He squinted his eyes and could vaguely make out a human leg and a head that had been gnawed apart.
The two cheetahs had their mouths smeared with fresh red blood. It seemed like they hadn’t eaten in days as they ravenously devoured the flesh.
Bai Lixin frowned and noticed that one of the heads still had its mouth opening and closing.
Some of the audience covered their eyes, while others shouted excitedly
“Exciting! So exciting!”
“Someone died! Someone really died!”
“They’ve been eating for half an hour already. That person’s been devoured this badly, why haven’t they opened the cage yet?”
“They can’t survive this, no way. This is definitely a performance accident.”
Outside the cage, a large lion was pacing restlessly. When the cheetahs finally finished their feast, the door to the spherical cage opened again, and the lion was let inside.
In an instant, the narrow cage now contained three predators of the savannah.
Two were companions, and one was an intruder.
The beasts began their battle inside the cage once again.
Compared to the humans who could only flee, this was a primal fight between wild animals.
At this point, the ringmaster spoke up, “Ladies and gentlemen, it seems you’re all enjoying the performance. Since you’re all so entertained, how about we play a little game?”
“How about we place some bets?”
“Who do you think will win? The two cheetahs or the lion?”
A heated debate erupted from the crowd.
“The cheetahs will win for sure. There are two of them, and they’ve just eaten.”
“Although the cheetahs have eaten, the food hasn’t been digested yet. Plus, they’ve spent a lot of energy chasing those humans earlier. I doubt they have much strength left.”
“The cheetahs are agile, something the lion can’t match. The cheetahs will definitely win.”
“No way, the lion will win. It’s twice the size of the two cheetahs combined.”
Some argued for the cheetahs, others for the lion.
The ringmaster chuckled, “Guests, please look to the left of your seats. You’ll find two ribbons, one red and one green. If you think the lion will win, tie the green ribbon. If you think the cheetahs will win, tie the red ribbon.”
Someone shouted from the audience, “What’s the bet? What do we win?”
The ringmaster smiled, “It’s just an impromptu game. The stakes aren’t important. Isn’t it a joy to cheer for the side you support and see them win? We at the circus are only here to bring joy, as long as you’re happy, that’s enough.”
The audience began tying ribbons around their wrists.
While Ji Nansheng was not paying attention, the people next to him—Glasses and Blondie—had already tied their ribbons.
One tied the green ribbon, and the other tied the red.
Seeing the girl next to him about to tie a ribbon on her wrist, Ji Nansheng quickly stopped her hand. “Don’t tie it.”
Girl: “Huh?”
Ji Nansheng: “If it’s just an impromptu bet, why were the ribbons placed on the seats in advance? It seems premeditated.”
“Although I don’t know what the real bet is, since they’re being so secretive, it can’t be anything good.”
Glasses and Blonde Player, who had already tied their ribbons, were startled and immediately tried to take them off.
But the ribbons seemed glued to their wrists, and no matter how hard they pulled, they couldn’t remove them.
Both of their faces turned pale. Glasses stomped his foot in frustration. “Ah, why did I act so fast? As soon as someone mentioned fun, I jumped in.”
Blonde Player looked like he was about to cry. “Me too.”
The ringmaster announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, have you tied your ribbons? Please raise your arms and show us your choices!”
The audience immediately raised their arms high into the air.
Red and green ribbons crisscrossed, almost evenly matched.
Inside the cage, the two cheetahs moved swiftly, surrounding the lion from both sides.
They bared their fangs and leapt toward the lion.
Just as they were about to pounce on the lion, the lion let out a deafening roar and darted to the left.
Its massive body collided with the solid cage, causing it to sway violently.
The sudden tremor threw the cheetahs off balance. Just as they were about to retreat for a second attack, the lion suddenly pounced on the cheetah in front.
The cheetah’s neck was caught in the lion’s massive jaws. In the next second, it was pierced through, as fragile as a box of foam.
The king of the savannah roared again, tossing the dead cheetah against the cage wall before turning to the second cheetah.
The remaining cheetah didn’t dare to fight anymore and turned to flee.
But the lion used its massive body to ram into the cage, causing the cheetah to stumble and lose its footing.
In the end, the second cheetah also fell victim to the lion.
The lion had won, without a doubt.
The ringmaster clapped enthusiastically. “It seems that in the face of absolute power, all strategies are futile. The match ends with the lion’s overwhelming victory! Let’s congratulate the king of the savannah on its triumph, and also congratulate those who bet on the lion!”
Applause erupted like a tidal wave.
“Ha, my ribbon came off.”
Ji Nansheng was drawn by the voice and looked to the side.
Glasses had untied his ribbon, and Blond Man next to him had done the same.
Glasses had tied the red ribbon, betting on the cheetahs.
Blonde Player had tied the green ribbon, betting on the lion.
Glasses rubbed his wrist with a heavy expression. “I guessed wrong. Will there be a punishment?”
Ji Nansheng pondered for a few seconds. “Did the system give any notifications?”
Glasses shook his head, “No.”
