Rule 1: [Bravery Rewarded]
Every night, from midnight to 5 AM, the doors here will open, and you may leave at any time. However, beware—after nightfall, terrifying entities will emerge...
Therefore, it's in your best interest to stay safely in your room.
Furthermore, once you return to your room, the collars around your necks will undergo random safety checks between 12 AM and 7 PM daily. The checks may happen every half hour, every three hours, or perhaps even once a day...
It is also possible that there may be no check at all.
If your room is within the safe range, then during the check, if the collar is found outside the safe zone, it will be treated as leaving the safe area, and will explode immediately...
If you manage to escape five kilometers from this place, your collar will automatically unlock and open, but only if you have the courage and the ability to survive the run.
In short, your time here is divided into two periods: the game period, from 7 PM to midnight; and the curfew period, from midnight to 7 PM.
The period between 7 and 8 PM is the preparation stage for the game, with the death game beginning promptly at 8 PM.
Note: Anyone found outside their room during the curfew period will face death. Heh heh.
Rule 2: [Absolute Fairness]
No one is allowed to kill another, either during or outside the game (with certain exceptions); no one may cheat during the game. Should anyone be caught violating these rules, they will be immediately eliminated. Only I possess the authority to judge your life and death.
Rule 3: [The Carnival of Tools]
After each round of the game, the winners will randomly draw a tool card.
Tool cards come in four levels: S, A, B, and C.
Exclusive tool cards are only valid for specific games. If a player still holds an exclusive card after a game ends, they may exchange it for a lower-level general-use tool card.
For instance, an S-level exclusive card may be exchanged for an A-level general-use card (usable in any game).
Tool cards are extremely useful in future games!
Tool cards are not exclusive and may be requested, exchanged, or bought from other players, provided both parties agree.
However, forcibly stealing a tool card will lead to immediate elimination.
Additionally, while a player is using a tool card, no one else may harm them, or they will face immediate elimination.
Rule 4: [The Grand Jackpot]
From 8 PM to midnight every night is game time, with an unpredictable number of participants. The games will continue indefinitely. In the end, only one person will survive. That person will walk away with a ten-million cash reward!
The pig-faced mask man pointed at the ceiling, and all the lights converged toward the center.
Then, a massive glass sphere slowly descended, bathed in light. Inside, countless bundles of cash glowed golden.
It was clear: there was at least ten million in total. The pig-faced mask man wasn't lying.
Many people's faces were filled with shock. Most of them were ordinary people, earning only a few thousand yuan per month, and had never seen such an amount of money in their lives.
The pig-faced mask man's words were filled with endless temptation:
"If any of you wish to risk your life and escape, then sadly, you will lose your chance to win ten million."
"You know, the odds of winning ten million in a lottery are infinitesimally low. Right now, your chances of winning ten million are 48 to 1."
Many were silent. The pig-faced mask man spoke the truth.
If one were to risk their life and escape, and the collar detonated in the process, it would be a tragic loss.
But if they stayed and participated in the games, who knew—maybe they would be the last one standing.
In that case, they could walk away with ten million.
"Good, now it's 11 PM. The second floor is where your rooms are located. Please ascend the stairs and enter your rooms in an orderly fashion. Each door is labeled with a corresponding number, and there's food and water inside—feel free to enjoy."
"Also, players #6 and #34, as the winners of the first game, please come forward to draw a tool card."
The pig-faced mask man gestured to the spiral staircase, then looked at Jiang Yu and the boy, signaling his subordinates to deliver a stack of tool cards.
Two minotaur-masked men walked down the side staircase and approached them.
The boy was the first to draw a card, clutching it to his chest to keep it hidden.
Jiang Yu numbly drew a card and stuffed it into his pocket before heading upstairs.
The others, seeing his state, sympathetically made way for him, understanding his shock and numbness.
The group ascended to the second floor in an orderly manner.
It was a labyrinthine corridor, much like the hallways of a hotel, easy to get lost in.
Each door was labeled with a number from 1 to 50, and a key hung outside each room.
The expressions on people's faces varied—some still appeared fearful, others were still in shock, while a few seemed to have already adapted to their surroundings.
Nevertheless, everyone entered their respective rooms, took the keys, and locked the doors.
Jiang Yu entered his room and sat on the bed.
It was a small, enclosed room, about twelve square meters in size. The lighting was dim, with three concrete walls creating a claustrophobic atmosphere.
A camera was positioned in the corner of the ceiling, and the air conditioning hummed loudly in the background.
