The golden ball was puzzled, muttering to itself: “What did I leave out?… No, these are all the game rules.”

“What about the frog?” Bai Youwei looked at it with a cold smile. “The game’s theme is ‘The Frog’s Golden Ball.’ Where is the ‘frog’?”

As soon as she finished speaking, panic immediately showed on others’ faces. They twisted around to look at their surroundings, afraid that countless frogs might suddenly jump out from those dark corners.

The golden ball fell silent.

After a moment, it let out a crafty laugh: “The frog… you’ll find out soon enough.”

Having said that, it floated to the highest point of the cave, positioned directly below the circular opening, letting the sunlight illuminate the sphere even more brilliantly golden.

“The game is about to begin. Player preparation time is one minute. Countdown starting now: 59, 58, 57…”

Everyone panicked!

Almost immediately, someone asked in alarm: “Manager Zhang! What should we do now?!”

People habitually sought help from the leader. However, at this moment, Zhang Hua was no longer the gentle, polite, and thoroughly considerate bespectacled man from outside. He coldly turned around, walked to a position between two snail shells, stood still, and ignored everyone.

Hui Ge said sarcastically: “See that, everyone? Your Manager Zhang can barely save himself. Who has time to care whether you live or die?! That’s your Manager Zhang, not your daddy! A bunch of idiots!”

Bai Youwei pondered for a moment, then turned to wave at Tan Xiao.

Tan Xiao was in a daze. Seeing Bai Youwei calling him, he hurried over.

Bai Youwei said: “Teacher Cheng isn’t in good health. You help him stand over there. The golden ball uses the stone walls and snail shells to ricochet. Places without snail shells are relatively safer.”

Without a word, Tan Xiao immediately stepped forward to help Cheng Weicai up.

Hearing this, others quickly searched for suitable spots.

Only then did they realize that the place Manager Zhang was standing was precisely the “relatively safe position” Bai Youwei mentioned. In other words, Zhang Hua clearly knew how to avoid the golden ball but hadn’t planned to tell them!

Resentment appeared on everyone’s faces.

“How can there be such a selfish person? What good does our death do him!” A middle-aged woman muttered in a low voice.

No one righteously questioned or condemned him, because the countdown was nearing its end.

Shen Mo placed Bai Youwei in a corner of the cave, her back against the stone wall, a large snail shell on her right, and empty mud on her left and front.

Whether for hiding or escaping, this was an excellent spot.

But Shen Mo didn’t plan to stay here, because this location was too remote, unsuitable for observing the golden ball’s trajectory. He was someone who liked taking initiative.

He took off his military boots, rolled up his pant legs, and stood barefoot in the mud. His pitch-black eyes quietly fixed on the distant ball, just waiting for it to find its launch position before taking action.

“7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2…”

The golden ball moved.

“…1.”

It stopped, the sphere swaying, floating to a spot, its malicious childish voice echoing through the cave—

“The game begins.”

BOOM!

震动 struck again!

Impact! Ricochet! Reverberation! The entire cave was trembling!

Large splashes of mud soup flew up before Bai Youwei’s eyes, preventing her from seeing clearly where the others were. Only screams and cries rose and fell! Deafening!

“Shen Mo!!!” She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Unable to see his figure, her heart grew uneasy.

Call her pretentious or selfish—whatever. Right now, she couldn’t do without Shen Mo! Shen Mo was her legs! He was her life!

A person covered in mud came crawling and rolling over. Seeing Bai Youwei, they froze for a moment, then lunged forward! Shouting incoherently: “Move! This spot is mine!”

Bai Youwei’s eyes widened.

A shadow mixed with golden light suddenly appeared behind that person. The next instant, both person and ball smashed into the stone wall!

The golden ball bounced away invisibly, but the person remained…

Shattered into pieces.

Sliding into the mud, becoming one with it.

Only on the stone wall remained a smear of something resembling tofu pudding, red and white mixed together.