Blonde Player shook his head too, “Neither did mine.”
After waiting for more than ten minutes, nothing happened even until they were halfway through the next bizarre act.
Those who had tied red ribbons were fine, and those with green ribbons hadn’t encountered any issues either.
The barrage in Ji Nansheng’s live broadcast room was scrolling.
[Looks like nothing’s happening, maybe it really was just impromptu? All bark and no bite?]
[Maybe it’s just not time yet?]
[Nansheng, I know this circus show is probably a big deal, but can we stop watching? It’s too bloody. I want to see the Countess.]
[+1, I want to see the Countess too!]
Ji Nansheng glanced at the comments and subconsciously turned to look at the second-floor box behind him.
At some point, the curtains in the Countess’s box had been drawn open. She was standing there, leaning against the railing, her brows slightly furrowed, and her eyes somewhat red.
[Ah! A beauty attack!]
[Who gets it, family? The view suddenly shifted from ugly beasts to the Countess, and the beauty just doubled!]
[Nansheng, keep it this way! We want more!]
Two huge spaceships rained down in the barrage as gifts.
Ji Nansheng immediately fixed his view on the Countess. “If you want to watch, I’ll let you watch as much as you like. How could I not spoil you?”
So it turned out the Countess was the key to fortune!
[Ahh, good man Nansheng!]
[The Countess looks scared. Look, she’s even crying.]
[She’s really beautiful and delicate. When is the Countess figurine coming out?]
[Oh my, look at her expression. She looks so pitiful, like she’s been wronged. Sister, don’t cry, come to my arms.]
Behind the red curtains and out of sight from everyone, a man’s hand slipped beneath the dress, moving rhythmically.
The young man’s hands gripped the railing tightly. If you looked closely, you could see the tips of his fingers had turned pink.
His lips were pressed into a thin line, struggling to keep his expression within a range that wouldn’t be noticed by others.
The man’s fingers were long and bony, with light callouses on the fingertips.
The young man frowned deeply, it was as if he could trace the shape of the man’s fingers.
To anyone else watching, they would have assumed he was frightened by the circus performance, but only he knew what his body was going through at that moment.
That rough and distinct sensation kept assaulting him, coursing through his entire body from the base of his spine like a powerful electric current and surging straight into his brain.
It left him numb, his legs weak, and his mind blank.
In a daze, the noise and shouts from outside blurred into the distance, everything feeling like an unreal dream.
The young man pleaded with a tearful tone, “Let me go, I can’t take it anymore.”
The man’s voice grew heavy, “Say again, who am I?”
The young man had already lost his reason. He lowered his head, letting his hair cover the expression of pleasure distorting his face, “My man, you’re my man.”
The man’s eyes grew darker, like a deep, bottomless cold pool.
He abruptly drew the curtains shut, pressed the young man against the railing in the same posture, withdrew his fingers, and moved forward.
The young man let out a gasp, but luckily, the noise outside continued, and his voice blended into the chaos, heard by no one.
Afraid of making any sound, the young man clung tightly to the railing in front of him, bending down to bite his own wrist.
It was a fierce, intense release.
There was no finesse, no sweet words—just primal, raw release.
Ji Nansheng was live broadcasting the Countess to his audience, raking in gifts non-stop.
Suddenly, the curtains were drawn shut. It seems the Countess couldn’t bear the bloody scene any longer and finally decided to give up.
The barrage was full of wails and regret, and they kept clamoring for Ji Nansheng to sneak another peek.
Ji Nansheng decisively pretended not to see!
‘Am I that kind of shameless person, always peeping?’
‘I’m a bright, upstanding young man of society!’
Just as he was about to look away and return his attention to the circus performance, he noticed the red curtain of the Countess’s box swaying.
It was rippling, like waves stirred by a breeze, rhythmic and regular.
Ji Nansheng froze for a moment and an inappropriate image suddenly flashed in his mind.
Perhaps the image was too R-rated, and his face immediately turned red as he shook his head to clear it.
Impossible.
It couldn’t be what he was imagining.
This was a legitimate, government-approved game, after all!
There’s no way there could be such a plot unsuitable for children!
‘I’m sorry, Countess, it was my own dirty mind.’
He glanced up at the curtain again, and the swaying had already stopped.
Ji Nansheng hit his chest a few more times, silently apologizing to the Countess for his improper thoughts.
He deserved to die.
The Countess must have accidentally brushed against the curtain earlier.
…
The Count slowly awoke to find that his wife was nowhere to be seen.
The outside was eerily quiet. He rubbed his aching neck, got up, and pulled back the curtain. The performance outside had long since ended.
The Count took out his pocket watch to check the time—it was already eleven at night.
He stepped out of the box and casually stopped a guard. “Where’s the Countess?”
The guard’s eyes momentarily glazed over before he snapped back to clarity, “My lord, the Countess said she wasn’t feeling well and went back first. She saw you were still resting and didn’t want to wake you.”
The Count was escorted by the guards back to his room.
The room was pitch black, and the Countess was nowhere to be found.
