Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 311: First Round of Selection Ends
Almost everyone present was carrying out a Blood Letter mission for the first time, and it was also the first time they had witnessed their companions, who had just been alive, being killed by a demon and turned into cold corpses.

Many things are one thing to understand conceptually, but quite another to experience firsthand.

At that moment, they finally realized that the death noose had already tightened around everyone's throats, little by little!

"Wu Qian... she... she just died like that?" Zhao Meiling was horrified. In her mind, even if someone was killed, shouldn't they at least be able to struggle or try to escape? But from the moment the ghost made its move to Wu Qian's death... it only took one or two seconds!

At this moment, Sun Miao… this young man with black-rimmed glasses who looked somewhat timid, was now deathly pale, his body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind. Because he was the next, the last resident in the first round!
He needs to face...

One in ten probability!
This number is still not high, but here, once you're infected, it's 100% certain death! There's no hope of escape; you can only wait to die!
"What...what should I do? What fruit should I choose...will I die like Wu Qian..." Sun Miao's voice was choked with sobs, filled with despair.

After all, the gruesome sight of the corpse on the ground was too horrifying to bear.

"Hmph!" Wang Tianba rubbed his arm, which was sore from Zhou Qiang's block, and spat at Sun Miao disdainfully. "Are you even a man? What are you yelling about? That woman was just unlucky to run into someone! It's only a small fraction of her luck, what's there to be afraid of!"

His nonchalant "bad luck" and "only one-tenth" made everyone around him quite dissatisfied. When Sun Miao heard this, her tears stopped immediately, and she looked at Wang Tianba with red eyes!

He suddenly raised his head, pointed at Wang Tianba, and cursed, "Wang Tianba! Are you even human?! Wu Qian is dead! Are you even speaking human language?! One-tenth? You make it sound so easy! You're not next, so of course you can talk like that without any remorse!"

"Damn it! You dare to insult me?!" Wang Tianba was furious when Sun Miao publicly criticized him. He rolled up his sleeves and charged over aggressively, swinging his fist at Sun Miao's face!
"You think I'm just some nobody? I'll kill you!"

"stop!"

"Do not fight!"

Several exclamations sounded at the same time.

At this moment, Zhou Qiang, who was closest, reacted extremely quickly, and then his seemingly sturdy figure suddenly inserted itself between the two!

Facing Wang Tianba's furious punch, Zhou Qiang neither dodged nor avoided it. Instead, his left arm swiftly and forcefully lashed upwards like a steel whip!
"Snapped!"

A clear, resounding impact of flesh.

Wang Tianba felt as if his forearm had been smashed into an iron rod; a sharp pain shot through him, and his attack faltered.

But this is just the beginning!
As Zhou Qiang blocked, his body weight shifted forward instantly, and his right elbow shot out like a cannonball, using the twisting force of his waist and abdomen to deliver a short and explosive gust of wind straight into Wang Tianba's open chest and abdomen!
Muay Thai!

This is a standard Muay Thai elbow strike!
Jiang Jin's pupils suddenly contracted!
Muay Thai, known as the "Eight-Armed Boxing Style," utilizes fists, legs, knees, and elbows as deadly weapons. Its fighting style is fierce and ruthless, emphasizing explosive power and destructive force. Its elbow and knee strikes, in particular, are extremely powerful in close-quarters combat, often deciding the outcome with a single blow!
Jiang Jin used to work with the police force and raided illegal underground boxing rings in the suburbs. Through the surveillance footage he obtained as evidence, he witnessed how Muay Thai fighters in cages used their hard elbows and knees to break their opponents' bones and even knock them unconscious in just a few rounds!
"Ugh!" Wang Tianba let out a painful groan. The elbow struck him squarely in the chest, and his burly body staggered back several steps like a kite with a broken string before finally collapsing to the ground with a thud!
Zhou Qiang struck successfully but did not pursue. Instead, he quickly withdrew his stance and resumed his slightly reserved and honest posture, as if he were still the ordinary middle-aged man in work clothes.

This guy... is definitely a master!
Jiang Jin felt a chill run down his spine.

That reaction speed, that power generation technique, especially the ruthlessness and precision of that elbow strike, is definitely not the level of ordinary practice!

Even among real Muay Thai fighters, he is considered to be at a very high level of fighting ability!
Upon witnessing this scene, Li Yin's suspicions about Zhou Qiang instantly surged to their peak.

A highly skilled Muay Thai expert happens to be participating in this Blood Letter mission with them? This in itself is extremely unusual.

Li Yin asked Jiang Jin beside him in a low voice, "Jiang Jin, you are a veteran. If you fight him, are you confident you can win?"

Jiang Jin shook his head solemnly and said frankly, "It's difficult. He's very experienced, and his attacks are always deadly. In hand-to-hand combat, my chances of winning are slim."

But then he changed the subject, his hand casually touching the inside of his jacket, where the fruit knife he'd found at the cashier was hidden.

However, if there's a knife, that's a different story.

As a police officer, Jiang Jin is very familiar with all kinds of knives.

The fruit knife he carried had a blade length of over 15 centimeters, a tip angle of less than 60 degrees, a sharpened and exceptionally sharp blade, and a sturdy handle, making it extremely threatening for both piercing and cutting.

This goes far beyond the scope of an ordinary fruit knife; it belongs to a controlled knife that is strictly prohibited from being carried on one's person. In such a confined space, it becomes a deadly weapon capable of instantly changing the balance of power.

Just then, Li Yin's gaze suddenly turned to Jiang Jin, and he asked casually, "Hey, Jiang Jin, aren't you going to take off that jacket? Although the temperature difference between day and night is large in the suburbs and it gets very cold at night, we're indoors here, and after everything that's happened, aren't you hot?"

