Ch 1 – Unable to Escape

Warning: this story contains disturbing imagery such as blood and gore, mention of rape, and possibly others that the readers may find disturbing.

Chi Yiyin was woken up by a quarrel.

The slender eyelashes trembled, and when Chi Yiyin opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the blood-red envelope in his hand. And he was in a train carriage that was shaking regularly, the sky outside the window was gloomy, and the blurred scenery flew by. In front of his eyes were old red tablecloths and withered flowers in vases, and he could still smell a faint smell of soot at the tip of his nose.

 A faint smell of blood filled the air.

But whether it was the man and woman who were arguing in the distance with reddened faces, strangers in other seats watching coldly, or young people shivering in fear in a corner, no one noticed it.

Chi Yiyin sat on the spot calmly, observing the surrounding environment with cold eyes.

No matter how you looked at it, the place looks like a dining car in an old model train.

But the problem was, Chi Yiyin remembered very clearly that he was visiting a haunted house at night, and his last memory was frozen in the female ghost that suddenly appeared in the mirror, and then… 

A severe headache, and the more he tried to recall, the more unbearable it became.

Chi Yiyin had to rub his temples, temporarily interrupting his thinking.

But when he raised his hand, he found that his palm and forehead were bruised, and when he pressed his fingertips, he felt severe pain.

Chi Yiyin hissed, and began to wonder what had happened before.

Why does it look like he just got into a fight, or, was attacked?

“Strange, isn’t it?”

A hoarse voice came from the opposite side.

Chi Yiyin raised his head, and saw the man in the front group of seats turning around to look at him.

The bearded man was smoking a cigarette: “Don’t worry about me. Within ten thousand newcomers, I’ve never seen one like you. Anyway, no matter how hard you struggle, you’re going to die anyway. You might as well take it easy.”

“Oh, forgot to say—welcome to the game field, newcomer. And remember to stay away from me when you die.”

Newcomer?

Chi Yiyin quickly caught the words in the man’s words, and first ruled out the possibility of being kidnapped.

His brain worked in an orderly and calm manner, and he was still analyzing the situation in front of him at high speed even when he was seen as being in a disadvantaged situation.

Most likely, it was a malicious prank, and death may also be the other party scaring him.

But… 

Chi Yiyin quickly glanced at the girl sitting across the aisle. She was still wearing a school uniform, and was so nervous that she clenched her fingers and her face was pale. On the corner diagonally, a young man was squatting, repeating “Why me” over and over again like he was frightened and going crazy.

… There is indeed another possibility.

He is in a game at the cost of life and death, the winner lives and the loser dies.

When Chi Yiyin firmed up his thoughts, as if a key word had been triggered, a cold mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

[The system has been triggered to automatically record the survivor’s identity.]

[Chi Yiyin, male, 23 years old, professional novelist, abnormal login #@%#… re-identified as normal login]

Chi Yiyin frowned at the electric current noise, but fortunately, the voice in his head soon returned to normal.

[Welcome survivor to The Carnival game field! This will be the most exciting and interesting game in your life, the winner wins all, and the loser loses everything!]

[Survivor ID code Z1001 is issued, the novice live broadcast room permission has been opened, automatically connected to the game lobby, your live broadcast room has been placed in the free viewing area, currently 0 fans, 0 points, and level 1. Please keep working hard, when you reach 10,000 fans, you will automatically enter the paid area.]

[The novice file has been created, permission is being confirmed…]

[Due to the current authority of the survivor, I am sorry that I cannot provide you with any services, and I am sorry that I cannot tell you more information. Please work hard to clear the current instance, upgrade the level, and obtain permissions and rewards.]

With a little mechanical tremor at the end, that voice was about to disappear from Chi Yiyin’s mind.

Chi Yiyin responded immediately: [Can I ask a question?]

The system affirmed: [You only have one chance, please ask carefully, questions not within your scope of authority will be invalid.]

Facing the precious opportunity, Chi Yiyin knew that as long as he asked the right questions, he would get help, and maybe he could even pass the so-called customs clearance smoothly.

But he didn’t have time to be amazed by the weird game field, and he didn’t hesitate to ask questions such as “how to pass the level”, “how to leave”, and “what is the game field.”

Chi Yiyin cleverly captured the system’s definition of this question: [What will happen if the identity code is known?]

The system seemed to be laughing, mixed with mechanical sounds, which sounded weird and malicious.

[Your fate will be controlled by the person who knows the code, maybe death, maybe life will be worse than death… You can try it yourself.] 

[I wish you good luck, I hope to have the opportunity to serve you again, I sincerely look forward to seeing you next time, if you are still alive.]

[Survivor.]

Although it was still a mechanical sound, Chi Yiyin could feel that the other party’s bite on the last three syllables was extremely heavy. It didn’t seem like they were kindly reminding him, but they were looking forward to his death.

