Grassland Chase Game

Night fell, but the grass at the equestrian center was brightly lit.

As the number of participants changed, so did the rules of the game.

They were simple: only two task cards waited at the finish line. The first team to arrive got first pick, and whichever team completed its task would win.

The red and blue teams stood on opposite sides, waiting at the starting line.

The red team's dozens of members sat on horseback, looking imposing as they stared at their opponents with disdain.

The blue team, by contrast, looked much weaker. Aside from Jiang Wangshu, who had only learned to ride that day, everyone stood on the ground.

Horses provided a crucial advantage in the game, and speed could determine victory or defeat.

But embarrassingly enough, this group of special-class students couldn't ride.

The atmosphere among the special-class students below was a little awkward. Several of them had moved out of Jiang Wangshu's dorm room.

They had previously shown Jiang Wangshu nothing but disdain and stayed far away for fear of being caught up in the student council's affairs. Now, not only had they failed to escape, but Jiang Wangshu was also the key to winning this game.

Jiang Wangshu sat on his horse and said calmly, "I'm faster, so I'll get the card first. Follow me, and pay attention to where the new props on the grounds are. They might be important."

The special-class students stammered, "O-okay. You go first, and we'll run after you."

Jiang Wangshu paid them no further attention. The moment the whistle blew, he pulled the reins tight, and his horse surged forward.

The blue team's sole rider was squeezed among the red team. Huang Zhenghao glanced back and gave a signal.

Four or five people immediately moved to block Jiang Wangshu's path from the front and rear.

Though the grassland was so vast, they kept Jiang Wangshu hemmed into a tiny space.

Suddenly, a horse crashed into his. The blow to its belly made Jiang Wangshu's horse rear and neigh, nearly throwing him from its back.

Once he steadied his horse, he turned to see Chen Ziwu sneering at him. "Of all the people you could cling to, you picked some upstart's son. What can he do for you?"

He was deliberately trying to provoke him.

Jiang Wangshu frowned. There were too many people on the blue team.

He fixed his eyes on a gap beside Chen Ziwu and suddenly said, "Still better than clinging to Huang Zhenghao."

Chen Ziwu hadn't expected him to talk back. His face darkened. "You're asking for death."

Several horses grew restless and took up aggressive postures.

Right then, the gaps between the horses widened. Jiang Wangshu pulled the reins tight and forced his way straight past Chen Ziwu's side.

"Watch out..."

"Fuck!"

The horses neighed, and someone was thrown to the ground.

Jiang Wangshu didn't look back. He gripped the horse's belly with his legs and urged it to accelerate with all its strength.

The red team had wasted too much of his time. Even though Jiang Wangshu chased after them at full speed, he was still a step too late.

When he arrived, a box sat at the finish line with a single task card left inside.

Even the red team was nowhere to be seen.

Jiang Wangshu pressed his lips together and dismounted.

A staff member stood on high ground, wearing a headset to receive constant updates on the game. He then picked up a microphone to report on its progress.

"The red team reached the finish line first and got their task card. The blue team arrived late, and only the card left over from the selection is in the box. It's probably quite difficult. As things stand, the blue team's chances of winning don't look good."

He Zhenglin lounged on a sofa and said playfully, "Yi, if the blue team loses, what punishment do you think the red team will propose?"

Ke Yueyi swirled his wineglass. "You only ever pull the same few tricks."

"Oh?"

He Zhenglin looked at Jimo. "What do you think?"

"Young Master He, I don't understand games either. I only know to look at the results. The game has only just begun, and the winner hasn't been decided. Anything is possible." Jimo smiled.

Just before the game began, he had been able to say in a roundabout way that the game He Zhenglin had devised was unfair, but now he was putting on an act again.

He Zhenglin asked, "You think that friend of yours will win?"

"Yi's getting bored. So, what do you say... should we raise the stakes?"

Gambling addict!

Jimo took a step back.

"Young Master He, I can't afford to lose, so I won't play with you."

"Really? In that case... why don't we just make those special-class students withdraw from school if they lose?"

Jimo froze.

Seeing Jimo's expression turn ugly, He Zhenglin suddenly smiled, baring his gleaming white teeth. "Just kidding. I haven't had enough fun yet."

Meanwhile, Jiang Wangshu had reached the card a step behind the blue team. He stared at the words on it in silence for a long while.

A moment later, the panting special-class students finally reached the finish line behind him.

Someone asked, "Wangshu, what's our task?"

Jiang Wangshu raised his eyes and looked at the anxious faces before him.

He uttered a single word. "Run."

What did that mean?

Several special-class students looked at one another in confusion, and Jiang Wangshu held up the card for them to see.

Written on it in large characters was one word—survivors.

At that moment, the host's voice rang out over the empty grassland through the loudspeakers. "It looks like our contestants have all received their task cards. The music will end in three minutes, and we'll begin the next round."

An ancient rhythm sounded, its majestic melody seemingly drawing people back to a primitive age of hunting and giving the participants a greater sense of urgency.

The special-class students temporarily set aside their awkward feelings toward Jiang Wangshu.

Someone asked nervously, "S-survivors? What does that mean?"

"Do we have to run? Speaking of which, what exactly is the blue team's task?"

"Does that mean someone's coming to catch us?"

The counterparts to survivors were butchers.

They all thought of the same possibility.

The special-class students' faces, which had finally gained a little color from running, turned exceptionally pale.

Wang Yue bit his finger in fear and looked at the man on horseback. "Wangshu, you have a plan, don't you?"

He had been reading in his dorm room when he was dragged here for no reason. He was still utterly bewildered and only knew that things would probably be terrible if they lost the game.

Even though the special-class students had obediently stayed away from the conflict, as long as they had that status, they would inevitably be forced into this game.

Jiang Wangshu turned the card over. A short note was written on the back:

Evade the butchers' pursuit and protect the name tags in your pockets. The name tags must remain in your pockets. If more than half the team's name tags are taken, the game ends.

Duration: 60 minutes.

Jiang Wangshu felt in his pocket and, sure enough, found a name tag bearing his name.

He glanced at his watch. The game would begin in two minutes.

Jiang Wangshu kept it brief and gave them a few instructions. The special-class students were at a loss and all looked to him as their anchor.

The ten-person team quickly scattered, searching the grassland for places to hide.

It was supposed to be a chase game, but because the special-class students had no horses, it had turned into a nasty game of hide-and-seek.

But as long as they stayed within the rules, winning was all that mattered.

They had already fallen behind because of their speed and lost the right to choose. No matter how one looked at it, the butchers now had the better chance of winning.

Jiang Wangshu looked at the gate in the distance. The butchers would come out in another minute.

He was sure to be the blue team's most conspicuous target.

Jiang Wangshu picked a direction and rode away quickly.

A minute later, the music stopped abruptly.

The gate opened, and the butchers rode in, entering their hunting grounds.

As long as they caught someone, they could snatch that person's name tag. They only needed to catch six people to win, but Huang Zhenghao was confident he could catch all ten.

The red team was brimming with confidence.

They paired up and scattered in different directions, beginning a game of chase.

The grassland was vast, and the night wind howled.

Only ten minutes had passed when a red team member caught a special-class student hiding under a prop. He excitedly hauled the student onto his horse and hurried after the president.

One.

Two.

Six special-class students who had been found were thrown onto the grass. They sat together in a circle, huddling for warmth in fear and anxiety.