So Player #20109 only got 50 points, while she received 100—does that mean the earlier you clear the game, the higher your reward?
Chu Yian gave up the idea of revealing herself and continued scrolling through the forum, trying to gather more intel from all the venting and chatter.
More and more players were waking up. Both the [Nearby] and [World] channels were exploding with messages. A lot of people had cleared the game, but compared to the global player count of six billion, it was still a tiny fraction.
Chu Yian saw more players posting their final scores. The lowest reward was 5 points. The highest she saw was 200.
Everyone's starting scenarios had been wildly different—some good, some downright tragic.
The luckiest?
Someone spawned near the safe zone and boarded a long-distance bus just before the outbreak. It turned into a real-life Train to Busan scenario. He didn't fight or flee—just buckled up and sat quietly while an NPC bus driver drifted through highways like a stuntman. Eight hours later, he arrived safely. His ranking: #119.
And the unluckiest?
Some woke up in a hospital, only to get bitten by their zombie roommate before they could even react.
Others weren't killed by zombies, but by speeding cars.
One player spawned thousands of kilometers from the safe zone, fought through hordes of zombies, only to miss the deadline on Day 5 because they picked the wrong vehicle.
[World 568907]: I swear, I had no idea the safe zone was that far. The moment I saw a plane fly overhead, my brain just shut down. I literally forgot how to swing a machete.
There were always a few bizarre stories like this to offer a little dark humor and relief to those still uncertain about their future.
Then, the mechanical voice rang out again.
[Tutorial Game: Path of Survival has officially ended.]
[Total Participants: 6,103,455,781]
[Players Who Cleared the Game: 479,801]
Out of six billion people, only 479,801 survived.
That's not even one in ten thousand.
[Congratulations to all who cleared the game.]
[Player #1 has been awarded 1,000 points.]
[Players #2–10: 500 points each]
[Players #11–100: 200 points each]
[Players #101–10,000: 100 points each]
[Players #10,001–50,000: 50 points each]
[All other successful players: 5 points each]
[Warning: This point system will continue in future games.]
Only 1,000 points for the top player?
Chu Yian's first thought wasn't amazement, but—
What a stingy game.
[Next game begins in 2 days at 14:00. All players, please prepare.]
A wave of despair swept across the forum.
Back in the real world, everyone's Satiety and Cleanliness dropped to 80% if they hadn't used food or cleaning packs.
It quickly became clear: these stats decreased by 10% per day.
With death triggered at 20%, everyone now had six days of buffer time—unless they started earning points.
[Nearby 2908976]: Will we really die if Satiety or Cleanliness drops too low? Can eating or washing affect how fast it decreases?
[Nearby 618237092]: I tried, man. Ate two buckets of instant noodles. Satiety still stuck at 80%.
[Nearby 17837891]: So if you don't earn points, you're actually going to die? Didn't someone in our zone clear the game? Did they use the food and cleaning packs?
[Nearby 20109]: Not yet. The descriptions say it's only life-threatening below 20%. I'm planning to wait until my stats drop to 30% before using them. Gotta save points.
Chu Yian nodded in agreement.
So true.
She had wasted two points yesterday out of curiosity.
Now she deeply regretted it.
Day 2.
Most players dropped to 70%.
Chu Yian, who used her packs yesterday, was still at 80%.
Day 3 morning.
The next game hadn't started yet, but most players were down to 60%.
Chu Yian was at 70%.
On the forum, people started reporting hunger symptoms at 60%.
[World 7387481]: This is crazy. I used to feel full after one slice of bread. Today I ate three—nothing. No effect.
[World 5882783]: If 70% already feels like this… are we gonna start gnawing on tree bark at 30%?
[World 4331831]: I can deal with hunger, but being filthy? Nope. I swear I can smell myself.
[World 837218]: Dude above is such a princess. I'm just jealous of the people who cleared the game. They don't have to worry about this crap. If only I'd had the guts to run—I could've made it to the safe zone.
[World 7381783]: I keep feeling like there's a knife hanging over my head.
[World 671732]: We have to earn points. If not, we'll starve to death. Simple as that.
Chu Yian kept reading while occasionally standing up to stretch, warming up for the next round.
2:00 p.m.
The system broadcast rang out right on time.
[Tutorial Game: Death Plague]
[Game Objective: A new pandemic has broken out worldwide. Players must survive for 30 days and obtain the special vaccine within the final 10 days.]
[Starting Resources: 2,000 currency units]
[Starting Items: ID card, 1 outfit, communication device]
[Current Player Count: 6,103,281,134]
[Warning: You can only earn survival resources by clearing the game. Take it seriously!]
The game had begun.
This time, Chu Yian found herself standing in a wide-open airport.
She was wearing casual travel clothes, a backpack slung over her shoulder.
Inside were her ID card, a mobile phone, and 2,000 in cash.
Around her, people moved busily through the terminal of Da'an International Airport.
She remembered the objective—a global pandemic.
That meant being around crowds was dangerous.
She shouldered her backpack and sprinted toward the airport exit.
Then quickly flagged down a taxi to head into the city.
"Where to, miss?"
The driver glanced at her through the mirror as he drove.
"The city's huge, you know. I can take you wherever—long ride, though. Hope you don't mind the fare."