Downtown · Block 12 · Apartment Area
*Ding-dong—*
Ao Jia'er pushed open the glass door of the dessert shop downstairs with both hands. She wore red overalls and looked just about as tall as the brown bear plush toy at the shop entrance. A small whistle hung around her chest, swaying gently with her steps.
"Welcome!" Hearing the wind chime on the door, the shop owner turned her head slightly and saw the little girl entering. "Wow, who do we have here? What a little cutie."
"Hello, I'd like to buy a cake." Ao Jia'er stood in front of the counter, looking at the exquisite desserts in the glass display case. "Just a plain birthday cake. Also, could I have a carton of plain milk, please?"
"Is it the little cutie's birthday today?" The owner smiled, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning her slender waist against the counter. She wore a low-cut, body-hugging dress under a brown apron, revealing a glimpse of her cleavage. Her slightly narrowed eyes were alluring and charming, with a beauty mark at the corner of her lips. Her long, wavy black hair cascaded softly down her back, swaying with her movements.
"Yes, I'm seven years old today." Ao Jia'er nodded obediently.
"In that case, I'll have to give you a bit more of a discount." The owner picked up the calculator on the counter, her slender fingers tapping a few numbers. After a moment of calculation, she looked up. "It's been a long time since we've had such an adorable customer. I'll give you twenty percent off. Remember to come visit us more often, okay?"
Ao Jia'er smiled. "Thank you, Big Sister!"
"That's a very pleasing way to address me. I thought you might call me 'Auntie'." The owner smiled warmly.
"I think Big Sister looks very young and pretty. Besides, someone once told me that women never like being called 'Auntie' by children."
"What a good girl." The owner patted her little head. "You can go sit on the sofa over there. I'll give you the cake once it's all packed up."
"Okay!"
Ao Jia'er did as she was told and walked to the other side of the cake shop, sitting down on the beige loveseat. Breathing in the sweet, cloying scent of baked goods in the shop, she felt a genuine sense of happiness.
She tilted her little head, silently pondering a question—*Who was it that told me, 'Women never like being called Auntie by children'?*
Unfortunately, after thinking for a long time, she couldn't find the answer.
It was as if... her memories had been locked and sealed away by someone.
Thirty minutes later—
*Ding-a-ling—*
Accompanied by the sound of the wind chime, Ao Jia'er gently closed the shop door behind her.
The verdant trees lining the street swayed gently in the breeze. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting dappled spots of light on the ground, which also landed on her white cloth shoes. She switched the hand carrying the cake box, her other hand holding the carton of milk. Small as she was, she looked like a little child laborer delivering milk and cake.
Her small cloth shoes stepped over the gray tiles, passing three or four shops. Around the corner was the apartment building where she lived with her sister. Just as she turned the corner, a woman wearing a wide-brimmed, elegant hat passed by her and greeted her.
"Good morning, Ao Jia'er."
"Good morning, Ma'am."
Ao Jia'er answered politely but stopped in her tracks the next moment, watching the woman's retreating figure.
*(Huh? Who is she? Do I know her?)*
She blinked, instinctively feeling that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Shaking her head to dispel the unnecessary thoughts, she was about to open the main door of the apartment building when she noticed someone lying next to the side emergency staircase.
*(Who is that?)*
Ao Jia'er frowned in confusion and took a few steps forward.
As she got closer, she could see clearly.
It was indeed a person—a burly Black man.
He lay in the corner under the iron stairs, leaning against the cold, damp wall. His arms hung limply, his head drooped slightly. He wore a large black gas mask and was completely motionless. He blended silently into the shadows; if one didn't look carefully, it would be hard to discern his presence.
"E-Excuse me, Sir... I'm a resident of this building..." Ao Jia'er approached, tentatively speaking. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
The little girl's soft voice dissolved in the air like cotton candy.
The man didn't react in the slightest, as if he hadn't heard her.
*(Hmm...)*
*(Did he not hear me?)*
Ao Jia'er moved a little closer, puzzled. This time, she clearly saw that his gray t-shirt was soaked in blood. Large patches of blood stained his left shoulder and right abdomen—a shocking sight.
"U-Um..." It was the first time Ao Jia'er had seen blood, and her voice trembled. "Are you injured? Should I call an ambulance?"
