Man versus rabbit

19 to 1. The ratio looked wildly lopsided.

In truth, though, it was inevitable. All nineteen were survivors who had gone a long time without participating in a [Choice].

And what kind of person would go so long without participating?

There was only one answer.

Someone afraid of dying.

So...

How could someone afraid of dying possibly choose B?

In competition-type [Choices], the loser was almost certain to die. Only a tiny handful of [Choices] spared the loser.

And how could an ordinary person possibly beat a rabbit in a race?

So,

To everyone there, this option meant certain death.

Naturally, no one touched it.

Just then.

A bald man jumped down from the roof of a jeep. Nearly six foot three, he had a lean build and an amused, defiant gaze. He glanced at the screen of light in the air and said casually:

"I choose A."

At the sight of him,

Everyone present instinctively lowered their voices, afraid to speak.

He was another of the team's Transcendents, Zhai Guang.

He was usually rather brutal, and no one dared provoke him.

Shen Sui seemed to have expected this. He merely nodded at Zhai Guang without saying anything.

Zhai Guang possessed a special ability: Flesh Regeneration.

So.

Losing his left hand meant little to him. He could grow it back just by eating more.

The stronger a Transcendent was, the more likely he was to receive a better reward from these random rewards, so there was no way he would pass up this [Choice].

The reason Zhai Guang had waited until the end to step forward was simple, too.

He did not want to take one of the twenty slots. He wanted more people to enter the [Choice].

It was only because Shen Sui was captain that they were being so "softhearted."

If I were in charge...

Hmph!

I'd send everyone in!

It's just losing a hand. It's not like they'd die!

A hundred random vehicles in exchange-now those would be assets!

Soon.

The screen of light in the air began counting down.

10.

9.

8.

When the countdown ended, everyone in the clearing who had made a choice vanished!

Several live feeds appeared in the air again.

They showed Zhai Guang, Lin Yu, and two unremarkable men.

On the screen.

A pitch-black little room was dimly lit.

Zhai Guang was bound tightly to an iron chair with thick, cold chains. A heavy steel table stood across his front, and his entire left arm was locked firmly in a clamp on its surface, unable to move an inch.

Long-dried, dark red blood stained the metal tabletop. The room seemed to be used specifically for carrying out punishments.

Out of the darkness.

A frail little old man approached. His hair was white, and he was so skeletal that a gust of wind looked capable of knocking him over. In his hand, he carried a huge chainsaw.

With one hard pull,

The chainsaw let out an earsplitting, terrifying roar!

Holding the chainsaw, the old man advanced toward Zhai Guang one step at a time.

The scene looked like something straight out of a horror movie!

The survivors watching outside could not help trembling in fear.

This old man...

He's not going to cut Zhai Guang apart, is he?

Yet Zhai Guang looked utterly unconcerned on the screen, lounging carelessly in the chair. He glanced at the old man, spat, and said:

"Old man, is that chainsaw fast enough? I'm scared of pain."

Despite claiming to fear pain, Zhai Guang's eyes were full of mockery.

The old man spoke slowly in a dry, raspy voice:

"Don't worry..."

"This chainsaw of mine... is very fast..."

In moments, the old man reached Zhai Guang. His cloudy gaze fixed on Zhai Guang's left hand, a trace of excitement in his eyes, as though he were admiring a perfect work of art.

The next second.

The old man abruptly raised the chainsaw and brought it down hard on Zhai Guang's left hand without hesitation.

Bzzzz-

An earsplitting roar rang out. The metal teeth spun at high speed, instantly tearing through flesh and bone.

In a single instant!

His left hand was severed completely. Hot blood gushed out, spraying both the old man and Zhai Guang, but neither reacted much.

Zhai Guang frowned for only a second, then looked at the stump of his left arm and laughed:

"Whoa, you've got some skill, old man. Nice clean cut. Excellent!"

The old man chuckled and raised his head, looking at Zhai Guang with his cloudy eyes:

"In your case, I won't need to stop the bleeding with a branding iron, will I?"

Zhai Guang visibly froze, then immediately realized that the old man had seen through his unusual constitution. Several seconds passed before he spoke. "In my case... I guess not..."

The old man picked up Zhai Guang's severed hand and turned to leave, his voice drifting back:

"Don't be afraid. All I want is your hand. Whether you recover on your own is none of my concern..."

The feed stopped.

Zhai Guang had passed.

Even after returning to reality, Zhai Guang had yet to recover his wits. He had not even noticed the cold sweat that had unwittingly broken out on his forehead.

If that old man had decided I was cheating and used some special method to prevent my left hand from growing back...

Zhai Guang's expression darkened.

The [Choices] truly deserved to be treated with reverence.

Looking around, he saw that all the other survivors had returned as well. Their faces twisted in agony as they stood there wailing.

Losing a left hand was not as simple as they had imagined.

The process hurt terribly, stopping the bleeding hurt terribly, and it still hurt terribly afterward.

Later...

There would also be phantom limb pain.

How could they expect to obtain a vehicle without paying a heavy price?

The wounds on their left arms were blackened and neat. Clearly, they had received special treatment with a branding iron to stop the bleeding.

Though it hurt badly, they had survived.

Just then.

Zhai Guang suddenly raised an eyebrow.

He realized...

Lin Yu, who had chosen B, had actually survived too!

And.

All the survivors were looking at Lin Yu and discussing him, even ignoring those who had lost their left hands!

At the same time, just moments earlier.

Lin Yu had been transported to a lush green grassland.

A gentle breeze blew beneath bright sunshine.

A track made of fresh grass stretched out ahead of Lin Yu, brimming with life. Beside him stood a round, plump rabbit!

The rabbit was gray all over, with extremely long ears.

Clearly.

It was the Demon Spirit Rabbit!

Just then.

A voice rang out in the air.

"The man-versus-rabbit race is about to begin. Read the rules carefully. Anyone who breaks them will die!"

"1. You may not kill another contestant. Violators will die."

"2. You may not leave the track. Violators will die."

"3. The loser will die."

"The race will begin in five seconds..."

"5."

"4."

Lin Yu's eyes lit up slightly. I can't kill another contestant, but it didn't say I couldn't kidnap one, right?

Perfectly reasonable!

Glancing at the Demon Spirit Rabbit beside him, already poised in its starting stance and ready to go, Lin Yu lunged without the slightest hesitation. He grabbed both its ears in one hand and hauled it straight up.

Heh!

You know what? It feels pretty nice!

Just a little heavy!