The dimly lit room was filled with an eerie atmosphere, the incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling flickering intermittently, casting uncertain shadows.
The dark brick walls were pockmarked and streaked with dark red stains, creating a macabre pattern across the room.
A nauseating stench of decay hung heavy in the air, making one's stomach churn.
Not a breath of wind circulated through the room, yet a palpable chill seemed to permeate the air.
Bristol lay sprawled on the icy floor, lips tightly pressed together.
The faint rise and fall of his chest indicated he was still alive!
"Ah!"
A heart-wrenching scream pierced the silence of the room.
Bristol jolted awake, his eyes wide with alarm, frantically scanning the source of the sound.
In the corner, a high school girl in her uniform, her hair tied in a ponytail, hugged her knees, trembling uncontrollably.
Taking in his surroundings, Bristol realized they were in a sealed room, devoid of any furnishings, with no windows, only a tightly shut, heavy iron door.
The room was small, barely twenty square meters, and apart from Bristol himself, there were only seven others—a total of four men and four women.
The rest, like Bristol, were gradually roused by the girl's screams, looking around in confusion at their surroundings.
A young couple, seemingly in love, held each other tightly, the young man murmuring soothingly to calm his girlfriend's nerves.
A plain-looking young woman in a floral dress cast timid glances at the others, resembling a startled rabbit.
Most striking was the young, stunning woman seated across from Bristol, her body draped in a sheer white lace nightgown that accentuated her curves, her delicate features a sight to behold.
The four men in the room, including Bristol himself, couldn't help but steal glances at the alluring woman.
"Damn it, which bastard tied me up here? Come out and face me like a man!"
A burly man with a rugged face and bulging muscles barked angrily.
The room fell silent, with no one responding to his outburst.
"Everyone, in my opinion, our priority right now should be finding a way out," spoke up a well-dressed, polite-looking young man, exuding an air of professionalism.
He attempted a friendly smile, which seemed forced, indicating his attempt to appear composed.
"Tch, pretty boy, talking all high and mighty. So, do you have a plan? Speak up and let's hear it," the aggressive burly man retorted, unable to stand the young man's pretense.
"Cough cough," the professional-looking man's face flushed red; he had intended to make a good impression in front of the stunning woman, only to be interrupted by the burly man.Knowing he couldn't outmatch the burly man, Bristol cleared his throat lightly to mask his embarrassment, shooting a glance at the burly man with a hint of malice in his eyes, quickly concealed.
As everyone looked at each other, at a loss for what to do, the lights in the room suddenly dimmed.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
A teeth-grinding creaking sound slowly emanated from the left wall, echoing through the silent and dim room.
What was this sound?
Bristol furrowed his brow slightly, a hint of puzzlement crossing his eyes.
The unknown was always the most terrifying.
The sound grew nearer and clearer, as if it would appear before them in the next second!
Everyone tensed, staring nervously at the wall to their left, subconsciously inching backward.
Suddenly, a child's bicycle carrying a Billy doll, standing over half a person's height, emerged slowly from the left wall, heading towards the group.
"Screech!"
With a jarring screech of brakes, the child's bike came to a halt directly in front of the group.
On the bike, the head of the Billy doll swiveled, its hollow eyes coldly staring at the group, a chilling grin spreading across its lips, emitting eerie cackles.
The group watched in horror at the puppet clown, some of the more timid ones collapsing in fear.
The professional-looking man lost all his previous composure, his legs trembling uncontrollably, his face a mask of disbelief.
Ignoring the pitiful state of the professional man, everyone else was engulfed in deep fear.
"Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling..."
A piercing bell rang out, shattering the silence of the room.
The high school girl with the ponytail quickly pulled out her phone from her pocket, looking at the screen.
"Ah!"
She let out a scream, then swiftly threw her phone to the ground.
"How could it be this game?" she muttered, her eyes filled with despair.
The girl in the floral dress, observing the high school girl's extreme reaction, felt a sense of confusion.
Her gaze fell on the phone now lying at her feet, where an app notification was displayed prominently in the center of the screen.
"Welcome to the Death Game, enjoy your play!"
"Oh my god, it's really the Death Game!" she exclaimed in shock, her eyes brimming with despair.
"This is the most terrifying game in the world, super bloody and brutal, with an almost one hundred percent fatality rate!"
"So far, there have been no more than five survivors!"
The woman in the floral dress slumped to the ground as she spoke, her face filled with despair.
Meanwhile, outside, more and more people were entering the livestream of the Death Game.
"Wow, a newbie trial ground, another group of fresh cuties."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder who will make it out intact this time!"
"Look at that guy's expression, he's about to wet himself, hilarious!"
"Same old recipe, familiar taste."
"Here it comes, here it comes, Billy, oh how I've missed the Billy doll."
"The guy upstairs is a freak, case closed!"
"+1"
"+2"
"+10086"
"It seems like everyone knows quite a bit about the Death Game."
The Billy doll in the room wobbled towards the group like a baby, waving its short arms, its voice high-pitched and tinged with mockery.
"I don't want to play the game, I want to go home, I want to go home!"
"I'll give you all my money, please, please let me go!"
The room erupted into chaos, filled with curses and pleas for mercy.
Bristol stood silently in the corner, watching. He had no intention of joining in these futile struggles.
Who didn't know that in the Death Game, only the winner could walk out alive, without exception?
Bristol had only one belief: to survive!
Ignoring the reactions of the group, the clown continued with its introduction.
"I am the rookie instructor for this Death Game."
"The rules are simple."
"You have three hours to find the talisman in this building!"
"Remember, the talisman is your lifeline, otherwise, it's death for you!"
"A friendly reminder, the first talisman is right behind your own thoughts."
"Of course, this level is simple, just find a way to open this door!"
"The answer is in this room!"
"Wishing you all a pleasant game!"
After speaking, the clown retreated to a dark corner, scanning the group.
The entire room fell into a deathly silence, with each person's breathing sounding particularly clear.
Just as Bristol was pondering how to open the large iron door before him, a mechanical female voice sounded in his mind.
"Full Intelligence Answering System activated!"
System?