This question struck Jiang Jin like a thunderclap!

He really did suspect me!
Jiang Jin immediately realized that when he came from the chilly early spring of Muxu City, he had come directly to this dungeon world in the sweltering summer, wearing this tactical jacket with some protective function.

Although he explained it as "preventing accidents," his outfit was indeed conspicuous among everyone else dressed in summer attire. Li Yin's mention of it at this time was certainly not unintentional!

Jiang Jin forced himself to calm down, a helpless bitter smile appearing on his face. He repeated and emphasized his previous explanation: "Li Yin, didn't I tell you before? I was a soldier and later worked as a security guard. It's just a habit. This is a tactical jacket. The fabric is breathable, and the multi-pocket design is very convenient. Wearing it is also a way to prevent various unexpected situations that may arise, such as a sudden drop in temperature, or... needing to deal with some physical conflict. To be honest, I'm feeling a bit uneasy right now, so wearing it actually makes me feel a little safer."

Li Yin gave Jiang Jin a meaningful look, but did not ask any further questions. However, the scrutinizing look in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Zhou Qiang's unusual fighting prowess and Jiang Jin's inappropriate attire are both major points of suspicion surrounding this blood-letter mission, making him uneasy.

After Wang Tianba and Zhou Qiang's outburst, everyone's vigilance towards Zhou Qiang was at its highest. Zhao Meiling, Sun Miao, and others unconsciously distanced themselves from him, their eyes filled with fear and suspicion.

"How...how can he be so good at fighting?"

"A middle-aged man this capable? That's really unusual!"

"Could he be... a ghost in disguise? That's why he has abilities that don't fit his identity?"

Suspicion seems to have temporarily focused on Zhou Qiang.

Faced with the crowd's questions, Zhou Qiang seemed a little flustered. He rubbed his hands, reverting to his honest and simple demeanor, and explained, "When I was young... I was naive and did some underground boxing in Thailand for a few years to make a living. Later, I quit and came back to drive a truck. This... this is nothing, it's all in the past."

The explanation sounds reasonable, but in the current context, it's hard to believe. A former underground boxer appearing in this apartment, and just in time for this bizarrely structured Bloodletter mission, seems too contrived.

However, the threat of death did not slow down due to infighting and suspicion.

Qian Yong glared at the shelves, cursing, "Damn this lousy fruit shop! Only eighteen kinds of fruit! In the summer, they don't even have mangoes! No kiwis! No durians! If they had more variety, our chances of survival would be a little better! Damn it!"

“Durian is a tropical fruit, so transportation costs are high,” Zheng Jie said. “Moreover, its flavor is relatively niche, so it’s normal that fruit shops don’t have it. As for kiwifruit, its main harvest season is from August to November, so it’s not surprising that it’s not available in July. As for mangoes… maybe it’s because this place is a bit remote, making supply inconvenient?”

"Nonsense," Qian Yong shook his head and said, "This is a Blood Letter mission, transportation is no big deal! Chun Chun is just trying to make things difficult for us! They want us to die!"

His curses expressed everyone's feelings, but in the face of the absolute power of the rules, such complaints seemed pale and powerless.

Looking at the arguing, suspicious, and complaining crowd, Sun Miao's face revealed intense fear and despair. He cried out, his voice trembling with emotion, "Stop arguing! Stop arguing! Please, think of something! Once I've chosen, one round will be over! There will only be... only nine kinds of fruit left! The mortality rate will only increase then! We must find the ghost before all the fruit is chosen!"

His words were like a bucket of cold water, waking everyone up. Yes, mutual suspicion wouldn't solve anything; finding the mole was the only way out.

Thus, before Sun Miao could make his "death choice," a hasty and chaotic discussion began.

"I think Wang Tianba is very suspicious! He's so loud and boisterous, maybe he's just covering something up!"

"Zhou Qiang! Zhou Qiang is the most suspicious! His skills are nothing like those of an ordinary person!"

"Jiang Jin is also strange. He always wears that jacket, and he's too calm!"

“Li Yin… Li Yin is so smart, could it be a ghost pretending to be smart to mislead us?” One or two people, in extreme fear, even began to have slight doubts about Li Yin, who had been trying to lead everyone.

The discussion went on and on, each side presenting their own arguments, each with reasons to be suspected, yet none possessing concrete evidence. With only one chance to accuse someone, no one dared to draw a conclusion easily. The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive and desperate.

Time slipped away amidst meaningless arguments and suspicions... In the end, Sun Miao had no choice but to choose fruit.

The group entered the warehouse again. This time, the atmosphere inside was almost frozen.

The wait was longer than ever before.

When the warehouse door opened again, Sun Miao could barely stand and had to lean against the wall for support.

Not long after, the ghost arrived as expected.

This time, it appeared eerily from the top of the shelf where melons were displayed, bringing with it a chilling cold and a putrid stench.

Its deathly white eyes swept over the remaining options, and its rotting fingers slowly rose.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

My finger moved, skimming over strawberries, apples, lychees... and finally, it settled on that yellow-green, netted melon!
Identify the Hami melon!
Sun Miao immediately showed a relieved expression.

A few seconds later, the ghost clone slowly dissipated.

Like a dying fish on the beach, Sun Miao gasped for breath, sliding down the wall to the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face uncontrollably—a physiological reaction of sudden relaxation after extreme fear.

"I...I chose...plums." He announced his answer with a sob in his voice.

The first round of selection is over, and only Wu Qian was eliminated.

But there was no joy on the faces of the survivors.

Wu Qian's body still lay there, a stark reminder of the game's cruelty. Only nine fruits remained to choose from, and the hidden ghost remained among them, coldly observing their descent into the abyss as they grappled with this deadly riddle.

Finding it is urgent!

(End of this chapter)