The Crimson Game Chapter 12

Early the next morning, as our trio wove between two shelving rows searching for our remaining items, I suddenly heard a noise overhead.

Looking up, I saw a heavy iron plate that had been leaning against the shelf falling toward Tank and the girl below.

My heart raced. I shouted: "Tank! Girl! Move!"

I was too far from them to help.

Tank saw he couldn't dodge in time and grabbed the girl, pulling her into his arms, preparing to take the hit with his own body.

Miraculously, the iron plate didn't land squarely—it wedged itself just above Tank's head.

One more inch and it would have split his skull open.

After a few tense seconds, the girl's tearful voice rang out:

"Tank! Tank, are you okay?"

When I didn't hear Tank's voice, I thought his head had been crushed and started panicking.

The iron plate and corner created a blind spot with a protruding storage box, preventing me from seeing their condition.

Just as I was about to climb over the shelf, Tank's voice came through:

"Son of a bitch! I almost died there."

Hearing Tank's rough voice, my body relaxed instantly. I gripped the shelf and exhaled deeply.

"Damn, you scared the hell out of me."

But something seemed off. That heavy iron plate should have been secure against the shelf. How did it fall?

Suddenly, a sinister voice spoke behind me: "I wanted to crush both you and the fat guy. Didn't expect you'd be so lucky."

I whipped around.

The speaker was one of the men who'd been watching us suspiciously yesterday.

Rage surged through me instantly. I laughed coldly. "You guys really went all out. You're willing to kill people over some items?"

The man gripped a sharp knife in his hand, sneering: "To survive, what's killing a few people? But this works too—separating you from the fat guy makes it easier to pick you off one by one."

Fighting really wasn't my strong suit.

In my panic, I'd dropped all my weapons.

I thought about how to respond while keeping my expression casual. I put my hands in my pockets, voice light: "What do you need? I'll give it to you."