Chapter 2: Game Over

Just then, another message arrived.

[2 minutes left...]

I double-checked; only I could see these texts. In other words, only I could save them.

What should I do? Was I supposed to stand by and watch helplessly?

No, there had to be a way! If there was a hint, there must be a solution.

I turned to look at the homeroom teacher. Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

Of course! That must be it!

A fan would fall, and a student would die...

That meant the teacher would not be the victim. The first and second fans were above the podium—those could be ruled out, since they hung over the teacher, not the students.

[1 minute left...]

Fans five and six weren’t even on, since the classroom wasn’t full. Those could be excluded as well.

That left fans three and four. But after Li Yizhong’s death, everyone would avoid his seat—directly under fan four—so that could be ruled out too.

That meant it was fan three! Yes, it had to be fan three!

[30 seconds...]

The countdown messages kept coming.

I hurriedly typed, “Fan three!” and sent it.

[Incorrect.]

Wrong? How could that be?

[10 seconds...]

Where did I go wrong?

[5 seconds...]

Damn it! What was the mistake?

[3...]

[2...]

[1...]

[Game over!]

Bang!

A loud crash.

I turned around. Just three meters away, fan four was still spinning fast as it crashed to the ground. The blades struck the floor, making a harsh, metallic clanging.

Suddenly, one of the blades snapped off with a sharp ping, ricocheted into the air, and vanished from sight.

“Aaah—!”

“Someone’s dead!”

I followed my classmate’s trembling finger and saw the missing blade embedded in Chen Bin’s neck in the last row of Group One. Blood soaked the green fan blade, turning it red.

I was completely stunned.

The class was thrown into chaos at the gruesome sight of Chen Bin’s neck nearly severed by the blade.

The homeroom teacher stood frozen, unable to comprehend how another death had just occurred.

Why had it fallen? I was sure I’d chosen correctly!

The once quiet classroom erupted. I wasn’t the only one on the verge of panic.

A quavering voice said, “Is our classroom cursed? Tong Yang was right—someone really died!”

But it was too late for words now. The boy was already dead.

—

The logic was flawless, so why was it wrong? I grabbed my hair, lost in confusion.

Driven to the edge, I typed a reply: Why am I the only one who receives these messages?

Buzz...

[You are the chosen player. This game must be played by you!]

The chosen player? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

I typed: Who are you? What is this game? Can I quit?

I can’t keep playing—a game with real deaths!

[Only death awaits those who quit!]

Boom—

My mind thundered with the revelation!

Warm blood crept toward my feet, but I stood motionless, gazing at my reflection in the crimson pool. I seemed to glimpse my own fate—if I refused to play this cursed game, I would be next.

“If this is a game, then how do I clear it?”

“What happens after I win?”

...

Silence. There was no reply.

Disappointment washed over me, but I realized—if this was a game, then how to win, and what awaited after, were all unknown. That, too, was part of the game’s allure.

The police investigation concluded that the fan was simply too old and rusted, causing the accident.

But I no longer had the strength to care.

Back home, I obsessed over why my answer had been wrong, but by morning, I was no closer to the truth.

Sleep deprivation and the torment of this game pushed me to the brink of collapse.

It wasn’t just me—everyone in class wore the same look of terror.

Then, my phone vibrated again.

[Within half an hour, Liu Jianzhou will be killed by a falling bookshelf in the library. Choose the collapsing bookshelf. If you choose correctly, you clear the game; if not, the game ends in failure!]

Again?

From the messages, I noticed a pattern: the game happened once a day.

I gripped my phone tightly. Half an hour—neither long nor short.

I looked around the classroom and realized Liu Jianzhou wasn’t present.

I found the class monitor, Ye Xinran, and asked where Liu Jianzhou had gone.

She told me he was at the library.

My heart raced.

The message said “within half an hour,” not specifying a time—Liu Jianzhou was in danger at any moment. I had to get him out of the library.

With that in mind, I rushed to ask Ye Xinran, “Did you see which floor Liu Jianzhou was on?”

“The first floor.”

I sprinted from the classroom straight to the library.

The library was vast—finding one person was no easy task.

Wait. I suddenly realized—the game wanted me to choose the collapsing bookshelf. If I picked the right one, couldn’t I prevent the tragedy?

But there were so many shelves—how could I tell which one would fall?

No, finding Liu Jianzhou was more urgent! Dragging him out was the best solution.

Just as I reached the second floor, I spotted Liu Jianzhou passing by on the other side.

I hurried after him, but he vanished from sight after only a few steps.

—

I turned and headed for the entrance, catching sight of Liu Jianzhou at the door—he seemed to be borrowing a book.

Suddenly, someone bumped into me, and by the time I recovered, Liu Jianzhou was gone.

[Ten minutes left...]

I hurried to the service desk and asked, “Excuse me, did Liu Jianzhou just borrow a book here?”

The attendant looked puzzled but replied, “No, he was returning a book. He signed his name and went to return it himself.”

“Can I see what he returned?”

Without waiting for permission, I grabbed the log and saw that Liu Jianzhou had gone to the comics section.

Without another word, I rushed to the comics area.

He wasn’t at the first bookshelf.

Nor at the second.

Just then, a row of shelves suddenly collapsed ahead of me...

Rumble!

Library shelves were no joke—if they fell, they could easily crush someone to death.

A dreadful premonition washed over me.

I dashed toward the toppled shelves. Several had fallen together, making it impossible to tell if anyone was underneath.

I thought, Liu Jianzhou could be buried here—maybe already dead. I’d had two chances to stop him, but I’d missed them both through sheer bad luck!

“Help lift the shelves!” someone shouted.

I clung to a sliver of hope—maybe if I was quick enough, Liu Jianzhou would be fine.

I glanced at the shelf—“Comics Section, Shelf Nine.”

With a few classmates, I struggled to lift the shelves, which took considerable time.

All the while, I prayed: Please, Liu Jianzhou, don’t be here. Don’t die so easily.

But before I could finish my prayer, the shelf was already upright—and there was no one beneath it!

Relief flooded me. If he wasn’t here, then Liu Jianzhou must be unharmed!

My heart finally eased.

But then, my phone vibrated again.

[One minute left...]

The countdown continued, meaning the game wasn’t over yet!

I hurried away from the collapsed shelf.

There were fifteen shelves in the comics section. Liu Jianzhou wasn’t at any of the first nine—he had to be among the last six.

Sure enough, I found him by the fourteenth shelf.

“Liu Jianzhou, you have to leave here with me, now!” I called out anxiously, not caring about anything else.

But Liu Jianzhou seemed not to hear me—he just sat there, dazed, leaning against the shelf.

I eyed the shelf nervously, but nothing happened.

Then, Liu Jianzhou gave me a strange smile. “Tong Yang, are you looking for me?”

“You knew I was looking for you?” I asked, baffled.

[Ten seconds left...]