The Three-Second Rule: My Death Game System

Chapter 4: The Merchant's Trade

 

[Countdown: 09:45]

The young woman squeezed her eyes shut, sobbing violently as she waited for the gunshot. She knew there was no mercy in this hell.

"Please..." she whimpered one last time.

Seconds ticked by. The gunshot never came.

Instead, Kael lowered the revolver and calmly walked past her, bending down to pick up one of the massive, rusted cleavers dropped by the dead Butcher.

"Get up," Kael commanded, his voice devoid of any warmth.

The woman opened her eyes, shivering uncontrollably. "Y-you're not going to kill me?"

Kael tested the weight of the rusty cleaver in his hand. "Hacking through a human ribcage with a dull, rusted blade to extract an intact heart would take at least fifteen minutes. We only have nine left. Mathematically, killing you is a waste of time."

He didn't spare her another glance. "If you want to live, stay close and keep quiet."

The woman scrambled to her feet, wiping her tears, terrified but desperately clinging to the cold, pragmatic logic that had just saved her life.

Kael moved swiftly toward the stalls constructed of human bones. If this was a "Flesh Market," there had to be inventory.

Clang. Clang.

A heavy, metallic bell echoed through the fog, followed by the squeaking wheels of a heavy cart.

[Countdown: 07:20]

From the crimson mist emerged a towering figure. It was at least seven feet tall, wearing a blood-stained butcher’s apron over a grotesquely bloated body. Its head was encased in a rusted iron cage shaped like a pig’s snout.

It was pushing a wooden cart lined with filthy ice and glass jars. Inside one of the glowing jars, floating in a murky preservative fluid, was exactly what Kael needed: a human heart, still pulsing faintly.

"A customer..." The Merchant’s voice sounded like grinding stones. "The market is not yet open... but for you, I can make an exception."

Kael stepped forward, keeping his revolver hidden behind his back. "How much for the heart?"

The Merchant chuckled, a wet, repulsive sound. One of its massive hands, wielding a meat hook the size of an anchor, pointed directly at the trembling woman behind Kael.

"Her. Fresh, unblemished meat. A fair trade for a heart."

The woman let out a muffled shriek, grabbing the back of Kael’s jacket. "No... please don't give me to him!"

Kael’s eyes narrowed. Two bullets left in the revolver.

[Ability Triggered: 3-Second Precognition.]

Vision 1: Kael raises the revolver and fires a shot directly at the Merchant's head. The bullet sparks against the rusted iron cage, failing to penetrate. The Merchant roars in anger, swinging the massive meat hook. It impales Kael through the stomach, lifting him effortlessly into the air.

The vision shattered.

Iron cage is bulletproof. Center mass is too thick. Kael calculated instantly. He couldn't kill it with brute force.

What if he agreed to the trade?

[Ability Triggered: 3-Second Precognition.]

Vision 2: Kael shoves the woman forward. The Merchant grabs her throat, laughing happily. It tosses the glass jar to Kael. Kael catches the jar and turns to run toward the gate. But the moment his back is turned, the Merchant throws the meat hook like a harpoon, piercing Kael’s spine. "Never trust a Merchant," it croaks.

The vision ended.

[Countdown: 05:45]

There was no fair trade. The Merchant intended to kill them both regardless. He had to steal it, and he had to be flawless.

"Deal," Kael said coldly, stepping aside and exposing the woman.

"What?!" The woman screamed, feeling completely betrayed.

"Excellent choice..." The Merchant grunted, reaching its massive, grotesque hand toward the weeping woman.

One second.

The Merchant’s focus was entirely on its new prey. Its guard dropped.

Two seconds.

Kael didn't shoot. He violently hurled the rusted cleaver with all his strength, not at the Merchant, but directly at the wooden wheel of the heavy cart.

Three seconds.

CRACK!

The rusty wheel shattered. The cart violently tilted forward. The glass jar containing the heart tumbled off the ice, falling toward the concrete floor.

"MY GOODS!" The Merchant roared in panic, lunging forward to catch the fragile jar, momentarily forgetting about the woman.

In that split second of distraction, Kael moved. He sprinted forward, sliding across the bloody concrete. He grabbed the glass jar mere inches before it hit the ground.

Without breaking momentum, Kael pressed the barrel of his revolver directly underneath the Merchant's iron cage, right into the exposed, fleshy gap of its throat.

BANG!

The muffled gunshot blew out the back of the Merchant’s neck. Dark blood sprayed like a fountain. The massive creature choked, dropped its meat hook, and collapsed onto the shattered cart with an earth-shaking thud.

One bullet left.

Kael stood up, clutching the jar. He didn't waste a single breath celebrating.

"Run to the gate!" Kael barked at the stunned woman.

[Countdown: 03:10]

They sprinted across the platform toward the massive steel shutter. Kael smashed the glass jar against the ground, picking up the cold, wet heart. He slammed it directly onto the biometric scanner beside the heavy gate.

BEEP.

"Toll accepted. Welcome to the upper levels," the mechanical voice announced.

The heavy steel shutter slowly began to grind upward, revealing a dark, ascending staircase.

But as the gate opened, the crimson neon lights across the entire platform suddenly turned a glaring, violent purple. The temperature dropped drastically.

"Attention," the intercom crackled, its voice distorting into a demonic pitch. "The Flesh Market is now officially open. Merchants, begin the harvest."

From the fog in every direction, dozens of heavy, squeaking wheels began to roll toward them. Dozens of glowing yellow eyes pierced through the dark.

"Inside! Now!" Kael shoved the woman onto the stairs and dove under the half-open shutter just as a barrage of rusted cleavers and meat hooks slammed into the metal behind them.