Chapter 39: Foul

Tiger didn't even have time to cry out before he looked ahead in pleasant surprise.

A thick net dropped right in front of them. The car plowed into it, and its speed dropped noticeably.

Then came a second net, and a third.

Bolstered by Yan Jing's Fear Stance, the car smashed into them one after another.

Tiger glanced at the dashboard and felt a jolt of shock.

The car's speed had already dropped to twenty-five miles per hour.

Now, all they had to do was safely reach the buffer zone...

"I'm afraid we're in trouble..."

Yan Jing suddenly spoke. Filtering through the black flames, his voice sounded warped, as if scorched by the heat.

Yet his tone remained entirely calm, even carrying a hint of amusement.

Tiger checked the rearview mirror, only to see the cluster of trucks behind them accelerating in unison. The gap between them was rapidly shrinking.

"Are they suicidal?!"

Tiger roared in disbelief.

"Each person can only participate in a project once. If they manage to box us in, they won't just get their stamps—they'll minimize their own damage by using us as a sacrifice."

Yan Jing's lips curled up as he calmly analyzed the situation.

Watching the oncoming pack of trucks in the rearview mirror, he suddenly craved a cigarette.

It was a pity Xu Weizhou wasn't around.

Forget it. He didn't have the skills of that middle-aged taxi driver from the Surface World; it was best not to try driving one-handed.

...

...

To the left of the track's starting line stood a towering Viewing Platform.

From up here, one could see the entire death race unfold.

It had taken Mantou a great deal of effort to finally climb the stairs. Now she gripped the railing tightly, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on car number six, where Yan Jing sat.

Seeing the pack of trucks move to box in Yan Jing's car, a flash of anxiety crossed her small face. She dragged her body along, limping over to Zebra, who was also watching the race.

"H-hello... sir... they... they committed a foul!!!"

She pointed at the track, gesturing frantically as she tried her best to make herself understood.

Zebra looked at Mantou standing so close to him and subtly shifted two steps to the side.

He cleared his throat.

"That doesn't count as a foul."

"Doesn't... count... as a foul?"

Mantou stared blankly at the track. The trucks had nearly caught up to Yan Jing, and not far ahead of them lay the decelerating mud pit that served as the buffer zone.

"Foul... foul... they... there are... so many of them... so many boxing in Y-Yan... J-Jing..."

She grew frantic, her hands gesturing wildly.

Seeing Mantou grow increasingly agitated, Zebra subtly shifted another two steps to the side.

Then, in a patient and even tone, he explained the rules to her in as much detail as possible.

He rarely did this, but the situation this time was different.

One afternoon many years ago, he and a group of colleagues had accidentally witnessed what this girl looked like when she lost control. That was the very reason they had later secretly let her leave the Amusement Park.

So many years had passed, and he had assumed her condition would have improved. But looking at her now, not only had she not improved, she was actually far more prone to losing control than before.

"...So you see, miss, they haven't committed a foul."

Having finished, Zebra looked at the gradually calming Mantou and secretly clenched his fist in triumph.

Thanks to his rigorous logic and well-articulated explanation, he had managed to defuse the situation.

He had cleverly exploited the linguistic loophole in the silly girl's words.

No one had committed a foul in this race.

Because there were absolutely no rules.

The whole thing was simply rigged from the start.

"N-no foul..."

"But... Y-Yan... J-Jing... is in danger..."

Suddenly, Zebra, who had been busy savoring his own performance, caught the sound of Mantou's low muttering.

His self-satisfied expression instantly froze.

"I have to... protect... protect... Y-Yan J-Jing..."

"But... no... no foul... no... no foul..."

Beside him, Mantou seemed plunged into extreme internal conflict, a pained expression twisting her small face.

The memory of Yan Jing lowering his head to speak to her kept flashing through her mind:

"Mantou, wait for me here. I'll be back in a bit."

"Help me keep an eye on them. Don't let them secretly break the rules. That'll be the best protection you can give me. Thanks for your help, Mantou..."

The memory froze on the moment Yan Jing smiled and winked at her.

A violent, tyrannical aura suddenly erupted.

Let me out. I'll handle this.

The familiar voice echoed in her mind, but Mantou did not immediately respond.

What's the point of obsessing over whether it's a foul? They want that kid dead. Don't be stupid. They made the rules; they can do whatever they want.

Do you think they aren't secretly cheating?

They use this so-called Amusement Park as a framework to establish rules that were never fair to begin with. Fixating on fouls now will only fool an idiot like you.

Mantou kept her head down, but her grip on the control of her body began to loosen, as if she were hesitating.

Finally, a faint sigh echoed.

I will save the kid.

Right at that moment, Zebra's heart gave a violent lurch!

He watched as dark cracks surfaced across Mantou's hands, and deep, mysterious gazes burst forth from within them!

One, two, three... Countless terrifying eyes rolled and opened within the fissures.

The air temperature plummeted.

Zebra suddenly realized that his supposedly flawless persuasion strategy had a massive loophole!

Danger!

Extreme danger!!!

His breathing grew rapid and ragged.

Just as that tyrannical aura was about to sweep across the entire Viewing Platform, he preempted it. Mustering all his courage, he pressed a hand firmly onto Mantou's shoulder.

"A foul! They committed a foul!!!"

The tyrannical aura abruptly stalled. Mantou lifted her head, staring blankly at Zebra, not understanding why he had suddenly changed his tune.

Feeling a sharp, needle-like stinging pain in his right hand, Zebra fought down the urge to flee and forced a bright, greeter-like smile.

"I am the referee, and I rule that they've committed a foul!"

"A foul... R-really?"

At Zebra's words, Mantou's dull eyes gradually lit up.

Her anxious expression returned.

"O-of course."

Seeing that the hideous eyes across Mantou's body were beginning to close, Zebra finally felt the crushing tension in his chest ease just a bit.

Yet in that brief, terrifying moment, his back had already been thoroughly drenched in cold sweat.

"I'll issue a penalty to these rule-breakers right now!!!"

Seeing that the fissures on Mantou's hands hadn't entirely vanished, Zebra hastily added this, immediately pulling a Walkie-talkie from his pocket.

Under Mantou's expectant gaze, he pressed the button on the Walkie-talkie and shouted a bizarre, cheering-like sound into the receiver.

As employees of the Amusement Park, they did possess minor permissions that allowed them to interfere with the players in a project.

For instance, Tiger removing the car's speed limiter was the maximum extent of the permissions he could use.

And as a more senior employee, Zebra naturally held greater permissions.

The moment Zebra finished shouting into the Walkie-talkie, Mantou felt as though a few strands of her hair had suddenly drifted in front of her eyes.

She reached out blankly to brush them away, but couldn't seem to grasp them.

Just as she was wondering why that was...

The next second, a violent gale erupted!

Towering shadow-giants emerged from within the rolling mist!