Chapter 97: Hold Tight to Me

【Countdown—7:58, 7:57…】

“Too scammy. The last countdown was two seconds, and this one’s just one second,” Gu Yue said softly.

“At least there’s a timer. Otherwise, staying frozen like this wouldn’t be great.”

It truly wasn’t great, and the ones suffering the most right now were You Hui and Ren Bahai.

“What? Seven whole minutes?!” The two howled at the sky.

“My god, has that stinky director gotten hooked on infinite flow genres lately? Every day it’s either brain teasers or running. Why won’t this eagle stop chasing us…”

“There are so many chicks scattering everywhere, so why only chase us two? Save us! Do we really have to run for seven minutes? I can’t breathe anymore.”

Ren Bahai wished he’d shut his mouth: “You’re running and still talking that much? If you’re not out of breath, who is? Just run!”

By now, the two had circled the amusement park twice. No matter how they hid or dodged, the eagle stuck to them relentlessly.

The other chicks who had been in their group earlier had long scattered—those who could hide did, and those who couldn’t had latched onto other teams. For the moment, only these two unlucky stragglers were left alone.

The eagle behind them pursued without mercy, looking like it wanted to swallow them whole right then. As it ran, it opened its massive mouth and let out creaking sounds.

“My god, I can’t run anymore. When will this end…” You Hui panted heavily.

Seeing him like that, Ren Bahai didn’t dare run too fast either, afraid that if one slowed down while the other sped up, the rope connecting them would snap.

He said, “Keep running. Those Chicken Mamas see us two and just hide. When we reach the next Chicken Mama, we’ll latch onto the end of her chick line and see if we can shake it off.”

Lu Nan waved her hand and shouted at them, “Hurry over here!”

Afraid they wouldn’t hear her in the chaotic crowd, Lu Nan turned to the person behind her and said, “Wenwei, shout with me too. Bring those two into our team so we’re not at the end anymore—it’ll be harder to get caught.”

In front of her stood Gu Yue, behind her was Song Wenwei, and at the very back was Tang Qi. If Tang Qi got caught, the rope tying her to the others would snap, and Song Wenwei would fail too.

Those who failed had to sleep in tents on the mountain for the night. It was so cold, and that mountain was full of mosquitoes. The conditions weren’t too harsh, but it was her wife—she couldn’t bear it.

To keep Song Wenwei from tenting on the mountain tonight, she had to pull those two over here. It wasn’t the most honorable move, but it solved their immediate crisis.

Song Wenwei chuckled helplessly but joined in the shouting, “Over here! You Hui, Bahai, come here…”

She had originally thought Lu Nan was calling them out of pure kindness, and it turned out she was right—it was kindness, but kindness toward themselves.

In terms of numbers, their chick line was short by a full six people compared to others.

That was exactly why Lu Nan had called them over. If their chick line was already too long and they brought the eagle with two more people, the odds of everyone dying together would skyrocket.

Besides, the four of them were at the very end of this line.

With her shouts, the two spotted the Chicken Mama nearby—the one with Lu Nan, Song Wenwei, and the others in her line.

If they could get under this Chicken Mama’s protection, they wouldn’t have to keep running from the eagle anymore. This endless chase could finally end.

They sprinted toward it with all their might. The Chicken Mama spotted them too and spread its massive arms, its wings hidden in the costume unfurling to form a barrier.

“Kids, hurry over!” the Chicken Mama shouted anxiously.

As it spoke, its entire body bumped toward the eagle hot on their heels, and the chick line holding hands behind it shifted with the motion.

You Hui and Ren Bahai teared up. Finally, a Chicken Mama was willing to take them in.

“Wah, so touching.”

“Lu Nan, you’re such a bro.”

“Shut up and run faster—it’s catching up!” Ren Bahai urged helplessly. He had no idea what was up with his teammate; it was like not talking would kill him.

The two mustered their strength and dashed under the Chicken Mama’s outstretched wings. They hunched low, taking two steps at a time to reach the back of the line and grab onto Tang Qi’s shoulders. They gasped for air in huge heaving breaths.

By the game rules, the eagle couldn’t shove the Chicken Mama. Seeing the Chicken Mama in front, the eagle halted its sprint.

Those two little chicks had already joined the line. If it wanted to eat them, it would have to grab from the rear.

The eagle whipped around with a killer glare, its eyes scanning the surrounding chicks as it issued a low, excited growl—

“How dare you interrupt me. I’ll eat every last one of you little chicks.”

To it, the crowd was just delivered takeout—not eating it would be a waste.

Tang Qi whispered from behind the Chicken Mama, “Can it really eat this many?”

“Who said it’s alone?” Lu Nan replied. Song Wenwei stood between them.

Though she hated to admit it, her voice was as stunning as her face—like it was born to sound that way.

The woman was smart and kind, except for that poker face she wore all day. Who knew why she always looked so cold and desireless? Had God wiped all her micro-expressions when creating her?

Tang Qi shook her head quickly, banishing the treasonous thought. No way! This shady Lu Nan was eyeing Song Wenwei—one look and you knew she had ulterior motives.

Not a chance. I, Tang Aotian, will protect Song-er to the death~

As soon as Lu Nan finished speaking, three more hulking eagles stumbled out from the corners, shaking their feathers. In total, there were six Chicken Mamas, four eagles, and countless chicks on the field.

Lu Nan silently dropped one hand, shielding Song Wenwei behind her—just like the Chicken Mama shielding them now.

She said, “Hold tight to me. Get ready—we’re about to start running.”

“Okay.” Song Wenwei nodded.

Its eyeballs were enormous and lifelike, even able to move, making it look like a real eagle about to hunt. As its wings shook, they charged in all directions, targeting the chicks at the tails of the lines.

The Chicken Mamas shuddered and spread their wings, protecting the chicks behind them. No one dared let go.

The real game of eagle catching chicks had only just begun.

One eagle suddenly bolted toward Lu Nan’s group. It charged to within a few meters, then lunged, pecking a chick in the middle. Its wide beak gaped open, unleashing a wave of foul stench.

The entire line swayed side to side. Seeing this, another eagle joined in—one pecking at the middle and rear chicks, the other launching a sneak attack on the Chicken Mama.