The streets of Xiyang City pulsed with life.
Towering skyscrapers loomed overhead, their neon signs flashing against the dark sky. Music blared from shopfronts, and the sidewalks were flooded with people—lovers strolling hand in hand, office workers rushing home, teenagers laughing over bubble tea.
It was an ordinary night. Just like any other.
Jiang Chen and his little sister, Yue, walked side by side.
"Brother, do you think that new drama is worth watching?" Yue asked, pointing at a massive billboard playing a trailer.
Jiang Chen scoffed. "Another generic romance? You'll just get bored halfway through like last time."
Yue pouted. "Tch! You don't understand good stories."
He chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."
Then—
Everything stopped.
The billboards flickered violently, their bright colors twisting into static. Streetlights blinked out, plunging the city into darkness. Every phone screen went black.
"What the hell?"
"Is this a blackout?"
"Wait, my phone—"
DING!
A blinding red light flashed across every screen.
---
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[WELCOME TO THE SLAUGHTER SYSTEM]
---
The city fell silent.
Then came the screams.
"What the fuck is this?!"
"Is this a joke?!"
"My phone isn't working!"
"Some kind of prank?!"
Before Jiang Chen could react, a translucent blue screen flickered before his eyes.
---
DING!
──────────────
[PLAYER SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Name: Jiang Chen
Role: Player
Objective: Survive & Protect Your Bonded Hostage
Hostage: Jiang Yue
──────────────
His blood froze.
Beside him, Yue stiffened, her small hands clutching the hem of his sleeve.
"Brother…" her voice was barely a whisper. "I got a message too."
Jiang Chen turned.
A second screen hovered before her.
---
DING!
──────────────
[HOSTAGE SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Name: Jiang Yue
Role: Hostage
Status: Bound to Player Jiang Chen
──────────────
Hostage?
Jiang Chen's heartbeat slammed in his ears.
No. This can't be real.
His hands shook as his mind raced. But the fear in Yue's eyes, the panic in the crowd—it was real.
Then—the voice returned.
---
DING!
[FIRST GAME: BLOOD TRIAL]
RULES:
1. Kill another Player's hostage before your own hostage is killed.
2. If you are alone, kill 10 Players or Hostages within 10 minutes.
3. If a Hostage dies, their Player dies as well.
4. If a Player dies, their Hostage dies as well.
REWARD:
1000 Coins upon completion.
PENALTY FOR FAILURE:
Immediate Death.
TIME LIMIT: 10 MINUTES
GAME STARTS IN… 3… 2… 1…
---
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
The screams multiplied.
And then—
A desperate man in a hoodie grabbed a baseball bat from a shop display and swung it down on another man's skull.
CRACK.
Blood splattered across the pavement. The victim collapsed, his screen flashing—
---
DING!
──────────────
[PLAYER ELIMINATED]
──────────────
---
Jiang Chen's stomach churned.
It was real.
And the moment that realization sank in—chaos erupted.
"RUN!" Jiang Chen grabbed Yue's wrist and bolted.
They ran.
They ran past collapsing bodies, past screaming people, past monsters in human skin—all trying to live by tearing apart someone else.
Then—
A figure lunged from the alley ahead, a bloodstained knife in hand.
Jiang Chen barely yanked Yue back in time, the blade slicing inches from her throat.
Their attacker was a wild-eyed man, breath ragged, hands trembling.
"Hand over the girl," he rasped. His voice was cracked—desperate.
"I need to kill a hostage," the man whispered. His grip on the knife tightened. "Before someone kills mine."
Jiang Chen shoved Yue ahead of him. "Run!"
They tore through the alley, adrenaline pushing them forward as the man chased after them, knife flashing under the flickering streetlights.
Jiang Chen's lungs burned. His heartbeat thundered. Faster—faster!
Yue stumbled. Jiang Chen caught her, pulling her along.
Behind them, the attacker was gaining.
Up ahead, a collapsed street sign blocked part of the alley. Jiang Chen jumped over it—but Yue hesitated.
No time.
He grabbed her waist and threw her over. "GO!"
She landed hard but scrambled back to her feet.
The man was almost on them. Jiang Chen turned, kicking over a trash bin to slow him down before sprinting after Yue.
Dammit!
[1.40 MINUTES REMAINING]
The street beyond the alley was a battlefield. Bodies littered the ground, blood painting the concrete.
Screams. Crying. Begging.
And then—
He saw her.
Crouched in the corner of a broken storefront, a girl clutched her baby sister to her chest, trembling.
Luo Ling.
Jiang Chen's breath hitched. His friend from university.
Her face was streaked with tears, arms wrapped tightly around the small child. The little girl—no older than four—hid her face in Luo Ling's shoulder, whimpering.
Their eyes met. Luo Ling sobbed.
"Chen! I don't understand! I don't want to die—I don't want my sister to die!"
Jiang Chen felt like his heart was being ripped apart.
DING!
[ TIME REMAINING: 0:30 ]
---
His breath came in short, ragged gasps.
His vision blurred. His mind screamed.
He turned to Yue. His little sister. His only family.
I don't have a choice.
"I'm sorry, Yue."
Her brows furrowed. "Wha—"
His fist slammed into her stomach.
Yue's eyes widened—before she collapsed into his arms, unconscious.
Jiang Chen stepped forward.
Luo Ling shielded her sister, sobbing uncontrollably. "She's a baby! She's a baby, Chen! You're not a monster! Please, I'm begging you!"
[15 SECONDS REMAINING]
The baby looked up at him. Innocent. Clueless. Smiling.
[10 SECONDS REMAINING]
Jiang Chen's hands tightened around her tiny head.
[5 SECONDS REMAINING]
Luo Ling's screams turned inhuman. "NO! CHEN, PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE—"
Jiang Chen snapped the child's neck.
The crack echoed louder than the system's DING.
---
DING!
──────────────
[MISSION COMPLETE]
[1000 Coins Rewarded]
──────────────
Jiang Chen stood frozen, the baby's limp body slipping from his hands.
Luo Ling collapsed, screaming, clawing at her sister's corpse. "WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! CHEN, YOU BASTARD! YOU MONSTER!"
Luo Ling's scream was cut off—
---
DING!
──────────────
[MISSION FAILED]
[PENALTY: DEATH]
──────────────
---
She disintegrated into nothingness.
Jiang chen and yue screen displayed
---
DING!
──────────────
[MISSION COMPLETE]
[YOU AND YOUR HOSTAGE WILL ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND]
[REWARD: 1000 COINS]
──────────────
Jiang Chen collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.
Luo Ling was gone.
Yue lay unconscious beside him.
His mind screamed in agony.
And in that moment—he truly understood.
This wasn't a nightmare.
This was hell.
Jiang Chen looked at his hands.
And for the first time—
He realized he would never be human again.