Chapter 36 The Condition for Annihilation: "Human hearts cannot withstand the test."...

The light cord was so prominent that Liang Jun didn't even need to stand up or stretch her arms to touch the end of the cord.

The two dark figures had fully regained their freedom of movement, and one of them was drifting towards them.

As they got closer, Liang Jun realized that the demon not only had bat wings, but also a classic pumpkin head atop his so-called "body skeleton."

A lifelike pumpkin head was carved atop the shadowy figure. This added a touch of the absurd to the already terrifying appearance.

As expected, it fits the question perfectly; it really does have a Halloween feel to it.

But Liang Xun quickly dismissed the joking thought. She gradually noticed that the demon approaching them didn't seem to have any intention of slowing down.

What's the meaning?

Did they choose the wrong method of hiding?

Gu Keke also noticed this unusual behavior.

She braced herself on both sides of the seat. "Sister Jun, how about we switch seats?"

Despite saying that, and using both hands to pull herself up from her seat, she couldn't manage it.

A hint of panic flashed across Gu Keke's face.

"Sister, I think I'm locked into this orange seat, I can't get out!"

"What?"

After her reminder, Liang Jun tentatively tried to move around.

The result was that they felt as if they were bound by an invisible safety belt. As soon as a player tried to leave their seat, they would be firmly fixed in place, unable to move.

As the demon drew closer and closer, Gu Keke's voice trembled slightly.

“Sister Jun, we…”

"Don't panic."

Although Liang Jun said that, she wasn't really sure about it.

They are now unable to move freely; the only thing they can do is pull on the burlap lamp cord above their heads.

The light cable is connected to the parking light, which has a constantly lit green light.

As a switch to control the parking lights, if she chooses to pull the light cord, it may result in the lights turning off or changing the color of the lights.

This is the only thing we can do now.

Almost in a flash, the ravenous demon had already rushed to Liang Xun and Gu Keke's car.

At this critical moment, Liang Jun reached out and grabbed the end of the burlap lamp cord, pulling it off forcefully.

The parking lights made a crisp sound.

Gu Keke's gaze was subconsciously drawn to Liang Jun's arm, and she shook it rapidly.

"Sister, the parking light has turned red!"

As the lights changed, the bat demon that had swooped down in front of them seemed to be under a spell, and it floated motionless in place.

Liang Jun quickly glanced at the red parking lights, and then, in front of the devil, she tried to struggle, only to find that she could now move normally.

"Hurry!" She stepped out of the car first, pulling Gu Keke out before the bat demon could get to her. "Let's take this opportunity to escape!"

The seat's protective mechanism must have worked, but they didn't know how long it would freeze the demon, so the two of them had to seize every moment and act quickly.

Zhang Weiming was at the end of their area when he saw Liang Xun and Gu Keke running towards him as if their lives depended on it. He thought they had finally seen the light and chosen to come to him.

He opened his arms to them from his seat, as if to welcome them. But to his surprise, the two women didn't even glance at him, quickly turning a corner in front of him and running into another parking area.

Zhang Weiming awkwardly withdrew his arm, then, as if in a fit of pique, kicked the dilapidated car that was about to fall apart.

Gu Keke only needed to follow Liang Xun, while Liang Xun ran towards the parking area where there were no demons chasing them for the time being.

The wind whistled past her ears as she ran, and Liang Jun felt that familiar smell of blood spreading from her throat again.

"Take a look, has the demon begun its move?"

Gu Keke quickly turned around, but her steps were not affected.

"It hasn't moved yet; it's still stuck in place."

Liang Jun breathed a sigh of relief. "The freeze lasted quite a long time."

She glanced around and found no remaining bat demons; she had also escaped the previous one's pursuit. Liang Jun pulled Gu Keke against the wall, where they sat down to rest for the time being.

Just as the two were adjusting their breathing, the system suddenly popped up a sound.

[Hidden rule triggered.]

2. The soul originates from the rainbow. Rainbows are beautiful.

"What are the rules of this instance?" Gu Keke wrinkled her nose. "Can you speak in plain language? I don't want to go through a life-or-death challenge and then have to do reading comprehension on the side."

But it is clear that Liang Jun has already done this so-called "reading comprehension".

“This rule confirms our earlier conjecture,” Liang Jun said, her head bowed, suppressing the metallic taste of blood in her throat. “Rainbows are beautiful, which means that rainbow-colored seats are safe. So, all we need to do now is avoid the non-rainbow-colored seats.”

Gu Keke nodded in sudden realization.

Following the system notification was a series of screams coming from different directions in the parking lot.

Excluding the mother and daughter who had already died, and further excluding Liang Jun and Gu Keke, only thirty-four players remained in the arena.

Several players did not survive the first round of pursuit.

The demon completed the devouring process while seated.

Liang Jun located the positions of the players who had perished by observing the monster's shadow. Without exception, they had all chosen seats that weren't rainbow-colored.

Once seated, players cannot change seats at will. Therefore, these players can only watch helplessly as death approaches, devouring their last vestiges of life.

Liang Xun seemed to have discovered something. She slightly turned her head towards Gu Keke, but her gaze remained fixed on the players in the distance.

"The demon can only capture one person at a time, did you realize that?"

Reminded, Gu Keke also focused her gaze on the distance. Without much thought, she understood Liang Xun's implied meaning.

"There are only five demons on the field, which means that if these demons act at the same time, they can only capture a maximum of five players at a time, right?"

Liang Xun nodded. "But that possibility is very small. For example, the demon we just froze wouldn't be on the same action line as other demons. In other words, the number of demons captured at one time will be less than five players."

