As our whole class watched the game stream together, the vice president, Caden, sneered at the female player on screen. “Man, it must be nice not having balls. Just spread your legs and the mission’s done. Wish I was a girl!” Just as everyone was about to argue with him, we were all suddenly dragged into the game. 【Welcome to the Live Chat Battle Royale!】 【Survive by completing the game according to the rules set by your own live chat comments!】 The moment the voice faded, Caden’s crude comment materialized as a crimson banner above his head. The next second, his crotch erupted in a mist of blood. 1 We were in the international program at Northwood Prep—just twelve of us, all set to head to universities abroad this summer. The usual pre-exam tension was nonexistent. The day before our finals, we were all gathered, watching a horror battle royale stream. The game was set in an abandoned school. The female streamer was being coddled by her teammates, never having to lift a finger for any of the tasks. My classmates’ fingers flew across their keyboards, flooding the live chat with a storm of complaints. 【What a fucking useless leader, all he does is hide with the girl. Man up and fight!】 【God, I hate it when couples drag the team down. Can’t they just break up before playing?】 【Not to be sexist, but I hate teaming up with girls. So much drama!】 【A true leading lady does it alone. No need for teammates!】 And Caden, the vice president sitting next to me, just had to shout his opinion out loud with a contemptuous smirk. “Man, it must be nice not having balls. No need to grind, just spread your legs and someone else does the work for you. Wish I was a girl!” As he spoke, he typed the exact same words into the chat and hit send. Several of the girls in the room instantly blew up. “What the hell is wrong with you, Caden? What did girls ever do to you?” “Did you just crawl out of a sewer? Your mouth stinks. Go brush your teeth!” But Caden was completely unfazed. “People just can't handle the truth. It's a fact you girls don't have anything between your legs. Did I say a single word that was wrong?” He had that smug, self-satisfied look of someone who thinks they’re the only sane person in a world of fools. It made me sick. But in the next instant, the world warped. The clean white walls of our classroom were suddenly smeared with dark, crimson stains. “What’s going on?” “Holy shit, don’t scare me like that…” “Why… why does this look exactly like the game?” I lifted my head to the blackboard. In the stream we’d been watching, that’s where all the clues appeared. Sure enough, glowing green text materialized on its surface. 【Welcome to the Live Chat Battle Royale!】 【Survive by completing the game according to the rules set by your own live chat comments!】 2 Confusion swept through the room. “Live Chat Battle Royale? What the hell is that?” “Someone explain this! I don’t get it!” A moment later, Caden’s scream provided all the explanation we needed. A sharp, wet pop echoed in the classroom, and Caden’s lower body was instantly shrouded in a cloud of red mist. The comment he’d just posted hovered ominously above his head, a translucent, blood-red banner that seared itself into our eyes. 【Man, it must be nice not having balls. No need to grind, just spread your legs and it’s over. Wish I was a girl!】 Not having balls. It clicked. I suddenly understood. Caden said he wished he didn’t have anything between his legs, and the game had made it a reality. A few students, their faces drained of all color, stumbled into a corner and started retching. A cold sweat broke out on my own skin. I was just thankful I’d been so focused on Caden’s disgusting rant that I hadn’t typed anything myself. In his condition, he probably wouldn't last the day. Oh, not even a day. His legs began to spread apart at a horrifyingly unnatural angle. He seemed to realize what was happening and desperately tried to pull them back together. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said it! I know I was wrong!” he shrieked, his voice cracking with terror. “I shouldn’t have insulted women! Please, stop, don’t—” A sound like a pig being slaughtered filled the room as his bones groaned with an audible, sickening crack. He was already in a full split, but his legs kept pulling, slowly, relentlessly, in opposite directions. I heard the sound of tearing flesh and squeezed my eyes shut. Behind me, one of the boys screamed, his voice breaking into a high-pitched squeal. “He’s being ripped in half!” Students at the back of the room were frantically pounding on the door and windows, trying to escape, but nothing budged. Caden was torn apart, starting from his legs. His insides spilled out onto the floor in a grotesque heap. His eyes were wide with horror, staring blankly even after he stopped breathing. The bloody text above his head slowly faded until it vanished completely. Amidst the chaos, a speaker crackled to life from above. 【Warm-up complete. The general rules for this game will now be announced.】 3 The sudden voice made me jump. You call that pool of guts a warm-up? 【This Battle Royale will last for four days and four nights. During the day, players may move freely. At 8 PM every evening, all players must gather for a mandatory discussion, followed by a vote to determine that night's eliminated player. At night, all players must rest separately; prolonged grouping is a violation.】 