The masked man said: "Next, drawing the next matchup. Team 10."
Jung-Hyuk's team stood up.
"Team 19."
Another team stood up as well.
"Team 10 and Team 19, please enter the arena."
On the way following the masked man, Player 202 passed by Player 85 and said: "Fat pig, I won't have to see you anymore."
Player 85 lowered her head and ignored him.
Soo-Mi glared at Player 202 with murderous eyes.
Player 18 said to Player 202: "Only my sister would be friends with someone like that."
Player 202 asked: "Your real sister?"
Player 18 said: "Probably not."
They both laughed.
Meanwhile, on the elevator, Jung-Hyuk told his teammates: "When the questions come, only answer if you're sure."
Yong-Jun said: "Yes, come on, we can do this."
Before long, the door in front opened, and they stepped onto the terrifying platform.
With a gunshot, the game began.
The first question: "Name three animals that breathe with lungs in the water."
Jung-Hyuk quickly answered: "Whale, dolphin, seal."
The screen displayed a checkmark.
The second question: "Name five main gases in Earth's atmosphere."
Soo-Mi said: "Oxygen, carbon dioxide, uh…"
At that moment, Player 85 told Soo-Mi: "If I fall, please avenge me."
Ten seconds remained, Team 19 hadn't answered either.
Time up, next question.
The wall pushed forward. Because of Player 85's large body, she lost her balance and fell.
Soo-Mi screamed: "No!"
With a loud thud, Player 85 died.
The third question: "Name the eight planets in English."
While everyone was confused, Emma spoke up: "Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune."
Jung-Hyuk and Zi-Kai looked at her in shock.
The fourth question: "19 + 17 ÷ 5 = ?"
Zi-Kai made some gestures in the air. Team 19 answered: "21…"
Zi-Kai interrupted: "22.4."
The screen displayed a checkmark.
Before long, they answered another question correctly.
Two players from Team 19 fell.
The next question: "What is the area of South Korea?"
Yong-Jun quickly said: "10.33 square kilometers."
The screen displayed a checkmark.
They had answered five questions. The door on the other side opened. Jung-Hyuk immediately jumped across, followed by the others.
Player 258 tried to jump, but slipped, dragging Player 303 down with him.
Jung-Hyuk froze in shock at the sight.
On the other side, the wall behind Team 19 pushed forward entirely, and they all fell.
At that moment, the Host was in headquarters, watching Jung-Hyuk.
Jung-Hyuk's group took the elevator down to return to the dormitory. On the way, Player 56 asked Soo-Mi: "Pretty lady, what's your name?"
Soo-Mi said: "My name is Park Soo-Mi."
Soon after, they returned to the dormitory.
Player 202 looked at them and said: "The fat pig didn't come back? Ah, what a pity."
Soo-Mi glared at him in fury.
Player 18 added: "Ah, such a pathetic loser with no friends."
Yong-Jun then stepped forward and said: "What do you mean no friends? We are his friends."
Player 18 sneered: "You look like an idiot."
Then Player 18 and his group burst out laughing.
Yong-Jun couldn't hold it in anymore and was about to charge forward, but Jung-Hyuk pulled him back.
The scene shifted—when the game ended, the dormitory screen displayed: "102 players remaining, 35.4 billion won prize money."
While eating, Jung-Hyuk told the others: "Eat more. We'll need strength for the work later."
Soo-Mi asked: "What work?"
Emma whispered in her ear…
The broadcast announced:
"Lights out in 30 minutes. Please prepare to sleep."
Jung-Hyuk exchanged a look with Zi-Kai. Zi-Kai told Emma, Yong-Jun, and Soo-Mi: "After lights out, we start the plan. Do not engage with Player 18's group, understand?"
They nodded.
When the 30-minute countdown ended, the dormitory went dark.
Emma and Soo-Mi went to a small door, speaking to the masked man through a small window: "We need to use the bathroom."
The masked man replied: "No. Exits are forbidden now."
Emma said: "Oh, come on, let us go, pity us girls."
The masked man repeated: "No. Exits are forbidden now."
