Chapter 59 - 56: The Human Heart is Unfathomable

Chapter 59: Chapter 56: The Human Heart is Unfathomable

SQUELCH.

Xie Shaokun and the others watched in shock as Xia Yu actually dug the eyeballs out of a corpse on the floor!

Both of them!

"Wh... What is she doing?"

"That’s insane."

"So ruthless."

"Has she lost her mind?"

A mixture of confusion, disbelief, fear, and terror made Zhao Xianghe and the others tremble, terrified that Xia Yu might turn her knife on them.

They were, after all, completely unable to move, with no way to even resist.

But Xie Shaokun knew Xia Yu. He knew she would never act without reason; there had to be a purpose behind this. And... from his perspective, the fact that Yu was taking action proved she had a new idea for dealing with their current predicament.

As for whether it would work, they would just have to wait and see!

「At the same time.」

Xia Yu was oblivious to their thoughts. Her focus was absolute. She immediately placed the gouged-out eyes over her own, which she then squeezed shut.

At the same time, her entire body tensed, ready for a life-or-death struggle.

However... the danger never came.

She immediately opened her eyes.

’It didn’t move!’

She let out a breath.

Seeing the Armor standing perfectly still, its Long Blade still raised high, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

’It worked!’

’I don’t know what will happen next, but at least I have a way to protect myself now.’

She paid no mind to the blood on her hands.

If anything, it made her feel even more exhilarated.

"Yu, how did it go?"

Xie Shaokun’s voice rang out again.

"It worked."

Xia Yu didn’t hide anything, explaining her analysis of the situation to everyone.

"What?"

"That actually works?"

"Do we have to do that too?"

...

Everyone hesitated, scared and unwilling.

"I’ll kill anyone who dares to touch my son!"

The bald man was the first to speak, letting out a roar.

No one answered him. Zhao Xianghe looked at Xia Yu and asked, "Isn’t there another way? Like drawing a pair of eyes on our eyelids?"

"You can try."

Xia Yu replied coolly.

Uh.

Zhao Xianghe decisively shut his mouth.

"It’s going back."

Xia Yu’s eyes narrowed as she watched the Armor retreat step by step, finally stopping in its original spot in the corner.

"It’s targeting me!"

Zhao Xianghe’s face paled. He clearly hadn’t expected his turn to come so soon, and he didn’t dare to blink.

It was only then that he realized his idea of drawing eyes on his eyelids would require him to close them, which would be a death sentence.

In other words, regardless of whether the method would have worked, it was simply impossible to execute.

’The only way is to dig out eyes!’

But he still felt squeamish and couldn’t bring himself to do it.

’I... I can’t hold on much longer.’

Two voices argued in Zhao Xianghe’s mind, but he quickly made a decision.

He quickly crouched down.

With his bare hands, he brutally tore out both of one of the corpse’s eyes. Even seeing it again, the scene was still bloody and cruel.

The others instinctively shivered.

Xia Yu, however, was lost in thought.

’Including me, there are only nine people left. The third floor is bound to have even more dangerous rules, and more people will die. I should try to save as many as I can.’

’There are only two corpses with eyes, which isn’t enough for everyone. I need to think of another way to help them.’

"Phew. I’m really going to live. This is great."

Zhao Xianghe’s hands were still trembling. It was clear that the act of gouging out the eyes had taken a heavy psychological toll on him.

While holding up the two eyes, he goaded the others, "You all need to hurry up and think of something. There aren’t enough eyes to go around. What are you going to do?"

Li Haoran was the first to react, trying to play the sympathy card. "Why don’t you let me borrow the eyes? You’ve already been chosen once."

Zhao Xianghe flatly refused. "What if I get chosen again? No deal."

"You..."

Li Haoran wasn’t surprised, but he still resented Zhao Xianghe for refusing to help.

"Please pick me, Amitabha Buddha, I’ll go vegetarian for the rest of my life."

"Pick me! Pick me!"

...

Everyone quickly realized that the situation had changed. The fear on their faces vanished, replaced by an eager desperation as they all scrambled to be the one chosen.

As for the bald man’s threat, who cared?

’Right now, staying alive is all that matters!’

"The things people will do to survive... sigh..."

Seeing this, Xie Shaokun felt a storm of conflicting emotions.

To stay alive, people were truly capable of anything. Even the proudest person could swallow their pride, and even the closest of allies could become bitter enemies in an instant.

’I hope I’m next.’

He was just as nervous as everyone else.

"Huh?"

’My luck is good! It’s me this time!’

Xie Shaokun was overjoyed.

The others’ faces went white. All eyes turned to the only corpse left on the floor: the little boy! The bald man’s son!

They stared as if looking at prey.

At that moment, the bald man’s warning was completely forgotten. Everyone now hoped they would be chosen next, so they could dig out the little boy’s eyes without a moment’s hesitation.

"I’m warning you, if anyone dares to touch my son, I’ll..."

The bald man was in the middle of his threat when his expression suddenly went slack.

He had been chosen.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"No."

