Staring at the bandaged man beside him, drenched in blood, Yao Ye felt as though his head would be severed from his neck at any moment. His will to survive reached its peak.
With frantic desperation, he kicked and flailed, trying to break free from the ropes that bound him.
But he couldn’t muster any strength. His hands, already wounded and scarred, were further restrained by handcuffs. As he struggled, fresh blood oozed out due to the friction from the ropes.
“No! No! Please… I don’t want to die… Please…”
Yao Ye cried out in struggle, his throat so dry it felt as though it was burning.
Yet the towering, bandaged figure remained still, silent.
It seemed as though he was observing Yao Ye.
After a moment, the figure reached out in a gesture that outsiders might consider gentle and cautious. He inched closer towards Yao Ye.
With eyes wide in horror, Yao Ye pressed himself against the bark of a tree, watching the terrifying bandaged creature reach for his head.
“NOOO!!!”
Closing his eyes, Yao Ye screamed, tears streaming down, wetting his hair and sticking to his cheeks.
This is it, he thought. He was going to die!
He would be skinned and flayed, just like he had seen earlier! His skull crushed and spine severed!
Terrified to his core, Yao Ye shivered uncontrollably, every inch of his skin seeming to resist what was to come.
He had so many unfulfilled desires. He was still so young, never experienced love, never truly appreciated his father, and never fully enjoyed life…
He deeply regretted not heeding his grandmother’s words. Why hadn’t he waited a few more hours, until after midnight, to board the ship? Why did he have to play hero? Wouldn’t it have been better to let those bastards fend for themselves?
Why… did he have to be the one to die?
Thinking of those who abandoned him, Yao Ye was consumed with hatred.
He silently cursed from the depths of his heart. Even if he died now, he wanted to become a vengeful ghost, exacting revenge and slaughtering those heartless beings.
As his hatred grew, so did his despair at his own helplessness.
At this point, what use was cursing? In this world, it seemed the wicked lived long lives.
Finally, Yao Ye, disheartened, stopped struggling, resigning to his fate.
Death is inevitable. Maybe it was just coming a bit earlier for him.
Yet deep down, he still felt a profound sense of injustice.
His voice hoarse from shouting, he could only sob. He cried for his tragically short and pitiful life, sounding like a newborn kitten with his soft, raspy voice.
Hearing Yao Ye’s cries, the bandaged giant halted. His hand, which was about to touch Yao Ye’s soft hair, slowly retracted.
His face obscured by bandages, the giant looked down at Yao Ye, giving off a surprising air of melancholy.
All of this went unnoticed by Yao Ye, who kept his eyes tightly shut.
Soon, all the sounds around them faded.
In the silent forest, only Yao Ye’s quiet sobs remained. Even the cries of small animals vanished.
When Yao Ye didn’t feel the expected pain, he sensed something was amiss.
Sobbing, he looked up. His eyes, clear and glistening, reflected the still figure of the bandaged man beside him.
Why isn’t he attacking?
Yao Ye blinked his swollen eyes. The fear, seeping deep into his soul, made his breathing tremble. He dared not make a sound, lest he provoke the monstrous creature with arms thicker than his own legs.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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With his overactive imagination, Yao Ye thought of hundreds of painful ways to die, turning even paler.
Just when Yao Ye felt he might pass out from fear, the bandaged judge moved.
It seemed he finally grew tired of toying with his prey before the kill. He slowly raised the massive blade in his hand.
Yao Ye wanted to close his eyes, to avoid seeing his own death, but the overwhelming terror kept them wide open. He stared fixedly at the bloodied broad-backed blade.
Bloodstains from previous executions stained the Judge’s blade, giving off an aura so menacing it would send chills down the spine of any being faced with its sharp edge.
“No!!! Please! Don’t kill me… please…”
Yao Ye’s final plea was a hoarse whisper, his eyes brimming with a pitiful mix of humility and despair.
As the Judge gazed into Yao Ye’s eyes, the blade that had never once paused in its relentless descent slowed for a beat, and only then did it fall straight down.
