The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 48

“I am the King.” Someone weakly raised their hand. She was the most timid-looking of everyone present. This young girl, nervously clutching the King card, didn’t look like someone who had passed the last activity at all.

[What standard is Miss Wang using to select people?]

“Don’t be nervous, the King only needs to give an order,” Xiao Ke encouraged her. “However, the target of the order cannot exceed two people.”

The girl, wearing a fluffy knit cardigan, nervously licked her lips. “Then, then… please 10… strip?”

A dead silence fell. The athletic woman beside her stood up in disbelief, hands reaching for her thin t-shirt.

“Just kidding~ I withdraw, my real request is to ask, ask number 10 to go change into a swimsuit in the back and continue participating in the game~” The girl stumbled over her words, her face flushing as she frantically waved her hands.

Number 10 ran off as if granted a great pardon, returning in a bikini in under 5 minutes and taking her seat again. Both of them seemed extremely embarrassed. The girl repeatedly opened her mouth but dared not speak.

Yao Yuan, who was sitting close by, heard the girl apologize in a very quiet voice while looking down: “I’m sorry… I realized I couldn’t take back what I had said, so I just went along with it.”

No one cared about this minor interruption. Everyone here had been invited by Miss Wang. Even if they weren’t the previous winners, they were people met during earlier activities, mostly regulars on variety shows.

They must have believed this was a performance, and the first act was a setup.

The second round of drawing cards started quickly. The muscular woman in the bikini opened the King card with a sullen expression: “It’s me this time.”

As if to prove a point, she slammed the card onto the table: “I demand that Number 7 and…”

[Number 7, that’s me!] Yao Yuan suddenly looked up. Could this big sister be retaliating? She couldn’t imagine continuing the game without her clothes on!

Judging by her lips, the woman seemed about to say six… Who was Number 6?

A click suddenly sounded in her heart, like a trigger being lightly pulled.

The athletic woman finished her sentence as if waking from a dream: “Number 7 and Number 8 just hug. I’m saying this in advance, whoever is King next, don’t make any weird requests.”

Number 8 was… A pair of familiar arms wrapped around her waist, so perfunctorily that it ended before she realized who Number 8 was. Looking back, she only saw the Devil sitting back down, calmly staring at the corner of the table, completely avoiding eye contact.

What was that about? Was this person so bothered by the gamble? Yao Yuan retracted her inquiring gaze. The brief command passed, and the poker cards were tossed back into the pile.

“Yes! I drew the King!” A cheer drew everyone’s attention. The young man sitting on the right excitedly displayed the poker card featuring a crown.

“Very good.” The Miss crossed her arms, her elbows trembling slightly: “Then please, Mr. King, give your order~”

“Hahaha, don’t try to fool us!” The young man slapped the table heartily. “The person who flew out earlier was on a wire, right? Special effects~ It’s all special effects. The next two rounds were setups. Everyone’s just performing for the camera, I get it.”

“It’s all real.” Xiao Ke’s eyes were fixed on the King card in his hand.

Hearing her words, the young man became even more dramatic, striking a pose to show off the logo on his clothes to his imagined camera: “You won’t admit it? If you won’t admit it, let me expose your game.”

He first stood sideways with one leg extended, then quickly changed to poking his forehead with one hand: “I request Number 8 to punch a hole through the wall!” After saying that, he immediately ran up to the wall, frantically pounding it like a monkey. He only nodded with satisfaction after knocking on the entire wall.

Laughter rustled around them. Punching a hole through a wall was impossible, surely.

The Miss quickly added: “Be careful not to break a load-bearing wall and get crushed inside.”

The young man mugged for the camera with a few poses: “Looks like you’re troubled? Alright, then smash all the iron gates outside. Who is Number 8?”

Xing Kong stood up expressionlessly and walked toward the door. She was Number 8 this round too! Yao Yuan covered her face, anticipating what was to come.

“Oh, it’s the same setup lady as the last round.” The young man continued to act cool with his hands in his pockets. “It must be hard for you to make a fool of yourself in front of the camera, but I’m afraid I can’t… continues… hold back…”

Boom! A tremendous crash, like thunder, followed by an ear-splitting screech of metal, even more grating than fingernails on a blackboard.

The iron gate snapped into large sections of alloy fragments. Steel cracked in the wind and dissolved into nothingness. The Devil silently retracted her fingers and sat back down in the deadly silence.

[Honestly, your luck is terrible. You drew the only person who can do it without being commanded.] Yao Yuan shook her head, looking at the deck of cards that had reformed in the center.

Everyone’s expressions had changed. They finally believed what the Miss had said at the beginning. So, what kind of command to give naturally—

“It’s me.” The man diagonally across from Xing Kong flipped over the crown card: “Number 1 and Number 2, transfer all your money to me.”

“No!” the youngest girl shrieked. “Why should I give you my money!” Her words were resolute, but her hand was already on her phone.

The “King” was unmoved, letting her press the phone through her tears to make the mobile payment.

The situation for the other person was no better. The tall man shouted at the King of this round: “Don’t joke around! If you make me hand over money, I’ll kill you if I draw King next! If I don’t draw King, I’ll still kill you when we get out!”

The crude threat made the “King” frown. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately closed it. No regrets… or truly unable to retract the command?

After transferring all the money they could, the two pulled out the scattered cash and some easily convertible jewelry they had on them, handing it all to the young man. Even if their eyes were murderous, they didn’t hesitate to hand over the money.

The young man collected everything and looked up to ask: “What about real estate, cars?”

No one answered him. Number 1 and Number 2 sat motionless. The girl was crying on the table, and the tall man’s expression was grim. If he drew the King next round, he might truly kill someone.