The others couldn’t accept it. Li Haoran was the first to speak up. "Don’t you love your son so much? If you’ve got the guts, then don’t dig out his eyes!"

"Yeah!"

"Go on, don’t do it."

The others quickly chimed in, terrified that the bald man, in a moment of impulse, would actually dig out his own son’s eyes.

Xie Shaokun and the others all turned to look.

Everyone wanted to know what the bald man would choose.

A father’s love.

Survival.

Which would it be?

"I have sinned."

Tears streamed from the bald man’s eyes. He stared at the Armor before him and slowly raised a hand, muttering, "I’m the one who got my son killed. I have sinned. I have sinned."

And then.

Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief as he reached up and began to gouge out his own left eye!

"AHHH!"

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the room.

Even Xia Yu’s attention was drawn to him, her brow furrowing slightly.

’This man is ruthless.’

’And also...’

’A good father.’

’Unfortunately, encountering this damned fog of rules sealed his tragic fate.’

The others were horrified, a chill running down their spines. They realized the bald man hadn’t been bluffing before—he really would fight to the death with anyone who touched his son.

For a moment, they all hesitated.

Should they still go for the little boy’s eyes next?

’It would be so much better if the bald man just died!’

The thought lingered in everyone’s mind, impossible to shake.

They stared intently at the bald man, desperately hoping that his act of gouging out a single eyeball wouldn’t work.

Xia Yu was also curious. How would the rules judge the bald man’s action?

Under everyone’s watchful gaze.

The bald man clutched his bloody left eye socket with one hand while holding his severed left eyeball in front of his right eye with the other.

He waited for a moment.

"This method works."

He breathed a sigh of relief and walked straight to the wall where the Autumn Mountain Fisherman Painting had been. He gripped the rusty sword that was still embedded in the wall, then stood guard by his son’s corpse, his one remaining eye glaring at the others.

With a ferocious and crazed expression, half his face stained red with blood, he looked like the Grim Reaper himself.

No one dared to meet his gaze!

"Xia Yu, have you thought of any other way?"

Li Haoran could only pin his hopes on Xia Yu.

The Dingding Girl, the young girl with the pierced thigh, and the Disordered Man also looked over.

When their own lives were on the line, no one could afford to be indifferent.

"No."

Xia Yu shook her head.

’I’ve basically figured out the rules of this bizarre event.’

’There is no other solution.’

’Besides, it’s not like these people have to die.’

’They’ll just lose an eye.’

Hearing this, Li Haoran and the others trembled in despair.

’It’s my turn.’

What drove Li Haoran deeper into despair was that he was chosen next. "Brother, can you donate your son’s eyes to me? I’ll give you money."

"A hundred thousand!"

"A million!"

"I’ll take out a loan to pay you!"

Rage appeared on the bald man’s face.

"Bring this up again, and I’ll chop you to pieces."

He raised the sword in his hand and spoke icily.

Li Haoran looked as if he’d lost his parents. Then an idea struck him:

He opened his right eye and closed his left, then opened his left and closed his right, repeating the motion.

And then...

It was no use.

The Armor was already right in front of him!

Li Haoran didn’t dare to try again. He attempted to gouge out his own eye, but the searing pain made him unable to follow through. After a moment’s hesitation, he went to the wall and pulled out a rusty Sharp Arrow.

’An arrow?’

Xie Shaokun frowned.

’Wouldn’t digging out an eyeball with that thing hurt even more?’

’And you could easily destroy the eyeball!’

’If that happens...’

THWIP.

The sound of flesh being pierced rang out.

"You... You’re murdering someone?!"

Xie Shaokun cried out in alarm.

That bastard Li Haoran had actually plunged the Sharp Arrow in his hand into the Disordered Man’s chest.

Unfortunately, his aim wasn’t very good. He missed the heart, off by a slight margin, so the Disordered Man didn’t die immediately.

"Ugh... ugh... ugh..."

The Disordered Man’s eyes went wide. Feeling the strength drain from his body, he suddenly put on a look of grim determination and spat at Li Haoran. "Ptooey."

A wad of bloody saliva hit Li Haoran in the face.

Li Haoran instinctively shut his eyes.

SLASH.

In the next instant, his head flew high into the air.

Dead!

Immediately after, the Disordered Man was chosen.

SQUELCH.

A look of wild joy crossed his face. Terrified someone would steal his prize, he brutally tore out Li Haoran’s eyeballs with his bare hands and placed them directly over his own. He roared to release his pent-up fear and tension, "You forced me to do this! You forced me!"

It all happened so fast that no one had time to react.

Xie Shaokun was completely stunned.

"What’s going on? Brother, what happened? What’s wrong with your eye?"

The bald man’s sister woke up. Seeing the scene before her, she was so frightened her legs went weak. If she weren’t restrained, she probably would have collapsed to the floor.

"Little Fang, listen to me."

"If you see the Armor coming toward you, do not blink!"

The bald man said hurriedly. Fearing his sister wouldn’t understand, he repeated himself, "Do exactly as I say!"

"Do you hear me?"

Before Little Fang could even reply, she was chosen...