"We're not here to fight."The man leading Tianyi Warehouse spoke bitterly, continuing:"I only beg you to take us down the mountain. I'm Lin Ying of Tianyi Warehouse's Lin family—the Lin family you know. I promise a satisfactory ransom!"
Jiang YunHan took over from Liu Chang'an, pointing at the flash:"Aren't you here for that? Go take a look."
Lin Ying shook his head like a rattle-drum, waving his hands repeatedly."I told you to go, so go. Stop dawdling."Chen Xiao kicked each of them toward the flash.
The three hesitated at first, then gritted their teeth and pressed their hands on it.The next instant, the world dissolved into pure, searing whiteness. All color and form were annihilated, replaced by an absolute interplay of blinding light and stark shadow. It was a terrifying, devouring whiteness that swallowed the bloody night whole, tearing through the darkness not like dawn, but like an erasure.
It invaded every eye, every sense!Chen Xiao clamped his eyes shut tightly, but the white light seeped through his palms like liquid.White!Utter white!
He didn't know how long had passed when Chen Xiao slowly opened his eyes,shocked by the scene before him!He was in a strange room,a box of palm-colored wood, so cold and unyielding it felt less like a constructed space and more like a trap that had leeched all warmth and comfort from the very air.Overhead, a long, thin incandescent bulb hung from a cord, blindingly bright.An air of detachment and coldness permeated every corner.Two rows of seats jutted from the walls, like icy sculptures.Beneath them, vents emitted a constant hum of noise.Chen Xiao sat on the wooden floor, among nine other participants.He rested his hand on a long central table,catching the sharp glint of light reflecting off its surface.
Everything told him this was the real world!He hadn't time-traveled again!What had happened?Where was this?Had the Blood Moon ended?Who had obtained the evolution opportunity?Chen Xiao racked his brain—everything was too bizarre.
"I've imagined countless apocalypses, but never one so beyond nature and science."The speaker was Liu Chang'an, diagonally across from Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao then noticed a hat-wearing boy sitting beside Liu Chang'an—no more than ten, childish yet eerily calm.Chen Xiao used [Dragon's Breath] to scan this anomaly, only to be astonished—the boy had no energy fluctuation at all!This was a first for Chen Xiao."Is [Dragon's Breath] broken?"Impossible—he could still scan others' energy freely.Chen Xiao leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
"Chen Xiao, when did you wake up?"Jiang YunHan, beside him, had just woken, pressing his temple.Chen Xiao: "Same as everyone—just now."Jiang YunHan lowered his hand, revealing cold eyes as he spoke slowly:"This is going to be trouble."
The room had only one door, tightly shut—no handle.It was clear: they couldn't leave.
"Hum——"The expected sound came, and everyone's expressions shifted unpredictably.[Welcome to the Animal World][Game 03 - Choice][Primary Objective: Survive.]
These three short lines made everyone's hearts tighten.The objective was to survive...
The information was too sparse!
"Rumble!"There was no time to think—the room, along with their chairs, began to rise steadily,like an elevator.Soon, they witnessed a scene they'd never forget!As the room ascended, they reappeared in an open field—a place resembling a "Roman Colosseum."A vast circular arena, solid and majestic.Tall stone walls rose around it, piercing the clouds.What terrified them most was: row upon row of tiered seats, every one occupied by a New Human. A sea of them, a shifting, chittering mass of bodies that stretched up into the darkness. A hundred thousand pairs of eyes, maybe more, fixed upon them from the encircling stands—a palpable, suffocating pressure of collective hunger and madness. It was a trypophobe's worst nightmare given form.
"Hehehehe.""Hehehehehe.""Hehehehehehe."
A deluge of eerie laughter came from all directions, threatening to engulf them!Zhao Kui Jiang felt dizzy, as if he might fall from the wooden floor at any moment.Several others looked equally pale, their faces dark as ink.Chen Xiao wasn't immune to fear.This place might be a rule-bound zone—where rules reigned supreme!Triggering a death condition meant certain doom, even for gods.
"Hehehehe."A amplified laugh drew everyone's attention."Welcome to the Choice Game!""I am your 'God.' You may call me...""Horse-Face!"
After speaking, everyone noticed a figure atop a towering pillar.It was human, yet not entirely—a naked human body,genderless,but the head perched upon its shoulders was that of a horse—a grotesque fusion of human and beast. Its equine features were twisted into a permanent snarl of malice, the eyes wide and rolling with a predatory gleam. As it spoke, the movement of its lipless mouth and the flash of blunt, herbivore teeth gone sharp was a sight of profound, gut-churning wrongness. It was an abomination, something that had crawled from a nightmare, radiating pure, undiluted dread.
Chen Xiao felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach, his pupils contracting to pinpricks. "Horse-Face...?" he breathed, the name a curse. "But this is only the second Blood Moon." A chill that had nothing to do with the room seeped into his bones. His timeline was wrong. The apocalypse itself was shifting.
Chen Xiao didn't know. He heard Horse-Face continue:"Next, you'll pair up to play.
"In five minutes, anyone unpaired dies.""Hehehe."
Zhao Kui Jiang, hearing this, clung to Jiang YunHan's arm, terrified of being abandoned.Liu Chang'an and the boy formed a team quickly.Chen Xiao was left alone,teaming up with another military straggler.
Soon,everyone found a partner—five teams total.
"First team, follow me!"Horse-Face leaped down from the pillar,landing lightly with a "click".Chen Xiao estimated the pillar was at least thirty meters high—horrifying!Anyone falling from that height would die instantly!
The first team consisted of two military personnel, who followed Horse-Face hesitantly under everyone's gaze.
Not long after they left,about ten minutes later,one of them stumbled back.Zhao Kui Jiang rushed to ask: "What happened? Where's your partner?"The man looked embarrassed, gritting his teeth:"Don't choose animals—choose humans!"
Everyone was confused, but the second team was soon called.It was Zhao Kui Jiang and Jiang YunHan.Zhao Kui Jiang was nervous, knowing only one of the previous two had survived.Those who reached the peak were no ordinary people—they wouldn't die so easily!