At her words, the Black man finally raised his head slightly and glared at her.
What kind of look was that? It was like a sharp blade slicing through the air, bone-chilling. Even more terrifying, his gas mask was larger than an average one, wrapping from his cheekbones down to his jaw and around to the back of his ears, secured with black straps. It covered two-thirds of his face, making it look as if he had lost his entire lower jaw and his upper jaw was severely damaged, thus requiring this mask as the lower half of his face.
Ao Jia'er was so frightened that she stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Get lost!" A low syllable squeezed from the depths of his throat. The man glared viciously at Ao Jia'er. "Or I'll kill you!"
Pale-faced, Ao Jia'er scrambled backward. Biting her lower lip, she picked up the cake and stumbled away.
The man watched Ao Jia'er's small retreating figure and withdrew his cold gaze indifferently.
But he did not miss the carton of milk she had deliberately left behind, sitting quietly a few steps away.
Downtown · Central Hospital
At the same moment, inside Central Hospital, the long corridor saturated with the smell of disinfectant was bustling with patients coming and going, nurses assisting the infirm, and doctors holding medical records. Conversations rose and fell, making even the daytime hospital noisy.
*Tap, tap, tap...*
Shoes stepped across the cold floor. A nurse with a graceful figure pushed a medical cart down the hallway outside the wards. The white fabric of her nurse's uniform wrapped around her curvaceous body. The slightly pulled-down collar faintly revealed the fair skin of her chest. Her dark brown curly hair was swept to one side, braided into a side braid resting on her right shoulder. She wore a mask, but her pair of emerald green eyes could not conceal the aura she exuded from within.
She was a natural beauty. Her long, slender legs had not an ounce of excess fat. Stockings hugged the taut lines of her legs. The hip-length skirt, which might look dull on others, instead accentuated her fiery figure with a hint of tantalizing allure.
Her fair arms pushed the cart laden with medical supplies. As she passed doctors and patients who looked her way, she stopped in front of Ward 12 at the end of the corridor. She was about to speak when she heard voices from inside the room.
"Hello, Sir. My name is Colin. I'm a police officer in charge of investigating your case. Can you tell me why you were found hanging upside down in the warehouse of the shopping mall this morning? According to witnesses, you were covered in blood, as if you'd been through a bloody battle..."
The first to speak sounded like a young man. It was a somewhat inexperienced voice; a long string of chattering questions betrayed his inner nervousness.
"...Bloody battle? Hmph. That term is fitting."
The one who answered had a low, magnetic voice, unhurried and calm.
"But upon examination, you weren't injured. Obviously, the blood wasn't yours."
"Hah, of course it wasn't. In this place, only the weak get killed."
"K-Killed?!"
"So, a murder did occur last night? Can you elaborate on the specifics?"
"...Sorry. I never remember matters concerning the dead."
The low voice carried a hint of disdain. Then, he changed the subject—
"Lady outside the door, won't you come in and sit down? Eavesdropping isn't ladylike behavior."
*(I've been found out.)*
The corner of the nurse's lips beneath her mask curved into a slight smile. She knocked on the door and pushed it open.
"Good morning, Sir."
Her voice was steady with a touch of clarity. Looking up slightly, she took in the two people conversing in the room—just as she'd imagined: an adult male and a teenager, or rather, a police officer and a patient.
The officer looked very young, only about fifteen or sixteen. He wore a police uniform slightly too large for him and stood somewhat awkwardly by the bed, clutching a folder in his left hand. His right hand nervously adjusted the thick glasses on the bridge of his nose. His dark hat was too big for him, covering half his head and sitting askew, looking a bit comical.
Leaning against the bed was a Caucasian man with thick blond hair. Soft bangs fell over his forehead, and beneath them were a pair of golden eyes, deep like the North Star on the horizon. His profile was sharply defined. His slightly pursed lips gave him the appearance of a centuries-old vampire count from ancient texts, perpetually aloof. Even dressed in a hospital gown now, the sharp glint in his eyes was hard to conceal.
"I didn't expect police officers to be so young these days..." The nurse remarked, looking at the young officer.
Hearing this, the young officer flushed slightly and coughed to cover his embarrassment.
