Chapter 44: Do Not Look Down on Women (4/4)

Liu Mengchao will likely never know what it feels like to have a knife twisted inside one’s stomach. However, watching the face of Old Snake contort before him, he could grasp a sliver of the experience.

Pain. Extreme, agonizing pain.

In an instant, Old Snake’s forehead was drenched in sweat. Beads of perspiration, as large as soybeans, erupted from his skin, rolled down, and splashed onto the floor, mingling with the fresh blood spilling from his abdomen.

Zhen Qianting yanked upward on the knife handle. With a sharp crunch, Old Snake’s entire body spasmed as if struck by lightning. The tip of the blade scraped against his bone, producing a sickening, grinding sound.

"Why..."

Old Snake could no longer support himself. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground just as Liu Mengchao had, though he lacked a girl like Akazawa Izumi to wipe away tears and tend to him. He was entirely alone.

"You ask why?"

Zhen Qianting looked at Old Snake as if he were an idiot. She bent down, picked up Liu Mengchao’s black Ebony pistol from the floor, and toyed with it in her hand.

"Isn’t it obvious? Since I’ve already chosen to kill one, I have absolutely no psychological burden about killing another." She walked over to Old Snake and tapped his face with her gun, the sound sharp and rhythmic.

"Remember, it is human nature to look out for oneself; those who don't are doomed," Zhen Qianting said with a smile. "And never underestimate women. They aren't dumber than you; they just enjoy watching you jump around like a clown before them."

"You!"

Old Snake tried to shout in agitation, but a large mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering across Zhen Qianting’s face. Instead of being repulsed, the woman only smiled more brightly.

*Thwack!*

Before Old Snake could react, Zhen Qianting’s high-heeled shoe came down hard on his fingers—specifically the hand wearing the ring.

"I’ve suspected this ring of yours was problematic for a while. Now, you don't even have a last-ditch chance to turn the tables. Teacher Zhang, is there anything else you’d like to say?"

Zhen Qianting’s tone was gentle, and the smile on her face was warm, yet to Old Snake’s ears, her words felt as cold as a winter frost.

"Just one last question: why did you save him?" Old Snake’s eyes were filled with confusion. In his mind, even if she intended to eliminate him, it should have waited until after Liu Mengchao was dead, leaving the two of them to settle their own score.

"Because of the newly issued mission."

Liu Mengchao’s voice suddenly drifted over to Old Snake.

"Three days from now, we have to name the 'extra' person," Liu Mengchao said, the corners of his mouth curling upward. Everything had been a mission of his own design.

"If we fail to identify this extra person, or if we guess the wrong name, five thousand Main God points will be deducted," Zhen Qianting added, her eyes narrowing. "Do you know what that means?"

"Erasure..."

"Exactly. It seems you haven't lost your mind yet, Teacher Zhang. I admit, the extra person could be Liu Mengchao, but what if I’m wrong? I wouldn’t have another chance to find someone else. My life is far too precious to be used as a test subject for your answers!"

"This is absurd!" Old Snake shrieked in desperation, much like the surging prize pool visible in front of Liu Mengchao.

Prize Pool Amount: 910,000!

Liu Mengchao smiled. He was perfectly willing to answer Old Snake’s doubts, for he had discovered that whenever he voiced Zhen Qianting’s inner thoughts, the smile on her face grew more radiant. And each time that happened, the amount in the prize pool before him surged even more rapidly.

"If the Main God hadn't issued those two follow-up tasks, Zhen Qianting teaming up with you to kill me would have been perfectly fine," Liu Mengchao said slowly. His voice was quiet, but it only made Zhen Qianting’s smile broaden. This woman loved watching men pretend to be indifferent while trying to curry favor with her—especially a veteran like Liu Mengchao.

To have a veteran groveling to a newcomer while he lay in a pool of his own blood—Zhen Qianting could imagine nothing more delightful.

She burst into laughter.

"He’s absolutely right. If the Main God hadn't promised five thousand points and a D-rank side quest for killing the 'extra' person, I would be killing that man alongside you right now."

She offered a light smile and aimed the gun at Liu Mengchao, who lay cradled in Akazawa Izumi’s arms.

"But everything is different now. As long as I kill the extra person, I will be able to live well in the next world. I will be able to survive, forever!"

"Survive! You’d betray me just to survive!" Old Snake roared in fury, but to Zhen Qianting, his cries were nothing more than useless whimpering that only made her smile more vivid.

"I get it! You don't trust me!" Old Snake’s gaze turned vicious. "You have to realize, my status is different from yours!"

"Different status?"

At this point, Liu Mengchao knew that no matter what Old Snake said, Zhen Qianting would only view it as the desperate pleas of a dying man. It served no purpose other than to distract.

No, wait—it did have a purpose.

Liu Mengchao watched the prize pool before him; it was growing rapidly.

Prize Pool Amount: 930,000.

"I am a person of the Main God!" Old Snake was completely panicked now, screaming at the top of his lungs, terrified that Zhen Qianting wouldn't believe him. For Old Snake, as long as he could survive, anything was negotiable.

"It’s useless."

Liu Mengchao shattered Old Snake’s illusions.

"Can’t you see what she’s thinking? Since the 'extra' person is among us reincarnators, as long as she kills the two of us men, the remaining high school girl won't be a match for her."

"Exactly!" Zhen Qianting laughed happily. "And when the time comes, I only need to listen to the Main God’s prompt to know which one of you is the true 'extra'. The side quest rewards, the Main God points—the moment you die, I’ll know everything."

Zhen Qianting turned slowly, pointing her gun at Liu Mengchao’s head, just as Old Snake had done earlier. With a smile of pity and triumph, she looked at him.

"You should feel regret, veteran. If you hadn't treated these plot characters as if they were real people, you might not be dying right now—dying at the end of your own gun."

Zhen Qianting clicked the safety off the Ebony, closed her eyes, and smiled at Liu Mengchao.

"Don't be too kind to these plot characters in the future. If you have a next life, remember: in this reincarnation world, only those who are ruthless can survive!"

The trigger pulled back!

*Click!*

The gun did not fire.

How is this possible? Zhen Qianting’s eyes snapped open, but all she saw was Liu Mengchao’s blindingly sharp smile.

"At what point did you think a veteran’s gear could be toyed with by any random newcomer?"

Before Liu Mengchao’s voice had even faded, a gunshot rang out.

*Bang!*

A crisp sound, and a spray of blood bloomed across her shoulder.

"Don't underestimate women so easily, Liu Mengchao."

The voice came from behind Zhen Qianting. Liu Ling stood there, pulling Misaki Mei close. Together, they held the other pistol—the one that hadn't appeared until now.

The white Ivory. The thin wisp of smoke curling from its barrel told the story: the bullet that had just been fired came from here.

"You can stand up now, Liu Mengchao."

No answer. Only a smile.

Prize Pool Amount: 950,000!