Chapter 190: The Death of Linshuyu! Resolved, Yet Not Fully Solved!

Su Yang's 'arriving just in time' caused a clever shift in the atmosphere.

Especially his calm demeanor made Tang Youning beside him uneasy.

It felt like the urgency after a world‑shaking secret hidden away had been uncovered.

It also carried a hint of panic.

But in the face of the situation, he still reverted to his usual unsmiling composure.

His stern face remained as before, yet the players present could no longer look at him with the same gaze.

No one expected that the normally honest and simple man had secretly orchestrated so many conspiracies.

Even devising the heinous scheme of setting fire shows the extent of his methods.

When the time arrived, a string of numbers suddenly appeared on the players' table.

Jiang Hua — 213

Zhao Huaillei — 202

Tang Youning — 187

Su Yang — 184

Linshuyu — 182

Xu Yutong — 180

Wang Ning — 174

Huangfu Shu — 64

"Player 'Jiang Hua', please begin selecting a partner. Time limit 15 minutes; exceeding it counts as a forfeit," the bull‑headed man announced.

"I'm actually the first?" Jiang Hua's eyes held no joy, only surprise.

Obviously, the numbers above represent the total Performance Score from three days of dates.

But…

The average score didn't even reach 70.

"Then I'll go first," Jiang Hua tried to stand, but his rear was immediately restrained by the Shackles at his feet.

Clang!

Jiang Hua staggered, his head nearly banging against the table.

Su Yang glanced sideways, "Just speak while seated; don't smash your head."

The women opposite strained to suppress laughter, their faces flushing bright red.

"A bit unaccustomed..." Jiang Hua forced a smile, scanning the opposite side.

He then adopted a solemn expression; he had exactly two chances.

Each chance was crucial; if he succeeded in the first round, he would become the first player to escape.

At the same time, this counted as a trial run.

Unless one is absolutely certain, being the first to choose is not a good thing.

The scene suddenly fell into silence, only heavy nasal breaths echoing.

Su Yang pressed his fists together on the table, his index finger lightly tapping, awaiting his choice.

During that time no one spoke; the women's hearts rose to their throats, every Muscle tensing.

Including themselves, they didn't know what information the other had obtained.

They also didn't know how many pieces of information Jiang Hua had verified during the dates.

"Who should I choose?" Jiang Hua swept his gaze from left to right across the women's faces, his eyes full of meaning.

Those being stared at appeared calm on the surface, but were extremely nervous inside.

A moment later, Jiang Hua burst into laughter, pointed a finger at Linshuyu, "I'll choose you then."

Seeing it aimed at herself, Linshuyu's eyelid twitched sharply, "Why me?"

"Based on the information I've gathered, only you fit best; the others are lacking," Jiang Hua said.

Before Linshuyu could ask, Su Yang interjected, "Consider it again?"

"I trust myself," Jiang Hua declared firmly, looking at the bull‑headed man, "I choose Linshuyu!"

"Please confirm again," the bull‑headed man said in a deep voice.

At those words, the atmosphere suddenly solidified.

Jiang Hua did not hesitate, nodding, "Confirm."

The bull‑headed man remained silent for a while, then rose and said, "Choice correct!"

What?!

The four women, including Linshuyu, all turned pale, as if they couldn't believe their ears.

Chosen right away?

All gazes converged on Linshuyu's death‑pale face; her delicate body trembled, her bloodless lips quivering.

"No, this shouldn't be..."

The next moment, the bull‑headed man slowly approached, his palm reaching toward her Brain.

Linshuyu felt death approaching, her hands straining hard to break free of the shackles.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the Shackles, forced to watch the bull‑headed man seize her head.

"Why me? I only dated you once; how did you know it was me?" Linshuyu shouted hoarsely, a veil of mist clouding her eyes.

Her voice was tinged with sobbing.

She was scared.

Su Yang narrowed his eyes; he had imagined many possibilities, but hadn't expected events to progress so quickly.

Jiang Hua opened with a bright smile: "One time is enough."

"No, no…."

Bang!

Accompanied by a shattering blast, blood stained the ground, and the sound abruptly stopped.

"Player 'Linshuyu' has been expelled; the game continues."

"Player 'Zhao Huaillei', please begin selecting a partner. Time limit: 15 minutes; exceeding it counts as forfeiture."

Saying so, the minotaur licked the blood on its hand and turned back to its seat.

Sitting beside Linshuyu, Zhao Huaillei watched a large, fine skull shatter before her eyes, her heart trembling wildly, hard to calm.

Even though she had already witnessed killing and death.

Yet such a close‑up gruesome death, combined with the desperation and helplessness that flashed in Linshuyu's eyes before the end, was especially tragic.

A splash of warm fresh blood hit her face; Zhao Huaillei pursed her lips, lifted her hand, and wiped it away.

A headless corpse sat alone in its spot, its severed neck still gulping crimson liquid.

Horrifying to the eyes!

Those present did not expect the pace to be so fast; Jiang Hua stepped up and immediately chose a partner.

Everyone thought there would be some probing reasoning first, and even if it failed, careful deliberation would be needed.

After all, if one chose wrong, they'd have to wait for the remaining candidates to finish before their turn came again.

At that point, if drawn, it would still be a dead end.

"What nerve…" Su Yang couldn't help but regard him with newfound respect.

He had assumed Jiang Hua would be indecisive, but did not expect such decisiveness.

Could there be a master behind the scenes guiding him?

At this thought, Su Yang couldn't help but look at Tang Youning, who had remained silent all along.

He only had a faint, ambiguous curve at the corner of his mouth.

As if this outcome had been within his expectation all along.

"Somewhat interesting…" Su Yang couldn't help but smile.

Jiang Hua, feeling smug, frowned at the laugh coming from beside him: "What are you laughing at?"

"Someone died, and it's your turn to be happy?"

As soon as the words fell, everyone immediately cast their gaze at Su Yang.

In this grim situation, how could anyone still laugh?

Su Yang shook his head and said, "I laugh at your naivety."

"Oh?" Jiang Hua, looking surprised, retorted, "But I succeeded; what about you?"

"Succeeded?"

Su Yang raised an eyebrow, looking at the Shackles on his hand, and asked, "Then why are the restraints on you still there?"

Clang!

Jiang Hua stood up instinctively, but lost his balance; his forehead slammed into the table, and he cried out in pain.

"Hahaha…"

Su Yang, seeing that he finally slipped up, smiled broadly and laughed.

"Why? Didn't I already select?" Jiang Hua, covering his flushed skin, looked completely puzzled.

The others, seeing this, were equally baffled.

Clearly Linshuyu was already dead, and the referee had announced the choice correct.

But why…

Tang Youning furrowed his brow, seeming also not to understand the issue.

Logically, Jiang Hua had already cleared the level.

He could leave at any time, just waiting for the settlement.

Yet the Shackles' chain still existed; does that mean…

He solved it, but hasn't fully resolved the partner issue?