Nineteen to one. The ratio looked incredibly lopsided.
In reality, it was inevitable. All nineteen of those people were survivors who hadn't participated in a [Choice] for a long time.
And what kind of person avoided participating for so long?
There was only one answer.
Someone afraid to die.
So...
how could someone afraid of death choose B?
In competitive [Choices], the loser almost always died. Only a tiny minority spared those who failed.
And how could an ordinary person possibly beat a rabbit in a race?
To everyone here, that option meant certain death.
Naturally, no one would touch it.
Just then, a bald man jumped down from the roof of a jeep. He was nearly six feet three, lean and wiry, with an amused, defiant look in his eyes. Glancing at the screen, he said casually,
"I choose A."
At his appearance, everyone instinctively lowered their voices, afraid to speak.
He was another of the squad's Beyonders: Zhai Guang.
He was usually rather brutal, and no one dared provoke him.
Chen Sui seemed to have expected this. He merely nodded at Zhai Guang without a word.
Zhai Guang possessed a special ability: Flesh Regeneration.
So, losing a left hand meant little to him. He only needed to eat more, and it would grow back.
The stronger a Beyonder was, the better their chances of receiving a superior random reward. There was no way he would pass up this [Choice].
His reason for waiting until the end to step forward was simple too.
He didn't want to occupy one of those twenty slots. He wanted more people to enter the [Choice].
Only Chen Sui, their "softhearted" captain, would handle it this way.
If it were up to him...
Hmph!
He would send everyone in!
They would only lose a hand. They wouldn't die!
Trading those hands for a hundred random vehicles—that would be a real asset!
Soon, the screen began its countdown.
10.
9.
8.
...
When the countdown ended, everyone in the clearing who had chosen vanished!
Several live feeds appeared in the air once again.
This time, they showed Zhai Guang, Lin Yu, and two unremarkable men.
In one feed, a small black room was dimly lit.
Thick, cold iron chains bound Zhai Guang tightly to an iron chair. A heavy steel table stood before him, his entire left arm locked in a clamp on its surface, unable to move even an inch.
Dried, dark-red blood stained the metal tabletop. This seemed to be a room built specifically for executions.
From the darkness, a scrawny little old man approached. His hair was white and his body skeletal, as if a gust of wind could knock him over. In his hand, however, he carried an enormous chainsaw.
He gave it a hard pull.
The chainsaw roared to life with a shrill, terrifying whine!
Holding it, the old man advanced toward Zhai Guang one step at a time.
The scene looked straight out of a horror movie!
Outside, the survivors watching the feed began trembling with fear.
That old man...
wasn't going to cut Zhai Guang apart, was he?
On the screen, however, Zhai Guang didn't seem to give a damn. Lounging carelessly in the chair, he glanced at the old man and spat.
"Old man, is that chainsaw fast enough? I don't like pain."
Despite his words, his eyes were full of mockery.
The old man replied slowly, his voice dry and hoarse.
"Don't worry..."
"This chainsaw of mine... is very fast..."
In moments, he stood before Zhai Guang. His cloudy eyes fixed on the man's left hand with a hint of excitement, as though admiring a perfect work of art.
The next second, he abruptly raised the chainsaw and brought it down hard on Zhai Guang's left hand without the slightest hesitation.
Bzzzz!
A piercing roar rang out. The metal teeth spun at high speed, instantly ripping through skin, flesh, and bone.
In a single instant, the entire left hand was severed. Hot blood gushed out, spraying both the old man and Zhai Guang, yet neither reacted much.
Zhai Guang frowned for just a second, then looked at the stump of his left arm and grinned.
"Well now, you've got good technique, old man. Nice, clean cut. Very good!"
The old man chuckled and raised his head, cloudy eyes meeting Zhai Guang's.
"In your case, I suppose I don't need to stop the bleeding with a branding iron?"
Zhai Guang visibly froze. He instantly realized that the old man had seen through his unusual constitution. Several seconds passed before he replied, "In my case... I suppose not..."
The old man picked up the severed hand and turned away, his voice drifting back eerily.
"Don't be afraid. All this old man wants is the hand. Whether you grow it back is none of my concern..."
The feed stopped.
Zhai Guang had cleared the challenge.
Even after returning to reality, he remained dazed. He hadn't noticed the cold sweat that had unconsciously beaded on his forehead.
If the old man had decided he was cheating and used some special method to prevent his hand from regenerating...
Zhai Guang's expression darkened.
He really should treat [Choices] with proper respect.
Looking around, he saw that all the other survivors had returned as well. They stood there wailing in pain.
Losing a left hand wasn't as simple as they had imagined.
The cutting hurt. Stopping the bleeding hurt. Even afterward, it still hurt.
Later...
there would be phantom limb pain too.
How could they expect to obtain a vehicle without paying a heavy price?
The wounds on their left arms were blackened and neat. Clearly, they had been treated with a branding iron to stop the bleeding.
It hurt terribly, but they had survived.
Then,
Zhai Guang suddenly raised an eyebrow.
He noticed...
that Lin Yu, who had chosen B, was alive too!
And, all the survivors were looking at Lin Yu and talking about him. They were practically ignoring the people who had lost their hands!
At the same time as Zhai Guang's challenge,
Lin Yu had been transported to a lush green grassland.
A gentle breeze blew beneath bright sunshine.
A vibrant track of fresh grass stretched out in front of him. Beside him sat a round, plump rabbit!
Its fur was gray, and its ears were exceptionally long.
Clearly, this was the Arcane Rabbit!
Just then, a voice rang out overhead.
"The human-rabbit race is about to begin. Read the rules carefully. Anyone who violates them will die!"
"1. Do not kill another contestant. Violators will die."
"2. Do not leave the track. Violators will die."
"3. The loser will die."
"The race begins in five seconds..."
"5."
"4."
Lin Yu's eyes lit up slightly. No killing other contestants. Nothing about kidnapping them, right?
Perfectly reasonable!
He glanced at the Arcane Rabbit beside him, already poised to start. Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged, seized both its ears in one hand, and hoisted it into the air.
Hey!
It actually felt pretty nice!
Just a little heavy!