He struggled to steady his nerves, his gaze scanning the surroundings as he searched for a final opportunity.
Almost everyone around him had already obtained an iron ball. Those who had secured one waited with a sense of relief as the countdown continued, while those who hadn't were engulfed in despair.
Take 39, for instance: a middle-aged woman with disheveled hair hanging loosely on either side of her face. Her face was streaked with dirt, and in a frantic frenzy, she searched desperately.
Meanwhile, the large man in the bull mask, Number 11, wore a triumphant smile. He had snatched an iron ball from Jiang Yu earlier. Seeing that Jiang Yu still hadn't found one as the timer ticked down, he smirked with a sense of malicious glee. Fewer competitors left—this was good for him.
Then, when the familiar "One... Two... Three" echoed through the arena, Jiang Yu made a startling move.
Everyone's eyes turned to him in disbelief.
Without warning, Jiang Yu sprinted toward the platform, leaping high enough to grab its edge. With a swift motion, he climbed up and snatched the iron ball from the plate in his hands.
This was the very same iron ball that the pig-faced man had used as an example earlier.
The other bull-masked men immediately grew alert, raising their guns toward Jiang Yu. Yet, none of them fired. It was as though they were waiting for the pig-faced man's command.
The pig-faced man merely let out a strange, unsettling laugh before raising his hand, signaling the others to lower their weapons.
Jiang Yu's heart raced wildly, nearly leaping out of his throat as cold sweat drenched him. His clothes felt as though they were being soaked through.
It was a desperate gamble he'd taken at the last moment—and it had paid off.
The pig-faced man had said that there were a total of 66 such iron balls in the space.
Jiang Yu had gambled that the one on the plate was one of them.
With only a few seconds left on the clock, the familiar "Wood... Man..." echoed once more, causing everyone to freeze in place, paralyzed by fear.
10
9
8
...
1
The electronic screen displayed the countdown: 0:00:00.
The game time was up.
Jiang Yu exhaled a sigh of relief, jumping down from the platform.
It was then that the system's voice echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host, you have won this round of the Death Game.]
[Game Buff is being applied...]
[Conversion Successful: Host's stamina increased by 50%.]
Jiang Yu felt a surge of energy flood his body, his physical strength enhanced far beyond what it had been before.
The pig-faced man, towering above them on the platform, clapped his hands slowly, his eerie laugh ringing out.
"Well done. You've surprised me. Many of you found the iron balls. Now, place your iron balls in the box by the side and draw a random item card. Then, stand directly beneath me."
Two bull-masked men moved a table forward, placing an iron box atop it. A small hole was made at the top, just big enough for the iron balls to be dropped in.
One by one, people stepped up to the table, dropping their iron balls into the box before drawing an item card from the hands of the bull-masked men. They then moved to stand under the platform.
Jiang Yu also took his turn, placing the iron ball into the box. Number 11, the large man, was in front of him and shot him a cold glare, seemingly surprised that Jiang Yu had thought of such a clever tactic.
Soon, everyone was gathered beneath the platform, but a cry rang out from behind them.
Turning around, they saw 39, the middle-aged woman, standing helplessly next to the box, her face clouded with despair as she sobbed into her hands.
She had failed to find an iron ball in time.
A moment later, the steel-clad monster dragged its heavy iron ball to her side. The buzz of its chainsaw whirred to life, and it executed the same brutal sentence as before.
Many turned away, unable to watch, some even covering their faces. They could imagine what would happen to them should they fail the game—whether by explosion from a collar, being cleaved in half, or having their skulls crushed beneath an iron ball...
Each punishment was as horrifying as the last, and the mere thought was enough to send shivers down one's spine.
The pig-faced man surveyed the crowd below, his applause echoing unnervingly in the silence.
"Very good. There are now 45 of you left. I expected at least ten to be eliminated, but you all proved far more resilient than I anticipated. Hahaha!"
"Now, return to your rooms. Food and water have been prepared. Tomorrow night at eight, the game will continue. I look forward to seeing who emerges as the final victor!"
The players slowly made their way to the staircases, returning to their rooms one by one.
...
Lying on his bed, Jiang Yu's heart was still racing. He had almost lost his life.
His mind turned to Number 11, and his face darkened as he sat up suddenly.
He swore to himself that he would make sure to take down the large man. If he didn't, he wouldn't be Jiang Yu.
From this point on, he vowed to become ruthless, using any means necessary to secure his victory and destroy all his opponents.
They all deserved to die.
Anyone who targeted him would face tenfold retribution.
The large man was his next target.
Then, Jiang Yu remembered—he had yet to check the item card he had drawn earlier. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the card.
