Deceitful Demon Heart

The soundproof barrier was suddenly removed.

In the deathly silent cafeteria, the air seemed to have frozen.

Xia Yan's mountain-like physique turned towards Chu He, his voice like a booming bell crashing down with unquestionable authority.

"Kid, you come with me!"

Chu He's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked at Xia Yao.

Xia Yao, however, simply reached out and gently brushed his cheek with her cool fingertips. In her pure black eyes, only his reflection could be seen, focused and pure.

"Don't be afraid."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring strength.

"As long as you are sincere with me, you'll be fine."

Chu He's mind buzzed.

The information contained in those words was immense!

They had only met yesterday afternoon, slept together last night, and now he was facing his parents-in-law today, with the ultimate test of sincerity looming! This speed was faster than any rocket!

Xia Yao's meaning was as clear as it could be: the core answer to the upcoming test was "sincerity."

But... was he sincere towards her?

Chu He asked himself, everything had happened too quickly, so fast that he himself felt a bit dazed.

Xia Yan, standing by, had a face ashen. Watching his niece turn her back on him so completely made his chest feel tight, but he couldn't lash out.

He had originally prepared a procedure, intending to use some terrifying scenes to scare off this presumptuous human boy.

But now, he had changed his mind.

Ordinary intimidation would likely be useless against someone who could charm his niece so completely.

His precious niece was practically acting like a lovesick puppy.

He had to do something real, something that would expose all his pretense!

Xia Yan said coldly, "Alright, we'll do it here. I've changed my mind!"

Without another word, he turned and walked back into the kitchen. A moment later, he returned with a silver platter.

"Bang!"

The platter was placed heavily on the dining table, the loud noise making everyone's heart skip a beat.

The object on the platter seemed to lower the temperature of the entire cafeteria by several degrees.

It was a heart.

A heart that was completely black and still beating faintly, its surface covered in grotesque, twisted dark red demonic patterns. With every beat, the patterns seemed to come alive, flashing with an ominous bloody light.

[Dragon Country Livestream]

"Holy crap! What is that thing? It looks evil!"

"A heart? What is this big guy trying to do?"

"The atmosphere is wrong! God Chu is in serious trouble this time!"

The hearts of the Dragon Country viewers were pounding in their chests, hanging by a thread with every beat of that heart.

Xia Yan looked down at Chu He from above, his voice devoid of any warmth, like a Siberian cold front.

"This is the 'Deceitful Demon Heart,' it feeds on lies."

He pointed a thick finger at the heart.

"Hold it in your hand. If there is even a shred of falsehood in what you say, it will instantly drain your life force, leaving you a dried corpse."

"If you are sincere..." Xia Yan paused, a cruel curve forming on his lips, "it will wither."

Chu He felt a chill crawl up his spine upon hearing this. This was practically a death sentence.

Xia Yao's expression changed instantly. Just as she was about to speak, Xia Yan's sharp, dagger-like gaze stopped her.

In the livestream, everyone understood.

"FUCK! This is a trap! Chu He must have approached that female ghost initially just to survive, how could this possibly be sincerity?"

"It's over, he's dead for sure! This is an unsolvable deadlock!"

"Not necessarily, maybe Chu He fell in love with the female ghost at first sight, or maybe he's already been 'convinced' after sleeping with her."

"That's possible, but the problem is everything happened too fast. Look at God Chu's expression, confused and scared! He himself isn't even sure!"

"Dragon Country experts, think of something!"

In the Dragon Country command center, everyone's faces were pale. They knew better than anyone that in the National Destiny Game, survival was the primary instinct, and using rules or ghosts were survival strategies. This "initial intention," in the judgment of the "Deceitful Demon Heart," was original sin, it was a lie!

However, under everyone's gaze, Chu He suddenly smiled.

The absurd experiences of the past two days flashed through his mind, as did Xia Yao's peculiar thought process of learning about love from reading a brainless novel despite her cold exterior, and her small figure shielding him.

This girl was cute, powerful, and very lonely.

Being with her was thrilling, but also… truly wonderful.

He met Xia Yan's judgmental gaze and calmly extended his hand. Under Xia Yao's worried watch, he directly grasped the still-beating black heart.

It felt cold, slippery, and pulsed with a powerful beat. An evil will tried to invade his mind through his palm.

"Uncle," Chu He's voice was calm and clear, echoing throughout the entire cafeteria, "I admit, at first, I approached Xia Yao just to survive."

As soon as he spoke, the red light on the Deceitful Demon Heart suddenly flared, greedily beginning to drain Chu He's life force!

Killing intent flashed in Xia Yan's eyes, the veins in his hand gripping the bone knife bulging!

Xia Yao tensed up, almost ready to intervene regardless of the consequences!

But Chu He's next words froze everyone, both human and anomaly, in their tracks.

"But that was 'at first'!"

His tone suddenly rose, his gaze fixed on Xia Yao beside him, his eyes filled with guilt, pity, and an unprecedented resolve.

"Things are different now!"

"She and I spent a night beyond anyone's imagination. I learned about the loneliness hidden beneath her seemingly strong exterior. I want to be with her, protect her, not because of her power anymore, but because in this cold, strange world, only she has given me the purest warmth! I want to warm her too."

"My true heart has nothing to do with my past of just trying to survive!"

"It's about the future I want to build with her!"

These words struck Xia Yan's mind like lightning!

The past exploitation was a lie!

The promise of the future was real!

These two diametrically opposed, yet simultaneously existing complex emotions were a fatal logic virus that the binary-thinking Deceitful Demon Heart couldn't process!

"Buzz—!"

The heart let out a sharp, mournful cry. The life-devouring red light and the deathly gray light representing truth began to flash and alternate frantically. The two forces clashed violently within the heart, making its beating frequency faster and more erratic!

It was trapped in an unprecedented logical paradox!

"Crack… Crackle!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out. The demonic patterns on the surface of the Deceitful Demon Heart fractured inch by inch, cracks spreading across it.

"Bang!"

Finally, with a dull explosion, the entire heart could no longer withstand the conflicting forces. It violently burst apart, turning into a sky full of scattered black dust that dissipated into the air.

It… had been talked to death!

Xia Yan's mountain-like body trembled violently.

He looked at Chu He's hand, which was completely unharmed, not even dusted with black ash. Then he looked at Chu He, who was smiling, his pitch-black eyes showing disbelief and astonishment for the first time.

This kid…

He actually talked the Deceitful Demon Heart… to death?!

After hearing his words, Xia Yao was already deeply moved, her eyes reddening. Seeing Chu He safe and sound, she couldn't hold back any longer and clung tightly to Chu He again, burying her face in his neck.

Chu He felt Xia Yao's body become so light.

Xia Yan stared intently at Chu He, his face a mixture of anger, shock, and admiration. Finally, he let out a meaningful snort: "Interesting. However, a glib tongue doesn't necessarily save your life. The real test is in the kitchen!"

With that, he turned abruptly, his massive shadow engulfing Chu He.

"Follow me!"