He was not frightened, but raised his eyebrows and smiled when the other party wished him good luck.

Good luck?

His life had never been related to these two words.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly possessed a strange and special power when he was about to die in the confinement room of the orphanage.

——Everything beyond human beings that he had seen through its real causes and experiences and successfully described will appear by his side and be used by him.

From the beginning of curious exploration to proficiency, Chi Yiyin was often surrounded by ghosts.

Not only was he not afraid, but he used these evil spirits instead. Not only did he make the gloomy head of the orphanage fear him, but he also set fire to the orphanage and left there completely.

It was precisely because of it that Chi Yiyin started writing, and wrote all the wandering fierce ghosts he saw into his book.

Although his original intention was to explore his own power, his book unexpectedly sold well after publication, and he still gained the undeserved reputation of “Top Horror Novelist.”

Before waking up on the train, Chi Yiyin was exploring the famous century-old haunted house at night, looking for material for his new book.

Although the collection process was interrupted, Chi Yiyin was not disappointed because of the appearance of the self-proclaimed [Carnival Game Field], but aroused a strong interest instead, and couldn’t wait to start seeing the game field.

Perhaps, this new book had a new direction, which was a blessing in disguise.

Chi Yiyin touched the hard-shell note in his pocket, and nodded in satisfaction.

As a professional novelist, Chi Yiyin’s accomplishment has always been excellent.

 Shocked, scared?

 Sorry, those were his precious material.

 However, probably only Chi Yiyin felt that he was a normal person.

 ——After all, no one regards entering the game field as a blessing.

As for his strange power, Chi Yiyin did not intend to mention it to the system or anyone.

He is not an obedient character, especially since the system tends to be malicious. But in his view, this made him interested in finding out the truth.

A life-and-death gamble, a completely unknown exploration… Interesting, how fun!

Chi Yiyin’s breathing became rapid, and his eyes were bright and extraordinary, full of admiration and anticipation.

He raised his lips and grinned silently, like a hunter who found his prey.

The man in the front seat watched Chi Yiyin secretly.

Although he is a newcomer who was destined to die, the youth’s appearance was really outstanding, and even the most indifferent people will be subconsciously attracted to him.

The young man has beautiful silver-gray mid-length hair, and the soft luster is like the flowing moonlight. It was casually draped on his stiff shoulders and hangs down along the elegant suit. And those azure blue eyes were like the rarest and most expensive sapphire, which made him feel like he was in the study of a top noble even when he was sitting in an outdated train carriage.

The most attractive thing was the quiet and clear demeanor of the young man, as if nothing could deceive his eyes.

It was precisely because of this that the man took the initiative to greet Chi Yiyin.

From the moment he got in the carriage, the man noticed this extraordinary young man.

If it wasn’t for the young man’s closed eyes, defenseless like a rookie, the man would even have thought he was an old player who had survived the fight.

After all, the dungeon [Dear Home] has always been notorious among the players. Except for the old players who are sure to give it a try, only newcomers and unlucky ones will fall into this instance.

But… 

When the man saw Chi Yiyin laughing, he was so amazed by the smile that he held his breath, but he was even more uncertain about Chi Yiyin’s identity.

Chi Yiyin noticed the man’s gaze.

He raised his eyelashes and took the initiative to respond to the man: “Don’t you need to prepare for the game? I just ordered this handmade suit. I don’t want your blood to ruin my clothes.”

His voice was deep and clean, but unexpectedly strong and oppressive. Even if he didn’t raise his voice, people couldn’t ignore his existence.

Like a cello played on a rainy day.

The moment he met Chi Yiyin’s gaze, the man saw clearly the crazed danger hidden within those beautiful eyes, and he couldn’t help being stunned.

Chi Yiyin smiled and said: “You interrupted my watch over the quarrel— it is human nature to watch the excitement, isn’t it?”

The man didn’t dare to say anything more to Chi Yiyin, for fear of making too many mistakes, he sat back down again.

The girl across the aisle was a little surprised when she saw this, and her eyes on Chi Yiyin also began to change.

After the man stopped looking over, the smile on Chi Yiyin’s lips also disappeared.

He lowered his eyes and tore off the wax seal on the red envelope with his slender and beautiful fingers.

A card fell out of the envelope.

[Dear home]

[A majestic father, a loving mother, lively and lovely younger siblings, and relatives who care about you all the time, will this be your favorite home? Dear elder sister, please write and tell me your answer.]

Elder sister?

Chi Yiyin rubbed the title on the card with his fingertips, doubts arose in his heart.

He glanced to the side with his corner of the eye, and found that not only himself, but several people in the car who were obviously newcomers, all had red envelopes in their hands.