Emma snapped: "You triangular-masked guy, bring your superior, the square mask. I want to speak with him."
A square-masked man leaned forward and said: "No. Exits are forbidden now."
Then he closed the small window.
Emma continued pleading pitifully: "We women are born with shorter urethras than you men. Men can hold it, but we can't. Didn't you say bringing us here was giving us a chance? If I die from holding my pee, then…"
Halfway through, the door opened.
As Emma and Soo-Mi went in, Jung-Hyuk and two others rushed in as well.
They shut the door, subdued the masked men, and took their guns and radios.
They secured three guns—two submachine guns and one pistol.
Jung-Hyuk handed the pistol to Yong-Jun: "Take this. You and the two girls stay here and keep watch. Zi-Kai and I will take this masked man to their headquarters."
Yong-Jun nodded.
Then Jung-Hyuk switched the three radios to another channel.
He handed two radios to Yong-Jun, then left with Zi-Kai.
Jung-Hyuk pointed his gun at the square-masked man: "Remove your mask."
The square-masked man slowly took it off.
Seeing his young face, Yong-Jun said: "Do your parents know what you're doing here?"
Then Jung-Hyuk dragged him, forcing him to lead them to headquarters.
Soon after, they arrived somewhere.
The masked man said: "You need a mask to get inside."
He picked up the square mask. The scanner activated.
The door opened, and they went inside.
Meanwhile, Emma told Yong-Jun: "Keep an eye on those two."
Then she walked away.
Jung-Hyuk and Zi-Kai pushed the masked man through a dark corridor.
Jung-Hyuk whispered: "How much farther to headquarters?"
The masked man trembled: "Turn right ahead… the control center is there."
As soon as he finished, someone in the distance shot the masked man dead.
Masked men hiding around the corner opened fire on Jung-Hyuk and Zi-Kai. They immediately ducked behind cover.
Zi-Kai shouted: "You draw their fire here, I'll flank and kill them!"
Jung-Hyuk nodded.
As Jung-Hyuk fired to distract, Zi-Kai moved around.
Meanwhile, Yong-Jun was still aiming at the masked men. The two looked at each other.
Yong-Jun demanded: "What are you trying to do?!"
Then, the masked men suddenly lunged.
In the chaos, Yong-Jun fired—killing the first one, then shooting the other who had knocked down Soo-Mi.
The gunfire alarmed the entire dormitory.
Yong-Jun grabbed Soo-Mi's hand and ran back to the dorm.
The scene shifted—Jung-Hyuk shot one masked man, then grabbed his radio: "Did you flank them?"
Zi-Kai's voice came back: "I've been shot."
Jung-Hyuk's pupils widened in shock.
He shouted: "Wait, I'm coming!"
Zi-Kai said: "Don't come. They've surrounded me. I'm sorry… Jung-Hyuk."
Just as Jung-Hyuk was frozen in despair, Emma appeared behind him.
Before he could ask why she was there, masked men surrounded them from both sides.
They knelt with their hands on their heads.
At this moment, Jung-Hyuk saw Zi-Kai walking into the headquarters.
Jung-Hyuk shouted loudly: "Zi-Kai! You despicable pet dog!"
Zi-Kai on the other side stood there. After he recovered, he walked in.
The Host emerged.
Jung-Hyuk raised his head to look at him.
The Host asked: "Player 357, how does it feel to play the hero?"
Jung-Hyuk glared at him in anger.
The Host continued: "What you don't know is—the one beside you is actually a VIP spectator of this game."
Jung-Hyuk turned in shock toward Emma.
Stammering, he said: "You… you…"
The Host pointed a gun at Jung-Hyuk. "Player 357, now I'll show you the price of being a hero."
Just as Jung-Hyuk braced for death, the Host turned the gun toward Emma.
Emma shook her head at Jung-Hyuk.
Then, BANG!—Emma collapsed to the ground.
Jung-Hyuk roared in fury and charged at the Host, but the masked men pinned him down.
Tears of helplessness streamed down Jung-Hyuk's face.
The masked men scanned Emma's ear. The broadcast announced:
"Player 1, eliminated."