Ji Yuan opened his eyes to darkness all around. The mattress beneath him was as hard as an iron plate, reeking of the faint odor of a thin cloth draped over a warehouse steel rack—chill seeped upward from below, piercing his bones.
A faint hum of ventilation hung in the air, but there were no sounds of breathing, no human voices.
He was not the first to wake, yet he seemed to be the only one who had calmed down. He heard person after person rouse within this confined space.
Every room was identical:The walls were an antiseptic white—a sterile blend of a hospital ward and an interrogation room. But the metal door bore no labels whatsoever.
Then the door slid open automatically, and a broadcast voice, as precise and sharp as a pair of scissors, drifted down from the end of the corridor. It carried no emotion, brooking no questions:[All subjects, proceed to the common area. Free activity period has commenced.] It was a pre-recorded synthesized voice, each syllable more regimented than any human tone could be.
In the very first second he opened his eyes, Ji Yuan knew he was not in a hospital. He sat up, and a cold metallic chill spread along his spine—it was nothing like the feel of a hospital bed. No heart rate monitors, no IV drips, only a sliver of dim light filtering through the door crack. He quickly realized: this place was nowhere he recognized.
He tried to grasp a name, only to find his mind was like a dust-smudged mirror, reflecting nothing clearly. He was not even sure if he was dreaming.
Stepping outside, he saw a spacious hall at the end of the corridor, where quite a few people had already gathered. A dozen or so individuals, each wearing a different expression:Some still clung to drowsiness and panic; others stood with arms folded, watching coldly. A few were trying to pound on the surveillance cameras or groping along the air vents. The broadcast blared again, cold and emotionless: [Current zone: Secure Containment Zone. Total personnel: 26.]
After a brief, stunned silence, a roar shattered the quiet:"Where the hell is this?! What do you want with me?!!" Before he could finish speaking, a low buzzing sound erupted above his head.
In the next instant, a red beam sliced through the air—a laser shot streaked downward, and he crumpled to the ground.
Not a split second to react.
The stench of charred flesh filled the air. It was nothing like the aroma of grilled meat; it was the acrid reek of raw flesh pressed directly against a live wire.
His body even froze in the posture of roaring with his mouth wide open. No one had expected the thing would actually fire.
Seconds later, screams rang out, and people scrambled backward in a hurry.
"Holy sh*t, what the hell is this?!""What the f*ck do you people want?!"
For the first time, the crowd realized:The "rules" here weren't meant to persuade—they were meant to be enforced.
Chaos crept in. Some whispered to each other; others tried quietly to slip away from the edges of the group. Ji Yuan didn't move, only silently scanned the entire hall. He sorted the people into three categories: the panicked, the evasive, and the observers.
And he was the third type.
...He wasn't the only one, either.
He noticed a figure in the corner who hadn't budged an inch, as if watching a show. Their face was impassive, like they'd seen this exact scene countless times before.
In an instant, Ji Yuan thought: this person wasn't adapting to the new situation—they were waiting for something. As he locked onto this detail, he spotted a young girl standing in another direction, as if she'd never joined any of the discussions. She seemed utterly detached from the chaos, like a clear signal filtered free of static, jarringly distinct amid the white noise. The light carved sharp edges around her silhouette, as if she were a mask pressed from a precisely calculated mold—pristine on the surface, yet deeply unsettling to the eye.
But there were scuff marks on the soles of her shoes, and faint creases at her cuffs.
She didn't look at anyone, only studied the surveillance cameras and drain holes. Her name was Lu Zhibai.
She was like a mathematical formula—coldly elegant, yet no one knew how to solve her. Because she had no intention of letting you try.
Ji Yuan didn't glance her way, but he simulated the logic of her movements in his mind.
Someone in the crowd spoke up:"...I'm f*ck*ng terrified. We have to say something, right? Until we figure out who's good and who's crazy, who dares to sleep?""Yeah, let's share our situations... maybe we can piece together the truth."
Just as Ji Yuan was about to speak, a clear, cool female voice cut in:"You want others to talk? You should start by telling us who you are first."
Everyone turned toward the sound. It came from the quiet girl—Lu Zhibai. She stood straight, but her tone was soft, as if stating an obvious fact.
No one argued.
Because she was right.
Soon, someone took the lead and gave their name, and others followed suit one after another.
[System prompt tone activated. Countdown to spatial allocation: 47 minutes remaining.]
Some mumbled their names indistinctly; others made up fake backgrounds. When it was Lu Zhibai's turn, she only said her name—nothing more.
Ji Yuan didn't look at her, but he made a mental note. She was like a knife, sheathed and harmless most of the time—but the moment you drew it, it struck straight for the jugular.
On the other side of the hall, an argument suddenly erupted."Who the hell do you think you are, trying to claim this room?!""The five of us got here first! You latecomers can't cut in line!""Get lost! I said this room is mine!"
Shoving, insults, chaos escalated. In the next second, the door to the room at the center of the dispute slammed shut with a click—and locked.
The broadcast blared again:[Fighting detected. Internal containment protocol activated.][Toxin spray mode engaged.]
From behind the door came sounds of pounding, retching, and terrified screaming.
Yet a girl covered her ears and squatted down; others stared at the door, as if counting the seconds. No one tried to save them—not a single person. Inside, the people screamed:"Let me out! I want to live! Please let me out!"
The air felt scorched, reeking of rust and the corrosive hiss of toxic gas.
Five minutes later, the door slid open again.
Inside, one person collapsed to the floor; another fell silent, their eyes glazed over. The hall went dead quiet.
The system announced once more:[Order threshold breached. Execution sequence updated.][Free activity period terminated.]
BOOM
Two heavy metal doors on the side of the hall rumbled open slowly. Beyond them lay a dim corridor, its end lost in shadow.
[Complete spatial allocation within thirty minutes.][Those who fail to be allocated will be deemed in violation of order by the system.][Termination will be enforced.]
It was like a death sentence. The crowd finally erupted into pandemonium."Why?! That was their problem!"
Some shouted about forming an alliance; others cried as they charged toward the doors; still more hugged their heads and squatted, frozen in panic. Amid the frenzy, Ji Yuan quietly glanced at the two doors.
Left and right.
At that moment, a familiar figure stepped out of the crowd. She said nothing, didn't look back. It was Lu Zhibai.
She walked straight toward the left door. Before stepping inside, her gaze lingered on the base of the doorframe for three seconds, and she gently tested the floor's slope with her heel.
"No draft coming through the left door's floor cracks—it's a sealed convection zone. Means it leads to an enclosed area." No hesitation, no questions asked.
She simply walked through the crowd and stepped into the dim corridor beyond the door.
Her figure merged into the shadows. The door didn't close, as if waiting for the next person with the courage to judge.
"Is she crazy?" someone whispered."What does she know?" another asked.
No one dared to follow. Ji Yuan stood not far from the doors, his gaze unwavering.
He memorized her stride length, movement path, and the angle at which she'd stood. She hadn't walked in blindly—she'd made a calculated choice before entering.
The system's calm reminder echoed:[Countdown: 29:43]
The atmosphere grew heavier by the second. The crowd stared at the two doors:The left door already had a pioneer;The right door remained untouched.
Shen Zheng leaned against the wall, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint smirk. His fingers tapped lightly against the wall, as if counting down the seconds.
"Scared now? Tsk... this is just the beginning."
Ji Yuan looked up at him—this was a different kind of dangerous stillness. In the air, trust was all but gone.
He glanced toward the direction Lu Zhibai had taken, and murmured softly: "It seems she saw something..."
[End of Chapter 1]