Two hours.
The digital clock on the gym wall ticked.
Clack. Clack.
No screams.
No sound of snapping bones.
No smell of fresh blood leaking from under the heavy oak doors.
Just silence.
The foreign viewers typed fast.
[She is peeling his skin!]
[Two hours? She is eating him bite by bite!]
[Your hero is cat food, Dragon Country!]
Elena stared at the oak doors.
Her breathing slowed. The tension left her shoulders.
She was a veteran. She understood Ghost logic.
Monsters feed on fear. They kill fast to harvest souls. Or they torture loud to harvest despair.
Silence means no fear. No pain.
Silence means the Ghost is harvesting something else.
Something that requires time.
Something that requires stamina.
Blood rushed to her neck. Her face burned.
Two hours.
With an S+ Rank Ghost Queen.
He is still going?
She crossed her legs. A phantom heat pooled in her gut. She bit her lip.
Amy pulled Elena's sleeve. Her hands shook.
"Sister Elena... is the bad lady chewing his bones?"
Elena swallowed. She avoided the girl's eyes.
"No, Amy. He is alive."
"Then why is it taking so long?"
"He is... negotiating."
Elena wiped a drop of sweat.
"Very deep physical diplomacy. He will be fine.
But he will need painkillers for his waist tomorrow."
Inside the Dragon Country stream.
The panic stopped. Logic took over.
[Wait.]
[Two hours. ]
[Holy f*ck.]
[He is sleeping with the ghost for that long!
[That's a giant lady! How could he possibly last that long?!]
Then came the rage.
[TRASH SYSTEM!]
[Unlock the camera!]
[We missed two hours of S-Rank interaction!]
[This is vital survival data! Show us the footage!]
[I protest! I need to study Ghost biology!]
DING.
Blood-red text covered the screen.
[User 'GhostBreeder99' Muted: 24 Hours.]
[User 'ShowMeThePhysics' Muted: 24 Hours.]
[Official Admin (Dragon Country):]
[Maintain a clean stream. Reject obscenity. Do not demand explicit content. Violators face immediate bans.]
The chat froze.
Nobody dared to type.
Then, one message appeared.
[User 'Master_of_Philosophy':]
[Fools! Why label the origin of life as obscene?]
[Sex is the universe's ultimate truth!]
[It is not porn. It is survival! It is art! To censor this is to disrespect life itself! It is—]
BZZZT.
[User 'Master_of_Philosophy' PERMANENTLY BANNED.]
[Official Admin (Dragon Country)]
[Reason: Spreading sophistry. Next.]
...
Three figures emerged from the shadows of the free-weight zone.
Leading them was "Iron Wall" Marcus. A tank-class player from the Western Alliance level 1 awakened.
Marcus used to be the captain of viper.
Then he kicked him out for some reasons.
He stopped five feet from Elena.
"Elena."
His voice was gravel.
"The Lady has been gone two hours. The rookie is dead."
"Cut the rope."
He gestured to his team.
"Join us. We need a scout. You have the skills."
"Abandon the corpse and the kid. We can get you to survive this game."
Elena tightened her grip on Amy's hand.
"No."
"He isn't dead," she said coldly. "And even if he was, I don't team with vultures."
Marcus's face darkened.
He stepped closer. Looming over her.
"You're making a mistake, Veteran."
"Do you know the bounty on his head? And how big it is?"
He leaned down, whispering.
"And now... on you."
Elena stiffened.
"Your name is on the list, Elena."
"By siding with a Dragon Country rookie, you insulted the Big Three."
"Even your own country is silent. They won't burn bridges for you."
"You are alone."
Elena's face went pale. But her eyes remained steel.
She knew the reality.
In this era, the Survival Game wasn't just a game. It was politics. It was resource allocation.
The "Old Money"—the established powers—controlled the narrative.
They controlled who lived and who became a star.
Betting on a "nobody" like Chen Shi...
Betting on an anomaly...
It was declaring war on the system.
"I don't care about your politics," Elena hissed. "I bet on what I see."
"And I see a winner."
Marcus sneered. He spat on the floor near her boots.
"Then rot with him."
"When the game restarts, you are target number two."
He turned and walked away.
[Foreign Live Stream Chat]
The chat exploded with mockery.
[Stupid woman!]
[She thinks this is a fairy tale? "I believe in him"? Grow up!]
[She is dragging her whole country down. What a traitor.]
[Bear Country should disown her immediately. She is compromising the Alliance!]
Then, a familiar ID popped up.
[User 'Golden_Eagle_Gambler' (VIP):]
[Hahaha! Wonderful!]
[I was worried the rookie would die too fast and bore me.]
[Now Elena joins the funeral? Excellent.]
[She is a fool. A Level 1 awakened throwing her life away for a corpse.]
[The little girl dies too. Three for the price of one!]
[My wager stands: They all die in the next round.]
[Dragon Country Live Stream Chat]
[Hold the line, Elena!]
[Don't listen to them! Chen Shi will carry you!]
[Brother Chen is the miracle maker! Investing in him now is the smartest move of your life!]
[When he comes out, all you haters will shut up!]
[One man, one ghost, one dream! Rise!]
The foreign chat flooded back with laughing emojis.
[Dream on.]
[He is fertilizer.]
[Cheater 100% die!]
Suddenly.
DING.
The crimson lights in the gym flashed.
The heavy oak doors to the private quarters swung open.
[System Announcement]
[The Lady has returned.]
[Intermission Over.]
[All Players: Assemble at the Squat Racks immediately.]
Lady Cecilia walked out.
Sexy, elegant, huge.
Her skin was glowing.
She looked refreshed. Fed, satisfied.
But behind her...
Where was the man?
Elena's eyes darted.
Left. Right.
She scanned the space behind Lady Cecilia's massive silhouette.
She looked into the shadows of the open oak doors.
Nothing.
Just the gaping maw of the dark hallway.
Silent. Empty.
Elena's heart missed a beat.
A chill, sharper than the ambient temperature, spread from her chest to her fingertips.
He didn't make it.
The realization hit her like a physical blow to the stomach.
Her knees went soft. She stumbled, tightening her grip on Amy.
"Sister Elena..."
Amy's voice was small. Trembling.
She buried her face in Elena's waist, refusing to look at the empty door.
"Big Brother..."
"He didn't come back?"
Elena opened her mouth.
She wanted to lie. She wanted to say, "He's fine. He's just slow."
But her throat was dry as sandpaper.
She looked at Lady Cecilia.
The Ghost Queen was glowing. Radiating vitality.
Her lips were redder. Her skin was flush with health.
Did she ate him?
Elena's logic screamed the truth.
A Level 0 unwakened rookie.
An S+ Rank predator.
Two hours.
There is no other outcome.
He wasn't negotiating. He was the main course.
Elena lowered her head. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she stroked Amy's hair.
Despair crashed over her.