readytorunbook Chapter 114 Deadly Stance
Chapter 114 Deadly Stance
"...There were...elderly people and women and children!"
Why are there elderly people, women, and children among the death row inmates? Lu He looked at Li Cen with a puzzled expression.
"..." Li Cen bit her lip: "Li Guangqi is really ruthless. I originally thought he would only bring up death row inmates who had committed murder, but I didn't expect him to..." He must have bribed the messenger to send up the family members who were implicated as well.
She worried that Lu He would have a hard time accepting such a cruel scene, and she also worried that Bai Yu would lose points because he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Not only was Bai Yu shocked, but Sun Haochong's brows were also furrowed. "Why are there children here?" He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps asking Bai Yu and Zhou Gang beside him.
"Who cares what kind of kid he is? He's still a death row inmate, isn't he?" Zhou Gang scoffed, after all, he had no intention of earning points by killing prisoners peacefully. His gaze remained fixed on Sun Haochong. The Crown Prince had ordered that Sun Haochong must be eliminated. As for Bai Yu, he would act according to circumstances.
Zhou Gang could actually sense that Bai Yu was different from Sun Haochong in terms of his impetuousness and cleanliness. He had an aura that enveloped his entire body, an aura that one could not have without walking through piles of dead bodies.
The death row inmates, regardless of age or gender, were all dressed in white prison uniforms, making them easy targets in the forest.
The messenger gave the order again: "Archery competition! Begin!"
As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them disappeared into the woods like arrows released from a bow. They vanished without a trace in an instant.
Soon they heard the whooshing sound of arrows and screams from inside.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, ten golden-armored guards entered from the starting point to count the prisoners who had died.
Arrows began to be delivered one after another, and the messenger was given points to count.
Currently, Sun Haochong is far ahead with 15 arrows, followed by Bai Yu with 11 and Zhou Gang with 9.
Bai Yu was an exceptional archer, always firing three arrows simultaneously, each hitting the bullseye from a hundred paces away. He killed only adult men. He deliberately avoided women and children; his blue-feathered arrows always pierced their hearts accurately from behind, minimizing the pain of death.
While running at top speed, Sun Haochong was chasing after a nimble death row inmate. He fired three arrows but missed. A surge of inexplicable anger rose in his heart. He nocked another arrow, drew his bow, and aimed at the escaped prisoner's back.
With a "whoosh," as fast as the wind, an arrow with a red fletching shot out from the side and pierced the condemned prisoner's throat.
"Damn it!" Sun Haochong was even more frustrated that he couldn't release the bow he had just drawn, and the green tail feathers fluttered awkwardly in the wind and forest.
The condemned prisoner lay on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth, convulsing. The red tail feathers belonged to Zhou Gang, meaning Zhou Gang was nearby.
Sun Haochong was still unaware of the seriousness of the situation. He simply assumed that Zhou Gang had stolen his target and was competing with him for points, and he was very displeased.
Turning around, he saw a shivering child who, for some reason, had rushed out of the weeds in a panic and bumped right into him.
Sun Hao raised the bow he had just put down again and aimed it at the child's forehead.
The child was terrified, his legs trembling, tears welling in his eyes. He stood there, staring at the arrow pointed at him, his eyes filled with despair, almost pleading.
Sun Haochong drew his bow to its fullest extent, but the arrow he held remained suspended in the bowstring for a long time.
The two remained still for a moment.
The whistling wind broke the stalemate. Sun Haochong was shocked and rolled over to dodge. The sharp arrow with red fletching stuck straight into the tree trunk behind him. This arrow was actually aimed at him!
As he rolled over, he could still hear the tearing sound of an arrow tip piercing flesh. Looking back at the child, sure enough, he was struggling in a pool of blood, the red tail feathers at his throat even more glaring.
Two arrows were fired simultaneously! Aiming straight at the two men's lives!
"Zhou Gang!" Sun Hao immediately found a tree for cover, leaned against it, and began to warily scan his surroundings. At the same time, he provoked Zhou Gang, saying, "What kind of hero hides in the shadows and shoots arrows? Come out if you dare!"
The woods were quiet, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind.
The other party did not show up.
Sun Haochong waited for a long time but there was still no movement. He wondered if Zhou Gang had gone far away, so he leaned out. Just as he was about to leave, a sharp arrow pierced his left knee with perfect accuracy. "Ah!" he screamed and quickly retreated behind cover, clutching his knee, which was covered in blood.
Zhou Gang has been holding back, like a jackal lurking in the shadows waiting to hunt.
Sun Haochong finally realized the seriousness of the situation; Zhou Gang was going to kill him!
Meanwhile, Bai Yu, who was leaping through the forest with his light-footed skills, fired three arrows at once, and every arrow hit its mark.
The scores outside have changed. Sun Haochong is still firmly in first place with 36 points, Bai Yu with 20 points, and Zhou Gang with 18 points.
The Third Prince, Li Yun, looked at the score with satisfaction and confidence. He had already bribed a golden-armored guard to take in green-feathered arrows. When collecting the arrows along the way, he would change the color of the others to green and bring them back.
As long as Sun Hao avoids Zhou Gang's trap, this round is a sure win. With only one incense stick's worth of time remaining, as long as he reaches the finish line before it ends, the score will be tallied.
Bai Yu was unaware that many of his tail feathers had been replaced. He searched everywhere for traces of the condemned prisoners, ignoring any elderly, weak, women, or children he encountered fleeing along the way.
Gradually, more and more corpses appeared in this area, all with red and green tail feathers. It seemed that Zhou Gang and Sun Haochong were both in this area, and it was probably not safe to go anywhere. Bai Yu tiptoed up to the treetop and began to walk covertly in the trees.
The deeper they went, the more solemn Bai Yu's expression became. The dead old people, women, and even children all had arrows with red feathers stuck in their bodies, and the arrows were only aimed at their throats, which was extremely cruel.