Screams echoed through the air, followed by the gut-wrenching sound of flesh being torn apart. The horrifying noises jolted the couple NPCs awake. As they scrambled out of their room to investigate the chaos, they met the same gruesome fate. Blood splattered the hallway, and their screams faded into silence.
When everything went quiet, a trembling figure remained.
The little red-haired man crouched on the floor, his body shaking uncontrollably. He clutched a wooden stick tightly, something he must have picked up in a panic.
"If you go out now, you'll die for sure..."
He kept muttering, his mind teetering dangerously close to collapse.
Creeeak—
The door swung open.
Lucas stepped into the hallway.
The red-haired man, consumed by fear, didn't even notice Lucas's presence. He was lost in his own terrified world.
Lucas glanced around and immediately noticed the two twisted corpses lying in the hallway.
[Dead bodies of creatures in restricted areas: No danger]
[Dead bodies of creatures in restricted areas: No danger]
Lucas squinted at the bodies and muttered, "Did these two NPCs turn into forbidden creatures after leaving the building at night...?"
Stepping carefully over the corpses, Lucas reached the door of another room—the one housing five other players.
"There are five of them. The safest strategy... is to let them kill each other," he whispered, narrowing his eyes.
At that moment, the [mutated radiation factor] inside Lucas's body showed eight remaining units.
He pulled out two water bottles he'd previously handed out and dropped two radiation capsules into each one. The mixture dissolved slowly.
Watching it closely, Lucas exhaled a relieved sigh.
"I got my experimental results too. So there really is a 100% mutation rate once someone becomes a forbidden creature and consumes these capsules."
He peered into the blood-drenched room.
[Danger assessment based on the host's current strength has been generated...]
[Dead bodies of creatures in restricted areas: No danger]
That last message from the system replayed in his mind.
Lucas grinned faintly. "Now I just need to deal with my updated target."
He opened his player panel.
Sure enough, the mission details had been updated:
[Main Mission: Survive for seven days]
[Death Mission: Eliminate your target player]
[Target Player: No. 2 (Status: Dead)]
[Updated Target Player: No. 50]
[Task Rules: Eliminate or be eliminated. Killing the wrong target also leads to elimination.]
Lucas muttered under his breath, "A new target again... This won't end easily, will it? Will only one player survive in the end, or will everyone die...?"
Online, the chat on his livestream buzzed with excitement:
: Not only did he eliminate his target, but he also took out No. 48, who was tracking him!
: 66666!
: I didn't expect this tactic at all!
The Cream of the Crop: "If he kills all of them, he'll know the final count. Maybe there'll be a surprise at the end. That's totally Lucas's style!"
: No kidding. His livestreams are legendary. Are you all taking notes?
: As if we could imitate this guy's tactics!
: Wait... After one target, another appears. When does this end?
: This is just a death trap...
: A brutal, never-ending death match!
: Damn, it's sickeningly clever!!!
[902,681 viewers are currently watching Supernova player Lucas's livestream. 823,219 have sent gifts, earning 823,219 points.]
[Player Lucas is currently ranked #1 in popularity for this event.]
As the sky began to lighten, the red-haired man finally dared to step out of his room.
When his eyes fell on the bloody corpses of his companions, any thoughts of betrayal from the night before vanished instantly.
His knees gave way, and he slumped to the floor, mumbling like a lunatic:
"Everything can still be changed... Everything can still be changed..."
Then, with a sudden, frantic look in his eyes, he turned to Lucas.
"Let's go! There's still time—we can still bring them back!"
Without waiting for a response, he took off running.
Lucas raised an eyebrow and followed.
"So there's a hidden plotline inside this restricted zone? Interesting..."
They got into the vehicle, and Lucas drove while the red-haired man navigated using a crumpled, stained map.
The restricted zone revealed itself to be an enormous, abandoned suburban area—
Amusement parks, residential towers, supermarkets, factories—
Once a thriving community, it now stood eerily silent, long forsaken after a cataclysmic explosion.
"Turn left up ahead!" the red-haired man shouted, his excitement intensifying.
Lucas swerved left, and they entered an area with fewer and fewer buildings until they disappeared completely.
"Stop! Right here!" the red-haired man exclaimed, barely letting the car stop before jumping out.
He studied the map once more.
"This is it! It's exactly where the map says it should be!"
Lucas stepped out and looked around.
Not far ahead stood a rundown factory, rusted and cracked.
But at their current location—there was nothing but overgrown brush and woodland.
The red-haired man dashed into the nearby trees, ignoring Lucas's warning glances.
Oddly enough, all the trees here seemed normal—too normal.
After a short run, he skidded to a stop, panting.
"Found it!"
Lucas walked over and saw what the red-haired man was staring at—a large iron plate embedded in the dirt.
Its weathered surface stood out like a sore thumb.
The red-haired man bent down, brushing away layers of dirt and weeds. Beneath the grime, an iron pull ring emerged.
"Jason! Help me lift it!"
Together, they heaved the plate open with a loud, metallic screech.
Below it was a dark, gaping void.
The red-haired man retrieved a flashlight from his backpack and clicked it on.
"The map calls this place an underground laboratory," he said, already climbing onto the rusted escalator embedded in the shaft's wall.
"We're getting close to the truth now."
Clenching the flashlight between his teeth, he slowly descended.
[Risk assessment based on host's strength...]
[Underground Laboratory: Approaching Intermediate Danger Level]
Still within a manageable range.
Lucas followed, entering the deep pit.
The shaft was long and narrow. After what felt like an eternity of climbing, he finally heard the red-haired man call from below:
"I'm down!"
Lucas landed beside him.
But the look of excitement on the red-haired man's face quickly vanished.
"Why... are the lights already on?"
A low hum filled the air. Lights buzzed quietly overhead.
And something—something just out of view—moved in the shadows.
---
[To Be Continued...]
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