"Then we can use this advantage to prolong the demon's pursuit!"

Gu Keke seemed to have suddenly had her Ren and Du meridians opened up, her thoughts racing. "As long as we can use the seat's protection mechanism to freeze these demons at the right time, we can even achieve the feat of freezing all five demons!"

“That makes sense, but it’s very difficult to do,” Liang Xun offered an objective assessment, her brows furrowing slightly. “It requires all the players present to work together. Do you think, given the current situation, anyone will choose to cooperate with other players?”

Liang Jun discovered that it seemed to take a long time for a demon to devour a player.

It will probably last about three minutes.

For those players who have already chosen the wrong seats and are stuck, these three minutes are the most agonizing time.

They will be trapped in place, and no matter how much they struggle, they will not be able to escape that invisible bondage.

Death, indulging in its feast, will not hesitate. The bat wings and pumpkin head respectively symbolize rapid movement and the enjoyment of food.

These utterly tragic players could only watch helplessly as death drifted towards them, then darkness enveloped them, turning them into a part of death as well.

The scene of the brutal murder was truly gruesome, but Liang Jun tried her best to remain calm and sift through the evidence to glean any useful clues.

The demon will prioritize targeting and capturing players whose seats are the wrong color.

Liang Jun turned her gaze to the other players next to her, whose movements were also restricted by their seats.

They all chose seats in the correct rainbow colors. However, unlike Liang Jun and Gu Keke, the parking lights above these players' heads were still green.

The motionless linen light cord hung above them, but the players, on edge, didn't even notice the small object.

The players who had already escaped didn't seem to have any intention of informing them.

Seeing Gu Keke bending over, seemingly trying to sneak away, Liang Xun reacted quickly and pulled her back.

"Where are you going?" Liang Jun's tone was unusually serious.

“They didn’t pull the light cord.” Gu Keke’s eyes showed some worry. “With the parking light green, the seats are completely useless for protection—if this continues, they will die.”

Without saying a word, Liang Jun pulled her to his side.

Because of her excessive force, Gu Keke stumbled and fell to the ground.

"And what about you? Do you think your current actions are any different from simply rushing in to your death?"

"I……"

Gu Keke was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain.

Liang Jun pressed her advantage, "If you reveal your location and those demons turn around and chase after you while you're running, how do you plan to avoid them?"

“Of course, the rainbow-colored seats!” Gu Keke answered decisively. “After sitting down, turning on the light will freeze the demon’s actions.”

Do you think you're very smart?

Liang Xun snorted coldly, startling Gu Keke.

This was the first time she had ever seen Liang Jun treat her this way.

"If it's really that simple, do you think Zhang Weiming wouldn't lend a helping hand?"

Following Liang Xuan's words, Gu Keke turned around and looked at Zhang Weiming, who had completely hidden himself.

He had successfully evaded the first round of tracking, and now, like the others, he did not choose a new seat, but stood not far from the players, watching with his arms crossed.

“Zhang Weiming’s team has already lost two players, so they were already at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. Plus, he’s the kind of person who tries every means to win over others.”

Liang Jun calmly analyzed, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If he thinks the same way you do now, then those he saves will naturally be willing to risk their lives for him."

She changed the subject, "But guess why he didn't take action?"

People like Zhang Weiming are shrewd and calculating, and they can calculate things better than anyone else.

His unwillingness to do this deal suggests there's a more sinister side to it, one that Liang Jun and Gu Keke are currently unaware of.

A cold sweat broke out on Gu Keke's back. "Then they..."

"Put your kindness aside for now, even though I know it's cruel."

Liang Jun's expression remained unchanged, as if she were already used to this kind of scene. "But that's just how this instance is. We can only do our best to ensure our own survival..."

“Because,” Liang Jun paused for a moment, “the human heart cannot withstand the test.”

Just as they were arguing, the demons floated towards the poor player.

These poor people are unaware that they possess the power to change their own destiny.

They naturally assumed that as long as they sat in the rainbow-colored seats, everything would be fine. Seeing the devil slowly drifting towards them, some even trembled and closed their eyes.

They clasped their hands together, pressed them to their chests, and prayed to God, who transcends the world, to save their lives.

The linen light cord swayed above the surging shadows.

From beginning to end, their fate was in their own hands; they simply chose to give it up.

The gruesome deaths of these players awakened the remaining players in their seats. They suddenly realized that pulling the light cord and changing the lighting was the last resort to evade tracking.

Several red lights suddenly appeared in the parking lot, each one glaringly bright.

Seeing this, Gu Keke breathed a sigh of relief, "At least it's still..."

Before she could finish speaking, the familiar, horrific scream rang out again.

This time, not only Gu Keke, but even Liang Xuan's face showed disbelief.

How could that be? These players clearly chose the correct seats!

Liang Jun stood up, supporting herself against the wall, and used the difference in elevation to see the details on the other side more clearly.

The bat demons are cruelly devouring the players. And beneath them are indeed rainbow-colored seats; the parking lights overhead are also flashing a warning red.

All the key points matched Liang Xun's thinking—

These should be the conditions for successfully dodging.

But now, a completely different result has emerged.

That's right...

Where exactly did things go wrong...?

A chill ran through Liang Jun, and a dense, eerie feeling crept up her back, enveloping her in numbness, and seeped into her brain.

It seems there was some rule that I overlooked from the very beginning.

There are probably more conditions under which a system can eliminate an application.

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Author's note: I don't know why, but since I came home, I've been going to bed much earlier...

I think I have a condition called "feeling sleepy at home"...