Chapter 147: Affection

“Don’t you know how much Xiao Hui loves you? Are you really going to give up on her just like that? Do you treat her like she’s air!?” Zhou Ling looked at Lü Yang angrily. Clearly, this Lü Yang was somewhat different from the Lü Yang she had known before. Or maybe he was pretending, holding on stubbornly.

That Lü Yang was very kind-hearted. He had risked his life more than once to save people who had nothing to do with him. But this time, he not only dragged many innocent guests at the Jinda Hotel into this Mysterious Domain, letting them die, but he also didn’t seem to care at all about Liu Hui’s life.

“For Xiao Ya, I can give up the whole world, let alone her.” Lü Yang raised his gun and aimed it at Zhou Ling’s head. His tone held no hesitation, and no emotion either.

When Liu Hui heard Lü Yang’s words, her body trembled. Her expression became sad and gloomy.

“For Xiao Ya, you can give up the whole world? Hahahahaha… I never believed a man could go that far for a woman. They don’t, and you are no different!” Zhou Ling laughed out loud. Her laugh clearly carried a hint of scorn.

“You can try me!” Lü Yang continued aiming the gun at Zhou Ling’s head. If he hadn’t needed to find out Yi Ya’s whereabouts, he would have pulled the trigger long ago.

“Try you? Fine, I’ll try you then. I’ll count to three. If you don’t put the gun down and tell me the Path of Survival for this Mysterious Domain, I’ll slit Xiao Hui’s throat. I’m starting now… One!” Zhou Ling kept looking at Lü Yang with a mocking expression. It seemed she didn’t really care that much about Lü Yang putting down his gun or the Path of Survival. Instead, she seemed to really enjoy holding Liu Hui hostage and watching Lü Yang’s reaction.

Lü Yang’s face turned ugly. His hand holding the gun trembled a little. His breathing became heavier. He knew this was bad; it was easy for Zhou Ling to see he was wavering inside. But he couldn’t control it.

He had brought Liu Hui back from the brink of death twice at Donkey Head Mountain. It was impossible to say he had no feelings for her at all. And he knew Liu Hui liked him a lot. Even though his feelings for her hadn’t reached the point of romantic love, at the very least, it was like how a person feels about a pet cat or dog they’ve raised for a long time. He absolutely couldn’t bear to watch it get killed cruelly.

“You’re feeling pain, aren’t you? You know that once I count to three, I will definitely kill her. So you’re in pain, you’re hesitating. But you still stubbornly hold on, wanting to prove your determination to me, wanting to wait for a miracle to appear. Too bad, this is the Mysterious Domain. There are no miracles here, only cruel slaughter and death!” Zhou Ling’s expression grew more and more excited and crazy. It was clear she was really enjoying herself right now.

“Xiao Ling, I’m begging you, stop this… Let them go… Xiao Bei is gone already, I can start over with you… I can give you happiness, give you everything you want…” Liu Yin knelt on the ground, looking dejected, and pleaded with Zhou Ling.

“Does begging me work? If begging me worked, I wouldn’t have killed your Xiao Bei back then. You and me start over? Give me happiness? Didn’t I tell you already? Starting last night, I’ve lost interest in you! How can you give me happiness?” Zhou Ling replied to Liu Yin with a few disdainful words.

Liu Yin, still kneeling on the floor, kept shaking his head. It was as if he was remembering again those times he was humiliated over and over, kneeling and begging the Death Killer to spare Xiao Bei…

Back then, he didn’t know who the Death Killer was. He could only beg. Now, he knew who the Death Killer was, and he could still only beg. This made him feel incredibly sad inside.

He couldn’t make himself act against Zhou Ling like Han Cheng did. For one thing, Yi Ya’s life was still in her hands. For another, these two years had changed a lot of things. The one he loved most in his heart was no longer Xiao Bei.

“Two!”

Zhou Ling looked back at Lü Yang and continued her cat-and-mouse game.

Lü Yang’s gun hand trembled even more. Zhou Ling was clearly forcing him, forcing him to choose between Liu Hui and Yi Ya. The cruelty of this choice was… if he chose one, the other would die! They would be permanently erased from this world, without even a chance for redemption like Yi Yi had.

“Do you really not have even a shred of feeling for Xiao Hui? Does she deserve to love you so much and get nothing in return!? You worthless men!” Zhou Ling suddenly got angry again, as if she was standing up for Liu Hui.

Tears streamed from Liu Hui’s eyes. She stared at Lü Yang obsessively. There was no longer any fear or struggle in her eyes, just a bit of faint sorrow. Then, she suddenly moved her neck towards the blade in Zhou Ling’s hand…

Zhou Ling’s reaction was unusually fast. She quickly moved the blade away and changed her stance, using her other arm to tightly lock around Liu Hui’s neck. Only then did she place the blade back against Liu Hui’s throat.

“Xiao Hui, you really are incredibly foolish, thinking of killing yourself for his sake! Is that man worth you doing this!? Why are these men so shameless, so arrogant? It’s all because they’re spoiled by foolish women like you!” Zhou Ling harshly scolded Liu Hui.

