He bit his lip until blood began to flow, a final struggle to contain the overwhelming fear that was driving him mad.
"Giving up means admitting defeat," the girl said, her bright smile adding to the tension.
Despite trembling, the guard finally extended his hand, trying to appear calm, even though his entire body writhed with immense fear. "But... I don't know how to play!"
The spinning string was a very popular children's game among the Chinese, but it was not widely known in Western countries. As a tall, stout German man, he had never seen such a game before, and now, before him, this simple game seemed like a deadly trap.
"It's very simple," the girl replied kindly, as if she were teaching something ordinary. "I use my fingers to weave knots in the string into a pattern, and you take it with your fingers and change it into a different pattern. We take turns, and whoever fails or cannot continue must admit defeat."
The guard's face paled further, and his trembling fingers began to turn white, struggling to contain the anxiety gnawing at his heart. "I've never played a game like this before. It's very unfair. May I... refuse to participate?"
"You have no right to refuse," the girl replied, her voice starting to sound impatient. There was an invisible pressure, and her breath, which was slightly labored, seemed to affect the world around her.
With every breath the girl took, the red flowers blooming around her began to wilt and rot, emitting a disgusting stench, as if nature were disturbed by an unseen force.
"Okay! Okay!" The guard hurriedly raised his hand, finally surrendering. With trembling hands, he awkwardly placed the string between his fingers, trying to hold back the fear that was almost overwhelming him.
Carefully, he began to form the first knot, even though every movement felt like a step toward an unavoidable abyss.
The string was not loose. The man managed to awkwardly get through the first level, his trembling fingers struggling to hold the tightening string.
"See, it's very simple!" The girl smiled happily, her smile widening as her hand movements created a swirling sign with the flower string in the air, adding an impression of grace and fear at the same time.
Chapter 41.2:
"If I win, can I go?" the guard asked in a barely audible voice, filled with deepening despair.
"Of course, of course," the girl replied in a soft yet deceitful tone. The man's smile never faded. Without hesitation, he continued weaving another pattern—a pattern that grew increasingly intricate and complex, like a tightly woven square scarf, a twisting thread pendant, and a tense chicken claw pattern.
For anyone who has ever played this game, they know that the patterns start simple and gradually become more difficult, as if the game is a trap designed to mislead.
The large German man began to sweat coldly. After just three steps, cold sweat started to dampen his brow, and his face turned pale. Unable to continue, he finally severed the pattern he had created. The man's thick fingers could not control the strings properly.
With one rough movement, the once-blooming flowers were instantly destroyed, split and unraveled.
The German man froze, as if his entire body was wrapped in an immovable burden. His hands felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, as if the weight of the world was upon him.
At the same time, his body trembled, and his expression resembled that of someone about to cry, even though no tears came. In bitter defeat, he thrashed and shouted desperately, "Play one more game! This time I will definitely win!"
The girl lightly shook her head, her lips curling into a cynical smile. "The game is only once, so…" She ended her sentence with a light laugh, as if all of this was just a game to her.
Suddenly, the flower strings swaying in the air changed, like a venomous snake coiling around the guard, binding him tightly. The movement of the strings was so quick and strong that the man could hardly move.
"Let me go!"
"Please!!"
"Help me!!!" The guard shouted, his voice filled with deepening fear, yet it seemed as if the world around him was silent.
The girl smiled cynically, her gaze cold and calm. With complete composure, she took another flower string, folded it several times in her hands, and transformed it into an increasingly terrifying chicken claw shape. "This is a new method I'm trying. Which pattern made you lose? Come on, I'll use that pattern to send you off, what do you think?"
"NO...!!" The guard's horrified roar sounded so loud, but it did not stop the girl.
Suddenly, the chicken claw pattern in the girl's hand glimmered with a sharp and terrifying metallic sheen. She calmly directed it toward the guard's throat, and with one swift motion, the string pierced the man's neck, ending all screams and resistance.
Blood splattered violently, staining the floor and the flowers around them.
The guard's throat moved rapidly, trying to make a sound, but all that could be heard was a deep "click," like the final sound of a fading life. The man could only feel as if his life had been swiftly snatched away, and his mouth opened, but no words could be spoken.
The girl smiled with satisfaction, her gaze sharp and full of victory. Calmly, she withdrew the "chicken claw" from the throat of the unfortunate guard. The movement of the string was so smooth and lethal, like a sharp knife slicing, splitting the guard's head into five parts with one horrific motion.
In the midst of the profound silence, the girl's soft voice began to be heard again, singing a childish song that sounded out of place.
[Turn it, turn it, flower string,
Wrap it around your finger, tie it perfectly.
Pull the thread, shape the pattern,
Its twists are funny, making you laugh.
You turn the big chicken feet,
I turn the noodles one by one.
You turn the wide fishnet,
I turn the funny bathtub.
You turn the airplane parachute,
I turn the scissors and the flower vase.
Turn, turn it, let's give it a try,
Test our abilities with joy!]
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