"I just look young. I'm actually a fully-fledged officer."
"Oh? Is it really reasonable for someone who looks fifteen or sixteen to be an officer?" The nurse asked casually, glancing at him.
"Uh..." The question stumped the young officer.
"Th-That..." He paused, clearly never having considered the issue. He wanted to use his training experience at the police academy to prove his capability, but suddenly found he couldn't recall ever having such an experience.
His mind going suddenly blank left him frozen in place.
Seeing this, the blond man smiled faintly and looked at the nurse.
"The nurse's uniform looks good on you."
"...Thanks."
"Here to change the IV?"
"Or else?" She answered nonchalantly, shaking the IV bottle in her hand.
"Oh. Then my life is in danger."
Although the blond man said this, his expression and tone betrayed no tension whatsoever.
"Don't worry, my skills are excellent." The nurse casually picked up a medicine bottle from the cart. She walked to the bedside, looked up at the dripping IV line, and pulled out the needle connected to the current bottle. She accurately inserted the needle into the new bottle in her hand and hung the replacement bottle back up.
"Um, I think you..." The young officer stammered, wanting to say something, but the walkie-talkie in the nurse's pocket interrupted him.
"Jennifer King, Dr. Tom requests your presence. Please report on the condition of Ward 12."
"...Received." The nurse frowned slightly and impatiently clicked off the walkie-talkie.
She pocketed the device and turned to leave the ward.
*Click.* The door closed again.
The room fell back into silence.
"...Frankly, I don't think she's a real nurse." The young officer was silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"Oh?" The blond man raised an eyebrow.
"Her method for changing the IV was completely wrong. Different medications enter the body at different rates, but she didn't readjust the drip speed. She didn't even check the medication name or verify the patient's information before changing it. Also, the medical supplies on her cart were incomplete. The injection tray lacked sterile syringes, 6.2-7 gauge needles or scalp needles, and a tourniquet... These are not mistakes a real nurse would make."
As the young officer rambled on, the blond man lifted the IV needle in his hand and tossed it onto the bedside table—apparently, he had pulled the needle out of his hand at some unknown point.
The young officer was startled.
"You..."
"Four-eyes, you're quite clever. Those comical thick glasses seem to add points to your IQ. What did you say your name was?"
"I'm not 'Four-eyes,' I'm a police officer now." The young officer frowned in displeasure. "My name is Colin."
"Alright. Four-eyes... I mean, Colin. Since you're a smart one, I'll keep this brief."
The blond man's low voice sounded somewhat magnetic within the hospital room.
"Listen carefully. This world is not real. Your current identity as a police officer, my current identity as a patient—it's all fake. Our physical bodies are not here. Everyone's consciousness has been extracted into a computer system called the **River Styx System**. We are prisoners. The only way to leave this system is to compete for the single survivor slot awarded in each round of the game. Understood?"
The sudden influx of information stunned the young officer. "Wh-What do you mean?"
The young officer looked at him as if he were looking at a madman.
The blond man glanced at him sideways with a hint of contempt.
It seemed "keeping it brief" couldn't be *too* brief.
"Four-eyes, let me ask you: do you remember who you are?"
"My name is Colin."
"Your surname."
"I..." The young officer was at a loss for words.
"Do you remember how you got here?"
"The Chief sent me. He assigned me and my colleague to investigate you and that other little girl separately..."
"Hmph. Interesting. What does your colleague look like?"
"Uh... a person with a bandaged face." Colin frowned, trying to recall, but only a blurry outline surfaced in his mind.
"And do you know why his face is bandaged?"
"That..."
"Aren't you his colleague? Don't you even remember something like that? Or is it... that before this morning, you had never seen him, never known him? Even now, you have no idea who he is."
The blond man's words landed like a depth charge in the young officer's mind.
It was clear.
He was guiding him—leading him to gradually question this world and his own existence.
And now, Colin realized with horror that his memory seemed to have a distinct cutoff point. Regarding anything before this morning, he knew absolutely nothing! Nothing about himself, nothing about this city, nothing about anyone passing by!
"Wh-Who am I..."
"Your name is Colin."
"But didn't you just say that's not my real identity?" The young officer looked at him, confused by the contradiction.