【Each comment has corresponding sub-rules that must be strictly followed. The game will only reveal the comment's content, not its owner. When a player dies, their corresponding comment and its rules will disappear.】 【There are a total of six Item Cards hidden throughout the school. Three ‘Cancel Cards’ can eliminate a designated comment (your own or someone else's). Two ‘Swap Cards’ can randomly exchange the ownership of two comments. One ‘Generator Card’ can create a new comment, but its rules cannot override or contradict the general rules.】 【Surviving for four days and four nights constitutes victory. The winners will split a prize of twenty million dollars.】 I let out a small sigh of relief. In principle, multiple people could survive. And for kids in the international program, none of us were hurting for money. 【The system has identified 9 valid comments. Player Caden has been eliminated. The remaining 8 comments are now displayed on the blackboard. Please review them.】 Eight blocks of large, green text appeared on the board. Below each, smaller red text detailed the specific rules. Everyone had more or less pulled themselves together and we all started reading. Comment 1: 【I never trust random probability. With precise calculation, you can't lose!】 Rule: The owner of this comment has a passive skill that grants a one-time immunity to the effect of any Item Card. We all knew who this had to be. Leo, our resident academic star. A 24-karat nerd who believed every problem in the universe could be solved with an equation. This had his name written all over it. I glanced over at him; he looked as calm as ever. Comment 2: 【If you're a man, play with your chest out! No hiding!】 Rule: All male players must remain in motion during the day. Hiding in the same location for more than thirty minutes will result in elimination. One of the guys cursed under his breath. “Which son of a bitch posted that? What kind of asshole drags all the other guys down with him?” My heart skipped a beat. A comment could actually affect other players. Comment 3: 【I wish I had a see-through item. A god's-eye view would be sick!】 Rule: Each night, you may choose one person and learn the content of their comment. So, a Seer, like in a game of Mafia. I sighed internally. People with that kind of power never lasted long. Comment 4: 【A true leading lady does it alone. No need for teammates!】 Rule: This player must act alone at all times, except during the discussion phase. A girl, then. Comment 5: 【If I'm playing, no one touches my woman before I die!】 This one was basically a confession. There was only one couple in our class: Asher, our class president, and his girlfriend, Mia. It could only be Asher, trying to protect her. Comment 6: 【Not to be sexist, but I hate teaming up with girls. So much drama!】 Rule: Outside of discussion and voting, this player cannot be alone in the same space with any female player for more than 10 minutes. If this rule is broken, the other female player will die. That familiar knot of tension tightened in my stomach. Another comment targeting female players. My first thought was that some other idiot guy had posted it, but then I reconsidered. This felt… different. It sounded more like a pick-me girl. Comment 7: 【Just kill everyone else, right?】 Rule: This player must kill one person each night. Every face in the room went pale. 4 Son of a bitch. This really was a game of Mafia. We were already set to lose four people to the votes over four days, and now we had a nightly murderer on top of that. Unless this ‘Wolf’ was voted out or had their comment canceled with a card, they might be the only one left standing. I quickly calculated in my head. As soon as we could, we had to find a Cancel Card and get rid of that comment. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I hadn't even looked at the eighth and final comment. It was the shocked gasps from two classmates beside me that snapped me out of it. Asher and Mia had collapsed to the floor, their faces masks of pure despair. The last comment on the blackboard was especially cruel. Comment 8: 【God, couples who drag the team down are the worst. Can't they just break up before playing?】 Rule: At the start of the game, all couples must internally vote to eliminate one member. Asher and Mia… one of them had to die. Right now. It was possible? You could post a comment that forced someone else to die? Amidst the heavy silence, a girl named Skylar folded her arms and sneered, “Come on, hurry it up. Don’t waste everyone’s time.” She was the school’s resident bad girl, known for bullying others. Most people steered clear of her. There had been rumors she’d pursued Asher before, and seeing her now, it seemed plausible. Her eyes were filled with nothing but gleeful malice. “Aren’t you two just so in love? Time to prove it.” No one spoke. Mia clung to Asher, her voice choked with sobs. “No, baby, please, you can’t…” Asher held her tight. “I’m so sorry, my love.” Tears streamed down Mia’s face as she desperately tried to stand up first, to take the fall herself. But Asher was well over six feet tall and easily broke her grip. He pushed her away, gently but firmly, and rose to his feet. “Everyone,” he said, his voice steady, “please, look after my Mia. I’m begging you.” As Mia’s cries filled the room, he raised his hand. “I choose to eliminate myself.” Snap. With a