Inside a secure surveillance laboratory within Sector A of the city's research institute, a ring-shaped control room buzzed with quiet activity.
The space was divided into seven distinct monitoring zones, each assigned to a different test subject. Over thirty monitors per zone tracked every angle and movement, ensuring complete visual coverage. Each team consisted of a test lead, an observer, an analyst, a recorder, and two technicians. Every hour, the results from each zone had to be compiled and submitted by the lead to a supervisor for review.
"Pro—031, Yu Jing. Has used Protocol D to successfully exit the sealed room and proceed to the main area," an operator reported, pointing to the screen where Yu Jing, clutching a brass lamp base, smashed through the bathroom wall. After a brief hesitation, he squeezed into the tunnel beyond—becoming the first of the seven candidates to escape.
"Pro—030, Yu Xiaoxiao. Has used Protocol A and successfully entered the main space," came another report.
On a separate monitor, the girl Yu Jing had been worried about—Yu Xiaoxiao—was seen in an identical decaying room. Using a filament from a lamp and some deft lock-picking skills, she unlocked the chains securing the door. But beyond the door was no apartment hallway—it opened onto a wide, damp corridor, far more spacious than the narrow crawlspace Yu Jing had entered. At least one could walk upright in this one.
With this, the evaluators were fairly certain: the test location must be deep underground, or in a remote, enclosed mountainous region.
"The way these two young subjects processed the situation and calmed down is impressive," said the lead supervisor. "Especially that boy, Yu Jing. For someone untrained, to analyze the scenario and act so rationally is rare. I'm giving him full marks for his preliminary performance. If he scores over 80 in the next phase, I'll recommend him to the upper echelon."
More updates followed:
"Pro—033, Wang Yu. Used Protocol B to escape and enter the main area."
On screen, the bespectacled office worker had found a diary hidden in the bed frame. Using clues within, he located a hidden switch inside the wardrobe and triggered the secret mechanism—becoming the third to escape.
Next, the elegant woman in the white turtleneck—Jiang Tian, who'd had a brief interaction with Yu Jing—used the same method as he did. She shattered the bathroom wall and crawled through the hidden tunnel, entering the main space fourth.
The fifth to escape was the suspicious middle-aged woman who had distrusted everyone. She carefully studied the wallpaper in all three rooms, uncovering a pattern of hidden numbers. Entering them on the room's landline triggered a staircase to descend from the floor.
That left only two: the overweight man and the wiry old man in his sixties.
The old man possessed remarkable strength. After ripping off all the wooden boards from the windows, he used brute force—employing any hard object he could find—to chisel through the cement wall outside the window, eventually punching a large hole through it. He escaped just under the wire, fifty-eight minutes after the test began.
As for the final candidate—the bloated man who had gorged himself at the dinner table—he was immobilized, his stomach still struggling to digest the food. He slumped on the couch, unable to move.
An hour passed, and he hadn't made a single attempt to escape.
Then—bang, bang!
Suddenly, a loud, repeated thudding rang out from the door bound in over a dozen rusted chains. The man jolted upright in terror, assuming someone had come to rescue him.
Boom!
The next strike was far more forceful. A small hole was punched through the door—followed by a black swarm of insects pouring into the room.
"H-Help… help me!!"
The man struggled to rise, taking nearly ten seconds just to get off the couch. But the insects were already upon him—crawling over his feet, their sharp mandibles tearing through flesh and drawing blood.
Boom!
One final crash blew the door completely apart.
The sea of black bugs surged forward, swallowing him whole.
…
Elsewhere—far from the chaos—Yu Jing emerged from the damp tunnel, panting and covered in grime. The passage had been nearly 100 meters long. The walls had the look of natural rock, slick with moisture, confirming his suspicion: the room he'd escaped from had been buried deep underground.
"I hope this marks the end of the test," he muttered. "This place is messing with my body."
The musty scent of rotting wood filled the air. As his foot touched the floor of the new chamber, a bright overhead light flicked on. Having crawled in darkness for so long, Yu Jing squinted against the sudden glare, his pupils shrinking.
Through blurred vision, he saw a figure ahead.
"Yu Xiaoxiao?"
As his eyes adjusted, he saw her clearly—standing there, motionless.
But she didn't reply. In fact, she avoided eye contact entirely. Silently, she turned and walked to a corner of the decaying, seven-sided wooden cabin, as if she wanted to be alone.
"…Alright then."
Yu Jing didn't push the interaction, though he couldn't help but notice something odd.
The lights had turned on only when he entered. But if Yu Xiaoxiao was here first, why hadn't they lit up when she arrived?
Five minutes passed.
Then a hidden panel in one wall slid open, and the office worker—Wang Yu—stepped out, straightening his tie.
Shortly after, Jiang Tian emerged from the tunnel, pulling herself into the wooden cabin. The middle-aged woman and the wiry old man in his sixties followed soon after, arriving one by one.
Then, a voice echoed through the space—clear, cold, and amplified through a hidden speaker:
"Six test subjects. First, congratulations on passing the initial trial. If any of you had failed to escape that simple locked room, continuing this test would have been a complete waste of time. Fortunately, your performances during the warm-up phase were commendable. Now, the true trial begins."
"You will have ten minutes to prepare after the rules are explained."
The synthetic voice—perhaps live, perhaps automated—brought a flicker of relief to everyone in the room. At the very least, they were no longer gripped by the fear of being abandoned in some unknown, ungoverned place. Someone was watching. Someone was orchestrating this.
"The test has now officially begun. From this point forward, there is no option to quit. You must complete what lies ahead."
"Throughout this stage, you will continue to act alone. Based on the special item you choose, you will each be assigned to a corresponding test zone. However, these zones will include designated 'interaction areas'—should two test subjects encounter one another there, they may choose to cooperate and complete the challenge together."
"Each test environment contains a 'threat entity.' Your goal is to neutralize this danger using any available environmental resources, physical capabilities, and problem-solving skills. Successfully eliminating the entity qualifies you to proceed."
"However—note this carefully: the only one credited with the kill will be the test subject who delivers the final, fatal blow to the threat. Aiding in the battle does not count toward your qualification."
"As for the final reward, only the highest-scoring test subject will receive it. Now, please proceed in the order you arrived and choose your special item. You may each select only one."
As the announcement ended, a subtle rumble passed through the room. From the center of the decrepit wooden cabin, a flat, five-square-meter platform rose up from the floor.
Atop it, seven items were laid out—each within its own partitioned space.
Seven eerie, unsettling objects... waiting to be chosen.