Chapter 15: The Tug-of-War Competition

"Zhang Xiaofan, that woman is nothing but a whore, don’t help her," Guo Daqiang shouted.

"Guo Daqiang, fuck you," Zhou Jian retorted angrily.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaofan was deep in thought, realizing that the danger of this red envelope game in their class was bound to grow. To survive and come out on top, he would need to gain a leading position among the students—at least the level of influence that Song Feng, Murong Feng, and Wang Hu commanded.

Only then could he minimize his own risk and stand undefeated.

Such influence could only be built with enough friends on his side.

Guo Daqiang was clearly not friend material—he could try to buy loyalty with money, but the next moment, he’d turn his back on you without hesitation.

In contrast, Zhou Jian and Xu Xiaolong had both stood up for Zhang Yanyan after all she had sacrificed. It was clear these two valued loyalty and friendship.

If he helped them now, took their side, then should he encounter trouble in the future, they would surely stand up for him in return.

With this in mind, Zhang Xiaofan pushed aside Guo Daqiang’s money and declared in a clear voice, "I stand with Zhang Yanyan."

A hush fell over the crowd. None had expected Zhang Xiaofan to refuse the money and side with Zhang Yanyan.

"Is Xiaofan out of his mind? Turning down money?"

"Exactly. Unless he’s fallen for Zhang Yanyan, wants to play the hero, haha."

"Could be."

"Better to die for a beauty than live as a coward."

Guo Daqiang’s face turned pale as he stumbled back, cursing, "Zhang Xiaofan, you’re insane! Siding with that whore against me? I swear I’ll get someone to beat you to death."

Zhang Xiaofan sneered, "Say that again if you’re still alive."

Now the teams were set—Zhang Yanyan’s side, with his addition, had four people, while Guo Daqiang’s side had only three. The outcome was all but decided.

Ding!

Bao Lei: Teams are complete. The match begins.

"No, this isn’t fair! We want to join Zhang Yanyan’s side!"

"Yeah, we don’t want to die either," Zhao Wuzheng and Cheng Yang hurried to say, seeing that defeat was inevitable.

Ding!

Bao Lei: Teams are set and cannot be changed. The match begins.

Their faces turned ashen, regret written all over them.

Guo Daqiang snarled, "We’ll lose for sure like this. We’re not playing."

"Yeah, we quit," Zhao Wuzheng shouted.

Ding!

Bao Lei: Please confirm if you wish not to participate. Choosing not to compete will be considered a withdrawal. The other team wins. Withdrawn players will be executed.

The three of them immediately blanched.

"We’ll play, of course we’ll play," Guo Daqiang said, deathly pale.

He was left with no choice. There was no way out now. The only option was to compete in the tug-of-war.

Zhou Jian, Xu Xiaolong, and Zhang Yanyan came over to Zhang Xiaofan. Zhou Jian said sincerely, "Xiaofan, thank you. From now on, you’re my brother."

Xu Xiaolong nodded in agreement.

Zhang Yanyan was still wiping away tears.

Zhang Xiaofan smiled, "I helped you because I consider you friends."

A simple sentence, but it meant he now saw them as his own, ready to face hardship together.

Neither of them was a fool; they both nodded. Then Wang Hu waved his hand and called out, "Let’s go downstairs and watch the tug-of-war!"

Everyone headed downstairs. Someone fetched a rope from the gym, drew a line in the middle, and said, "Cross the line and you lose."

Guo Daqiang and his team’s legs were trembling. He muttered, "Whoever helps us, I’ll pay. Who’ll help us pull?"

Ding!

Bao Lei: Non-players are forbidden from participating. Violators will be executed!

Zhou Jian sneered, "Guo Daqiang, you’re dead today."

"Not necessarily. The three of us are all strong men. You only have one more, and she’s just a girl. How strong can she be?" Zhao Wuzheng said grimly.

"Exactly. Let’s give it our all. No way we’ll lose that easily," Cheng Yang said, forcing himself to sound confident.

"Then let’s see," Xu Xiaolong scoffed.

"Zhang Yanyan, please don’t go against me. I know you still love me. Can’t you give up the match for me?" Guo Daqiang cried desperately.

"Disgusting!" Zhang Yanyan wouldn’t even look at him. "I must have been blind to fall for you."

She was the first to pick up the rope. "This time, it’s either you or me."

For the sake of survival, everyone had abandoned all scruples.

Zhang Xiaofan and the others grabbed the rope too. Zhao Wuzheng cursed, "Guo Daqiang, pull yourself together. We may be outnumbered, but they don’t have that much of an advantage."

Cheng Yang muttered a curse under his breath, regretting he hadn’t chosen more carefully. "There’s no other way. If we don’t give it everything, we’re dead."

Guo Daqiang gritted his teeth and grabbed the rope with grim determination.

Shen Fengxing pushed up his glasses and sighed, "Alright, everyone ready? Begin!"

The rope snapped taut in an instant as everyone pulled with all their might. Zhang Xiaofan’s side had the advantage, but with lives on the line, even they dared not slacken.

Zhou Jian, especially, was strong. As he pulled, veins bulged on his arms, and with every tug, he stamped his foot, sending an extra surge of power through their side, as if each stomp summoned hidden strength.

Soon, the rope began to move toward Zhang Yanyan’s side. Zhao Wuzheng and the others panicked.

"Guo Daqiang! Damn it, pull harder!" Zhao Wuzheng shouted.

Guo Daqiang’s teeth were clenched so tight he could barely speak, knowing if he opened his mouth, all his strength would leave him.

The rope continued to inch forward. In no time, Guo Daqiang was just a few centimeters from the center line. Suddenly, he let go, screaming, "No! No! I don’t want to play anymore—"

He had completely broken down. That tiny gap felt like the distance between him and death itself. He lacked the courage to persist. He chose to run away, just as he had abandoned Zhang Yanyan—abandoning his last hope.

A spurt of blood shot from Guo Daqiang’s neck.

"You killed us..." Zhao Wuzheng and Cheng Yang’s words died in their throats as blood poured from their necks as well.

All three died at almost the same instant.

What stunned the onlookers even more was that students from other classes nearby seemed not to notice their deaths at all, leaving the scene as if nothing had happened, as though the three had suddenly become invisible.

Ding!

Bao Lei: Zhang Yanyan, Zhang Xiaofan, Xu Xiaolong, and Zhou Jian win. Three hundred Underworld Coins have been credited. Please check your accounts.

"We won." Zhang Xiaofan sat down heavily, relieved despite knowing victory was certain.

"Thank you," Zhou Jian said, helping him up.

"When you stomped your foot earlier, was that some kind of martial art?" Zhang Xiaofan asked.

"Yes. I practice iron body kung fu. Every time I stamp my foot, I can summon inner strength and increase my power," Zhou Jian replied.

Impressed by the power of the technique, Zhang Xiaofan asked eagerly, "Could you teach me?"

"Of course. You treated me as a friend, so I’ll treat you as one of my own. But I’ll warn you—it’s tough training..."