Chapter 8
956 Words
However, Sandra seemed unconcerned. "What's the big deal about footprints? It's a big cave; having more people isn't a bad thing. More people means more strength and safety."
Anthony felt that Sandra was being naive. How could he even begin to explain his concern to her?
Just then, a rush of hurried footsteps came from behind.
"Who's there?" As the voice faded, a middle-aged man with a beard and a grim expression approached. He held a fruit knife in his hand and looked astonished to see Anthony and Sandra.
Noticing the weapon in the man's hand, Anthony immediately went on high alert.
On the other hand, Sandra, seemingly thrilled to see someone else after so long, greeted him warmly with a smile, "Hey, are you here for the show too?"
The bearded middle-aged man's eyes gleamed with greed. He ogled Sandra's exposed white legs and arms, remarking excitedly, "Not bad, a real beauty indeed. I'm part of the show too, but I'm not like you!"
Anthony felt an ominous premonition. He had just reached into his pocket to grasp a dagger when the man approached Sandra, laughing, "Hey, beauty, how about you join me for a sleep? I promise you won't want to leave me after that."
Sandra was stunned, not expecting this at all. She screamed in fright, "What are you doing? We're all part of the show, and there must be hidden cameras around! Aren't you afraid the police will catch you once we get out?"
The man leered at her, "Hahaha, looks like we've got another clueless little temptress here. I'll pin you down soon enough, and you'd better scream just as loudly as you are now."
"What the hell are you doing? Watch your mouth," Anthony said, stepping in front of her, his grip tight on the dagger.
The bearded man scoffed, "Back off, asshole. Provoke me, and I'll send you straight to hell."
Anthony stared him down. "This is Wild Survival. It's broadcast live. I'm warning you, behave yourself!"
The man burst out laughing, "You two are just foolish lambs. You can't seriously believe this is just a survival game, can you?"
He pulled a black, palm-sized electronic device from his pocket, holding it up for Anthony to see. The screen displayed two blinking red dots and a message underneath: Survivor Detected.
Anthony was taken aback. ‘We weren't allowed to bring any electronics to this show, so why does he have one? Could it be issued by the show organizers, and we somehow didn’t receive it? What does 'survivor' mean? And those red dots... Are they tracking our location?’ Anthony’s thoughts raced.
"You probably won't get the chance to find out. You'll regret joining this show soon enough!" The bearded man declared and suddenly lunged at Anthony with his fruit knife.
The man was about Anthony's height, and his attack came with overwhelming speed and force, far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Anthony, relying almost on muscle memory, swiftly drew his dagger and lunged forward to block. The blades clashed, sparking on impact.
Sandra was scared. She kept retreating towards the back of the cave.
Gritting his teeth, Anthony thrust his dagger at the bearded man's face. He had trained in basic combat skills in the military. Now, he took advantage of the man's distraction to kick him viciously in the groin.
"Ah!" Hit in the most vulnerable spot, the bearded man collapsed to the ground in agony.
Anthony threw away the man's knife and held his own blade against the man's throat. He growled, "I don't know what the deal is with this survival show, but I can assure you, if you try to hurt me, I'll make sure you're the first to go down."
The bearded man was sweating profusely with a pale face. He started begging for Anthony's forgiveness, saying that he was wrong.
Anthony turned around. Sandra had just recovered from the shock. She slowly approached them.
"Let's get out of here. There might be more people around, and we don’t want to deal with any more surprises," he said. Just as he was about to stand up, the bearded man grabbed his legs, pulling Anthony down to the ground. He was trying to kill him.
Anthony was thrown to the ground. He looked back in disbelief. He had just planned to leave, and he had no intention of taking the man's life. Why was this guy still recklessly attacking him?
The bearded man was enraged. He roared, "Damn survivor, I want you dead!"
He pulled out another dagger from his pocket and stabbed ferociously towards Anthony's neck. The strike was lethal; if it landed, survival was impossible.
In that critical moment, Anthony's hair stood on end. He spun around and blocked with his dagger. The clash echoed loudly, numbing his hand. The bearded man paused. He was stunned.
"Are you insane? All this just for some show? Do you really want to kill me?" Anthony was furious. He hadn’t expected the man to be so ruthless. Participating in this show only offered a prize of five thousand dollars—was it worth committing murder?
The bearded man glared back, his face twisted with malice. "Why shouldn’t I kill you? You're an i***t. Looks like you know nothing. I'll tell you, I'm a ‘Predator.’ I'm specifically here to kill ‘Survivors’ like you. The more I kill, the more money I get. Do you get it now? I already took down three people yesterday. Killing you two today will get me even more money."
Hearing this, Anthony's mind reeled.
‘The more you kill, the more money you get? What kind of survival show is this? It’s a murder game! Have they gone mad?’
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