With the countdown from the broadcast, Zhen-Yan slowly picked up the glass bottle in his hand.
"10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1"
With a "beep," all the lights went out. The atmosphere felt eerie and chilling.
The VIPs and the Host watched everything through thermal imaging.
VIP 4 said: "Become exciting!"
Zhen-Yan and Yoo-Chun started moving, slowly approaching the players.
Yoo-Chun stood behind Player 131 and whispered: "Oh, little baby, what are you looking at?"
Player 131 screamed, and Yoo-Chun stabbed his neck with the glass bottle, again and again.
The dormitory lights began to flicker.
Player 262 saw people frantically running, when suddenly his bedframe was pushed over, and he fell to the ground with it.
In the flickering lights, Player 370 spotted Player 99. He rushed at him with the glass bottle.
As Player 99 panicked, Player 370 kicked him to the ground, then stabbed him repeatedly with the bottle. Just like that, Player 99 died in a pool of blood.
Zhi-Xuan stood nearby, frozen in shock.
Player 370 noticed Zhi-Xuan and charged at him with the bottle. Just as he was about to stab, Player 262 tackled him aside, then pulled Zhi-Xuan to escape.
On the other side, Jung-Hyuk pulled Soo-Mi and Bei-Bei, just as Zhen-Yan and Yoo-Chun blocked their path.
Jung-Hyuk whispered to Soo-Mi and Bei-Bei: "Run!"
Then he rushed at Zhen-Yan.
Soo-Mi and Bei-Bei crawled under a bed.
Jung-Hyuk first knocked Zhen-Yan down, then smashed the bottle against Yoo-Chun. Seeing Zhen-Yan about to stand up, Jung-Hyuk kicked him into the crowd. Yoo-Chun, realizing the situation, ran away.
Jung-Hyuk looked at fleeing Yoo-Chun, then at Player 262 and Zhi-Xuan running over. He pulled them under the bed together.
The dormitory turned into hell on earth—death battles erupted everywhere. Some had their necks twisted, others were stabbed with bottles.
Meanwhile, Jun-Su and Ming-Yu stood just behind the dormitory doors. In tacit agreement, they stepped back.
Soon, the door opened. Masked men were about to rush in when a grenade rolled at their feet.
"Boom!" All the masked men were blown apart, and the fighting in the dormitory ceased.
VIP 1 looked at the screen and said: "What the hell?"
The Host spoke into his radio: "Capture them immediately!"
Then, Jun-Su and Ming-Yu ran into the center of the dormitory, removing their masks.
Ming-Yu shouted: "Jung-Hyuk, Jung-Hyuk! Where are you?"
Jung-Hyuk, shocked, crawled out from under the bed.
Just then, behind them, a mortally wounded masked man used his last strength to fire at Jun-Su.
Ming-Yu reacted, shooting the masked man dead.
Jun-Su looked down at the wound on his body, then collapsed to the ground.
Ming-Yu rushed to hold him.
Jun-Su whispered: "I... I'm sorry."
Blood poured from his mouth as he died.
Jung-Hyuk stared at the scene, lost for words.
He asked: "Is... is he the only police officer?"
With tears in his eyes, Ming-Yu nodded.
Then, more masked men entered, subduing people and dragging Ming-Yu away.
Jung-Hyuk shoved them aside, trying to take Ming-Yu back. The masked men aimed their guns at him.
Jung-Hyuk shouted: "Come on! Shoot me! Kill me, you bastards!"
He struggled, but was brutally pinned to the ground. Ming-Yu was dragged away.
The masked men began scanning the ears of the dead.
The broadcast sounded: "Player 131, eliminated. Player 201, eliminated..."
Later, Player 262 asked Zhi-Xuan: "Are you okay?"
Choking up, Zhi-Xuan replied: "My best friend... was killed by that scum." A tear fell as he continued: "We grew up together. He was smart, but bullied because he never fought back. Without him, I wouldn't be alive today. He said he'd stay with me until the end!"
He glared at Player 370.
Player 262 also turned his gaze to Player 370.
Jung-Hyuk asked Soo-Mi and Bei-Bei: "Are you both alright?"
They nodded.
Then, a masked man walked in and pressed a button on a remote. The player count decreased, and the prize money increased.
The masked man announced: "Last night, 23 players were eliminated. Nineteen players remain. The current prize pool is 43.7 billion won. Now, a vote will be held to decide whether to continue the game."
Meanwhile, Ming-Yu was brought into the Host's office.
The Host made a masked man sit down.
Then he told the man to remove his mask in front of Ming-Yu.
As the mask came off, Ming-Yu was shocked.
It was Zi-Kai.
Ming-Yu asked: "Why? Why you...?"
In the dormitory, Player 370 began jeering: "See? If Player 357 hadn't called for a vote, we wouldn't have slaughtered each other. It's all his fault. And you, those who voted X, do you still trust him?"
Yoo-Chun added: "That's right. We shouldn't trust someone who caused chaos."
The crowd started to roar in agreement.
Jung-Hyuk looked around in despair.
Soon, the vote ended. The tally stopped at 14:5.
The masked man announced: "According to your democratic vote, the next game will be held tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation."
Then he left.
Jung-Hyuk stood frozen, staring blankly at the floor.
The scene shifted. The Host placed a handgun in front of Zi-Kai and said: "Now you have two choices: either shoot him, or shoot yourself."
Ming-Yu asked: "Was it you who killed my son as well?"
Zi-Kai did not answer. Slowly, he picked up the gun and aimed it at Ming-Yu.
Ming-Yu just looked at him.
The Host also stared at Zi-Kai.
Suddenly, Zi-Kai turned the gun on the Host. The Host's bodyguard reacted instantly, shooting Zi-Kai dead.
Ming-Yu looked at Zi-Kai's body and muttered: "Why would you do something so foolish..."
The Host then pointed his gun at Ming-Yu and said: "Three years ago, it should have been you who died in that garbage heap, not your son. Now, you'll soon join your son and wife."
Ming-Yu glared at him, tears of rage in his eyes.
Then a gunshot rang out—
"Bang."