A deep crack appeared on the tree, its width too substantial for a solitary individual to encircle with their arms. The tree, felled before its time, quivered, emitting a faint and eerie mournful cry.
The rope binding Yao Ye slipped to the ground. Staring blankly, he looked down, only relaxing when he saw his body remained unharmed. He slumped to the ground, overcome with relief.
The Judge retracted his blade, continuing to stand silently nearby.
From beneath the bandages that covered its face, fresh blood seeped continuously. Its mouth moved slightly, but no sound came out.
Yao Ye’s mind was a blank slate, still engulfed in the despair of the moment the blade had descended. He was clueless about what had transpired.
He remained paralyzed in place, his handcuffed hands sinking into the soft soil beneath him.
THUD!!!
The Judge dragged the blade, which he had put away, carelessly by his side. Its heavy weight made the ground tremble.
Startled by the noise, Yao Ye, his mind muddled with fear, scrambled up without looking back, running away from the direction of the bandaged monster as fast as he could.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
The sound of Yao Ye’s heavy breathing filled his ears.
After what felt like a great distance, Yao Ye finally mustered the courage to glance back.
The terrifying, towering figure, wrapped entirely in bandages, still stood there. Against the backdrop of the leaning tree, he appeared oddly desolate and bleak.
What was this creature doing?
Strangely, Yao Ye felt the silent demeanor of this bandaged creature was familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before.
However, this vague sense of familiarity was not enough to embolden Yao Ye to investigate the creature’s true identity.
Making one mistake was enough. If he repeated the earlier incident, he feared he wouldn’t be so lucky the next time.
Biting his lip in frustration, Yao Ye couldn’t fathom why the terrifying creature had untied him. Was it trying to save him? Or was it playing with him, like a cat with a mouse, releasing him only to catch him again later?
He dared not look back, dared not think further. He focused on following the path taken by the other survivors.
Regardless of what the creature intended, he had to survive. He had to live!
After narrowly escaping death, Yao Ye’s sole thought was to survive and find a way off this nightmarish island.
His father must still be waiting for him outside. He couldn’t die like this!
As he ventured deeper into the dense tropical jungle of the island, bizarre animals lurked at every turn, startling Yao Ye. He pressed on, worried that if night fell before he found the main group, he’d be left in the dark. His white shirt and trousers were almost torn to shreds by the branches.
Having overheard the thugs talking earlier, he learned that if he didn’t seek shelter by nightfall, death was almost certain. Once night fell, the island became a living hell.
Terrified of dying, Yao Ye knew he had to find that safe haven.
Luckily, using his keen observational skills, Yao Ye followed the traces left behind by the survivors. He arrived at the center of the island and recognized an eerily familiar slaughterhouse.
“This place is…”
Yao Ye’s eyes widened in disbelief, recalling a slaughterhouse from his youth that had been consumed by fire.
From a distance, the dilapidated slaughterhouse stood in a clearing at the island’s center. The surrounding fence was broken in many places, and the iron gate was ajar with a smashed lock discarded nearby.
Yao Ye cautiously pushed open the rust-covered iron door, accidentally getting a sticky substance on his hands. Disgusted, he wiped his hands on his already dirty trousers, detecting a nauseating smell of blood.
“Darn it…”
His day had been one calamity after another.
After all the day’s traumatic events, Yao Ye felt off. His emotions, dark and twisted, were surfacing. If not for his fear of some unknown danger, he would’ve kicked that iron door in frustration.
Damn it! Even a broken door could torment him!
Yao Ye glared at the door and continued on.
He moved silently, step by step, taking care with each move.
In the slaughterhouse’s yard, among the rundown wooden buildings, hung strings of unidentified dried meat. Carrion maggots wriggled inside them, creating a sickening sight.
Inside the largest building, a long corridor stretched ahead. Wooden doors on both sides were ajar, and water dripped from the damp and dark ceiling. Moss grew in the corners.
“Brother Li, this place is so run-down. Are we really staying here tonight? Can we set up a tent outside? It’s so damp here!”
The pink-haired girl pouted, coming around a corner toward the entrance.