But those old players didn’t.

Possibly hidden.

Although Chi Yiyin hadn’t seen the contents of other people’s envelopes, so he couldn’t confirm his guess about his identity, but he already knew the reason he was identified as a newcomer.

Not a good start.

He casually put the envelope into the inner pocket of his suit, and quickly imitated the way of old players to integrate into the environment.

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Chi Yiyin was very aware of his disadvantages.

The unfamiliarity of a newcomer, the vagueness of the system, and the death predictions made by the old players for the newbies. All of these were pushing him into danger, and it was very likely that he would be excluded by the old players or even used as cannon fodder for pathfinding.

If you wanted to reverse this, you could only get information from other people as much as possible, so that you could get rid of the confused situation as quickly as possible.

After all, although he doesn’t have permission, the old player must have it. What the system didn’t tell him, he would ask the old players one by one.

Having made up his mind, Chi Yiyin straightened the wrinkles on his suit, and sat in his seat calmly, without any trace of panic.

This made the man secretly observing him even more unsure of Chi Yiyin’s identity.

The unshaven man lowered his voice and asked his companion, “Do you think the one in the back looks like a newcomer?”

[Dear Home] as the lowest level E-level instance, the background story is the life quarrel of a family. At the beginning, all players who participated in this instance believed that the key to clearing the level was to make the family harmonious.

But it was this seemingly simple instance – since the game field was first launched twelve years ago until now – no one had ever been able to pass the level smoothly.

The man is careful not to offend someone of value.

The companion looked at the man and woman in the quarrel, and motioned: “Let’s test using someone else’s hand.”

This pair of man and woman are both old players. The female player wanted to unite everyone to work together, but the male player didn’t want to share his exclusive information. The two had different ideas, and the more they quarreled, the more fierce they became.

The man touched his chin and had an idea.

The male player was still relentless, cursing: “Do you know how many points and effort I spent to buy information in order to clear the dungeon this time? Want me to share? There is no way!”

The female player has begun to calm down: “This instance has always been known for its viciousness. When the old and the new are mixed, we need to help each other, otherwise this instance will only be harder.”

“It makes sense.”

The man interjected lazily: “Otherwise, let’s count everyone’s situation first, so that we can discuss the plan, right? While there is still time until we arrived at the instance’s location, make some preparations. Aren’t the two of you tired of arguing?” 

The female player looked at the man in astonishment, not expecting someone to speak for her.

She nodded after she thought about it.

At this time, the female student across the aisle who had been observing Chi Yiyin, and seeing Chi Yiyin’s confidence, finally plucked up the courage to sit down and talk to Chi Yiyin.

“Hello, did you also come after jumping off the building?”

Chi Yiyin did not refuse the female student’s approach.

He glanced at the red envelope held tightly by the female student. Judging from the sealed markings, the female student had yet to open it.

“Do you know where this is? I’ve been here since I woke up and wanted to ask someone, but no one told me.”

Thinking of being ignored before, the girl’s eyes turned red with grievance.

Chi Yiyin’s appearance was very deceptive, people saw him as an elegant and noble gentleman, he naturally captured the favor of others, they subconsciously thought that he’s not aggressive.

When he looked at you intently, those blue eyes were akin to a lake of stars, which will give the illusion that you are being cared for wholeheartedly.

With Chi Yiyin as the listener, the girl unconsciously expressed all her grievances and fears.

“I’m so scared, I don’t want to die, I want to go home…”

The girl wiped away her tears as she sobbed lowly, shaking her hands and showing Chi Yiyin the envelope unsuspectingly: “I took this when I woke up and never dared to open it. But I saw You opened yours, is this dangerous?”

Chi Yiyin noticed something was wrong.

Unlike him, the girl didn’t mention terms like system or game field.

But she even told the whole story about her own family, so she shouldn’t have deliberately concealed her own experiences… Could it be that she didn’t hear the system voice in her head?

…Yes.

When the system appeared at that time, it mentioned the word triggered.

Chi Yiyin immediately understood that the system probably wouldn’t provide guidance for every newcomer. Only those who guessed the game field would be issued a code by the system to enter their identity.

Unexpectedly, there was a screening from the very beginning?

The moment he figured it out, Chi Yiyin was startled, because he had passed the first test inadvertently, and then realized belatedly the insidiousness of the system.

But when the girl opened the red envelope in a panic, Chi Yiyin glanced at it casually, and found that the instructions on it were exactly the same as her own.

It was also “elder sister.”

So, the players in the carriage were not acting as one whole family?

Chi Yiyin guessed the possibility that everyone is “elder sister.”

This was the case of having incomplete information, he was restricted in every aspect.

Chi Yiyin sighed silently, seeing the girl crying, he still kindly pointed to the envelope in her hand and reminded: “Put it away.”

