Chapter 15: The Third Game

“Where on earth is she?” What gave Du Bin a headache was the sheer number of suspicious spots—without searching each one, he truly had no idea where that girl might be hiding.

All around them, the plants had grown so large that the branches had expanded, now enclosing the two men in their center, the distance of the encroaching foliage drawing ever closer. “Hey! We’re out of time,” Hu Guozheng urged.

“Let me think for a moment.” Du Bin closed his eyes, replaying in his mind the sequence when Li Sisi was wounded, hoping to deduce her true hiding place: (When she tried to kill me, she was standing directly in front of me; when she was hurt, she’d clearly moved to the right. By the time all those plants appeared, she’d more or less vanished, and with the plant life as an obstacle, I couldn’t see the bloodstains on the ground.)

“Whoa! Oh my god!”

As Du Bin pondered, a few man-eating flowers sprouted from the roots of the plants, each opening its gaping maw. Without hesitation, Hu Guozheng raised his knife and hacked away, but for every flower he destroyed, another would bloom in its place. No matter what he did, he couldn’t wipe them out.

With every strike, the defeated flowers released a strong scent of pollen. After Du Bin caught a whiff, he thought: (That’s it—the scent of this pollen comes from her. Since these man-eating flowers obey her, they must share the same scent. If I’m right, she must be hiding right there.)

“Fatty, cover me.”

“Okay.”

Hiding in the shadows, Li Sisi seemed to sense her position had been discovered. Enduring the pain, she sent her will to the plants, and the man-eating flowers, receiving her command, lunged toward their prey, encircling the two men.

Hu Guozheng swiftly slashed the stems connecting the flowers to the branches, while Du Bin, focused, held his pistol but didn’t fire.

“Don’t blame me.” At last, he made up his mind, turned, and fired at a particular spot. The bullet streaked through the obstacles and struck a tree.

All the man-eating flowers froze at once. Seeing this, Hu Guozheng grew audacious and pulled faces at the flowers. “Come on then! Bite me, you idiots!”

But one of the previously motionless flowers suddenly twitched, making Hu Guozheng stiffen in terror.

“I deliberately missed with that shot just now. If you persist in your obstinance, the next one will go through your body.”

After Du Bin spoke, Li Sisi thought for a while, then sighed. The plants began to withdraw into the earth, and with her injuries worsening, she slipped into unconsciousness.

“Fatty, she’s yours now,” Du Bin said.

Hu Guozheng’s forehead creased in annoyance. “I’m always stuck cleaning up the mess,” he grumbled.

Beep, beep, beep... Dr. She’s instrument began signaling again, then Li Sisi’s signal vanished. He gazed at the screen and smiled, growing more excited.

Ye Tang noticed that Shi Haiyun’s strength was finally waning—a welcome development. She understood that if he insisted on drawing out the fight, she would ultimately benefit, since she hadn’t overexerted her own psychic energy.

“You should take it easy. Keep this up and you’ll exhaust yourself.”

Shi Haiyun ignored her advice, pouring all his strength into a final burst of flame. The wall of fire expanded three meters wider than before. Though she too commanded fire, Ye Tang dared not approach such thousand-degree heat.

“I know your power surpasses mine, but I’m not so easily dismissed.” He extended his right hand, and the flames swirling around him gathered in his palm. In a heartbeat, the wall of fire dispersed, and the concentrated energy in his hand condensed into a single blazing orb.

“Since you’ve honored me with all your strength, I must respond in kind.” Ye Tang likewise gathered energy in her hand.

Already at his physical limit, Shi Haiyun forced a smile. “This is interesting. Let’s settle this once and for all!”

No sooner had he spoken than he launched his attack. The massive flame took the shape of a dragon, roaring as it barreled toward Ye Tang. She pushed with one hand, sending forth a giant firebird to meet it head-on. When their powers collided, sparks scattered in all directions—a magnificent and awe-inspiring sight.

Cowering in the corner, Tao Wenjie was struggling to piece his body back together, having been vaporized by the intense heat. He had no choice but to use his undying advantage to seek out similar metals to quickly restore himself.

The explosion sent a powerful shockwave through the air, snapping trees like twigs. Du Bin signaled for Hu Guozheng to take cover. Though he was irritated at having to carry the unconscious Li Sisi, as a decent citizen, he couldn’t simply abandon her.

Thick smoke drifted slowly away on the wind. When it finally cleared, the aftermath of the explosion revealed a crater about five hundred square meters wide, the remnants of the forest still smoldering in scattered patches.

Both Ye Tang and Shi Haiyun stood unscathed at the crater’s edge. Shi Haiyun, having unleashed all his power, was utterly spent, barely managing to remain standing. Though Ye Tang was formidable, channeling such immense energy in an instant left her breathless, her heart racing.

She circled the crater and stopped before Shi Haiyun, conjuring another flame in her hand and aiming it at his head.

Knowing his end had come, Shi Haiyun closed his eyes silently. Ye Tang smiled coldly, unleashed the flame, and in an instant, Shi Haiyun was consumed by fire.

After dispatching Shi Haiyun, Ye Tang retrieved her sword. “Fatty, stay here and watch her. But let me warn you—don’t get emotionally involved. She’s been modified and almost certainly brainwashed.”

Though displeased, Hu Guozheng nodded. The other two continued up the mountain. Suddenly, Du Bin whispered something to Ye Tang. At first, she refused, but eventually relented. Together, they turned and gave the middle finger to a surveillance camera. This brazen gesture utterly infuriated all those who had lost their bets, though Zeng Yilong, amused by their antics, couldn’t help but laugh.

Now Ma Jinlong’s forced smile finally crumbled. Furious, he slammed his hand on the table. “Infuriating! I never imagined that girl would be so formidable.”

“It’s unbelievable,” the slender man sighed, shaking his head. “After all these years of research, our experimental subjects are falling one after another.”

“Once again, I’m the victor, Mr. Ma,” Zeng Yilong said expressionlessly, as the other shareholders stopped their chatter to look his way. He continued, “You’ve lost a total of one hundred and twenty million dollars. I advise you to cancel this wager.”

Mr. Chen spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. “Mr. Zeng, there’s no need to talk like that just because you’re winning. True, you’ve made a fortune today, but we’ve lost a great deal.”

“This time, I’m changing sides. Whatever Mr. Zeng bets on, I’ll follow. You won’t call off the wager now, will you, Chairman Ma?” Mr. Wang, realizing his error, cut off Ma Jinlong’s escape route.