Brother Li smiled apologetically, “Oh, come on, darling, just bear with it for a couple of nights. We can’t set up tents here…”
Yao Ye, hearing the voices, quickly hid in an unlocked room nearby, pressing his ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Upon hearing Brother Li’s words, the pink-haired girl was dissatisfied, “Why not? Didn’t you say we’d be safe here? We don’t need to stay in these rooms, right?”
Brother Li, wrapping his arm around the pink-haired girl, explained, “Darling, you don’t understand. Though it’s safer here than outside, there are still risks. Ghosts of the executed wander the corridors every night. Encountering one is a death sentence.”
“Ghosts? Eek! That’s so scary!”
The pink-haired girl coyly nestled into Brother Li’s embrace.
With his love close to him, Brother Li proudly shared his knowledge, “Don’t worry, with me by your side, you have nothing to fear.”
Yao Ye listened intently. Even though he didn’t understand terms like ‘respawn’, ‘players’, or ‘strategy’, he gathered the general meaning.
The gist was, this place was a nighttime refuge. At night, no matter what sounds one hears, one must never leave. However, by daybreak, one must also leave their room, as the Judge would patrol. Once found, one would be killed on the spot.
“…Haha, come on, darling, let’s get something to eat…”
The voices gradually faded, and Yao Ye relaxed, making a mental note of the information, fearing he might forget some crucial details and end up decapitated.
However…
“Who is the ‘judge’?” Yao Ye murmured, furrowing his brow.
Deciding it was best not to know, Yao Ye figured that he’d just make an early start the next day.
With that, he looked around his current room, planning how to rest for the night.
The room was extremely damp, with the smell of decaying wood in the air. Mold stains were everywhere, from the walls to the ceiling.
The room was barren of furniture. If he was to rest, he’d have to lie on the dirty wooden floor.
Glancing at his filthy clothes, Yao Ye let out a bitter chuckle. There wasn’t much left to complain about. So what if it was dirty? Being able to rest was enough.
His stomach growled.
Patting his hungry stomach, he realized he hadn’t eaten all day.
What to do?
Should he risk searching for food?
After much consideration, he chose to bear with his hunger, afraid the other survivors might find him.
He didn’t want to return to a group of lunatics. They had tied him up once; who knew what they might do if they found him again?
Convinced of the depravity of human nature, he didn’t want to gamble on the goodwill of others. He decided to endure the hunger and search for wild fruits in the morning.
Night soon fell.
The coolness of the night contrasted with the frenzied revelry of the monsters. The whole island echoed with screams and sounds of slaughter, making it impossible to sleep.
Night intensified fears, amplifying all negative emotions. Yao Ye was no exception.
The emotions that built up during the day erupted in the ghastly darkness of night. He became agitated and fearful, tossing and turning on the floor, his face contorted with dread.
It’s so terrifying outside…
What if… something breaks in?
Is this room truly safe?
Will I… die?
Cold and hungry, Yao Ye felt like his insides were being torn apart. The deafening noises outside drove him mad. Curled up in fear, he felt smaller and smaller, as if he were a tiny shrimp.
It’s so terrifying… so terrifying…
Why did things turn out this way?
Today was supposed to be his birthday…
He wanted to go home… he really did…
Yao Ye cried quietly. Having been spoiled all his life, he’d never slept in such a filthy room. The mold and dampness from the walls and ceiling made his skin itch. In his terror, he scratched himself, leaving bloody marks on his neck and arms.
Knock…
Knock…
A soft knocking came from the door.
Yao Ye stopped scratching and huddled in the corner in terror, staring at the door he had barred with a wooden stick.
“No… no…”
Tears streamed down his eyes, bloodshot from fear.
“Help… no…”
Suddenly, the knocking stopped. The door, barred by the wooden stick, slowly opened a crack.
The ghastly pale face of an old man peeked through, his mouth wide open in a twisted smile. His elongated neck also stretched through the crack.
Frozen in horror, Yao Ye pressed himself against the wall, covering his mouth, praying not to make a sound.
Was there anyone who could save him?
Thanks for the chapter!!
Poor Yao Ye… Thank you for the chapter!