Before the girl could ask why, she heard an exclamation from the front.

“Wait! When I got on the train, I saw that the number of people inside were eleven people. Why is there only ten people now? Who is the other one? Who saw them?”

Chi Yiyin looked up, and saw the female player who was arguing before, now standing in the carriage in surprise, full of vigilance.

No one cared about the situation of other people before, so it was only now that they realized the number of people was not matched.

Fearing that this matter might be different, the female player seriously walked over from the head of the carriage and checked each row of seats.

The newcomers were so terrified that they didn’t know what to do, but most of the old players closed their eyes and meditated indifferently.

Chi Yiyin remembered the smell of blood when he just woke up.

He looked behind him calmly.

His position was in the last row of the train carriage, and the toilet was less than two meters behind.

Although the toilet door was closed and no one passed by, Chi Yiyin was sure that the bloody smell was coming from there.

The man in the front row looked over.

Chi Yiyin didn’t tell what he had discovered, but just watched with cold eyes like other veteran players.

The female player finally checked the last toilet.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the locked sign.

But the man in the front row muttered to himself: “Strange, I didn’t see anyone go inside?”

 This voice aroused the suspicion of the female player, and she glanced suspiciously at the toilet door, but there was no sound inside.

“Is anyone inside? If so say something.”

The female player knocked on the door for a long time, but no one responded. She could only look back at the others, trying to ask for help: “Does anyone know where the emergency switch of the toilet is located? Or the key is also fine. Something may have happened to the person inside.”

But whether it was the man in the front row or the other veteran players, they all looked as if they were watching a show, cold and heartless.

The female player pursed her lips tightly, showing anger and disappointment.

But at this time, a slender and tall figure stood up.

Chi Yiyin straightened the folds of his suit, his white and bony palms slightly folded in front of his body, and his polite smile was false but appeared like a gentleman, he had a reassuring demeanor.

“It’s my honor to serve the lady.”

His long legs were wrapped in well-fitting suit trousers, making his waist appeared slimmer and legs longer. Even if he only stood there silently, his figure that was like a top male model was an excellent view.

Chi Yiyin walked over calmly, his extraordinary demeanor made the female player subconsciously step aside.

He checked the structure of the lock on the toilet door for a while, and then took off the brooch pinned to his suit. Exerting force using his fingers, he straightened the buckle of the brooch and inserted it into the door lock. He held his breath and listened to the small sound.

Immediately, there was a “click!”

The door lock popped open.

The female player was a little surprised, she didn’t expect that someone with such a gentlemanlike appearance would have such an unorthodox skill.

On the contrary, the man who had been watching Chi Yiyin squinted his eyes, and his gaze towards Chi Yiyin became heavy.

Chi Yiyin noticed the man’s changing gaze, but he curled the corners of his lips and didn’t care.

Rather, this was the reason he took the initiative to stand up and help the female player. Apart from gaining her favor and obtaining some information from her, another important purpose was to remove his identity as a “newcomer” and silently warn everyone.

He did it on purpose.

But soon, no one cared about Chi Yiyin anymore.

The old toilet door made a “squeak!” sound, and was slowly opened under the push of the weight behind the door.

The first thing that rushed out was the strong smell of blood.

Immediately, blood gushed out of the toilet like a flood had been opened, and flowed all over the floor.

A figure covered in blood fell limply, as if it had been leaning against the door.

Caught off guard, the female player was thrown to the ground by the figure, falling into a pool of blood all over the ground.

Everyone who saw this scene was stunned, and the female player’s pupils constricted, unable to react for a while.

The newcomers were so frightened that their face paled, backing up again and again, then broke down and screamed.

“Ahhhhh–!”

The atmosphere in the train was tense and panicked.

However, Chi Yiyin calmly watched the motionless figure in the pool of blood. Judging from the astonishment of the female player after testing the man’s breath just now, he was already dead.

Interesting, before the train arrived at the station, a person died in front of everyone’s eyes.

Chi Yiyin smiled, taking in everyone’s reactions calmly.

With a naked eye, it was obvious that both new and old players were vigilant.

The train didn’t stop halfway, and the dead player was still fine when he first got on the train. The murderer could only hide in the train, right beside them, but they didn’t know who it was.

No one is sure whether the murderer will strike again, which is equivalent to hiding a wolf by their side…

The players were suspicious of each other, with fearful eyes, and a dull atmosphere permeated the carriage.

And at this time, the train announcement that had been quiet until now finally sounded.

[Dear survivors, Gushu Town has arrived, please prepare to get off.]

[Please note that after the train stops at the station, there is only one minute to stop, and those who fail to get off after the time limit will be deemed to have automatically given up the qualification for this instance.]

[Good luck to the survivors.]

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