“Sister Zhou, I beg you, let Xiao Ya go… stop tormenting him…” Liu Hui was having trouble breathing from Zhou Ling’s grip, but she still managed to plead with Zhou Ling.

Lü Yang’s hands kept trembling uncontrollably. He could barely hold the gun steady. His eyes were bloodshot, glaring fiercely. He wished he could blow Zhou Ling’s head off right now…

“You don’t need to get so worked up… I’ve only called ‘two’. Xiao Hui is still fine. You still have a chance to save her life. The choice is still in your hands.” Zhou Ling seemed quite satisfied with Lü Yang’s current state. Her interest in the game grew even higher.

“Even if you kill everyone here, I wouldn’t care! Let Xiao Ya go! Otherwise, we die here together!” Lü Yang stared fixedly at Zhou Ling, tightening his grip on the gun.

“Oh really? Then let’s start with Xiao Hui!” A ferocious look appeared on Zhou Ling’s face. Then she raised the sharp blade in her hand and forcefully stabbed it into Liu Hui’s chest. She twisted it sideways, tearing open Liu Hui’s lung, letting air rush in. Liu Hui let out a scream, her mouth wide open as she gasped for breath.

Lü Yang’s eyes blazed with fury. His teeth began to chatter. His anger had reached the limit of what he could endure.

“It seems one more cut is needed.” Zhou Ling said lightly. Then she pulled the blade out of Liu Hui’s lung, raised it high, and plunged it down again. This time it pierced Liu Hui’s stomach, and she gave it another slight twist…

Blood gushed from Liu Hui’s open mouth. Her eyes still stared obsessively at Lü Yang… just like how Xiao Jing had looked at Wan Wenzhong, how Xiao Zhao had looked at Han Cheng. Tender and devoted, without resentment or regret.

Tears welled up in Lü Yang’s eyes. By the time he noticed, they were already streaming down his cheeks.

“It hurts, doesn’t it? I thought you were tough and hard enough. You can actually cry? Hahahahaha… This is too funny… Why aren’t you continuing to stubbornly hold on? Didn’t you say, for Xiao Ya, you wouldn’t care about anything, even destroying the world wouldn’t matter. So why are you crying? Crying for Xiao Hui?” Zhou Ling’s laughter grew even more manic.

“Bang!” A dull sound rang out as Lü Yang pulled the trigger.

Zhou Ling’s body jolted slightly. She instinctively touched her own cheek…

It was covered in blood.

She looked at Lü Yang with some disbelief, then reached up and wiped her face again…

A bloody hole appeared in the center of Liu Hui’s forehead. Until her death, her beautiful big eyes were still looking in Lü Yang’s direction, filled with infatuation and affection for him.

“I told you, for Xiao Ya, I can sacrifice the entire world! Do you still want to keep testing my resolve!?” Lü Yang pointed the gun back at Zhou Ling’s head. His eyes no longer held any pain or hesitation, only killing intent.

Zhou Ling stared blankly at Lü Yang, then looked down at Liu Hui’s corpse in her arms. She seemed not to have processed what just happened yet. Then she finally understood. She instinctively pushed the body in her arms away. That shot from Lü Yang moments ago didn’t hit her head; it killed Liu Hui!

This… was completely unexpected…

“Where is Yi Ya? Either let her go, or die here with me! I’ll count to three! If you don’t tell me, I’ll blow your brains out!” Lü Yang was clearly seeing red. He raised his gun and stepped closer to Zhou Ling.

“Hahahahaha…” Zhou Ling seemed to understand something and suddenly burst into wild laughter.

Lü Yang was momentarily stunned. Zhou Ling had already charged into the crowd. The blade in her hand sliced through the air, creating trails of white light. In an instant, more than a dozen corpses lay around her.

And then… Zhou Ling rushed towards the next group of people…

Liu Yin’s face was ashen. He knelt in the center of the first-floor hall, continuously knocking his head against the floor.

The people in the hall had been hiding far away in corners and by the walls, thinking these people killing each other had nothing to do with them. They thought if they stayed still, they could get through it. They didn’t expect Zhou Ling to suddenly go on a killing spree and charge at them. And she was chasing them down the whole way. This terrified the people, their faces turning pale. They shouted and frantically ran in all directions to escape.

The elevator wasn’t working. The fire exit staircase leading up was locked by an Iron Gate. A few men risked their lives to run to the front desk and grabbed some chairs. They took them over and started madly smashing the Iron Gate. Finally, they broke the inner iron lock, pulled open the Iron Gate, and rushed inside. The people behind them swarmed in after them.

In a short time, the hall was completely emptied. Only Zhou Ling, Lü Yang, and Liu Yin remained. Of course, along with the floor full of corpses.

“Kill me! Go on, shoot me! You think just because you’ve resolved yourself to die, you’re sure to win, sure to force me to submit? You’re wrong! You are completely and utterly wrong!” Zhou Ling ran back in front of Lü Yang and stepped closer to him step by step, provoking him again.

Lü Yang kept backing away, shaking his head. His whole body felt extremely weak right now. Several times he almost lost his balance.