This sudden development instantly made the atmosphere on-site tense and confrontational.
The musclehead looked down at the hand Lu Jiuling had on him. "You two friends?"
"Just met!"
"You've taken a liking to her?"
The musclehead sneered.
"This is none of your business. Get lost, or I'll offer your head to the Great Buddha!"
The white-collar woman threatened Lu Jiuling.
She had sensed danger. If the musclehead didn't choose this female high schooler, wouldn't she be the one to die?
How could she allow that?
"Get lost already!"
The white-collar woman shrieked, looking fierce but inwardly timid.
Lu Jiuling didn't even spare the white-collar woman a glance from the corner of his eye, though her black stockings and high heels were indeed sexy.
"Give me a reason?"
The musclehead wasn't being rash.
"She called me big brother!"
Lu Jiuling was helping Song Xue because this girl still had kindness in her heart.
You see, just moments ago, even the white-collar woman had gone to grab the office worker, intending to offer his head to the Great Buddha.
Of course, the most important reason was that Song Xue seemed obedient and easy to control. If they needed cannon fodder later, Lu Jiuling could easily order her around.
"What kind of dogshit reason is that!"
The white-collar woman screamed. "Get lost now, or we'll use your head instead!"
The musclehead didn't speak. He licked his lips, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at Lu Jiuling.
Lu Jiuling didn't avert his gaze, meeting the musclehead's stare head-on.
The two men, one large and one small, faced off like wild beasts.
"Brother Zheng, do you even need to think about it? Give this classmate some face!"
The rich second-generation heir mediated.
"Huh?"
Hearing this, the white-collar woman's face went pale, as if she'd been plunged into an ice cellar.
"Haha!"
The musclehead laughed and clapped Lu Jiuling heavily on the shoulder. "Kid, you've got guts. When we get out, want to come work under me?"
"Wait until I graduate!"
Lu Jiuling replied perfunctorily.
"But—"
The white-collar woman panicked. Just as she was about to say a few words, the musclehead suddenly turned around. Like a violent bear pouncing on prey, he pinned her down.
"Don't kill me, I beg you!"
The white-collar woman pleaded, her tears washing away the foundation on her face.
"Sorry, beautiful, but it's too late!"
The musclehead sighed. "If you'd let me grab your ass just now, I would've sided with you!"
"I'll let you grab it now!"
Before death, the white-collar woman's dignity had completely crumbled.
The musclehead ignored her, dragging the white-collar woman toward the main hall.
Everyone was trapped in this godforsaken place. That male high schooler had performed excellently—bold and careful, calm and rational. In Zheng Mang's eyes, he was qualified teammate material.
He didn't provoke the rich second-generation heir because he feared the other's family background, while his friendliness toward Lu Jiuling was due to the kid's outstanding performance.
Now, even the rich second-generation heir was giving him face, which meant the rich kid also thought he was capable—far more useful than this white-collar woman.
Zheng Mang was lecherous, but compared to survival, what was in his pants was trivial.
Song Xue hadn't expected Lu Jiuling to stick up for her, much less that the fierce musclehead would actually let her go. For a moment, she was dumbfounded. When she came back to her senses, she quickly thanked him.
"Brother Lu, thank you!"
Lu Jiuling hung back three steps behind the musclehead, following him.
He had to follow—the musclehead was clearly the type who wouldn't let others freeload.
Sure enough, Zheng Mang saw this and revealed a satisfied smile.
Have me bear the risk alone? Then I'd definitely flip out.
Zheng Mang glanced at the rich second-generation heir and his girlfriend trailing behind him. He felt he should prioritize Lu Jiuling a bit higher.
If they still needed someone to die, then they would just have to wrong that internet celebrity face.
"I beg you!"
The white-collar woman's high heel had fallen off, her foot stepping in mud.
Zheng Mang remained unmoved. He walked to the main hall doors and pushed the white-collar woman inside. "Buddha above, I've brought you the head you wanted!"
"Alive!"
After speaking, Zheng Mang felt this might not be respectful enough, so he knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times.
The white-collar woman's legs trembled in terror. Urine trickled down her black-stocking-clad thighs. She scrambled up and fled toward the hall entrance, only to be blocked by the musclehead. He slapped her twice and shoved her back in.
[Do you think this Buddha is easy to deceive?]
[Die!]
The Headless Great Buddha's roar contained the fury of being tricked once again.
Zheng Mang panicked, wanting to kowtow a few times to explain, when his head suddenly exploded.
Bang!
Those muscles built from daily training swayed and crashed to the ground.
Blood flowed from the headless neck cavity like a mountain stream.
"Ah!"
The internet celebrity face covered her mouth, shivering.
"Hiss!"
The rich second-generation heir was stunned. So offering the Buddha a living human head didn't work either?
[This Buddha does not want this kind of head!]
[Alive!]
[Bring it!]
The Great Buddha roared.
The white-collar woman stumbled out of the main hall. Passing the musclehead's corpse, she even kicked it viciously a couple of times.
Everyone returned to the courtyard. Looking at the Buddha heads scattered across the ground, they were dejected.
"Hey, quickly think of something!"
The internet celebrity face shouted at Lu Jiuling. She too felt that this male high schooler, whose emotions had remained stable throughout, was the most likely to find that strange Great Buddha's head.