“Don’t houses and cars count? Does money only refer to non-fixed assets?” This time, the young man directly challenged the Miss. After all, she was the richest person here, his most desired target.

Xiao Ke’s knuckles were white, but her smile remained bright: “The scope of the command’s influence is limited. One must also weigh the cost when giving an order.”

“What do you mean?”

“You guess?”

The tone of “You guess” was close to the Devil’s, distant yet confident. This made Yao Yuan’s eyes flick: Cost—did the King pay a price for issuing a command?

Time was flowing too quickly, leaving no room for further thought. The poker cards fell back into the pile one by one. A tense atmosphere enveloped everyone. The next round was about to begin.

[This is the round.]

An abnormal feeling surged in her mind. Was Xing Kong cheating? No, the arrogant one wouldn’t stoop to that.

It must be instinct. She subconsciously looked at Chu Yan, meeting her gaze. Speaking of which, how could she be sure I would draw the King card and know her number?

She must have guessed that Xing Kong would reveal everyone’s number to me. After all, the person full of malice towards me surely wouldn’t dare to speak out herself.

Her hand reached into the pile. The feeling of the other cards being drawn was blank, but one card remained clearly visible in her sight. Yao Yuan pressed down on that card and flipped it up with force.

A golden crown shone brightly in the center of the card.

Normal time froze once more. Looking up at Chu Yan, the other woman’s expression was no longer relaxed and comfortable. It seemed that the frequent use of this ability was a great burden on her.

Chu Yan, with unfocused eyes, slowly articulated: “I am Number 4.” Time immediately returned to its normal flow. No one noticed the anomaly just now, except for the two sitting across from each other.

A storm battered her reason: Why, why would Chu Yan trust me? She definitely wants to kill me, and she knows I want to get rid of her. So, is she not Number 4? Would she tell a lie that could be exposed in a few seconds, just to avoid a dangerous situation this one time?

Should she choose to trust her? Trust someone who wants to kill me, who wants to kill Xing kong—Don’t be ridiculous!

With the crown card against her cheek, Yao Yuan’s eyes were fixed on Chu Yan: “Number 4, please come with me to the next room and tell me all the secrets you know about you and me.”

Chu Yan stood up under her gaze, and only Chu Yan stood up at this moment, so she was indeed Number 4. Yao Yuan’s heart was a mix of emotions. She didn’t expect her opponent, full of lies, to tell the truth in this particular round.

“Let’s go, didn’t you want to know secrets?” Chu Yan was already standing at the doorway to the next room while Yao Yuan was still in a daze.

“Mhm.” Yao Yuan hurriedly left her stool, stumbling over the table leg on her way out.

Upon entering the lounge, Chu Yan locked the door.

“Why lock the door?”

“Do you want others to hear something this deadly?” Chu Yan sat on the sofa, legs together: “The surveillance in this room is now disabled. I’ll tell you everything I know right now.”

Her intuition was calm. Yao Yuan subconsciously took a step towards her, but suspicion made her stop: It was too suspicious. No matter what, her attitude was… too nice.

“Can I stand and listen?”

“Suit yourself.” Chu Yan’s gaze returned from the door lock: “Aren’t you curious why I said the Devil is being insincere with you?”

“It would be strange if the Devil were sincere with me.”

“…” The other party was momentarily choked by her strange yet flat response: “You have a good attitude. Do you really not mind that what she’s obsessed with isn’t you yourself?”

Yao Yuan’s expression changed instantly. She didn’t mind the Devil having ulterior motives, but what did that sentence mean: “What do you mean she’s not obsessed with me myself?”

“It’s simple. Your power is not innate. She only values your special power.” Chu Yan smiled knowingly: “Although I don’t know which Chosen One entrusted the fragment of power to you and in what form, you are just a ‘normal person’. A normal person’s soul wouldn’t interest the Devil.”

“…”

“What, is the truth hard to accept?”

“No, explain it properly to me.” Yao Yuan walked toward her: “Tell me everything, exactly what a Chosen One is, and what the power specifically is—” One foot stepped into the swamp. Time gradually turned viscous.

[Damn it!] Her intuition was also delayed by the solidifying time. Yao Yuan’s pupils constricted violently: She fell for it after all.

She only wanted to pull back the foot she had stepped out, but her legs were firmly glued in the space, like a flat painting.

“Just as I expected, a mere fragment really doesn’t have much ability.” Chu Yan slowly stood up from the sofa, approaching Yao Yuan step by step within the solidified time domain.

Sweat streamed down both their arms. One wanted to escape, the other wanted to approach. Every step in such a stagnant space required immense exhaustion.

It was a confrontation of will and an appraisal of demonic power.

Chu Yan reached out her hand: [I won’t lose to a mortal who relies on luck!]

“Farewell, Fragment.” As long as she ripped open the outer shell, the most precious fragment of this worthless girl would be exposed to her. At that point, even the Devil—

“What do you think you’re doing to my Contractor?”

During the brief numbered question, the void was torn by shadow, time was released, and the redundant energy restraint was completely swept away.

The Devil had no affinity for goodwill. She instantly cleaved Chu Yan’s hands with the all-consuming [Malice]!

“Xing kong, she can regenerate, watch out for the dagger!”

“Devil, you can actually break through solidified time?” Chu Yan’s question was merely a thin shield. Her arms regenerated at an uncatchable speed, and a purple sharp gleam appeared at her fingertips.

“Stupid.” Xing Kong waited for the foolish human in front of her to attack her [Weakness]. There was only one chance to harm her.

Chu Yan fiercely threw the dagger, and a look of surprise flashed across the Devil’s face.