The Cyber Queen of Deception - Chapter 41

She was tired of it, no longer wanting to chase after a figure as elusive as a ghost.

She needed Su Wu to complete his evolution immediately, to transform into a tangible entity and engage her in a fair and square battle.

And for that, Su Wu needed to kill another person.

Yao Na had initially hesitated over whether to sacrifice a life, but before she could decide, Wen Qingqiu had unwittingly walked into the line of fire.

Yao Na grabbed Wen Qingqiu, shielding herself with her body, startling the elegant lady next to her into a shrill scream, “What are you doing? Why are you grabbing my daughter!”

Yao Na turned to face the lady, their eyes meeting in a moment filled with shock and panic-a shock and panic that didn’t make sense since she didn’t even know this woman.

Such questions were not meant to be answered at the moment, so Yao Na quietly noted this brief eye contact and looked down towards the live broadcast room.

Sure enough, Su Wu had followed through the broken door and escaped. He slinked through the crowd, dark and elusive, occasionally firing a bullet towards Yao Na and Wen Qingqiu from a distance before quickly fleeing the scene.

“Put me down!”

Wen Qingqiu struggled desperately.

Yao Na set her down, leading her to believe she was forgiven, but the next second, a bullet grazed Wen Qingqiu’s cheek.

She touched her face in disbelief, her hand coming away covered in blood.

My God, has this woman lost her mind?

All she did was lock the bathroom door, and now she’s using me as a human shield? Anyone would have done the same in my place!

Wen Qingqiu’s bloodied face caused panic to surge through the crowd, who mistakenly thought she had been injured by Yao Na.

“Bodyguards! Bodyguards! We are under attack!”

As the cries of several important figures rang out, bodyguards hidden around the restaurant began to appear.

Yao Na quickly sensed that snipers had her in their sights, but they hesitated to shoot with Wen Qingqiu in her grasp.

Ah, now was not the time for internal strife.

“Everyone, listen!”

Holding up Wen Qingqiu like a war trophy, Yao Na shouted, “The murder live broadcast room has infiltrated our midst. Please leave the restaurant calmly and orderly, or your lives will be in danger!”

People exchanged glances, older guests wondering what a murder live broadcast was, while the younger ones couldn’t believe that such a horrifying thing from the internet had actually come after them.

A young man Wen Qingqiu’s age shouted at Yao Na, “Don’t think you can escape punishment with such dubious actions. All the snipers are aimed at you. It would be wise to let Qingqiu go now!”

Wen’s Mother also realized the gravity of the situation, pleading, “What does this live broadcast have to do with Qingqiu? Let her go immediately!”

“I think you are the most dangerous one here!”

Yao Na rolled her eyes.

…Hopeless.

Would they still defend her if they knew Wen Qingqiu wanted them dead?

“This woman saw the murder live broadcast committing atrocities in the bathroom, yet after escaping, she told no one about the danger. Not only did she lock the bathroom door, trapping me and the murder live broadcast inside, but she also secretly planned to flee with her family.”

Yao Na had no intention of saving face for Wen Qingqiu, exposing her hypocrisy in one sentence.

People then remembered how Wen Qingqiu looked when she left the bathroom, her hair tangled and wearing what seemed like blood-stained pink on a red evening gown-details not clearly visible due to the dress.

People had asked her what happened, but she had said, “…nothing much.”

Suddenly, the crowd’s gaze towards Wen Qingqiu shifted.

But these were just Yao Na’s words, and based on their understanding of Wen, they couldn’t believe she would do something so heartless.

“Don’t be fooled by her lies. You all know what kind of person Qingqiu is!” Wen Qingqiu’s classmate stood up for her, expecting Yao Na to panic. Instead, Yao Na ignored everyone and started looking at her tablet.

Ignoring the opposition completely, she didn’t take these upper-class people seriously at all.

Seeing something on the screen, Yao Na cursed, “Damn!” and then no longer cared about the lives in the restaurant, immediately running in the opposite direction.

Still, she didn’t forget to use Wen Qingqiu as a shield.

As she ran, bullet holes appeared in her path, with the trajectory following right behind Yao Na and right in front of Wen Qingqiu.

Several times, bullets nearly hit Wen Qingqiu, terrifying her.

