Chapter 21: The Decisive Game

In the next instant, all three salamanders glared angrily at Ye Luo. This woman—she was too cunning! The handkerchief clearly hadn’t been behind her, yet she’d been the first to pick it up. Wasn’t this just setting a trap for the salamanders?

Ye Luo looked perfectly innocent. “I just thought the handkerchief was pretty, so I picked it up to admire it. By the way, why didn’t you go after it just now? Don’t tell me you’re a traitor sent over from the human side.”

She fixed her gaze on Second Head, her tone righteous and indignant. Second Head had been expelled from the ring by the game and could no longer enter its bounds; otherwise, it would have charged at Ye Luo in fury.

“Everyone,” Ye Luo announced, bouncing on four legs, “though Second Head made a mistake and we’ve lost a precious teammate, now it’s our turn to chase! Don’t worry, if the beam chooses me, I’ll win us a round and eliminate all those damned humans!”

She was thoroughly immersed in her role. Lin An and Huo Qianqian lowered their heads, struggling not to laugh. The two remaining salamanders looked at Ye Luo with altered expressions. Of all the games they’d played, never had they encountered someone so shameless.

The crimson ring appeared once again. This time, it hovered within the salamander team, swirling rapidly before finally passing over Ye Luo and settling on Little Head.

Little Head stood up, a smug curve stretching its lips. This time, let’s see what tricks that woman can pull.

Second Head clutched the handkerchief and shot Lin An and Huo Qianqian a mocking glance. With its speed, the two humans couldn’t even begin to imagine catching it. This game was tailored for them—no one could outrun it, absolutely no one.

Full of confidence, Second Head was about to toss the handkerchief when, just as it stepped away, something yanked its wing tight. Stunned, it looked down.

Ye Luo, with her two front limbs, had snapped its wing firmly between her hands. The salamander struggled desperately to take flight, but even transformed, Ye Luo’s innate strength remained formidable. No matter how Second Head thrashed, it could not break free.

Ten minutes passed.

A mechanical voice sounded: “Ten-second countdown. If the handkerchief is not correctly placed within ten seconds, the chasing side loses.”

Those ten seconds vanished in a flash.

The mechanical voice resounded coldly: “Round three is over. The salamander team has failed.”

Little Head, utterly spent, collapsed on the ground. Just as it was about to protest, it too was expelled, just like Second Head.

Ye Luo gave Little Head a wave. The voting system in the first round of this game was nothing but a trap.

She was certain—Big Head had deliberately allowed Lin An to see the handkerchief. This made Lin An suspect the handkerchief was behind either Huo Qianqian or himself, raising the odds to fifty percent. Reasoning further, between Huo Qianqian, a delicate woman, and Lin An, a young man, who posed the greater threat? Clearly Lin An. Thus, it was easy to conclude the handkerchief was most likely behind Lin An in the first round.

But why had Big Head wanted them to guess right? If they voted correctly, a salamander would be added to the human team. That’s precisely what Big Head wanted.

This could only mean having a salamander join the humans was actually to their benefit. Therefore, Ye Luo had to act counter to their plan. She had volunteered to join the salamander side—and her choice had indeed been the right one.

Once transformed, Ye Luo felt an overwhelming sense of relief, as though some shackle had been lifted. During her time as a salamander, it seemed she no longer needed to abide by the amusement park’s rules. Just now, she had firmly restrained Second Head. Had she still been human, she would likely have been penalized for violating the rule against harming animals. But as a salamander herself, there was no issue at all.

Ye Luo believed that if they had voted correctly in the first round and a salamander had joined the human team, that salamander would likely have had ways to interfere with the humans’ game. Bound by all sorts of rules, she would have been unable to act—and then the game would have been lost for sure.

So, the only hope for victory lay hidden in the very first round. The game concealed this well; if one failed to spot the trap in time, it would be over before it truly began.

Now only Big Head remained on the salamander side. The game entered its fourth round.

This time, the beam selected Huo Qianqian.

Huo Qianqian rose slowly.

“Huo-jie, as long as we get Big Head out, we win,” Lin An encouraged her.

She nodded, though her hand, holding the handkerchief, trembled with nerves.

“Don’t be nervous, Huo-jie,” Lin An reassured her. “With our ace here, we’ll be fine.”

Ye Luo bounced lightly. “Relax and just play.”

Huo Qianqian managed a weak smile.

Then she walked slowly behind Big Head. Her hand shook, and the handkerchief drifted down onto Big Head’s back. She spun around and ran, but in her haste, she tripped and fell before she’d gone far. Before she could get up, Big Head had already caught up and tagged her.

A mechanical voice boomed: “Round four complete. Huo Qianqian has been eliminated.”

Huo Qianqian’s face was ashen. “I’m sorry, I… I held everyone back.”

Ye Luo smiled gently at her. “Don’t worry. We will win.”

There was a subtle meaning in Ye Luo’s words.

Huo Qianqian trembled, fell silent, and was expelled.

Lin An frowned. Even with his usual obliviousness, he was starting to sense something amiss. Huo-jie… Was that intentional? Did she fall on purpose? Was she trying to help the salamanders win? Why?

“The fifth round begins. The chaser: the salamander.” Before Lin An could figure it out, the mechanical voice sounded again.

This was the deciding round. Whether Big Head or Lin An was eliminated, the game would end.

Big Head picked up the handkerchief, instinctively glancing at Ye Luo. It had a strong hunch—this woman was the greatest obstacle.

Still, as long as it steered clear of her when passing by, making sure she couldn’t grab it, she shouldn’t be able to interfere. With this in mind, Big Head began.

It tossed the handkerchief behind Lin An, who reacted quickly, snatching it up and giving chase. Big Head darted away, flying toward Ye Luo’s side at lightning speed, this time ensuring it kept out of her reach.

Ye Luo gave it a faint smile.

Big Head hesitated, an ominous feeling creeping in.

The next moment, an ear-splitting sound rang out.