Chapter 17: I, Lu Li, Have a Scale in My Heart

Chapter 17: I, Lu Li, Have a Scale in My Heart

Lu Li now found himself caught in an agonizing dilemma.

He felt like a referee on a playing field, needing to judge with absolute precision.

But there was a problem.

The authority of a referee lies in the fact that athletes’ careers rest in their hands.

If you assault a referee, you’re likely banned for life.

But Lu Li was not a player!

He sensed that no matter which side he leaned toward, the other side would erupt in fury.

Indeed, he believed both young ladies spoke the truth.

And yet, neither of their stories was entirely true.

Lu Li could tell they were both throwing mud at each other. After all, in the studio he ran with friends, similar conflicts between employees had occurred.

But the reason he felt as if walking on thin ice was this: these two women were truly capable of the very accusations they hurled at each other.

In other words, they really could destroy the world.

Though Lu Li appeared calm, this was essentially an unsolvable, hellish predicament.

Just consider Xingtian and his group.

They weren’t weak themselves, but their mission was simply to “survive three days”—nothing more.

No rewards, no second chances.

Because if they failed, they simply wouldn’t live.

Originally six or seven people, only two remained alive after two days.

It was easy to see how formidable this challenge was—because facing either of these women, or even not facing them directly, could mean sudden death at any moment.

Perhaps one wouldn’t even know how they died.

Lu Li had no interest in dwelling on that.

The pressure was crushing.

It seemed the fate of the world hinged on his single thought.

The worst part was, no matter what he chose, it felt like the world was doomed.

Tsk—this had a very “Clash-style” flavor: the ending was inevitably tragic, and the best possible outcome was the protagonist ending up in a mental hospital.

Lu Li strained his mind, determined to find a path to a perfect ending!

Glancing at the two young ladies, Lu Li first addressed Bai Muli.

“Miss Bai, if I were to choose Miss Luo…”

“Mr. Lu, rest assured, I would never harm you~~” Bai Muli answered with a light and cheerful smile.

Lu Li immediately understood.

That meant everyone but him would be harmed.

Then he turned to Luo Qianning.

Her phone buzzed with a cold, emotionless electronic tone.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lu, you will be fine.”

Lu Li: “.”

I’ll be fine—that means the rest of the world might not be?

These two monsters.

Both said they wouldn’t harm him, plus his so-called “special condition.”

In other words, they both considered him quite important.

Could this be a way to maneuver?

Got it!

“Choosing sides—honestly, none of us know each other well enough yet.”

Lu Li spoke seriously.

“I think the most important thing in life is just living. And living means eating.”

After a pause, he looked at the two contestants.

“In that case, why not have a competition?”

The two contestants looked curious.

“A competition?”

“Yes!” Lu Li sat back leisurely, even crossing his legs.

“How well do you really know me?”

“Completely.”

“All of it.”

“I don’t quite agree,” Lu Li chuckled. “I myself don’t dare say I fully understand me—but that’s not important.”

He scanned the two women, whose beauty and aura transcended human limits.

“Since you both think I’m important and want to be with me, relying on beauty, figure, and charisma alone is…”

He clenched his teeth, forcing out words against his own feelings.

“Not enough. Not nearly enough.”

“First and foremost, it’s the basics: food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.”

At this, Lu Li grew confident.

“I have a car and a house (though the mortgage isn’t paid off), but I can’t cook, so the most important skill is culinary ability!”

“So, the question is: how good are your cooking skills?”

Miss Bai answered confidently, “Mr. Lu, you’ve tasted my cooking.”

Lu Li’s expression turned serious.

“I’m not talking about dreams, but reality. By the way, this is reality now, right?”

He truly suffered from PTSD.

Based on Luo Qianning’s description and his own feelings, he couldn’t even tell if he was in reality or a dream.

After all, Bai Muli had only demonstrated her parasitic abilities in the dream world before.

But now, she did it right in front of him.

So, was this a dream or reality? He couldn’t tell.

“Guess~~” Bai Muli tilted her head and winked.

But Miss Luo mercilessly exposed her.

“This is reality.”

She glanced at Bai Muli.

“I have no problem with this contest, but this guy probably won’t dare, since in a sense, he’s a ‘blind man’.”

Bai Muli smiled confidently.