faint, sickening crack, Asher’s neck twisted at an impossible angle. The comment he’d made to protect his girlfriend appeared above his head as a bloody halo, then slowly faded away. Mia’s sobs turned into silent, ragged gasps. She somehow found the strength to catch her boyfriend's falling body with her own small frame, her hands gently closing his lifeless eyes. I sighed. Our president was a true man. He deserved respect. A few other students were quietly crying. “Asher lived a good life. He didn’t go out without a fight.” But there’s always someone with a sick mind. Skylar, for instance, shot a final, bitter remark at Mia. “You’re a curse. Asher was just unlucky to have ever dated you.” And then there was Leo, who chose that moment to “comfort” everyone. “Actually, this was the only optimal solution. The president’s comment contained a logical constraint…” “Because Mia couldn’t be harmed before he died, if she were chosen for elimination, he would have died with her. The proposition had only one unique solution…” “Shut up!” a guy named Rhys snapped. “You goddamn nerd, you’re sick in the head!” Another boy, Quentin, slammed his fist against the doorframe. “Enough with the bullshit. Let’s go explore and find those items!” As if on cue, the speaker crackled. 【The game has begun. All players may now act freely according to their respective rules.】 The lock on the door clicked open. Everyone who could move scrambled out of the suffocating classroom as if fleeing a plague. After one last look at the blackboard, I left too, my mind already racing, analyzing the seven remaining comments. Leo, the calculation freak, was a known quantity with a one-time immunity. The couple-breaker comment was now useless. That left one comment forcing guys to keep moving, one pick-me comment that could kill lone girls, and one lone-wolf girl comment. And somewhere among us, a Wolf who had to kill, and a Seer who could see. There were ten of us left. That meant besides me, there were two other "vanilla" players with no comments. I started running through the personalities of my classmates. With the president and vice president dead, we were down to five boys and five girls. Among the other four girls, Ruby was quiet and introverted; I didn't know her well. Mia was usually sweet and easygoing, but now she was a wreck, impossible to analyze. That left Skylar and the stunning, mixed-race Lillian. My gut told me one of them was the pick-me, and the other was the lone wolf. Of the five remaining boys, Leo was too clinical for me to even want to understand. Silas was quiet and reserved, but I always felt there was a turbulent current beneath his calm exterior. Rhys, Liam, and Quentin were the more outgoing types. Maybe I could get some useful information by focusing on them during the discussions. Right now, the priority was to scout the area, find items and clues, and figure out how to stay alive. The moment I stepped out of the school building, a chilling wind hit me. The air was thick with the smell of blood and decay, making my stomach churn again. Four days. Besides the game rules, starvation and dehydration might not be fatal, but I knew my hypoglycemia could be a serious problem. If my blood sugar dropped too low, I could just pass out and die. I had to find supplies. Even a few pieces of candy could be the difference between life and death for me over the next four days. This school was completely enclosed. The rulebook I’d seen mentioned a military-style management, so I wasn't surprised when I couldn't find a convenience store or supermarket anywhere. My only option was the cafeteria. As I walked, a grim thought crossed my mind. If there was no food or water, this game would truly force us to kill each other. But all my worries vanished the moment I stepped inside. Ten exquisite meals were laid out on the tables. Steak, mashed potatoes, creamy mushroom soup, and two small pastries for each setting. The silverware was ornate, the sense of ceremony a cruel irony in this place. I picked up a steak knife and made a small cut. Pink juices oozed out. Medium rare. The sight of blood and flesh brought back the image of Caden’s mangled body. I turned and threw up again, the bitter taste of bile filling my mouth. In the end, I just wrapped the two pastries in a napkin and stuffed them in my pocket. I searched several storage rooms but found no Item Cards. I was feeling weak and utterly drained. I took the key from one of the janitor's closets, locked the door from the inside, and unrolled a yoga mat I found to lie down for a while. For the first time, I felt a small sliver of relief. At least the girls didn't have to be constantly on the move. We could find a place to hide and rest. When I woke up, my hypoglycemia had kicked in as expected. I ate half a pastry, but my appetite was gone. I hid the rest under the yoga mat and headed to the classroom for the first discussion and vote. 5 Within ten minutes, everyone had trickled back into the classroom. 【The discussion will now begin. After the discussion, a vote will be held. No player may abstain from voting twice in a row. Good luck to all players.】 