"I mean, 'Colin' is just your **Codename**." The blond man added expressionlessly. His voice was level, his eyes calm like a lake in late autumn, devoid of ripples. "The **River Styx System** distinguishes each player by assigning every game participant a unique Codename for identification purposes. For example, my Codename is **Icarus**. Aside from that, the names randomly generated by the system at the start of each game—whether William, Tom, Jack, whatever—are all fake. Only the Codename follows you persistently, like a specific code unique to you, existing within this game."
Colin furrowed his brow, deeply contemplating Icarus's words.
"...Then how can you be sure that 'Colin' is a Codename and not a fake name?"
"Simple—you don't remember your surname. If 'Colin' were merely a fake name, it would come with a full name. Just like... **Jennifer King**."
"Eh?! You mean that nurse named Jennifer just now, she's like us too?"
"Correct." Icarus nodded, his voice utterly calm. "That lady's Codename is **Duchess**. Although I'm also curious about her real name. If you plan to court her, get in line behind me."
Colin blushed awkwardly at this.
"That's not what I meant!"
"Then why were your eyes glued to her from the moment she entered until she left? You stared at her chest for 10 seconds, stared at her..."
"Enough, enough! Fine, I surrender," Colin begged for mercy.
This blond man before him, seemingly indifferent to everything, possessed the observational skills of a leopard.
Colin sighed.
"Uh... where were we?"
"You don't need to be shy. At your age, testosterone production increases. Under hormonal influence, increased focus on the opposite sex is inevitable."
"...Big Bro, can we change the subject??"
The man codenamed Icarus raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and continued explaining the game rules.
"Each round of the game has 12 players, comprised of 6 veteran players and 6 new players. The 6 veterans are the top 6 players from the Blood List ranking of the previous round. The new players are newcomers filtered by the system. The specific filtering method is nothing more than a bunch of nameless individuals fighting over a Codename. Now that you stand here, you have obviously already obtained your own exclusive Codename."
"Each round opens twelve Codenames. If you die, your Codename will be destroyed by the system. The **River Styx System** calculates each player's final score based on their kill count, number of victories, and other factors, then ranks them on the Blood List. Like ranking scores from high to low back in your school days. The player ranked first qualifies to leave the **River Styx System** as the sole survivor. After excluding the first place, the next top 6 players proceed to the next round of the game. Finally, the remaining 5 unlucky ones are eliminated and remain here forever."
The more Colin listened, the paler his face became.
"Each game round typically consists of thirteen sub-games. Aside from the first game, which is exclusive to newcomers called the **Codename Scramble**, and the second game, the **Upper Rank Hunt** related to Blood List rankings, the setting, character setup, and rules for every other game vary. However, the one constant is the **Three Edicts of the River Styx**."
"The **Three Edicts of the River Styx**?"
"The **Three Edicts of the River Styx** are used by the system to mark the game's progression. Specifically, the Three Edicts are three alarm sounds similar to air-raid sirens." Icarus's sharp golden eyes stared out the window. "When the **First Edict** sounds, the city's firefighting, police, medical, and security systems will completely collapse. The prison system will unlock, and all criminals will flood the streets. Simply put, it enters a state of criminal impunity. At this time, you can commit crimes freely; no one can sanction you. When the **Second Edict** sounds, players may begin slaughtering other players. This is when the true game begins. When the **Third Edict** echoes across the sky, unidentified creatures will appear in the game to hunt the players."
"Unidentified creatures?"
"...Four-eyes, have you heard of monsters that only exist in fiction, like zombies, ghouls, wendigos, or skinwalkers?"
Colin shuddered upon hearing these terms. "You mean..."
"In the **River Styx System**, these things are real. After the Third Edict appears, these bloodthirsty monsters will emerge. Their existence serves two purposes: to increase the game's difficulty and to ensure that we, the irredeemably sinful, suffer punishment, despair, and agony before dying." Icarus murmured, his gaze fixed on the sky outside. "That's right. This system is a purgatory tailor-made to punish severe offenders."
Just as Icarus finished speaking, a piercing alarm sounded outside the window, tearing across the city's sky.
**[Warning, Warning, Warning: The First Edict has sounded.]**
**[Warning: Entering State of Criminal Impunity!]**
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