One by one, green dwarfs, about half a person's height, tumbled and tumbled, like circus acrobats, popping out from the starting point of the track.
The scream came from the woman on the eighteenth. Due to prolonged pressure and panic, she was surrounded by several green-skinned dwarves and had no will to resist except to wail. The dwarves each had a knife and were happily cutting into the flesh of their prey, even swallowing the scraps of cloth from their clothes without wasting a single bit.
The dwarves on the other tracks waved their gleaming knives as if in celebration, grinning with their big yellow teeth, running, jumping and laughing with great excitement.
How could I not be excited? Who wouldn't be happy to see plates of free, delicious food right in front of them!
Cheng Shuang turned around and started running with all her might, her two thin legs taking big strides.
She heard several dwarves behind her making strange "heh heh heh" sounds, like air leaking from their throats, as they chased after her step by step. Several times she could feel the coldness of blades slicing through her clothes.
The screams continued, tormenting everyone's eardrums like a sharp blade hanging over their heads, with no one knowing when the thin thread would be severed and the knife would fall, killing them.
The little girl shivered, but the more frightened she became, the clearer her mind became, and a thought popped into her head as her face turned pale.
These little monsters must have eaten alive, otherwise that aunt wouldn't still be able to scream and linger for so long.
Compared to men, women don't have much of an advantage in physical strength, let alone children with poor physical condition.
Even Liu Juan, who spends a lot of money on weight loss at the gym every month, can't guarantee that she can outrun a starving monster with eyes glowing green.
Despite their short stature, these green dwarves are incredibly fast. They can sometimes stand on all fours and step on a fellow human to float far away like a balloon, proving that their weight is an anomaly—they are frighteningly light.
Even so, no one dared to underestimate them, because in just a few minutes, they quickly caught up with the woman who was lagging behind.
The woman's steps were unsteady, and she wasn't running very fast; she was clearly pinning all her hopes on the suitcase she was pulling.
She ran while frantically banging on the box and shouting, seemingly hoping that the gift would have a different effect and save her.
No matter how much she screamed, cursed, and begged, she was eventually surrounded and attacked by the dwarves, and the box was gnawed to pieces by the curious dwarves.
A piercing scream, like a duet, ripped through the sky once more.
At this moment, both men who gave up the prize looked relieved, while the woman who was originally holding the wooden statue also threw the heavy object in her arms behind her.
The fallen statue did indeed confuse the dwarf, buying her some time.
But it was only for a short time.
On the contrary, the green-skinned dwarves, their mouths full of wood chips, felt deeply cheated. Their appetites were not satisfied, and they became even more furious, chasing after the dwarves with even greater madness.
He leaped a few steps, brandished the dagger, and tore at flesh...
The constant cries of pain brought the participants to the brink of collapse.
What's even more disheartening is that the end of the runway seems impossibly far away, with no end in sight.
The little girl had already gained experience from surviving a brush with death, and tried her best to ignore the distracting noises from the outside world. Although she was uncertain, she was less confused than when she was suddenly trapped in the thick fog, and had more of the natural curiosity that is unique to children.
Her strength was rapidly waning, her body, which hadn't exercised in a long time, could barely keep up, but her mind was racing with unusual calm, filled with a desire to explore this goal-oriented competition.
If it were simply about killing people for food, there would be no need to go to the trouble of setting up a runway; there must be something she overlooked.
Cheng Shuang tried to regulate her breathing and looked at the fastest running adults. If calculated in parallel planes, some of the dwarves chasing them had already overtaken her. Obviously, due to some kind of restriction, their speed varied according to the speed of their prey.
A sudden idea struck the little girl, and she quickly turned around to look. The four dwarfs were chasing her from a distance, neither too close nor too far. If she was fast, they were even faster. When they met her gaze, they quickened their pace and brandished their daggers as a threat.
The young girl quickly glanced at Liu Juan, who was even slower and ranked last among the participants. The plump woman was covered in sweat, staggered as she ran, and looked pained, as if she had twisted her ankle.
Liu Juan's eyes were glazed over, clearly she was already mentally prepared, while the dwarfs, baring their teeth and claws, were about to pounce on her and knock her to the ground.
Fortunately, although this woman looked somewhat weak, she had a strong will in her bones. She just kept running and for a while she was evenly matched with the thin man with blood flowing from his leg on the other track. The two of them became competitors for second to last place.
The faces of the dwarves on their runway shifted between surprise and anger.
The little girl suddenly had a bold guess.
Since it's a runway, there must be rules associated with it.
The last-place finisher becomes the dwarves' prey, their primary target. If several equally skilled individuals appear in a short period, taking turns occupying the last place, the dwarves will be overwhelmed.
However, there was no basis for this. She was too young to easily express her speculations to the adults and verify their authenticity.
Moreover, there were four dwarves behind her, eager for a feast, forcing her to keep running.
So far, no one's gift has played any special role, including the teddy bear in Cheng Shuang's arms, although its very existence is the best reward for the little girl.
The few women were reaching their limits; the long track and the aggressive dwarves behind them were almost destroying their will.
Cheng Shuang slowed down, bit her lip, and called out to Liu Juan, who was staggering and almost suffocating, "Sister, let's try maintaining a speed of two seconds fast and two seconds slow!"
Liu Juan, who was already sweating profusely from the pain, was stunned and looked up at the little girl with a puzzled expression.
"Sister, trying is our last hope, and... let's pray they don't understand Chinese." The little girl, panting, uttered her first lame joke.
Shouting across the distance takes too much effort, and Cheng Shuang couldn't explain much. She could only hope that Liu Juan wouldn't hesitate because she was a child.
Although Liu Juan didn't understand, she could feel the sharp edge of the blade slicing towards her back. Unconsciously, she chose to trust someone who would be her pillar of support in this life-or-death situation, even if that person was a twelve-year-old girl.
After all, this little girl had saved her life before.
Cheng Shuang slowed down, taking the place of the thin man who had already overtaken Liu Juan. They took turns walking in front and behind Liu Juan, chanting "One, two, one, two" to complete the rest of the journey.
Women's mental strength always erupts at unexpected moments. The other two girls who were lagging behind had obviously developed resistance after a long period of panic. After a little observation, they discovered the benefits of this pattern. Soon, the four of them moved in rare unison, changing their speed in an orderly manner every three seconds.
Their actions were undoubtedly cheating. The dwarfs lacked the cunning of humans, but they were instinctively annoyed by the fact that the cooked duck kept flying away.
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