Zi-Kai, Player 56, and Player 1 stood at the door, watching as people came in.
After a while, they saw Jung-Hyuk.
Player 56 stepped forward and said, "You're alive, thank goodness."
Jung-Hyuk smiled, put his hand on Zi-Kai's shoulder, and returned to his bed.
The broadcast sounded:
"Now announcing the results of the second game."
On the screen, the number of participants began to drop.
"Out of 321 participants in the second game, 81 have been eliminated."
Above them, the piggy-bank-shaped container began to fill with cash.
Everyone stared at it with greed in their eyes.
"The prize money from this round is 8.1 billion won. The accumulated total prize money is now 21.6 billion won."
Player 202 cursed, "Damn it, only that few died."
Soon, the broadcast continued:
"It is now mealtime. All participants, please line up in the center of the dormitory."
After getting her food, Player 1 walked up to Jung-Hyuk and asked, "Does the plan start today?"
Jung-Hyuk shook his head, "Not today."
Player 56 asked, "Why not?"
Jung-Hyuk said, "Because today, they might force us to kill each other."
Player 1's eyes widened, "Really?"
Jung-Hyuk nodded, "Let's just survive today. We'll plan again tomorrow."
Zi-Kai silently observed Jung-Hyuk.
Then Player 56 said, "Since we've got nothing else to do, let's exchange names. I'll start. I'm Yong-Jun, Zhang Yong-Jun."
Player 1 said, "I'm Emma."
Player 56 asked, "And you two?"
Zi-Kai introduced himself: "I'm Zi-Kai, Jiang Zi-Kai."
Jung-Hyuk followed, "Lee Jung-Hyuk."
Meanwhile, outside.
Jun-Su was summoned to headquarters.
At headquarters, his captain said: "We found an MP5 submachine gun bullet casing near the harbor you mentioned. I've already reported it to our superiors."
Jun-Su said firmly: "You must find that island as soon as possible, and deploy more manpower. It's already the second day. That game only lasts six days."
The captain said impatiently: "Alright, I know. If there's any news, we'll inform you immediately."
Jun-Su nodded: "Thank you, Captain."
The captain looked at him with a dismissive expression.
Back in the dormitory, Jung-Hyuk told the three of them: "Tonight we'll take turns keeping watch, in case they attack us."
The three of them nodded.
That night, Player 85 walked over to Soo-Mi: "Can't sleep?"
Soo-Mi looked at her and replied: "No, I'm just scared of the people here."
Player 85 asked: "Why did you come here?"
Soo-Mi said softly: "I used to have a happy family, until that accident ruined everything."
Player 85 asked: "What accident?"
Soo-Mi said: "Do you know about the Sewol ferry disaster? My child died in that tragedy." As she spoke, a tear rolled down her cheek.
She choked up and continued:"At first, I was just a stay-at-home mother. My husband supported us. After that incident, he divorced me. Without financial support, I had to find a job. The job I got paid very little. Bankruptcy loomed over me again and again. In the end, I had no choice but to come here."
Player 85 gently patted her shoulder to comfort her.
Soo-Mi then asked, "What's your relationship with that guy? Why does he keep bullying you?"
Player 85 replied with a bitter smile, "Can't you tell? It's because of all this fat."
Both of them chuckled lightly.
Player 85 continued, "I really envy you. You're so beautiful."
Soo-Mi said, "You're beautiful too."
Player 85 smiled. "Thank you."
Not long after, the lights suddenly came on.
The broadcast announced:
"The third game will begin shortly. All players, please follow the staff's instructions."
As Soo-Mi got out of bed, Player 18 walked over and said, "Make sure you survive the next game."
Soo-Mi glared at him and snapped, "You bastard!"
Player 18 smirked, "What's wrong? Upset? Your mommy isn't here, so you've got no one to complain to."
He then walked toward Player 239.
They followed the staff into a pure white arena.
The broadcast sounded:
"Welcome to the third game. This time, the game is a team match. Each team must consist of eight players. Time limit: 10 minutes. I repeat, this game is a team match. Each team must form groups of eight players within 10 minutes."
Yong-Jun looked at Jung-Hyuk and the others, "There are four of us. Each of us should go find one more."
Zi-Kai said, "Alright."
Emma approached Soo-Mi, "Hello, if you don't have a team yet, we have space."
Soo-Mi nodded, "But I have a friend with me."
Emma said, "That's fine. Where is she?"
Player 85 stepped out.
Meanwhile, Player 202 and Player 62 approached Player 239's group, "Let's form a team."
Emma returned to Yong-Jun, "You don't need to search anymore, I found two."
Soon, everyone regrouped. Jung-Hyuk had found one, Zi-Kai had found one, and together they made exactly eight.
The broadcast announced:
"Team formation time is over. All teams, line up at the entrance to the arena."
Before long, the gates opened.
Everyone gasped when they saw the elevated platform.
A masked man explained:
"Welcome to the third game. This game is a Quiz Contest. You will answer questions on the platform above. Within five minutes, answer five questions correctly and the gate on the other side will open. Reaching the second platform means victory. Each question allows only 20 seconds to answer. Now, we will draw lots to determine which teams will face off. All players, sit down. First, we'll draw a team for the left platform."
He drew a number, "Team 5, stand up. Next, for the right platform."
He drew another, "Team 3, stand up. Team 5 and Team 3 will face each other. Please enter the arena."
Team 5 was Player 239's team. Team 3 was a group of older people and uneducated youngsters.
They took the elevator to the top. Player 202 looked down at the dizzying height and shuddered.
The door in front opened, and they stepped onto a platform barely the width of a foot.
With a gunshot, the game began.
The first question appeared on the screen: "How many presidents has South Korea had?"
Player 62 trembled: "Twelve… twelve presidents."
The screen displayed a checkmark.
The second question: "What is South Korea's total population?"
Player 202 answered, "45 million."
The screen showed a cross.
Player 239 shouted angrily, "If you don't know, don't spout nonsense!"
Suddenly, the wall behind them pushed forward.
Player 431 of Team 5 lost balance and fell from the platform, crashing to his death.
Two members of Team 3 also fell.
Jung-Hyuk trembled at the horrifying sight.
The next question appeared: "When was South Korea founded?"
Player 132 answered, "August 15, 1948."
The screen showed a checkmark.
A minute passed. They had answered two questions correctly.
Two minutes later, they got another right, while Team 3 had not answered a single one.
Player 239 cursed, "For fuck's sake, hurry up and say something!"
At that moment, another teammate lost his balance and fell. His organs splattered upon impact.
Twenty seconds passed with no answer. The screen moved on: "Name three Korean variety shows."
Player 239 shouted, "Running Man, Summer Vacation, Give Me Money."
The screen displayed a checkmark.
Only half a minute remained. The screen showed the next question: "Name three cold-blooded animals."
Player 18 answered, "Snake, crocodile, frog."
The screen displayed a checkmark.
They had reached five correct answers. The gate on the other side opened.
Players 239, 202, 62, and 18 leaped onto the platform.
Player 132 tried to jump as well, but time ran out. The wall thrust forward, knocking him down.
Team 3, having answered none correctly, was wiped out entirely.
Player 202 looked down at the pile of corpses, his face pale with fear.
The broadcast announced:
"Eliminated players: Player 132, Player 235, Player 358, Player 66, Player 174, Player 409, Player 205, Player 79, Player 222, Player 61, Player 45, Player 40."