"I have a way, but I'm not telling you!"
Lu Jiuling didn't like this internet celebrity face. The corner of his mouth curled slightly, revealing a hint of mockery. "When the time limit arrives and your head explodes, then I'll make my move!"
Song Xue felt that when Lu Jiuling smiled like this, he had the aura of an evil villain.
"Fuck your mom!"
The internet celebrity face cursed. "Who do you think you are? You think you can decide who lives and who dies?"
"You don't think that head-explosion punishment is random, do you?"
Lu Jiuling sneered. "At the start, we had five men and three women. The delivery guy died, leaving four men and three women. Then the office worker's head exploded, leaving exactly three men and three women!"
"Brother Lu, do you mean that Great Buddha is balancing the number of men and women?"
Song Xue caught on.
"Bingo!"
Lu Jiuling looked at the internet celebrity face. "Now it's three women and two men. If someone else dies, it'll definitely be a woman."
"B-but it might not be me!"
The internet celebrity face comforted herself, but she was already anxious inside. With three options, the probability of death was still high.
Thinking of this, she couldn't hold it together anymore.
"Handsome, I was wrong. Please, tell me your method?"
If her boyfriend weren't by her side, she would've already resorted to sweet talk, offering her body as payment.
"If you have a method, quickly try it."
The rich second-generation heir pulled out his wallet, took out a business card, and handed it to Lu Jiuling. "Anzhou Pharmaceuticals is my family's business. As long as I get back alive, I'll give you a generous reward!"
Lu Jiuling ignored the rich second-generation heir, pacing around the courtyard and occasionally kicking the scattered Buddha heads.
Crickets hopped about, disappearing into the weeds.
"If my judgment is wrong, I'll probably die!"
Lu Jiuling considered every detail. "Can't rush. Need to find more clues!"
"Where exactly is the Buddha head?"
Song Xue was also racking her brain. She even squatted down to inspect the Buddha heads on the ground one by one.
"Hey, what exactly did you think of?"
The white-collar woman had no patience. "Dragging on like this isn't a solution. Go try it first!"
"Don't disturb him!"
Song Xue quietly urged.
"Didn't he say so himself? If we still can't find the Buddha head, the next person erased will be a woman. Then all three of us could die!"
The white-collar woman was anxious. Better safe than sorry.
"Classmate, you're close to him, go persuade him—"
Bang!
Before the white-collar woman could finish speaking, her head exploded.
"Holy shit!"
The internet celebrity face shuddered in fright.
Did that guy really get it right?
Then the internet celebrity face felt a wave of relief.
Pretty lucky.
The one who died wasn't her.
The rich second-generation heir's eyelids twitched violently.
The white-collar woman had a nice figure, her professional attire sexy and capable. But now her head was gone, her headless corpse stained with blood lying in the weeds, flies already beginning to land on it.
"Brother Lu!"
Song Xue was frightened.
The rich second-generation heir wanted to urge Lu Jiuling to act quickly. If he dragged on, anyone could die next. But before he could speak, that boy walked toward the main hall.
"Brother Lu, are you confident?"
Song Xue worried.
"No!" Lu Jiuling told the truth. "Don't follow me in, or you might die!"
Lu Jiuling stepped over the threshold and walked to the meditation cushion before the Headless Great Buddha, kneeling down onto it.
After taking a deep breath, Lu Jiuling spoke!
"Buddha above, I offer my head to you!"
Lu Jiuling felt that kowtowing three times might make him seem more devout, but he couldn't bring himself to bow.
The rich second-generation heir and the internet celebrity face hid by the doorway, holding their breath. They wanted to see what Lu Jiuling would do, but hearing these words, they were dumbfounded.
Was he crazy?
Offer his head to the Great Buddha?
Was he complaining that he wasn't dying fast enough?
Song Xue wanted to say "don't mess around," but the quick-eyed rich second-generation heir covered her mouth.
"Alive!"
"Head!"
Lu Jiuling roared with full vigor.
This strange Great Buddha wanted a head. Lu Jiuling had already searched the entire courtyard and observed the Buddha heads on the ground. None of them matched.
Actually, based on the word "alive" alone, they could all be ruled out.
So the other answer was to offer a human head.
The musclehead had dragged the white-collar woman to offer her head.
It hadn't succeeded.
At that time, Lu Jiuling had wondered: could it be that one had to come voluntarily to offer their head?
Actually, Lu Jiuling could have tricked Song Xue into offering her head, or even convinced the rich second-generation heir to violently force the internet celebrity face to offer her head. But Lu Jiuling hadn't done so.
It wasn't because he was kind, but because he had considered: what if this strange game only allowed one survivor?
Going from an annual salary of four hundred thousand to suddenly being an impoverished high schooler, still facing immense academic pressure—if Lu Jiuling didn't have a strong mentality, his spirit would've collapsed long ago.
Twelve years of hard work, not enjoying a single day of comfort—who could endure that?
Lu Jiuling's current thought was to go all out!
Great Buddha, right?
Want a head, right?
As long as I figure out what's going on, I'll fucking destroy you!
[Head?]
[Alive?]
[Haha, found it! This Buddha has finally found it!]
The Headless Great Buddha's excited, booming laughter echoed through the gloomy, damp main hall.