[S-Class Item Card: Ranking Swap Card]
[Description: Using this card in-game allows you to swap rankings with another player.]
Jiang Yu was overjoyed. He felt like a true "lucky winner!"
Twice in a row he had drawn an S-class card.
This card's power was truly remarkable!
For instance, if he ended up in last place during the game and was about to be eliminated, he could activate the card and switch rankings with the player in first place. In that case, he would instantly become the victor, while the first-place player would be eliminated.
Jiang Yu hastily devoured some bread and biscuits, washed up quickly, and then fell asleep.
The next morning, he awoke to find the clock showing well past noon.
Bored, Jiang Yu fiddled with the old gaming console by his bed, passing the time until he grew satisfied and laid back down.
Soon, at 7:30 PM, the clock on the wall emitted a sharp chime, instantly jolting Jiang Yu awake from his nap.
The familiar voice of the announcer echoed through his room.
"The game is about to begin. All players, please assemble in the hall."
At eight o'clock sharp, the players gathered once again in the hall.
They found that the furniture from the previous night had been cleared away.
The only thing left in the center of the room was an oval table with four chairs arranged around it.
A stack of cards lay on the table.
Up on the platform, the pig-faced man appeared once again, his eyes surveying the players below. His voice, dripping with temptation, rang out:
"Well done. All of you are here. Let me now announce tonight's game. The game is called: [Desperate Zodiac], and it will involve four players."
"Oh, and by the way, I admire those who have courage. If anyone volunteers to participate, I will grant them a special item card for the game. If no one volunteers, the screen will randomly select participants."
The room fell into silence, the atmosphere thick with tension. No one stepped forward.
They all understood: though an item card was precious, it wasn't worth risking their lives for. The longer they survived, the better their chances of victory.
Let the others fight it out first.
It was the unspoken thought shared by all.
The pig-faced man shook his head in disappointment. "Very well. Since no one has volunteered, we'll proceed with a random selection of players."
The avatars on the electronic screen spun quickly, stopping almost immediately. The first to freeze was Number 34.
This was the young boy who had played rock-paper-scissors with Jiang Yu earlier. He sighed and stood up reluctantly.
The second avatar began to spin, and soon it stopped on Number 18.
Jiang Yu vaguely remembered her—she was the girl who had been the quickest to act during the "Wood Man" game, the one who had been the first to make a move in the face of the steel monstrosity. She was bold, decisive, and swift.
The third avatar stopped as well, revealing Number 11—the large man who had snatched Jiang Yu's iron ball during the previous game.
As the fourth avatar began to spin, everyone stared at the screen, eyes fixed, tension thick in the air. Everyone silently prayed they wouldn't be the one chosen.
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
"Can I still sign up to participate?"
All eyes turned in shock—someone actually dared to volunteer?
There, standing in the center, was a young man raising his hand, his expression detached, even cold. It was Jiang Yu.
He had surveyed the table setup and recognized the game for what it was—a card game of some sort. He knew he had to participate; otherwise, the system would impose a penalty on him.
Number 11, the large man, was also set to participate, and Jiang Yu knew he had to take this opportunity. He could use this game to eliminate him once and for all. His left cheek still throbbed with pain from their earlier encounter, and it was high time he paid the man back.
The pig-faced man looked surprised, his attention now focused on Jiang Yu. A playful, almost amused smile tugged at the edges of his mask. "Oh? Of course, you may."
With a press of a button on his remote, the avatars spun again, and then they stopped—this time on Jiang Yu's. Number 6.
Jiang Yu had been randomly selected.
The pig-faced man was visibly excited as he ordered an item card to be sent to Jiang Yu.
"Excellent. The final four players have been selected: Number 6, Number 11, Number 18, and Number 34."
"Now, to make this more engaging for everyone, the other players will have the opportunity to vote. Each of the remaining 41 players will receive a blank piece of paper."
"You can write down the number of the player you support in the center of the paper, and in the lower right corner, your own number. Then, place it in the box. If the player you vote for wins, you will receive an item card."
"However, if your chosen player is eliminated, you will lose one item card."
"Additionally, if you guess incorrectly consecutively, the penalty will double. The first mistake will cost you one card, the second mistake will cost you two cards, the third will cost four cards, and so on."
"You are prohibited from voting for the same player more than three times. If you exceed this limit, you will be immediately eliminated."
"Players who have no item cards to lose will have their collars detonate immediately."
"Of course, you may also choose to abstain. If you do, you will neither gain nor lose anything."
"Now, I will explain the rules for the [Desperate Zodiac] game!"