So Humiliated They Could Die!

Jin Da paid no attention to the five men's reactions and said coldly, "You five, run around this tree."

"You can stop when dawn breaks."

"No... please, Senior! Spare us!" Ma Hongjun wailed, begging for mercy.

Oscar was so frightened that tears and snot streamed down his face.

Tang San and Dai Mubai said nothing, but the resistance and despair in their eyes were plain to see.

Jin Da furrowed his brow and added, "Don't want to run around the tree? Fine. Then run around this town all night."

"You choose."

Run around the whole town all night?

Wouldn't that mean being seen by everyone in town and becoming the biggest laughingstock of all?

Compared to that, running around a tree was embarrassing too, but at least the audience would be smaller...

The five men's hearts turned to ice. They had no hope left.

As the crowd around them grew larger, pointing and laughing, and the golden Soul Power whip kept up its intermittent "encouragement,"

Zhao Wuji led the way, followed by Dai Mubai, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar. The five naked figures

began running around the tree, their movements awkward and humiliating, trudging around it again and again.

The onlookers froze for a moment, then erupted into earth-shaking laughter and chatter!

"Hahaha! Serves them right! From Shrek Academy, are they? What a fine bunch!"

"Good grief, that blond kid... turns out he's all show and no substance! No wonder he was walking funny earlier!"

"That fat guy's so creepy! And that sausage uncle looks like he's about to wet himself!"

"That black-haired kid has such a fierce look in his eyes, but he's pretty funny right now..."

"The teacher's the most embarrassing one. A Soul Saint! Stripped naked and running around a tree, hahaha!"

"Shrek? They should call it 'Shit's Here Academy'! Not a decent one among them, top to bottom!"

Mockery, laughter, and contemptuous stares surged over the five men running around the tree, nearly drowning them.

Zhao Wuji's face was ashen. Dai Mubai was mortified beyond words. Tang San's eyes brimmed with hatred, but he could only suppress it.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar wore miserable expressions as they mechanically moved their legs, praying this nightmare of a night would end soon.

Inside the hotel, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing had already cleared and reset a table. Zhao Linchuan had ordered a few light late-night snacks.

Hearing the bursts of laughter and faint wails outside, Ning Rongrong patted her chest and looked at Xiao Wu with a mixture of relief and lingering fear.

"Xiao Wu, thank goodness you stopped me... otherwise... eugh!" She made a disgusted face. "If I'd actually seen that, I might've gotten eye damage! It's so gross!"

Xiao Wu handed her a cup of hot tea and smiled helplessly.

Zhu Zhuqing ate in silence, her gaze calm and undisturbed, as if nothing happening outside had anything to do with her.

Only now and then did a faint glimmer pass through her eyes, as if she felt the slightest hint of release.

Zhao Linchuan leisurely sipped his tea, listening to the "commotion" outside with an amused smile playing on his lips.

Outside the hotel, beneath the tree, the absurd and humiliating "night run" continued under Jin Da's expressionless supervision.

The night grew deeper, but this corner of town grew even "livelier" than it had been by day, thanks to this unprecedented "spectacle."

After tonight, Shrek Academy's reputation would surely spread far and wide throughout the region.

As for the hatred and humiliation in Tang San's heart, threatening to burst from his chest, no one paid it any mind. No one cared.

And so, the five members of Shrek's group ran naked around that leafy tree in an open patch of ground in town for the entire night.

Jin Da stood in the shadows nearby with his arms folded, an iron-faced overseer without a shred of mercy.

Whenever someone slowed down, fell behind, or tried to stop and catch his breath, the golden whip would hiss through the air like a venomous snake.

It did not damage muscle or bone, but it stung fiercely, leaving vivid red marks across their skin. Worse still was the lash it dealt to their spirits, and the humiliation.

What made Zhao Wuji and the others feel most mortified, wishing they could die on the spot, was the crowd watching them.

After their initial shock and laughter, some people actually brought tables and chairs out from the hotel, ordered food and drinks, and sat openly nearby.

They ate, drank, and chatted as they "enjoyed" this unprecedented "naked run."

"Hey, Old Wang, look at that Soul Saint. He's got a pretty solid build, but that running form... hahaha!"

"Good grief, that fat guy's flab is bouncing so much it makes my eyes hurt."

"That blond kid... Heh, guess they were right. No wonder he was acting like that earlier."

"Look, look! That sausage Soul Master nearly fell again, and he got whipped! Oof, look at his face!"

"Coming to resupply near Star Dou Forest was worth it after all! Who'd believe a 'spectacle' like this if you told them? A Soul Saint and four Soul Masters, running around a tree with their bare butts out! I'll be bragging about this for the rest of my life!"

"Exactly! When I'm old, I'll tell my grandchildren the story of tonight's 'Shrek Naked Run Night'! Hahaha!"

The uninhibited chatter and laughter were like sharp knives, torturing Zhao Wuji and the others' dignity and sanity again and again.

They felt less like people and more like monkeys or beasts locked in cages for the crowd's amusement.

Zhao Wuji squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut out the world, but those voices seeped in from every direction.

Tang San's eyes were bloodshot. His nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood, but he could feel no pain.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar were already weeping, their faces smeared with tears and snot as they mechanically kept their legs moving, filled with regret.

Only when the eastern horizon turned pale, the rising sun drove away the last traces of night, and the town began to wake, drawing more early risers to the "commotion," did Jin Da finally move.

The moment Jin Da left, the terrifying pressure and restraint weighing on the five men like a mountain vanished completely.

Zhao Wuji was the first to react. He scrambled away, keeping his head bowed the entire time, not daring to look at anyone.

Dai Mubai, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar came to their senses as if waking from a dream and scrambled after Zhao Wuji.

They looked so panicked and mortified, as if a flood of savage beasts were chasing them. They wished their parents had given them two more legs—and wished even more that they could dig a hole in the ground and hide in it, never to show their faces again.

The onlookers gave one last round of unsatisfied laughter and jeers, then gradually dispersed.

But the explosive news that "five members of Shrek Academy ran naked around a tree all night" had already sprouted wings, rapidly spreading through the town and the surrounding area.

Don't scold me anymore. I play Kai too, actually.

Really.

Don't leave without my permission!

See? I remember the lines so well.