My stomach dropped. Can’t abstain twice in a row. That meant we would be forced to make enemies. Silence hung in the air. Leo was the first to speak. “Is anyone willing to reveal their comment?” He held up his hand. “Mine is the calculation one, with the immunity. I think you all figured that out.” Skylar immediately stood up. “I’m not one to hide. I’m the one who doesn’t like playing with girls.” Of course. The pick-me herself. Judging by the lack of reaction, no one was surprised. “Anyone else?” I stayed silent as a mouse, huddled in my corner, afraid that speaking up would make me a target. Skylar scanned the other girls. “Look at you all, a bunch of whiny, scared little bitches.” Just then, Mia, her face pale, raised a trembling hand. “I didn’t post a comment.” Skylar’s expression soured instantly. “Oh really? You. Didn’t. Post. A. Comment.” She dragged out the words with theatrical sarcasm. “Who’s gonna believe that? You got any proof?” Mia managed a self-deprecating smile. “When my boyfriend was posting his comment, I was holding onto his arm and refused to let go. I never even had a free hand to look at my own phone.” I raised an eyebrow. If Skylar really did have a thing for Asher, those words were a knife straight to the heart. Even in a death game, people can’t resist gossip. Everyone’s eyes drifted subtly towards Skylar. As expected, a flicker of humiliation crossed her face. “Wow, still have the energy to show off your perfect relationship. Impressive.” “I wasn’t…” “Shut up,” Skylar snapped, rolling her eyes. “If you loved him so much, why didn’t you die for him? Don’t you want to join him?” Mia’s face was ashen, but her eyes were firm. “I won’t let my boyfriend’s death be for nothing.” “I might not win, but I’m going to fight to live as long as I can.” Skylar let out a derisive chuckle. “Don’t waste your breath.” A vicious smile spread across her face. “I say we help our dear Mia fulfill her dream. Let’s send her to be reunited with her precious boyfriend!” I couldn’t help but feel contempt for her. While the rest of us were trying to find the Wolf, she was using her “I don’t play with girls” rule to start a catfight, one that could get someone killed. I made a mental note to stay as far away from her as possible. If she ever tried to come after me, I’d bite her damn head off before I went down. My thoughts were interrupted by the sharp crack of a slap. It was Mia. She had suddenly lunged forward and struck Skylar across the face. “You think you’ve won? Skylar, you think I don’t know about you trying to seduce Asher?” “Too bad for you. He never even opened those private photos you sent him!” “Calling yourself ‘one of the guys.’ What kind of ‘guy’ sends videos of themselves in a bra to another man? Hahaha!” “He’s dead, but he died for me. You never had a chance, Skylar. You couldn’t even be his side piece!” “Fuck you!” Skylar screamed, and the two of them started brawling. “You fucking bitch, you little fox! I’ll kill you sooner or later!” “You just wait, I’ll drown you in a pig cage…” A few of the guys, unable to watch any longer, stepped in to pull them apart. “Stop it! We only have five minutes left to vote…” Leo pushed his glasses up his nose. “If Mia is truly a vanilla player, voting for her is meaningless. I have a candidate in mind.” Lillian spoke up suddenly, and all heads turned to her. She sat perched on a desk, her blonde hair and blue eyes standing out, her light, poofy dress a stark contrast to the grim surroundings. “I saw it. I saw who posted the comment that killed Asher.” “What did you say?” everyone asked, stunned. The next second, Liam, who was standing nearby, dropped to his knees. “I’m sorry, it was me!” he cried, tears and snot streaming down his face. “Asher was my brother, I’m so sorry…” “I admit I was jealous of him and Mia… but I never wanted him to die! Mia, I’m so sorry…” Hearing this, Skylar’s face twisted into an even uglier sneer. Lillian just rolled her eyes. “An eye for an eye. It’s only fair.” Mia was breathing heavily, staring at Liam with a blank expression. After a long moment, she raised her hand. “I vote for Liam.” Liam, still kneeling, trembled. He looked at Lillian and Mia with a last shred of hope. “I can help you, I can protect you…” But Lillian just scoffed. “I don’t need any teammates.” One by one, the others pointed at Liam. His eyes went vacant as he muttered, “I’m sorry.” I followed the majority and voted for him too. Only Skylar, her jaw tight, pointed stubbornly at Mia. The countdown ended. Liam’s pupils dilated abruptly. Thin trickles of blood began to seep from his eyes and nostrils. He fell backward and didn’t move again. The comment about breaking up couples appeared, then vanished. This time, everyone was much calmer. The voting was over, and the click of the unlocking door echoed through the room. People began to file out. I let out a slow breath. Tonight, the owner of the ‘kill everyone’ comment would strike. I took a roundabout path, making sure no one was following me, before slipping back into the equipment room and locking the door. I had a pretty good idea who tonight’s victim would be. Either Skylar, who had made herself a public enemy, or… The lone wolf, Lillian. Her last sentence had given her away. I don’t need any teammates. Combined with the fact that she was a girl, I was almost certain she was the ‘lone leading lady.’ She was forced to be alone, making her the easiest target. If I were the Wolf, I’d go after Lillian tonight as a warm-up. I lay on the yoga mat, clutching a small dumbbell, staying alert for half the night before exhaustion finally took over.
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