Chapter 7

“The third round of the experiment will take place outdoors. We are handing out maps now. The locations of the treasures are marked on the map. As long as you can bring back one treasure, you will have completed the experiment.” Glasses Guy flashed that punchable fake smile again as we each received a map.

It was a circular map of the island, with six locations marked with treasure chest icons.

Only six? But there were still about twenty of us left. Meaning, another battle royale game?

“The reward this time is five million dollars. However, the rules have changed slightly. You are free to form teams. As long as the treasure is found, everyone in the team is considered to have completed the task. Those who don’t find the treasure will not receive the participation reward this time. The experiment begins in fifteen minutes. Start preparing.”

Glasses Guy threw the main doors open. The long-forgotten fresh air blew into the room, making everyone feel reinvigorated.

Zhang Zilong shot me a look. I nodded and moved toward him. A timid voice sounded behind me.

“Brother Zhou, can I come with you?” Xiaodie looked at me pleadingly.

“Don’t you have enough money for your mother’s treatment? Why don’t you quit?” I asked in return.

“I asked Dr. Wen just now. He said withdrawals are not allowed for this round.” Xiaodie’s voice trembled slightly.

So that guy with the glasses was a doctor. A doctor of what? Researching human depravity?

“Did you… kill someone in the room?” I stared straight at her.

“No, I wouldn’t dare kill anyone! That old lady kept hitting me and tried to strangle me. I was just struggling to break free. I pushed her away, she hit her head on the edge of the table and passed out. I didn’t mean to.” Xiaodie waved her hands defensively, tears streaming down her pale face.

My heart softened. I took her hand and walked over to Zhang Zilong.

“Who is she?” Zhang Zilong asked in a low voice.

“A good person.”

I looked out at the boundless ocean in the distance, suddenly missing my kind-hearted wife and adorable daughter terribly. Could I still go home?

I had no wilderness survival experience, and Xiaodie had even less. Zhang Zilong snapped off three branches and used his knife to whittle them into walking sticks. He led the way, Xiaodie stayed in the middle, and I brought up the rear. We chose the treasure to the south. On the map, the distance was only seven or eight centimeters, but in reality, it was over twenty kilometers. We stumbled our way forward. After walking for about three hours, all three of us were parched. Zhang Zilong pointed to a small stream on the right side of the forest: “Let’s rest a bit.”

Girls like to be clean, so Xiaodie rolled up her sleeves and splashed some water on her face. Just as she cupped her hands to take a drink, she saw something by the stream and let out a sharp, piercing shriek.

Zhang Zilong leaped up and covered the distance in a few massive strides. When he saw clearly what it was, he sucked in a sharp breath.

It was a corpse. I still remembered the guy—he was the one who laughed weirdly and started biting people in the first round, the one who left the teeth marks on my arm. His death was gruesome. It looked like he had been mauled to death by wild animals. The flesh on his thighs had been picked clean, and his eyeballs had been gouged out.

“What’s going on?” I sensed danger approaching.

“Hyenas. There are hyenas in these woods. We have to leave right now. They left the carcass here, they’ll be back soon.” Zhang Zilong’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat. He threw his backpack on and gestured for us to follow.

But it was too late. A subtle panting sound came from the slope above. I looked up and saw a pair of yellow-brown eyes. A hyena was crouched down, sickening drool dripping from its fangs.

“You guys run first, wait for me under the waterfall up ahead!” Zhang Zilong blocked our path, pulling a dagger from his waist.

In a flash, the hyena lunged at Zhang Zilong’s shoulder. Its teeth were like blades, tearing off a chunk of his flesh. Zhang Zilong roared and thrust his knife back up into the beast’s belly, and man and beast wrestled together. Man is the master of all things, but in this savage wilderness, the beast had the upper hand, right?

The hyena leaped back in pain, intestines slipping from its abdomen. It raised its head and let out a bloodcurdling howl.

“It’s calling for its pack, run!”

Zhang Zilong urged us again, but just as he turned his head, the hyena pounced on his leg. Even at death’s door, it maintained such ferocious aggression. No wonder these creatures were kings of the African savanna. Zhang Zilong engaged with the hyena again. A few answering calls echoed from the east side of the forest. I gritted my teeth, grabbed the terrified Xiaodie, and ran west.

“We’ll wait for you up ahead!” I shouted back at him.

“Got it.”

Zhang Zilong didn’t look at me, bringing his knife down on the hyena’s neck once more.