“What difference does this make from killing us?” The sturdy man’s face turned extremely grim.
“I’m curious, though. How did they convince you? Was it a one-for-one trade—one person’s life for yours, regardless of the outcome?”
Lin Zhen stepped forward, shielding Yun Ruoxi behind him.
The sturdy man fell silent for several seconds, then let out a faint “Mm” and said, “We just want a way to survive.”
Lin Zhen didn’t back down; instead, he pressed on, “And you really believe what they told you?”
“Aren’t you the same?” The man sneered repeatedly, then suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of dark red blood.
“Big Brother!” The other three, seeing this, turned pale and instinctively took a step forward in unison.
The sturdy man covered his mouth with his right hand, but did not stop them.
Lin Zhen and Yun Ruoxi drew closer together, assuming a fighting stance.
The man slowly lowered his hand, now stained pink with blood foam.
His lips parted slightly, and the airflow within the cavern abruptly shifted, madly surging toward him.
His abdomen swelled as before, his temples bulged, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
He looked as if he wasn’t wounded at all.
“This is the last time I’ll ask: fight, or make peace?”
His roar, carried by a wave of sound, swept through the cavern, making the stones on the ground tremble and sending a persistent ringing through Yun Ruoxi’s and Lin Zhen’s ears.
The two exchanged a glance.
All eyes were fixed on them—four combat masters, the remaining criminals, and even the awakened trainees—all waiting for their final answer.
This decision would determine everyone’s fate and whether this place would turn into a brutal battleground.
Almost everyone thought they would compromise.
After all, from any perspective, the demands of these four weren’t excessive; one could even say they’d already made their last concession.
However— “I refuse!” “No way!”
Lin Zhen and Yun Ruoxi spoke in unison.
「Tagakotowa~」
「That level of tacit understanding still needs more practice.」
「Spend more time syncing up in bed, and you’ll be perfectly in tune. (dog head)」
“You…?” The sturdy man was stunned; he never imagined such a humble request would be refused.
“With limited strength, I do what I can. What I can’t see, I can’t manage, but what’s right in front of me—I can’t just ignore it,” Lin Zhen explained calmly.
“Justice with limits, is it?” The sturdy man scoffed mockingly.
“No. This has nothing to do with justice. It’s simply a different standpoint.”
Lin Zhen never thought what he did now was righteous.
Hunting criminals to pass the Survival Test, and criminals hunting trainees to survive—there was no essential difference.
In this dark forest called Thin Mist Forest, everyone was just a “criminal” driven by the war camp.
Because his standpoint was with the trainees, saving his companions was the only right choice.
“So, if it’s a fight you want, then let’s fight.” Yun Ruoxi stepped out from beside Lin Zhen, finishing the last words.
She slowly lowered her right hand from her forehead, and in her crimson eyes, it seemed as though starlight was flowing.
The stones on the ground began to tremble almost imperceptibly.
The sturdy man’s gaze sharpened, his right hand lifted and clenched.
Just as everyone thought he was about to go all-out against the young man and woman, he suddenly backed down, dropping his hand and striding right past them with dignity.
“Fine. We’re leaving!”
“Big Brother?! Why?!”
The other three were reluctant.
The man who had attacked with the stone clenched his fists.
“Four against two—we have the advantage!”
“There’s no ‘why.’ Let’s go!” The sturdy man grabbed his companion’s shoulder, his voice low and brooking no argument.
Though unwilling, the group finally turned and left, their figures disappearing into the depths of the tunnel.
Yun Ruoxi and Lin Zhen did not stop them. Only after the four disappeared into the passage did the girl toss out a spherical drone, instructing softly:
“Go. Keep an eye on them. If they try to ambush us outside, come back and tell me immediately.”
The drone slipped silently into the darkness.
Only then did Yun Ruoxi relax her tense body, once again covering her increasingly painful forehead.
“Those criminals…” She looked at Lin Zhen.
Lin Zhen met her gaze, then said quietly, “Rest. I’ll handle them.”
Though he knew Yun Ruoxi’s hands were already stained with blood, there was a world of difference between killing enemies in battle and executing defenseless ones.
“Okay.”
Yun Ruoxi did not insist, leaning back slowly against a stone pillar and sitting down.
Thanks to Star Frost’s blessing, she was on the verge of awakening and didn’t need to rely on extreme emotions like other trainees.
With her S-rank willpower, she could forcibly tap into her Star Energy bloodline.
But the price was her mind would be torn apart.
Just now, to force the other side to retreat, she’d tapped into that power again, and the pain that had begun to subside only worsened.
Lin Zhen walked over to the criminals.
Amid their wretched pleas for mercy, it was as if he wanted to etch this sin deep into his soul—he looked straight into their terrified eyes and took off his Ranger gloves.
With both hands, as swiftly and painlessly as possible, he twisted their fragile necks one by one.
“Sorry. This has nothing to do with anything else—it’s just survival.”
He watched the last criminal collapse softly to the ground and spoke quietly.
「Ruthless. I’m starting to like this male lead.」
「It’s only the fourth chapter and so many have died. Is this going to turn into another Akame ga Kill?」
「Ha, what a guy~」
「Those four are so cowardly. They didn’t even try to fight?」
Following the passage out of the cave, the sturdy man led his three companions deep into the forest without once looking back.
Only when the rock wall had completely vanished from sight did they stop.
“Why?”
This time, the one who spoke was a younger man among the three, his demeanor calm.
“I don’t agree with Third Brother’s impulsiveness, but I think leaving in disgrace like this and risking never seeing another prey again—wouldn’t it be better to fight to the death? For a martial artist, dying in battle is an honorable death.”
Another nodded silently.
“If there’d been even the slightest chance of winning, I wouldn’t have backed down. But sorry—I didn’t see any.” Big Brother coughed violently, spitting out one blood clot after another.
His complexion gradually improved, and he continued, “Both those kids have Star Energy fluctuations. Both are on the verge of awakening. If we’d fought to the death, we’d have had no chance.”
“What, both of them are about to awaken?” Third Brother exclaimed, “They’re so young…”
“Even now, you still can’t see it?” Big Brother’s face was bleak. “They’re using us as grindstones—to hone the sharpest blades in the world!”
He slammed a fist down on the rock beneath him.
With a crisp “crack,” he raged, “I’d rather die than let them succeed.”
“So what do we do next?” the young Fourth Brother asked.
“Let me think… think…”
Big Brother rubbed his temples, his gaze wandering, as if lost in thought.