Chapter 80 - 78: Using Oneself as Bait
Zhang Yuqing subconsciously sat up straight, her focus absolute.
The plan Lin Ye blurted out was very simple.
A trade.
He wanted Zhang Yuqing to go alone, taking these dozen or so roasted spider legs to the group from Ningke University Affiliated Middle School, and trade for their Exoskeleton Armor.
"Why... me?"
After hearing the plan, Zhang Yuqing’s mind went blank. She asked the question subconsciously.
"Because you’re a girl."
"An injured, pretty girl appearing before them alone, seeking help or a trade, is far more likely to make them lower their guard than a healthy man like me."
Zhang Yuqing’s cheeks grew hot, whether from embarrassment or because of Lin Ye’s use of the word "pretty."
She stared at the roasted meat Lin Ye handed her, wrapped in a large leaf, momentarily dazed.
"Remember."
"The primary objective is to trade for a suit of Floating Armor."
"If that doesn’t work, settle for the next best thing: the right to use it for half a day, or even just a few hours."
"If the trade fails and they try to take it by force..."
Lin Ye paused before continuing.
"Give them the food, ensure your own safety, and retreat immediately. We can always find more food."
For no reason at all, Zhang Yuqing’s heart skipped a beat.
She could hear the concern in his calm instructions.
"Don’t worry, I’ll be nearby."
"If you fail, I’ll still be here."
"They won’t dare do anything to you."
That last sentence was the final reassurance she needed, dispelling her last trace of worry.
She took a deep breath and nodded solemnly, the fear in her eyes replaced by a look of determination.
...
Lin Ye led Zhang Yuqing, and the two of them moved like phantoms, silently creeping near the temporary camp of the group from Ningke University Affiliated Middle School.
It was a recessed area in a building surrounded by three broken walls, easy to defend and hard to attack.
At that moment, a bonfire was lit in the camp. Seven or eight figures sat around it, the atmosphere tense and irritable.
"Go on."
Lin Ye’s voice sounded from behind her, carrying a reassuring strength.
"I’ll be watching from here. They won’t dare break the rules and kill anyone."
"If you fail, I’ll cover your escape."
Zhang Yuqing took a deep breath, her chest heaving.
She no longer hesitated. She straightened her slightly disheveled combat suit, clutched the packs of roasted meat that gave off an alluring aroma, and stepped out from the shadows.
Her appearance instantly shattered the camp’s tranquility.
"Who’s there!"
"Halt!"
The seven or eight people, who had been sitting or lying around, shot up in alarm like cats that had their tails stepped on. Their weapons whipped around to point at Zhang Yuqing.
Wary, appraising, and aggressive gazes focused on her.
Zhang Yuqing’s heart instantly sped up, and a fine sweat broke out on her palms.
But she forced herself to calm down, remembering Lin Ye’s instructions.
She took the initiative to unstrap the Rain Listening Sword from her back and place it gently on the ground. Then, she raised her hands high to show she was unarmed.
"I mean no harm."
Her voice trembled almost imperceptibly with nervousness.
When Zhang Yuqing took out the leaf-wrapped roasted meat she was holding and unwrapped one of the packs...
an explosive aroma, long-suppressed, instantly wafted through the air!
GULP...
One after another, the sounds of Adam’s apples bobbing and people swallowing hard could be heard.
Everyone in the camp stared, their eyes wide!
"Holy shit... that smells amazing!"
"What is that? Meat?!"
One of the boys standing close by even took a subconscious step forward, his eyes gleaming as he stared fixedly at the golden-brown, crispy spider leg sizzling with grease in Zhang Yuqing’s hand.
"Shut up!"
The tall young man in the lead shot his companion a harsh glare for losing his composure.
Zhou Qiming’s gaze fell upon Zhang Yuqing. Though he tried his best to hide it, a fire called hunger burned in the depths of his eyes.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
Zhou Qiming asked coldly.
Zhang Yuqing repeated the lines Lin Ye had taught her, explaining that she was a contestant from Dongjiang First Middle School who had gotten separated from her teammates. Starving and thirsty, she hoped to trade her food for their equipment to find her team.
Hearing this, Zhou Qiming first froze, then let out a sneer.
The people behind him also burst into mocking laughter, as if they had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Little girl, are you out of your mind? You think you can trade a few pieces of roasted meat for our Floating Armor?"
"How adorably naive!"
The smile on Zhou Qiming’s face vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold, impatient expression.
"No trade. Get lost!"
Zhang Yuqing’s face paled slightly, but she remembered Lin Ye’s instructions. Gritting her teeth, she continued, "If we can’t trade, then... how about just borrowing it for half a day, or even a few hours! This food is enough for all of you to have a full meal!"
This sentence made the mocking look on Zhou Qiming’s face falter slightly.
He subconsciously glanced at the three silver-gray suits of Exoskeleton Armor beside him, then back at the fatally tempting roasted meat in Zhang Yuqing’s hands. A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
He exchanged a look with the people beside him, and they immediately huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.