There were no windows, and the ceiling light flickered above. The room contained a simple metal sink and a mirror, along with a toilet in the corner.
There was a small supply of bread, crackers, and bottled water.
The bed in the center of the room was the most luxurious item there. Soft and inviting, Jiang Yu sat on it, still feeling emotionally numb.
Above the bed was an electronic clock with red glowing numbers. On the bedside table were old-fashioned game consoles, seemingly for leisure.
Jiang Yu searched around and found a large box in the corner filled with miscellaneous items. He casually grabbed an old wind-up alarm clock.
He thought for a moment, noting that the time on the electronic display on the wall was perfectly fine, making the mechanical clock unnecessary.
But the mechanical clock didn't match the time on the wall, and his obsessive-compulsive tendencies kicked in. He adjusted both clocks to the same time.
The clock ticked steadily, and Jiang Yu tossed it back into the box.
He sat on the bed, contemplating. Previously, he had entertained thoughts of giving up and seeking death.
But then he remembered Yin Yin, still outside. If both he and Zhou Qingqing died here, Yin Yin would be left orphaned.
Just thinking about that lively little girl with the short pigtails, always running around, filled him with warmth.
No. Now that he had the system, there was hope. He had to survive.
He had to stay alive until the end, claim first place, and go find Yin Yin to raise her.
His only concern was his daughter.
Standing in front of the mirror, he thought of trying to remove the collar around his neck. But seeing the camera above, he decided against it.
Suddenly, he remembered the tool card he had drawn. He pulled it from his pocket and froze upon seeing the content.
[S-Class Tool Card: Death Immunity Card]
Description: Using this card, you will be exempt from death once, even if you are eliminated after a game. Note: Only applicable in point-based games.
A sense of calm washed over him. Drawing such an S-Class tool card had increased his chances of winning the game.
In this brutal death game, it was as if he now had two lives compared to the others.
Jiang Yu quickly freshened up and lay back down, eventually falling into an uneasy sleep.
He seemed unwilling to accept that his wife was truly gone, wanting to escape reality through sleep.
...
In his dream, Jiang Yu suddenly woke up, the horrific image of Zhou Qingqing's death still haunting him. His chest tightened.
He glanced at the clock—1:26 AM.
Just then, he heard faint footsteps in the hallway, and immediately jumped out of bed, crouching by the door to listen intently.
The footsteps were incredibly soft, as if someone was tiptoeing, and they grew fainter with each passing second...
Someone was trying to escape!
Jiang Yu thought of Rule 1. It seemed someone had lost hope of winning among the forty-some players and decided that risking their life to flee was their only option.
If they were lucky, maybe the collar wouldn't detect them, and they could escape this hellish place.
Just then, a heavy thudding sound shook the hallway, as if some giant was walking, causing the floor to tremble with each step.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
What on earth was out there?
Jiang Yu strained his ears, listening to the sounds outside his door. The noise grew louder, as if something heavy was dragging along the floor, scraping with an ear-piercing screech, like chains being dragged across the ground.
The presence outside grew nearer, until it felt as though it were right at his doorstep. Without thinking, Jiang Yu instinctively took several steps backward, trying to distance himself from the door as much as possible.
He could sense that whatever it was, it was only inches away. The sound of labored breathing grew louder, more pronounced, and Jiang Yu's heart pounded so violently it felt like it would burst from his chest. Suddenly, the words of the pig-faced mask man from earlier echoed in his mind: "Stay in your room at night... for when night falls, terrifying things will appear..."
"Thump... Thump... Thump!"
Suddenly, the creature outside broke into a full sprint, and the corridor trembled with the sound of its rapid movements. The chains behind it scraped the floor with an increasingly shrill noise, growing fainter as it moved away.
A few minutes later, a gut-wrenching scream echoed from a distance, followed by loud banging noises, as if someone was desperately struggling and pounding on their door.
The sounds—those agonized screams and the violent thuds—blended together, tearing through the stillness of the night. The sheer intensity of it sent shivers down Jiang Yu's spine, and his body broke out in cold sweat.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, the noises stopped.
Jiang Yu stood frozen, his ears straining in the unnatural silence that followed. Slowly, his racing heartbeat began to settle, though the lingering dread remained. The night had become suffocating, thick with tension.
For a moment, he had considered daring to escape, to defy the rules and take a chance on running.
Now, however, he was paralyzed with fear.
He could not bring himself to step outside. The danger was too real, too immediate. He would wait. Tomorrow night, perhaps, he would see what happened out there. But for now, all he could do was wait in the silence, hoping that whatever it was, it wouldn't return.