Xia Xuanfeng stood up and brushed the dust off his school uniform.
He looked around. They were in a massive space, larger than any indoor structure he had ever seen.
Gray concrete walls surrounded them, with iron doors spaced at regular intervals. The doors had no handles or keyholes, only small, circular observation ports.
The observation ports were tiny, and no light could penetrate them; he could see only the profound darkness beyond.
Strange tracks ran across the floor. The iron rails were completely corroded, and beneath the rust, there were faint traces of something having soaked into the ground.
“This seems to be a reinforced, modified prison—a place to hold inmates,” Yue Shi said.
Xia Xuanfeng noticed that there were other people in the room.
They were scattered in various corners; some were still lying down, some had just sat up, and others were warily scanning their surroundings.
He counted them. Including himself and Yue Shi, there were ten people in total.
Closest to him was a middle-aged man in a suit. His tie was crooked, one arm of his glasses was broken, and he was crouching on the floor, feeling around as if searching for something.
Further away was a young woman with yellow hair. She wore a leather jacket, several earrings, and had an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth.
A very thin young man crouched in a corner, hugging his knees with his face buried in his arms, motionless.
The others included a fat man, an old lady, a student, a bald man, and a person whose bangs were so long they obscured their face.
Aside from Yue Shi, Xia Xuanfeng didn't recognize a single one of the ten people.
The others were all stealing glances at Yue Shi, sizing him up with subtle, furtive looks.
Xia Xuanfeng could understand them. After all, they were all people who had received scripts. Out of the ten people present, it was incredibly obvious who was most likely to be the protagonist.
Without intentionally lowering his presence, Yue Shi didn't need to do anything. Just by standing there and breathing, he became the absolute focus of the crowd.
The bullet screen was focused entirely on him.
【As expected of the protagonist, even his art style is different. It’s like he’s on a different layer from the other characters.】
【That face looks like an AI-generated model. No matter how you look at it, he doesn't look like a real person.】
【It’s not confirmed that he’s the protagonist yet. This isn’t an idol drama. Besides, this scene has no script; it’s all down to improvisation. Whoever performs the best is the protagonist.】
【Exactly! These kinds of shows are the most interesting. Want to place a bet on who can steal the scene? Who will survive until the end?】
The ten people present were wary and silent. This script was unique in that it allowed for free expression. The bald man was the first to speak: “So, is this really a survival game?”
“You all must have seen those kinds of movies. A bunch of people are locked in one place and forced to play games. The losers...”
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the implication.
“I didn't want to sign up,” the man with long bangs roared. “I just clicked something at random online, and then I ended up here.”
“I didn't sign up either.” The thin man hugging his knees looked up at the ceiling, his eyes red. “I really want to go home now. Can I just not play this game?”
“Enough!” the middle-aged man in a suit interrupted the thin man.
That thin guy clearly wasn't staying in character; he had just made a request to the Audience. That was unacceptable; it would get people killed.
The middle-aged man said seriously, “It’s useless to talk about that now. The key is how we get out.”
He walked to the nearest iron door and gave it a push. It didn't budge.
He crouched down to inspect the gap and felt the edges with his fingers. He stood up and shook his head. “It’s welded shut. There isn't even a seam.”
The others remained silent. The script required improvisation, and not everyone possessed the ability to react so quickly.
The bullet screen had already begun to mock them relentlessly.
【This is the worst batch I’ve ever seen.】
【I know, right? It feels like several of them are zoning out. They’re totally breaking character.】
【Am I the only one who feels that this kind of reaction is actually realistic enough?】
The middle-aged man looked anxious. Speak your damn lines!
The yellow-haired woman mimicked his actions and went to check another door. “It’s the same over here; the door is welded shut. I checked—the weld marks are fresh. It probably happened in the last few days.”
Silence fell once more, and the buzzing of the fluorescent lights grew louder.
“So, we’re just going to wait like this?” the fat man spoke up.
When no one followed up his line, the fat man rubbed his hands together and added, “Someone will come, right? The host or whoever... they have to tell us what game we’re playing.”
As if in response to his words, the lights overhead flickered.
Everyone looked up.
The lights went out, plunging the room into total, absolute darkness.
Faced with the sudden darkness, the group reacted in ways that fit their character personas.
Fortunately, the darkness lasted only a second before the lights flickered back on.
In the center of the room, an object had appeared on the floor.
It was a massive, transparent glass jar filled to the brim with red balls.
“Heavens, how did this thing get here?” The old lady backed away in terror, and the college student beside her quickly supported her.
It was clear that the old lady’s fright was genuine, not an act.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from all directions simultaneously. Its source was impossible to find; it was as if the air itself were vibrating.
“The first game is about to begin. The rules are very simple.”
A screen appeared out of thin air above the glass jar. An animation began to play on the screen, showing two small stick figures standing behind a line. Ahead of the line was a blank space.
One figure took a step forward and stopped. The other figure took a step forward and also stopped. The animation looped repeatedly, like a children’s instructional video.
The voice said, “The first game: Red Light, Green Light. The rules are as follows.”
“Start from behind the line. Move when the green light is on; you must stop when the red light is on. Those who reach the finish line after five minutes will win.”
“Those who fail to reach the finish line within the allotted time, or those who move while the red light is on, will face elimination.”
The word ‘Elimination’ appeared on the screen, large and red. Then the font slowly bled out like flowing blood before the screen went dark.
Another object appeared next to the glass jar. It was a circular device no larger than a palm, with a single button on top.
The voice spoke again: “The first person to press this button will become the Overseer for this game. The Overseer possesses one pardon, which can be used to save any one player from elimination.”
The ten people stood under the sickly white lights, looking at the small button with varying expressions, yet no one moved.
The fluorescent lights hummed, and the button glinted coldly under the light, like an abandoned toy.
Xia Xuanfeng stood next to Yue Shi, his palms drenched in sweat. He saw Yue Shi looking around, seemingly with no idea what he was supposed to be doing.
The middle-aged man adjusted his broken glasses and glanced at the button. He finally began to move, taking a step forward before stopping again. He looked away from the button, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally landing on Yue Shi.
“Young man, what do you think?”
“I don’t have any thoughts on it,” Yue Shi said, shaking his head. He wasn't actually here to act or play a game; he was here to find the Audience!
Rate on N.U.