Seeing this, a glimmer of hope ignited in Zhang Yuqing’s heart.
’Is this working?’
However, the next second, Zhou Qiming turned back, a cunning and cruel smile on his face.
"Why should we lend it to you?"
He took a step forward, looking down on Zhang Yuqing.
"Besides, what you’re holding is ours now."
Zhang Yuqing’s heart tightened. She subconsciously moved to re-wrap the roasted meat.
But Zhou Qiming sharply caught the movement.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he shot a meaningful look at his companions.
SWISH!
The people around them instantly fanned out, subtly cutting off all of Zhang Yuqing’s escape routes.
"What do you think you’re doing?!" Zhang Yuqing exclaimed in alarm.
"Attacking each other is forbidden in the competition! Killing is against the rules!"
"Who said we were going to kill you?"
Zhou Qiming sneered, taking another step forward and looking down at her.
"Little girl, I suggest you be sensible. Hand over the food, and we’ll let you leave safely."
A blatant threat!
Zhang Yuqing trembled with anger, her teeth clenched.
She remembered Lin Ye’s final words.
’We can always find more food, but I can’t let myself get trapped here!’
She took a deep breath and threw all the roasted meat in her hands onto the ground.
"The food is yours. I’m leaving!"
With that, she turned to leave.
"Stop."
Zhou Qiming’s voice rang out again.
Zhang Yuqing’s steps froze. She whipped her head around, her eyes full of vigilance.
Zhou Qiming jutted his chin toward the roasted meat on the ground, his tone carrying an unquestionable command.
"Pick one up."
"You eat first."
"Eat it. In front of all of us."
In the end, he was still cautious.
The girl’s timing was too coincidental, and the origin of the food was too strange.
To prevent any tricks, he came up with the safest method—
have her test it for poison herself.
At these words, Zhang Yuqing’s face instantly flushed crimson. A huge wave of humiliation washed over her.
But looking at Zhou Qiming’s unyielding gaze and the predatory crowd surrounding her, she knew she had no choice.
She bent down, picked up a still-warm spider leg, and in front of everyone, humiliatingly took a large bite.
The first bite was one of humiliation.
But the moment the crispy shell shattered between her teeth and the tender, plump, snow-white meat with its uniquely savory aroma touched her taste buds...
an indescribable deliciousness coursed through her body like an electric current!
’Delicious!’
’Incredibly delicious!’
An unprecedented hunger erupted from her stomach like a volcano!
She hadn’t eaten all day either!
In the face of extreme hunger and extreme deliciousness, all humiliation and reason were instantly tossed to the winds.
Her mind went blank, leaving only the instinct to eat.
A second bite, a third...
Like a small beast that had starved for three days, she clutched the spider leg and began wolfing it down!
This scene left Zhou Qiming and his companions completely dumbfounded.
Could it really be that good?
The next moment, before Zhou Qiming could say anything, his closest companion couldn’t hold back any longer. With a strange cry, he lunged forward like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, grabbing a piece of roasted meat and stuffing it into his mouth!
"Mmph... delicious! Fucking delicious!"
With one person taking the lead, the rest instantly lost control and swarmed forward!
"Leave some for me!"
Zhou Qiming cursed. Forgetting his dignity as their leader, he joined the scramble for food.
「A few minutes later.」
The satisfied group sat slumped on the ground, burping, their faces radiating bliss.
Everyone had been so focused on grabbing food that no one had paid any attention to Zhang Yuqing.
Zhang Yuqing took advantage of the chaos to run.
Just then, Zhou Qiming saw Zhang Yuqing stagger a few steps away before her body went limp and she collapsed to the ground.
The sight instantly jolted the still-groggy, freshly-fed Zhou Qiming to full alert!
’Poison!’
The thought flashed through his mind like lightning!
He tried to jump to his feet.
But, the next second...
an irresistible wave of fatigue and drowsiness washed over him.
His eyelids felt as heavy as lead. A numb, weak feeling spread through his limbs, and he couldn’t muster an ounce of strength.
He watched helplessly as his companions collapsed one by one, letting out steady snores.
"You... you..."
He used his last bit of strength to point in the direction where Zhang Yuqing had fallen, but his consciousness was rapidly sinking into a dark abyss.
Zhou Qiming cursed aloud, but his voice was weak and feeble, like a leaking bellows.
"Dammit, she screwed me..."
He tried to stand.
But what flooded his limbs wasn’t strength, but a bone-deep weakness and drowsiness.
His eyelids were heavy as mountains.
The whole world was spinning, the bonfire’s light stretching into blurred trails.
"Get... get her!"
He roared at his companions, using the last of his strength.
"Don’t let her get away!"
However, the only response was a few heavy, satisfied snores.
His companions, who had been full of vigor just moments ago, were now lying scattered on the ground, sleeping like logs. Some even had a faint, blissful smile on their faces as if savoring the taste.
The world in Zhou Qiming’s eyes faded completely to black.