The reason I came to Beijing was entirely because of my ex-girlfriend.
She'd gotten accepted to Peking University for her doctorate, and I'd never achieved anything that grand in my life, so of course I supported her fully. I quit my job at the family business in Changsha and came to Beijing to work at an advertising company.
I told her I'd go a year early to scout things out. When she arrived in Beijing, I'd have every alley and hutong with good food mapped out for her. We'd buy a little electric scooter, she'd hold my waist from the back—it'd be like a Beijing love story!
Chloe Chen giggled on the phone.
I asked her what she was laughing at.
She said nothing, she just thought her man had grown up and become sensible.
But a year later, when her doctoral advisor spot at Peking University was snatched by someone with connections, she ultimately chose to pursue her PhD in Japan instead.
"Let's get married first. You go as my spouse—it's just two years where you can't work. No worries, I'll support you."
I refused that kind of fait accompli life arrangement.
And so she became my ex-girlfriend.
And I became her ex-boyfriend.
Last night around nine, she'd called to invite me on one last trip to climb Mount Tai before she left for Japan in August.
"Your birthday's coming up—consider it a keepsake."
I agreed. Then the moment I hung up, those cursed numbers appeared on my ceiling.
If I hadn't come to Beijing, maybe I wouldn't have been pulled into this game.
If she hadn't gone back on her word, maybe we'd still be together.
We were together for nearly six years. How many six-year stretches does a person get in one lifetime?
Would she want to kill me too?
A biology PhD who killed countless lab rats every year.
If she really wanted to kill me, it would probably be easy.
I finished dealing with the wound on my hand, thinking as I went, debating whether to call her.
Currently the other five and I were all in Beijing, while she was the only one in Hangzhou. So her survival situation was definitely better than mine.
Was there a scenario where two people could win together?
No—not possible. I recalled the Holy Grail War rules. Only one could survive.
After half an hour of spacing out, I finally made the call.
"Hey, Chloe..."
"What, it's only day one and you're already this desperate for my sixty million?"
I sat down on the bed like an ostrich, stiffly clutching my phone.
"How do you know the rules..."
"I don't know the exact rules, but I know that if this is a competition, then the opponent will definitely come find me first to confirm my coordinates."
"Chloe, I'm not... The total is seven people. Besides you, four are in Beijing, so you're safe for now. I'll handle the rest."
"Four? So you've already taken care of one. My man is quite decisive now."
"I'm not your man anymore. Please."
"And then? You'll come to Hangzhou to take care of me after that?"
"There might be another way. Like making a wish to resurrect people after winning—like the Reanimation Jutsu in Naruto, or Shenron in Dragon Ball."
"And if there isn't? What will you do?"
"Let's talk in person."
"Alright, good luck—not my man. I'll be waiting. Maybe in Hangzhou, maybe somewhere even more hidden. Who knows?"
I hung up and noticed a WeChat message.
From Sissy Chen. Just one line:
"I've already dealt with Manager Hu. Eight PM, meet me at the park at this pin."
"Be there."
---
Pin coordinates: Longtan Lake, Dongcheng District, Beijing Amusement Park
I looked it up online. This park was completed in 1984, spanning 530,000 square meters—one of Beijing's earliest modern amusement parks with a Ferris wheel.
But after twenty-plus years of losses, the investors pulled out, and it had been closed for nine years.
In other words, Sissy was meeting me at an abandoned park that existed only in the childhood memories of old Beijingers!
What was her objective? How had Manager Hu fallen to her? How did she know my identity?
I ran deductions in the taxi on the way there, trying to gather as much intelligence as possible for this battle.
Sissy Chen, from Guangdong. She'd joined the company a year ago as a designer. Thin and tall, physically weak, no athletic ability. When we relocated offices the second time, she couldn't even carry her own computer tower—I had to help her. Outwardly cheerful and lively, but underneath, somewhat insecure and withdrawn. I was her only friend at work.
If you asked why we got along so well, it was because we both despised that psychotic Manager Hu.
Short temper, impatient, never gave compliments, loved being passive-aggressive, routinely insulted subordinates' character. I'd watched him drive away at least five newcomers. If anyone talked back, he'd get physical. He'd been bodybuilding for years—supposedly his family owned a private hospital. No idea why he'd come to Beijing to work in advertising...
But then again, Sissy was over a hundred pounds lighter than him, and had never trained. How on earth had she beaten him?
Could there be hidden rules I'd missed, beyond the renunciation items?
After reviewing everything, I compiled the following:
1. Sissy contacted me only after dealing with Manager Hu. I also got a system notification after eliminating Auntie Mae. But the crossroads was swarming with traffic—I wanted to leave the battlefield fast, so I didn't "loot." There might have been system messages I missed, like player count or competitor names. Something to verify later.
2. If losing the ability to see something came without additional stat buffs, this game would become a one-sided harvest by the physically stronger side. For balance, there should be some kind of protection mechanism—like the arena balance system in DNF—ensuring weaker fighters still had a path to victory. Sissy must have discovered this rule, which was how Hu got taken out. I needed to pry it out of her before dealing with her.
3. Sissy chose to meet at this abandoned park, just like Auntie Mae avoided fighting me at a crossroads that didn't suit her. The park must lack whatever she'd renounced. If I could figure out her renunciation item, I'd have the advantage.
Lost in thought, I'd already arrived at the front gate. Rusted and overgrown with weeds, the massive abandoned Ferris wheel in the distance looked like a great beast hidden within Beijing.
I walked closer and found the gate locked tight with a heavy iron chain.
Then another WeChat message from Sissy:
"When you come in, use the back gate. The south entrance is blocked, and South Gate 2 is locked too. Go around and squeeze through the gap in the iron door."
I followed her instructions, slipping through alone, keeping low and silent. Though long abandoned, the towering castle-like structures and rusted, cobwebbed rides still bore traces of the crowds that once filled this place.
What was Sissy's "renunciation item"?
Was it light? No—while the lighting was dim, there were still yellowish streetlamps around.
Was it sound? Even less likely—she couldn't read lips. I just had to speak and she'd give herself away.
Was it wind? Could there be an enclosed castle inside, a windless environment where she'd get some kind of buff?
What did an abandoned park lack that the outside world had?
While my mind raced, I'd already reached the base of the Ferris wheel.
Another message from Sissy:
"Come up!"