Fortunately, Yao Na’s escape route was more erratic than Su Wu’s bullets. With a twist, she narrowly avoided an attack, only leaving bullet marks smoking on the restaurant’s luxurious carpet.

“Who fired the shot? Stop it, don’t hit my daughter!” Wen’s Mother thought it was a bodyguard acting independently.

But the hidden guards exchanged looks-no one had fired, so where were these bullets coming from?

Yao Na was also frustrated. She could see that Su Wu still wanted to retain his virtual form, broadcasting live among the crowd without planning to kill a second person so soon.

If he gained a physical body, the chase would lose its thrill.

So, he only attacked Yao Na, paying no attention to anyone else.

Realizing this, Yao Na immediately turned and dove into the crowd.

Sure enough, the relentless attack stopped, giving her a moment to breathe. Unfortunately, her respite was short-lived. These upper-class individuals were experts at avoiding danger. Despite speaking up for Wen Qingqiu, the moment the fire reached their feet, they quickly moved away to safer grounds.

This also included those who had spoken for Wen Qingqiu.

Wen Qingqiu was also terrified. Normally, she would present herself as a saintly figure to her suitors, but now she was in tears and utterly pitiable.

Didn’t they say they loved her? Why weren’t they saving her now?

When she sought help from a nearby young man, he took the bait.

“I’m going to save Qingqiu!”

Despite his companions’ attempts to dissuade him, the young man resolutely ran towards Wen Qingqiu, positioning himself in front of her.

“Qingqiu, I…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a small red dot appeared on his forehead. His eyes rolled back as he fell backward in front of Wen Qingqiu, taking a bullet for her.

A person had died!

How could it suddenly end like this? The crowd was in a panic, but Yao Na stood at a distance, her expression solemn as she observed the crowd.

Finally, she saw the physical being. The pollutant had evolved.

A man in a suit with a ghastly pale smile slowly emerged among the crowd, his mouth stuffed with countless metal bullets-some fired by Yao Na, others taken from bodyguards, all of different types and calibers.

The numerous bullets had forced his mouth into an exaggerated “O” shape, distorting his facial features yet maintaining a smile. His eyes were smiling too.

It was Su Wu.

Su Wu stood among the crowd, and the guests closest to him sensed something was off, as if someone had suddenly appeared in their peripheral vision. They slowly turned to face Su Wu.

With a “pfft,” Su Wu’s eyes ejected a bullet, piercing through the neck of the person looking at him, severing a major artery.

The gushing blood sprayed like a fountain, drenching the elegant clothes of nearby guests. They finally realized what Yao Na had said was true, and that the murder live broadcast was real! They needed to leave the banquet hall immediately.

Too late-the third person had died, and Su Wu, now with a physical body, no longer contented himself with the transparent chase.

He planned to kill fifteen people to complete the next phase of his upgrade.

“Help! A monster…”

“Move, why are you stopping at the door?”

The guests surged out of the restaurant, but Su Wu wasn’t about to let them go that easily. With only one eye still smiling, he spewed countless bullets towards the door. Anyone daring to step out of the restaurant was met with lethal gunfire.

Thus, those who had managed to reach the door, only a step away from survival, turned back in fear.

“Come to me!”

Yao Na was fed up with these people running around. Why hadn’t they left when she told them to?

It was clear they couldn’t get out through the door; better to stay inside the restaurant, where there were enough tables, chairs, and utensils for defense and attack. These people ran back, clustering behind Yao Na like chicks behind a hen.

“Welcome to the murder live broadcast room!”

Su Wu stood in the half-empty restaurant, addressing the half crowded with guests, introducing himself in physical form: “You have all been carefully selected as guests for this broadcast. Welcome, everyone!”

Applause echoed in the empty restaurant, but no one could muster a smile because they realized Su Wu’s mouth was full of bullets. He clearly couldn’t speak, yet his voice still resonated in the hall.

Was this ventriloquism?

And hadn’t the police already caught the perpetrator of the murder live broadcast, supposedly a mentally disturbed individual?

Because they hadn’t managed to leave, now becoming part of the murder live broadcast, the audience was both anxious and angry, scared out of their wits.

Under such dire circumstances, Su Wu announced the rules of the game: “This time, I only plan to kill fifteen people. You will choose who to kill first, and after fifteen are dead, I will let you go.”