“I’m sure I’ll win.”

“Then it’s decided,” Lu Li quickly made the call.

This was his clever strategy!

No matter what, these two must not fight.

The Times Square gas explosion in the news was probably the aftermath of one of their battles.

Lu Li had even felt earthquakes before—and more than once.

That meant they had fought multiple times.

With the force these two wielded, a fight would destroy the entire city.

And neither had been taking it seriously.

Since Luo Qianning’s power could affect the whole world, Bai Muli, at least her equal, couldn’t be far behind.

Therefore, Lu Li’s key to securing the world’s safety lay in seizing control.

Control over what?

The power to decide who wins or loses between them.

This required a very subjective choice, but not too biased.

If he simply picked one over the other, even if the other promised not to harm him, the risk of world destruction still loomed.

Lu Li dared not gamble on that.

So, the best option was a draw—one that was reasonable, fair, and removed himself from the equation to make the decision seem less subjective.

In other words, Lu Li would still make the final call, but the outcome would be acceptable to both.

Thus, cooking was the perfect contest.

Of course, other challenges would follow.

One thing at a time.

Provided they truly wouldn’t harm him and cared about him deeply.

Because only then could Lu Li’s importance to them influence the world’s fate.

But if they lied, Lu Li could only resign himself to death.

And if dead, what happened to the world was beyond his control.

“Don’t worry, I, Lu, have a scale in my heart. My colleagues used to call me ‘Brother Scale.’ You must trust me.”

Lu Li spoke earnestly, joking lightly.

“But one referee isn’t enough to be truly impartial, so I need two more judges on the panel.”

And he already had candidates in mind.

A mysterious smile crept across Lu Li’s face.

Outside, in the hotel corridor, the burly middle-aged man Xingtian and the young man Akagi sat slumped against the wall, smoking and lost in thought.

After a while, Akagi murmured softly, “Brother Tian, do you think we’ll make it out alive?”

It was unclear if he was asking Xingtian or himself.

They had both witnessed the death of Eagle moments before.

One second, Eagle was discussing the next step; the next, he melted like a wax figure and transformed into the woman who had just entered the room.

He never even glanced at them, as if they were insignificant air.

They didn’t feel insulted—only a bone-deep fear.

In previous missions, facing armies, zombies, and ghosts, they’d never been afraid.

But this time was different.

They couldn’t use any supernatural powers here, and deaths came suddenly and without warning.

No signs at all.

One invulnerable person was shot dead immediately upon arrival.

Others exploded suddenly like being microwaved.

Some died and turned into monsters, losing all thought.

In just two days, their original six-man squad was down to two.

The worst part was not knowing where the danger came from, not knowing when or how they would die.

This unknown terror was the most frightening thing.

“I don’t know either, but I do know we could die any moment, maybe in the next second,” Xingtian said firmly, lips pressed tight.

“But as long as there’s a glimmer of hope, we can’t give up!”

“There are three monsters inside that room.

Whether they’re fighting or chatting, there’s only one thing we can do.”

Akagi looked up, a spark of hope flickering in his eyes, clutching at a lifeline.

“What’s that?!”

“Keep as low a profile as possible. Hope they don’t notice us.”

Xingtian smiled bitterly.

“We’re like dancing on three eggshells—we need to stay far away from those eggs.”

“So, no matter what happens between them, we don’t get involved. It’s best if they forget we even exist!”

“I understand!” Akagi nodded vigorously.

“Brother Tian! We just have to wait until dawn tomorrow!”

Xingtian’s gaze hardened.

“That’s right! Once daylight comes, everything will be okay! Keep going!”

At that moment, the door opened.

Lu Li peeked out.

“Could you two do me a favor? My two friends inside want to compete in cooking. Can you both be judges with me?”

Seeing Lu Li’s innocent smile, Xingtian and Akagi exchanged glances.

Then, they felt utterly helpless.

Now they truly had to dance on three eggshells.

Thanks to Demon Lord, Reader 1345261232173326336, H 0.01, Dusk Sage Chairman, Eternal Calamity, Bird-Beaked Doctor, Half-Fist Commoner, Wild Warrior, an Unspeakable Netizen, Salty Fish with Overbearing Aura, Daily Love Hy, and Non-Dirty Donations.

(End of chapter)