Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next morning, everyone gathered in the lobby lounge after breakfast. At nine, Tina appeared.

“Is everyone here? The first contest is about to begin! I’ll call attendance now. Please answer ‘Here’ when I call your name!”

“There’s no need. I counted a moment ago. All twenty-one people are present,” said the doctor with glasses. His name was Che Dongming.

“Oh, really?”

When everyone nodded, Tina said, “All right. We’ll skip attendance, then. That reminds me, there’s something I should tell you. From now on, you must assemble here at nine every morning. I’ll take you to that day’s venue. If anyone misses the game because they oversleep or for any other reason, they’ll automatically face elimination! Remember that. It would be such a waste to die for no reason simply because you slept too late.”

Her tone was cheerful, but everyone still found her words deeply unpleasant. Several people frowned.

“What’s today’s game? Take us to the venue!” the heavily built man demanded gruffly. His name was Hong Long. Chen Nuo had remembered the distinctive name when it appeared on the display the previous day.

“The first contest doesn’t need a specially prepared venue. It will take place right here,” Tina replied.

“In the hotel lobby?”

“No. It would be more accurate to say the entire hotel.”

Several people stared, then turned toward the Featured Player in the first contest, the young and handsome Lv Chao.

Facing all the contestants, Tina announced, “I’ll explain the rules of the first contest now. It’s called Cat and Mouse! The rules are very simple. Mr. Lv Chao, today’s Featured Player, will play the Mouse. The other twenty people will be Cats. The whole hotel is in play, and the time limit is one hour. If any Cat catches the Mouse within that hour, the Cats win. If the hour passes without a Cat catching the Mouse, Mr. Lv Chao wins. And let me remind you again: if the Featured Player wins, someone among the others will face random elimination!”

“Isn’t this just the game we called Catch the Cat when we were children?” asked the father from the family of three, looking bewildered. His name was Shu Yanjun.

“Catch the Cat? What a cute name!” Tina laughed. “Similar games exist everywhere. I imagine the rules are about the same.”

“No, our version was different,” Shu Yanjun said. “Usually, among seven or eight children, only one was the Cat and everyone else was a Mouse. When the Cat caught a Mouse, their roles switched, and the person who was caught became the new Cat. So throughout the game, you had to pay close attention to who the Cat was and avoid them.”

“We played the same way where I grew up,” Che Dongming said. “These rules sound like an upgraded version. Inside a limited space, with an entire hour and twenty people working together to catch one person, it should be easy.”

Che Dongming looked at Lv Chao. “Did you really suggest this yourself, young man? You aren’t trying to kill yourself, are you?”

“I proposed it, and I have no intention of dying. If you think it’ll be easy, go ahead and try,” Lv Chao replied.

He looked entirely confident, showing no fear or anxiety. Since he had proposed the game himself, he must already have a plan for evading twenty Cats. But could one person truly manage that against so many?

Chen Nuo considered the problem, then asked Tina, “Are there any more specific rules?”

“There are four.

“First, the Mouse gets a ten-second head start. The Cats may begin hunting only after those ten seconds.

“Second, the Mouse may hide or run. The only objective is to avoid being caught.

“Third, merely touching the Mouse doesn’t count as a capture. A Cat must maintain a grip on any part of the Mouse’s body for at least three seconds.
“Fourth, neither the Cats nor the Mouse may use weapons or violence against the other side at any point in the game. The Mouse may only evade and may not fight back. The Cats may only hold on to the Mouse. They may not use violence to injure or disable him. Any violation will be considered a foul, and the person who commits it will face elimination!”

“Hold him for at least three seconds? Who’s responsible for timing it?” asked the tall, thin college student.

“The organizers have already taken care of that!” Tina drew a metallic biometric sensor collar from her small handbag. “Mr. Lv Chao, please put this around your neck.”

“What is it?” Lv Chao asked, accepting the biometric sensor collar with a puzzled expression.

“Don’t worry. It’s only a biometric sensor. If someone else remains in contact with your body for at least three seconds, the biometric sensor collar will flash and sound an alarm, showing that you’ve been caught and have lost the contest. Now, please put it on.”

Knowing he had no choice, Lv Chao reluctantly placed the metallic collar around his neck. It clicked as its ends locked together automatically, forming a seamless ring. It was clearly a piece of advanced technology.

“We can begin as soon as you’re ready!” Tina said eagerly.

“Wait. Since I’ll be running in a moment, I’d like to warm up first. Is that all right?” Lv Chao asked.

“Of course! It’s nine fifteen now. I’ll give you fifteen minutes to prepare, and we’ll begin at nine thirty. Is that enough?”

“Yes.”

Lv Chao looked at Lu Qian. The couple met each other’s eyes and nodded in silent understanding. Lu Qian took a small glass bottle from her pocket. It contained a pale yellow liquid she had prepared beforehand.

Lv Chao began to undress. He removed his shirt first, baring a muscular upper body, then started taking off his trousers. The sight startled several of the young women.

“What are you doing?” Tang Ying asked.

Lv Chao had already changed into close-fitting swim trunks. As he removed his trousers, he said, “I’m wearing swim trunks underneath. This shouldn’t offend anyone, should it?”

As a sports-university graduate, he had a powerful, well-proportioned physique. Several of the young women looked embarrassed, yet could not tear their eyes away. The rail-thin college student and his slightly chubby, round-faced friend looked envious.

Lv Chao took the glass bottle from Lu Qian, unscrewed the cap, and poured the olive oil over his body. He spread it evenly across his chest, stomach, arms, and legs, while Lu Qian applied it to his back. Within minutes, his entire body gleamed like a bodybuilder’s.

“So sexy…” one of the twin sisters murmured, staring. The other nodded unconsciously.

The men were concerned with something else.

“You can do that?” Hong Long roared. “You’ve covered yourself in oil! You’ll be as slippery as an eel. How are we supposed to hold on for three seconds?”

“There are twenty of you hunting one of me. Can’t I make a few preparations? Putting oil on my body doesn’t violate any rule,” Lv Chao replied.

“Those are the only four rules. I’ve already explained them,” Tina confirmed.

“It doesn’t matter,” Che Dongming said. “There are so many of us. As long as we block every route around him, he won’t escape, no matter how slippery he is.”

Lv Chao did not respond. He began a series of warm-up exercises: high knees, arm circles, knee bends, and more. As a sports-university graduate, he had performed these movements hundreds, even thousands, of times.

At almost nine thirty, Lv Chao finished preparing. He took a deep breath and told Tina, “I’m ready.”

“All right. I’ll count down from five. When I reach one, start running!” Tina held a stopwatch. “Five, four, three, two, one!”

Wearing only swim trunks and running shoes, with almost nothing to slow him, Lv Chao shot away like an arrow released from a bow.

Behind him, Lu Qian shouted, “You can do it, honey!”