The melody's ending stretched long, its once-lighthearted tune twisting into something mournful.
That final passage—I remembered it vividly.
If everything before had been born from my own fears, this last segment would make all those hallucinations corporeal.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the projected window in the bedroom flickered to life on its own.
White light bled through the curtains, faintly illuminating the room.
In my peripheral vision, I caught sight of something in the dim bathroom—a dark silhouette, distinctly human.
From its outline, it looked like a slender woman with long hair.
She stood in the bathtub, arms hanging at her sides, facing me, completely motionless.
I didn't dare look closer. I immediately turned my head the other way.
But the moment I stopped looking, that unknown terror doubled.
I wrestled with myself for a few seconds, then slowly turned back toward the bathroom.
One glance nearly sent my heart leaping out of my throat.
The dark figure had moved.
It was now standing at the bathroom doorway.
Still in the same pose—frozen, facing me.
I swallowed hard, staring at it, then shuffled backward across the bed until I reached my own.
That was when my hand brushed against something.
I felt around—it was the snow goggles I'd left on the nightstand.
I suddenly remembered that these goggles had a special function.
They could reveal things invisible to the naked eye.
I hesitated between the classic question: is it scarier to see a ghost, or to not see one?
In the end, I put the goggles on. If I was going to die, I'd at least die knowing what killed me.
The instant the goggles settled on my face, a man's scream echoed from outside the room.
I flinched hard, instinctively snapping my head toward the door.
Then I remembered—I couldn't take my eyes off the silhouette. I whipped my head back.
An enormous dead woman's face materialized inches from my own.
"Holy shit!"
I kicked out on pure reflex.
My leg passed right through her body.
At that same moment, the broadcast music stopped.
The bedroom lights snapped back on.
The woman and the glow from outside both vanished.
I sat there drenched in sweat, gasping for breath, unable to collect myself for a long time.
"Damn it. Scared the hell out of me."
I muttered a curse, pulled off the goggles, and scrubbed my face with both hands.
That classic question? I'd tested it for everyone now.
Seeing the ghost is definitely scarier.
If I survived this, I was writing a post about it online. One hundred percent verified conclusion.
I tried to find humor in the thought.
Then I dragged myself to the bathroom for a shower and stumbled back to bed.
I was so exhausted I passed out the moment my head hit the pillow. I didn't even notice when Quinn got back.
Not until Quinn's alarm yanked me awake the next morning.
I jolted upright. "What time is it?"
I was terrified I'd overslept.
Quinn was still sprawled in bed. He squinted at his phone, then told me, "Plenty of time. Assembly isn't for another two hours."
I grabbed my phone. "Four AM sharp."
I blinked in confusion. "You set the wrong alarm?"
Quinn shook his head and sat up. "I have something to tell you. When I got back last night, you were already asleep, so I didn't wake you."
"What is it?"
Quinn propped himself against the headboard, his eyes puffy. "You joined this game for the money, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I know you didn't."
Quinn gave a half-smile. "Right. I'm not here for money. I'm here for my life."
"What does that mean?"
Quinn's expression darkened. "Did I ever tell you that the ultimate grand prize for this game—besides the hundred million—also includes a choice called Rebirth?"
I was surprised. "Rebirth? What is that? You never mentioned it."
Quinn said seriously, "Rebirth means it can bring the dead back to life, or keep a dying person alive. Whether it's real or not, I have no idea."
I frowned. "Where did you hear about this? And why tell me now?"
Quinn looked grave. "When I entered the game, the grand prize I saw was different from yours. You saw a hundred million. I saw the Rebirth Project."
I thought about that. "So the people in this game fall into two camps—one group here for money, the other here to extend their lives?"
As I spoke, I thought of Harrison.
He'd joined because of illness.
Maybe his real goal wasn't the hundred million, but this so-called Rebirth Project.
Quinn nodded. "That's what I think. As for why I'm telling you now—it's because I need your help."
"Help?"
Quinn explained, "Last night when I was the Night Scout, I stumbled into what looked like a staff break room for the game operators. The people wearing rabbit masks were acting strangely. I wanted to investigate further, but I ran out of time and had to come back."
I asked, "How do you want me to help?"
"Next time you're the Night Scout, go to that place again. You don't have to do anything—just tell me what they're doing."
I was skeptical. "Are you okay? You want me to risk that much, just to satisfy your curiosity?"
Quinn's mood shifted. There was a hint of desperation in his voice.
"You're the only person I can trust right now. You're the only one who can help me. Being the Night Scout is the only chance to move around freely."
I still hesitated. "It's not that I won't help, but you should at least tell me your real purpose."
Quinn gritted his teeth. "I suspect the Rabbit Overseers here aren't human. When I saw them last night, they were all completely motionless, frozen in different poses like statues."
I frowned. "Even if they're not human, what does that matter to us? We just need to clear the game."
"You really think clearing the game is that simple?"
Quinn shot back, "The organizers built this massive game facility, gave us all this money, and don't charge us a thing—does that make any sense to you?"
He had a point.
I'd been here for days, and I'd never stopped to think about the purpose behind all of this.
I'd had eyes only for that hundred million prize, never looking deeper.
Why would the game organizers give me money?
Just because I cleared a challenge and came in first?
Thinking it through, the whole thing was suspicious.
Seeing that I was finally taking him seriously, Quinn let out a breath.
"I want you to investigate because I need to understand who's really running this game. I'm worried that by the time we reach the end, we'll get nothing. The hundred million and this Rebirth Project could both be lies. We're being too trusting."
I agreed with him. "You're right. That first million wired to our accounts made all of us believers. We all assumed that if we survived to the end, we'd get what we came for. But think about it—it's basically free money falling from the sky. Maybe you're right. This game isn't simple. The organizers could be plotting something else entirely. We might all be pawns."
Quinn patted my shoulder. "Alex—do it for me, and for yourself. Please help me."
I pressed my lips together. "Let me think about it. I'll give you an answer when it's my turn to be Night Scout."
Quinn nodded. "Okay. Once you decide, I'll give you the route to that room."
"Deal."