The hallway felt louder now.
Not normal loud.
Different.
Lin Xia noticed it first.
"…Listen."
Mei Chen tilted her head.
At first, it sounded like nothing—
Just voices.
Footsteps.
Lockers closing.
But underneath it…
There was something else.
A rhythm.
A pulse.
Voices gathering.
Yue Ning pointed ahead.
"…There."
At the end of the corridor, a crowd had formed.
Not chaotic.
Not messy.
Organized.
Like this wasn't new.
Students stood in a loose circle.
Some leaning against walls.
Some sitting on desks dragged into the hallway.
Some holding phones—
But the screens weren't recording.
They were displaying something else.
Numbers.
Stats.
Mei Chen frowned.
"…What are they doing?"
No one answered.
But as they got closer—
They heard it.
"Ten points on him."
"No way, he's losing."
"Look at his hands—he's nervous."
Yue Ning froze.
"…Are they… betting?"
Lin Xia's eyes sharpened.
"…Yes."
The crowd shifted slightly.
Making space.
Like it knew they were coming.
In the center—
Two boys stood facing each other.
Between them floated a screen.
Clear.
Bright.
Unavoidable.
MATCH INITIATED
One of the boys looked terrified.
Sweat ran down his face.
"…I changed my mind," he said quickly. "I don't want to play."
The other didn't react.
He just smiled.
"You already accepted."
Another screen appeared.
PUNISHMENT SELECTION
The air changed.
The noise lowered.
Not silence—
But anticipation.
The smiling boy spoke calmly.
"If you lose…"
He paused.
Like he was thinking carefully.
Enjoying it.
"…you lose your left eye."
Everything stopped.
Yue Ning felt her chest tighten.
"…What?"
The terrified boy stepped back.
"No—no, that's not what we agreed—"
The system responded instantly.
PUNISHMENT REGISTERED
The crowd reacted.
Not with shock.
With excitement.
"Damn—an eye?"
"He's crazy…"
"Raise it to twenty points."
Mei Chen's voice dropped.
"…They're enjoying this."
Lin Xia didn't look away.
"…Watch."
The screen shifted.
GAME: XIANGQI (CHINESE CHESS)
A table appeared between the two players.
Real.
Solid.
The board placed itself down.
Pieces arranged perfectly.
No tricks.
No illusions.
Just a normal game.
But the tension—
Was anything but normal.
The terrified boy sat down slowly.
His hands shook as he picked up a piece.
Across from him—
The other boy was completely calm.
The crowd leaned in.
"Start already."
"Time's running."
"Don't mess up."
A timer appeared above them.
10:00
The game began.
Each move echoed slightly louder than it should.
Click.
Clack.
Click.
Yue Ning couldn't look away.
"…It's just chess…"
Lin Xia's voice was quiet.
"…No."
"…It's not."
The terrified boy made a mistake.
A small one.
But visible.
The crowd reacted instantly.
"Idiot."
"He's done."
"That's check pressure already."
His breathing became uneven.
He rushed his next move.
Wrong again.
The other boy smiled slightly.
And moved his piece.
"Check."
Silence.
The timer ticked down.
The terrified boy froze.
He looked at the board.
At the pieces.
At his hands.
"…No…"
He moved.
Desperately.
Wrong move.
The other player didn't hesitate.
Final move.
"Checkmate."
The screen flashed violently.
RESULT: LOSS CONFIRMED
Everything went still.
For one second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The boy screamed.
Not loud at first.
Then louder.
His hands flew to his face.
Blood.
Yue Ning gasped, stumbling back.
"…NO—"
The system didn't rush.
It didn't blur it.
It didn't hide it.
It executed the punishment slowly.
Precisely.
The boy collapsed to the floor.
Crying.
Screaming.
Clutching his face.
The crowd watched.
Some turned away.
But most didn't.
Some even laughed nervously.
"Should've played better."
"Too slow."
"Waste of a bet."
The winner stood up calmly.
Like nothing happened.
The screen disappeared.
The board vanished.
The hallway returned.
Normal again.
But the blood stayed.