Only fifteen people?

Everyone exchanged glances. There were at least fifty people standing there, meaning the odds of being chosen were less than one in three.

It seemed…the terms weren’t so harsh. Those who were generally well-liked or held high positions seemed relieved.

But choosing who to kill first was the issue. It was just the beginning of the murder live broadcast, and no one wanted to be the villain.

Damn, why did they have to endure such a difficult situation? They were the elite of the Cyber World, usually the ones enjoying the show, but now they were the entertainment.

At that moment, someone remembered what Yao Na had said earlier. She had mentioned that Wen Qingqiu knew the murder live broadcast was here but didn’t tell anyone, instead planning to escape with her family.

Looking at the Wen family of three, Wen’s Father with a pipe and Wen’s Mother with a hat, clearly ready to leave.

“Qingqiu, you knew the murder live broadcast was here, why didn’t you tell us? We could have escaped!” someone started to challenge, directing their anger towards Wen Qingqiu.

Wen Qingqiu’s expression stiffened.

She was already terrified, her legs weak. Everyone stood behind Yao Na, who was using her as a shield.

Meaning, Wen Qingqiu was right at the front of the crowd, closest to the terrifying man in the suit.

She could even see his veins bulging around his grotesquely split lips and his eyes contorted into a chrysanthemum shape after being punctured. Oh God, Wen Qingqiu was about to faint, her complexion paler than even Su Wu’s.

“I thought it was a hallucination, I thought I was mentally ill, it’s all my fault…” she explained tearfully.

Wen Qingqiu’s previously good reputation made most of the crowd waver. On one hand, they blamed her for their predicament, but on the other hand, they felt she was truly pitiable, having had her hair tangled and now used as a human shield.

“A hallucination?” Yao Na looked at Wen Qingqiu, never having seen anyone who could play the victim better. The murder live broadcast must love this kind of person.

She countered Wen Qingqiu, “If you thought it was a hallucination, why lock the door and trap me and him together?”

Yao Na’s questioning was logical, so Wen Qingqiu didn’t dare respond directly, only managing to say, “I was so scared, I was really scared…”

“How interesting!”

Su Wu laughed heartily, suddenly adding conditions: “The chosen person, I allow you to save yourself. If you can do something or say something interesting enough, I will spare you and choose someone else.”

The rules of the murder live broadcast were consistent: it had to be interesting.

So, Su Wu let them choose who deserved to die the most, while allowing the chosen ones a chance to save themselves by entertaining in exchange for a chance at survival.

Under the threat of death, even the proudest among the upper class were forced to become Internet Celebrities, entertaining the live broadcast and its viewers. Moreover, Su Wu said, “Those who successfully save themselves, I will spare.”

Did this mean that as long as they did something interesting, they wouldn’t be among the fifteen to die?

Not just the guests present, but also the audience watching the screen and the police waiting at the Anchor Point thought so.

But Zhi Yi looked at the tragic scene of the Anchor Point, where over fifty bodies lay without exception, knowing that things weren’t so straightforward.

Su Wu had lied from the start. He didn’t just want to kill fifteen people; he had merely given the guests a false sense of potential survival, watching them fight and betray each other over a lie to make the broadcast more interesting.

But this, only they knew, not the guests still in the live broadcast.

They were even racking their brains, thinking of something interesting to say or perform to save themselves. Some had ideas but were too scared to be the first to perform.

Who knew how their performance would compare to others, and whether the murder live broadcast would kill those who weren’t interesting?

The early bird gets the worm, but they decided to wait and see.

“I’ll go first…”

Unexpectedly, the first to entertain was Wen Qingqiu, who had been trembling with fear from the beginning.

She raised her hand, indicating she would perform first, earning a satisfied smile from Su Wu, “Alright, chosen one, what interesting thing do you have to say?”

Meanwhile, Su Wu’s mocking gaze kept flitting between Yao Na and Wen Qingqiu, making people uncomfortable.

Wen Qingqiu also glanced back at Yao Na before taking a deep breath and saying, “Actually, I’m not the real daughter of the Wen family. The real daughter is… Yao Na.”

The revelation of a hidden identity? What a bombshell to start with!