The room felt colder than usual as Ye Xiu sat across from Officer Jiang Wei, a sharp-eyed investigator who had now been following the case of the missing players after Officer Li Wei. The low hum of the air conditioning was the only sound breaking the silence. After explaining the eerie phone call from the night before, Ye Xiu leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, trying to piece together the fragments of this escalating mystery.
Jiang Wei leaned forward, his fingers tapping lightly against the table. "We've had several cases like this—stalkers, threats. But this one feels different. Whoever's behind these calls is calculating, and they have their eyes on you."
Ye Xiu met the officer's gaze, his expression steely. "What do you suggest? The person on the phone warned me not to inform the police, or another player will disappear. They want me to go alone."
The officer's lips curled into a slight, almost reassuring smirk. "They always say that. But don't worry, you won't be alone. We'll send a team—completely hidden. You go to the meeting, play along, and we'll intervene if necessary. Your safety is our top priority."
Ye Xiu wasn't sure how to feel about the plan. On one hand, this could lead to answers. On the other hand, walking into a trap wasn't his idea of a solution. Still, if it meant protecting his team and getting to the bottom of this, he didn't have much of a choice.
Two days later, just as Officer Jiang had predicted, Ye Xiu's phone buzzed with a message. A new number flashed on his screen. He opened it and read the brief, chilling instructions:
"11:30 PM. Old factory on the edge of the city. Come alone. Don't inform the police, or you'll regret it."
Ye Xiu's pulse quickened, but he maintained his composure. The abandoned factory was located in one of the most desolate parts of the city, a place few people ever ventured, especially not at night. The instructions were clear—this was no casual meeting. He was walking straight into enemy territory.
That night, as the city fell into the quiet lull of midnight, Ye Xiu prepared to leave. He dressed simply, a hoodie pulled over his head to conceal his identity in the shadows. He made his way through the empty streets, the soft hum of the streetlights the only sound as he approached the meeting point. The abandoned factory loomed ahead like a forgotten relic of the past, its crumbling walls and shattered windows giving it an eerie, haunted air. Vines crawled up its sides, and the moonlight barely pierced through the dark clouds overhead.
Ye Xiu felt the hairs on his neck rise as he approached the entrance. He kept an eye on his surroundings, knowing that somewhere, Officer Jiang and his team were watching, hidden from sight. He stepped inside, his footsteps echoing through the vast and empty space of the old factory.
As he entered the main hall, his gaze fell on a parcel lying on the floor—this one much larger than the last. The box was about the length of an arm, its edges worn, and it had clearly been placed there deliberately, waiting for him. He hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to turn back, but he pressed forward, determined to uncover the truth.
Just as he reached the parcel, his phone buzzed in his pocket. The same unknown number flashed across the screen.
Ye Xiu picked up the call, his voice tense. "I'm here. What do you want?"
The distorted voice on the other end was low and menacing. "Pick up the parcel. Open it. Don't try anything stupid, or you'll lose more than a game."
A shiver ran down his spine. Ye Xiu glanced around the factory, scanning the shadows for any sign of movement, but there was nothing—just the eerie silence and the distant hum of the city beyond. Slowly, he knelt and opened the box. Inside, he found a laptop, a USB drive, and a stack of photographs.
His hands hovered over the photos first, and as he picked them up, his stomach churned. They were pictures of every player who had attended the summit. Familiar faces stared back at him: Huang Shaotian, Wang Jiexi, Yu Wenzhou, Zhou Zekai, and even his face. Each photo was taken at odd moments—leaving the summit, entering their rooms, practising. Someone had been watching them. Closely.
"Now, the USB," the voice hissed through the phone. "Use the laptop in the box. The password is your game name—One Autumn Leaf. Type it in."
Ye Xiu swallowed hard, his fingers trembling slightly as he powered up the laptop. He typed in his game name, "One Autumn Leaf," and the screen flickered to life. The voice on the other end remained silent as he plugged in the USB.
As soon as it connected, a video file appeared on the screen. Ye Xiu hesitated before clicking it, but he had no choice. The video opened, showing grainy footage of a dimly lit alley. The camera panned across the scene, capturing the unmistakable figures of two missing players, Sun Xiang and Zhang Jiale, bound and gagged. They were being dragged into a van, their faces filled with terror. The figure responsible, dressed head-to-toe in black, remained faceless, hidden beneath a hood and mask. The way they were kidnapped was similar to the other.
The voice in the video was muffled, but the situation was clear—both players had been kidnapped. The video ended abruptly, leaving Ye Xiu staring at the screen in shock.
"See what happens when you don't listen?" the voice on the phone rasped. "If you want to know more, you'll have to follow my instructions."
Ye Xiu's heart pounded in his chest, anger boiling in his veins. "What do you want?" he demanded, his voice hard and edged with fury.
The response was chilling in its simplicity. "Quit. Retire from the game. Announce it to the world. You'll say that you're stepping down, that you're leaving Excellent Era forever."
Ye Xiu's blood ran cold. This was about him. Whoever was behind this wanted to push him out of the game, out of everything he had built. "And if I refuse?" His voice was steady, but the threat of violence simmered beneath the surface.
"You've seen the video. If you refuse, they won't be the only ones. I'll take another. Then another. And it will all be on you."
Ye Xiu clenched his fists, his mind racing. The weight of his team, his friends, and his career hung in the balance. This wasn't just a threat to his livelihood—it was a threat to everyone around him. He had to act, but one wrong move and the consequences could be deadly.
"Make your choice, Ye Xiu," the voice said, low and final. "Your career, or their lives."
The call disconnected, leaving Ye Xiu standing alone in the abandoned factory, the cold reality of the situation pressing in on him from all sides. The game had changed, and now, the stakes were higher than ever.