I shook my head. "Selene, I don't think we can lose our basic humanity just because we're in this game. If we abandon our moral bottom line and become cold-blooded creatures, then what's the point of knowing the truth even if we uncover it?"
"Ryan, tell me—which is more important, survival or meaning?"
Her cold demeanor infuriated me. I growled, "I don't get it! All we're doing is bringing him to the supply point. It won't even slow us down. Why not?"
"Even if we reach the supply point, do you think you can just walk in? Do you know how many teams are lying in wait there, ready to harvest your heads? Those people are a hundred times more terrifying than a brown bear! Forget saving anyone—even you'd all be wiped out!"
I couldn't out-argue her, but I wasn't going to waste more breath here. No matter how far this competition went, my inner principles were non-negotiable: "I've made my decision. I'm taking him to the supply point. This is my personal choice."
Jasper stood with me. "I'm with Ryan."
Selene shouldered her bow and gave us an indifferent look. "Fine. Good luck."
I hadn't expected our alliance to fracture like this.
Jasper and I helped Lucas to his feet and headed toward the supply point. Selene took the original route through the Smoke Forest, heading to the finish line alone.
I knew we carried different burdens. Fine—some things couldn't be forced.
Just like when my girlfriend left me. Even if I'd gotten on my knees and begged, she wouldn't have wavered. When a woman's heart hardens, it's ten thousand times colder than a man's.
So be it. Each to their own fate.
At dusk, we finally reached Grass Shoe Ridge, the outpost before the second supply point. Once over this modest ridge, we'd be safe.
"How are you holding up?" I asked Lucas.
He was on the thin side—not the robust type. Blood loss had left him pale, and his wounds had already started to get infected. He was running a fever, but still lucid. He licked his cracked lips. "I'll manage. Thanks... honestly, I never expected to be rescued."
I understood what he meant. Under normal circumstances, we should have been mortal enemies—not only taking each other's entry tickets but fighting to the death.
Yet we'd met under those particular circumstances. Certain basic decencies of being human still deserved upholding, didn't they?
I wanted to know the truth about this world, and I wanted to uncover my own origins. But the prerequisite was that I remain human. I couldn't reveal the truth as a monster or a freak.
As we entered Grass Shoe Ridge, I sensed a killing intent—the kind of sixth sense honed through multiple Death Trips. It was so intense that the hair on my body stood on end.
Lucas clearly sensed it too. He glanced at me and shook his head weakly, his expression saying: Screw it, we're screwed.
"It's fine—it might not be aimed at us." I tried to reassure him while keeping myself calm.
Jasper still looked confused. He looked between us. "What's wrong? What are you saying?"
"Ambush," I whispered.
"Ah—" Jasper started to yell, but I clapped a hand over his mouth. "Keep it down. They might not have spotted us yet."
Jasper nodded. I let go. Just then— whoosh!—something hurtled through the air at us!
I shoved his head down as we ducked. A stone smacked into a tree behind us with a crunch. I turned to look—good grief, the pebble was embedded half an inch into the trunk!
That kind of force—the thrower must have incredible arm strength!
An iron-tower of a man appeared on the slope above, casually tossing a few small stones in his hand. He sounded mildly surprised: "Huh, you actually dodged my 'meteor.' Pretty agile."
Behind him, four men and one woman emerged. Clearly, they were a crew.
We were outnumbered. I sheltered behind the tree and shouted: "Friend, we've got a sick guy here. Can you let us pass?"
"Sick guy?" The man laughed loudly. "Perfect. Sickness is weakness—time to take your life!"
He whistled, and the four men and one woman charged down, howling. They held the high ground and moved fast—there was no way we could outrun them. I made my decision and told Jasper: "Take Lucas into the woods. I'll hold them off!"
Before Jasper could respond, the five were upon us. All wore camouflage—mercenenary gear, skin burnt dark. Their eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
I targeted the weakest first and swung at the woman rushing toward me. But she was astonishingly agile, leaning back to dodge my punch, then whipping a roundhouse kick at my throat.
Not ordinary mercenaries, I thought. These people clearly had professional combat training.
I dodged her attack, but the four men had already surrounded me. Two fists couldn't fight four hands—I was immediately in deep trouble. Just then, Jasper let out a roar and charged out wielding a tree trunk.
My eyes stung. Damn, with an ally like this, even dying was worth it.
But before I could finish feeling moved, whoosh—another stone hurtled in and slammed into Jasper's shoulder. He cried out, dropped the trunk, and collapsed.
I looked up. The iron-tower man was still up there, playing with his pebbles. Take out the leader first—this was our only chance!
I stopped tangling with the five and broke free of their encirclement, charging up the slope at the man. If he was good at throwing stones, I'd deny him the distance!
In a flash, I was on him. He stood his ground, smiling, as if he'd been waiting. I leapt into the air and launched an overhead heel kick at his face.
He didn't dodge or flinch. He threw a punch straight at my leg, and before I even hit the ground, I was sent flying!
Such monstrous arm strength—I'd never encountered anything like it. Even Quinn's championship punches would pale in comparison!
My heart sank. The higher the competition level, the more terrifying the opponents. Were we really going to die here today?
The man still played with his stones, grinning. "What, you thought I only throw rocks?"
He clenched the pebbles in his hand and squeezed. The stones ground together with a popping sound like firecrackers. When he opened his palm again, they were nothing but fine powder.
That grip strength... more terrifying than the brown bear's.
Clearly, cutting through the Smoke Forest and facing wild beasts had been the wiser choice.
Honestly, I was starting to regret it. But there was no undoing what was done. My only real regret was dragging Jasper into this—he'd had a chance to survive this round.
Our only opportunity now was to subdue this man and use him as a hostage to buy our safety.
It was close to a fool's dream, but I clung to a shred of hope—he was powerful, yes, but still only human!
I gathered my strength, launched forward like an arrow, and drove my finger in a Spearhand strike at his eyes. He still didn't dodge—threw a punch to break my fingers.
At the instant our attacks crossed, I yanked my hand back, dropped my body, twisted my hips, and drove a hook punch into his ribs!
I'd put everything into that punch, and with his right arm extended, his flank was wide open, completely undefended. I was confident I'd break at least three ribs!
There was a solid thwack of fist meeting flesh—but I was stunned. He'd used his left hand to shield his right side while simultaneously grabbing my fist in his grip.
A piercing pain shot through me. I felt like my entire hand was about to be crushed!
"Good technique, but your body's too weak." He grinned, revealing several gold teeth. "Someone like you wouldn't last ten minutes under torture. Boring."
He squeezed again. The pain drove me to my knees, but I couldn't break free.
Just then, a voice shouted: "Tarkan, let him go!"
I was startled. We both turned to look. Selene had taken the camo-clad woman hostage, pressing an arrow against her throat. The four men stood by, afraid to act.
My chest tightened—I didn't know if I was moved or ashamed.