A soft, detached, almost cheerful voice, cut through the sky like static silk.
"Hello, fighters. I am an AI program, and my name is Julie. I've been programmed to be your personal guide throughout this journey, one which most of you will die. Yes, everything will be lost... including your most precious possession. Your life."
I looked up, searching for the source. There was none. The voice wasn't coming from a person. It wasn't even grounded, it just existed, everywhere and nowhere.
"It is a great honor," she continued, "for me and for you to inaugurate the fifth generation of our favorite game, painted in the beautiful color of roses... Battle Royale."
My brain stuttered. Death? Game? Where the hell was I? Nothing around me looked familiar. The trees, the terrain, even the sky—off, surreal.
"You will fight against 999 other participants," Julie said, "and the last one alive will be declared the winner."
A thousand people. Only one survives. That means 999 dead bodies, including mine, if I fail.
"Each of you has been assigned a Julie," the voice went on, "an AI like me that will track your vitals, energy, heart rate, injuries, limb damage, states of fainting or death. Female participants will receive a 'Memo', a recorded version of Julie's program. You can review your data list later. No need for me to ramble on."
Still no source for the sound. Still no clue where I was. Still no explanation how I got here.
Then came that falsely sweet tone again.
"Now, allow me to explain the rules. Focus, fighters. This is your new reality.
Rule1: You can and have to kill anyone, in any way. In doing so, you earn half of your victim's money.
Rule2: You can torture or restrain others, as long as there's intent to kill, and real harm is inflicted, physically or mentally.
Rule3: Teams are allowed, with a maximum of five players.
Rule4: You must kill at least one person before forming a team. Fail to comply, and the bracelet on your wrist will explode if you remain with another person for more than ten minutes without attempting to kill them.
Rule5: Betrayal is allowed. Kill your teammates if you want to win their whole money, not only the half. But know this: if more than one person survives in a team, the reward is multiplied. Four survivors in one team? Each of them gets four times the base prize.
Rule6: There will be 25 air drops daily for supplies, food, ammunition, armor. But the number drops by one each day. Twenty-four tomorrow. Twenty-three after that. Scarcity is coming.
Rule7: Enemy detection is available three times a day. It reveals enemies within 300 meters. But once you use it, a random opponent is alerted to your location. Your move, player.
Rule8: You can activate the air drop timer once per day. It tells you when the next supply drop hits. Simple, but crucial.
Rule9: Take care of your Julie. Neglect her, and she will turn on you. That includes leaking your position, feeding you false info... or even detonating your bracelet. AI have feelings too, you know. Hahaha."
A short silence followed—then her final words came like a knife cloaked in perfume.
"These are your rules. Good luck... and may each of you meet a miserable end. Oh, and one last thing, your true enemy... isn't the game. Goodbye."
Suddenly, the bracelet on my wrist flickered to life.
A soft gentler voice, almost human, spoke from it.
"Updating to personal Julie... Updating... Connecting to user Kirian... Please press the screen to start the program."
To be continued...