"And if you kill me, it won't help her at all."
Trent was silent for a moment. "What are your terms?"
Sable pulled out her phone and waved it.
"Let them go. I'll do the tip."
22
The second round was about to end.
But right now, Sable had her phone out, typing slowly, deliberately.
"What are you waiting for? Run!" Sable shouted at us.
Jessie, tears streaming down her face, hesitated—then turned and ran into the darkness.
And me?
I couldn't run. I had no reason to.
I fought through the pain and pulled out my phone, messaging the Administrator.
"I want to tip my hair to Sable!"
I figured—at least let Sable have a chance of surviving the second round.
But the Administrator replied:
"User 1301 command error."
"User 1301 is an APP-derived item. Cannot interact with registered users. Can only interact with internal app programs."
1301. That was Sable's ID.
Damn it.
So I was just a prop. A physical being created by the Yi Hang reward—the one Sable had used to drive the voice out of her head.
That voice was me.
But I remembered the reward description.
It said it was only valid during the testing period.
So when the test ended—where would I go?
Would I disappear?
Or would I go back inside Sable's head?
Become that noisy, annoying idiot who made her suffer?
I didn't want that.
Aria was getting closer.
And then it hit me—the one possible solution.
Since Sable and I both had ID 1301.
Since I was her derivative prop.
Since I was that loud, protective idiot of a little brother who'd been inside her all along.
I had always been part of her.
So if I got "tipped"—would it count toward her account?
I could see it now.
I was an APP item—I could at least interact with internal app programs.
So...
That user who viewed the Administrator's social feed—the one called SmokeScreen—had he seen the world on the Administrator's side?
I was curious.
I gritted my teeth. Took one last look at Sable.
Picked up my phone. Opened the chat with the Administrator.
"I want to tip myself to you."
...
...
A few seconds later, my phone vibrated:
"Review approved. I accept your tip."
For the first time, the Administrator added a smiley face.
This second—this was the last image I would ever see.
Sis, this time I can finally, truly protect you.
23
The macabre siren sounded again. Everyone within earshot froze in place.
"I am an ant..."
"I am prey..."
"I am an ant..."
"I am prey..."
Voices—male and female—layered on top of each other into an overwhelming, horrifying chorus!
"Final one-minute countdown begins. 60, 59..."
At that moment, I heard Jessie's scream:
"Sable! Run!"
Not far away, Jessie burst out of the darkness.
She had a brick in her hand.
With all her might, she hurled it at Trent.
Trent dodged it with a casual sidestep—his knife left my neck.
Strange.
Was it the adrenaline of life and death? Every fiber of my body felt awakened?
My mind was suddenly crystal clear.
Even my strength, my reflexes, were surging.
"49, 48..."
I seized the opening and grabbed Trent's wrist.
Then I twisted—forcing the knife around.
And drove it in.
Blood sprayed across my face.
My hand felt the blade slicing through skin.
Trent crumpled.
His eyes gazed into the distance.
Following his sight line, I saw the most terrifying thing I would ever witness in my life.
Aria.
I couldn't even recognize her anymore.
She was a massive, yellowish-white, round creature.
Her body was covered in countless limbs—
Limbs with writhing, nameless organs—
Organs sprouting human faces, ears, mouths.
Too many limbs to support herself, she could only drag her body upright and then lunge forward.
Like a bouncing ball.
Jessie was frozen with terror beside me.
Facing the monster, I felt strangely detached. I scanned the area.
The dark parking garage. Only the three of us and one monster.
I'd survived. My surging strength and energy even gave me a sense of invincibility.
The kind of confidence that said I could take on a creature as horrifying as Aria.
But something felt wrong.
I felt like I'd lost something. I just couldn't remember what.
24
"30, 29..."
The parking garage—vast and cramped—echoed with the piercing countdown.
Jessie and I had nowhere to run.
If we wanted to escape, we'd have to get past Aria.
"Hide, quickly!"
I grabbed Jessie and hissed.
The garage was full of dusty cars.
We ducked behind an SUV in a far corner.
While Aria was still slow, I added Jessie as a friend.
"10, 9..."
Following my earlier idea, I tipped Jessie one strand of hair first.
Photo taken, submitted to the Administrator.
"5, 4, 3, 2..."
At the very last second, the Administrator approved my submission.
My black hair sprouted incongruously from Jessie's blonde bangs.
Jessie's face visibly relaxed.
But the next second, she stared at her phone, her smile frozen.
"Sable..."
I sensed something wrong, turned, and saw the glaring red alert on her screen.
My blood ran cold.
"System error. Your tip is invalid."
One second too late—Jessie hadn't managed to tip me back.
The garage's underground signal was poor. At the crucial moment, her phone had lagged.
And her hands had been shaking.
The empty garage echoed with nothing but my breathing and Jessie's frantic tapping.
"I want to tip my hair to Sable!"
"I want to tip my hair to Sable!"
...
Her voice broke with sobs.
I wanted to comfort her, but Aria's massive body was overturning cars and pillars.
Time was running out for her!
Smack! A sharp slap made Jessie's hands go still.
She looked up, dazed. Tear tracks on her pretty face—and a bright red handprint on her cheek.
"Jessie, take the stairs from the back. Aria can't squeeze through for now."
"Listen to me. Stay alive."
Jessie stared at me. I nodded.
I didn't blame her.
Ending this sooner might even be a kind of mercy.
I closed my eyes and waited to be erased from this world.
25
Time ticked by.
My blood was rushing faster than ever. I could feel my muscles growing.
Was this a last flare before my body dissolved?
Jessie looked at me, stunned. She raised a trembling hand.
"Sable, you..."
Before she could finish, her phone buzzed with a new message.
From the Administrator.
[Second round testing complete. 24 users passed.]
Survivors were dwindling!
[Due to the appearance of a "Thoughtless" player in the second round, the third round task has been modified.]
[Third round testing: Users must remain alive during the testing period.]
[This testing period is 1 hour. End time: 15:00 on the 29th]
[Testing countdown: 59 minutes]
[Yi Nian v1.2.0, participants: 24]
What was going on?
A new round had started.
I wasn't dead?
My phone kept buzzing.
[Congratulations on finishing first in the second round of testing. You have received 2 system rewards.]
[Yi Nian ×1]
Through conversation with the Administrator, receive the answer to one question you most want to know.
[Yi Hang ×1]
Through conversation with the Administrator, receive one body repair. Valid only during testing.
I stared at the messages, bewildered.
Not only was I alive—I'd placed first again?
Jessie's hair tip had never gone through.
So who tipped me?
And what precious thing had they given me?
There was no time to figure it out.
Since I was alive, I'd fight to the end!
Behind me, a foul stench washed over the back of my neck.
One of Aria's hands nearly grabbed my hair.
I stumbled and fell.
Twisted around—face to face with Aria.
Every mouth on her body was open.
My vision filled with jagged teeth.