, I knew it! She suddenly killed me because she wanted my communication box!"

"I knew it!"

"The moment my signal Box is exposed, it’ll be coveted by scum like her! I—I never should’ve let that bastard join our team!"

"She screwed up her own team to death first, and now she comes to kill me, trying to reap the benefit of my hard-earned team rewards and communication equipment, sitting pretty like a fisherman picking up the spoils!"

"Damn it!"

"So damn despicable!"

Lying on the ground, Shaun glared at Ji You, gritting his teeth, staring so hard it was like he wanted to stab Ji You to death with his eyes alone!

Up to this very moment, it hadn’t even occurred to him that Ji You might be from the enemy camp. He still thought Ji You was just a scumbag on their own side, trying to steal the fruits of his labor.