The gymnasium was packed.
Not because of a tournament.
Not because of an announcement.
Because people were watching.
A giant digital timer floated above the basketball court.
00:08:17
The countdown for the Daily Optional Challenge.
Rows of students stood around the court, whispering.
Some excited.
Some terrified.
Some simply curious.
Lin Xia, Yue Ning, and Mei Chen remained near the entrance.
Watching.
Learning.
"We're still not participating?"
Mei Chen asked.
Lin Xia shook her head.
"Not until we know everything."
🔹 A VOLUNTEER
A boy stepped onto the court.
He couldn't have been older than sixteen.
His school uniform was slightly oversized.
His hands trembled.
A system window appeared.
Player: Zhao Jun
Daily Challenge Accepted
A second player walked forward.
A tall girl with braided hair.
Calm.
Confident.
Both nodded.
The challenge was accepted.
🔹 TODAY'S GAME
A transparent table rose from the floor.
On it—
A stack of colorful wooden blocks.
The screen displayed the rules.
Game: Tower Balance
Players take turns removing one wooden block and placing it on top.
The tower must remain standing.
If the tower collapses during your turn, you lose.
Mei Chen blinked.
"...It's just Jenga."
Han Rui, standing nearby, quietly corrected her.
"It's never just the game."
🔹 THE MATCH
The crowd gathered closer.
No shouting.
Only tense silence.
The first few turns were simple.
Both players carefully removed blocks from the lower levels.
Each successful move made the tower slightly taller.
Slightly less stable.
Yue Ning whispered,
"They're not rushing."
Lin Xia nodded.
"They're studying the structure."
The tower leaned.
Recovered.
Leaned again.
Every move increased the pressure.
🔹 THE CRITICAL MOMENT
Nearly twenty turns later—
The tower looked impossible.
Only a few safe blocks remained.
Zhao Jun wiped sweat from his forehead.
He examined every side.
He even crouched to look at the lower layers.
Finally—
He gently touched one block.
Stopped.
Moved to another.
Stopped again.
The audience held its breath.
Slowly...
He slid a block free.
Millimeter by millimeter.
The tower swayed.
Mei Chen instinctively grabbed Yue Ning's sleeve.
"No..."
The tower settled.
Safe.
A wave of relieved sighs spread through the crowd.
🔹 PRESSURE
Now it was the girl's turn.
She smiled faintly.
Instead of looking at the tower—
She watched Zhao Jun.
Lin Xia immediately noticed.
"...She's reading him."
Yue Ning frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"She wants to know which blocks he avoided."
Mei Chen's eyes widened.
"So she's using his fear as information."
Exactly.
🔹 DEFEAT
The girl chose a block.
Removed it cleanly.
Placed it on top.
The tower survived.
Now...
Only one dangerous move remained.
Everyone knew it.
Zhao Jun knew it too.
He looked at the tower.
Closed his eyes.
And smiled weakly.
"...I don't think there's a safe move left."
Nobody answered.
He reached out.
Removed a block.
The tower stood still.
For one second.
Two.
Three.
Then—
The entire structure collapsed.
Wooden blocks scattered across the floor.
The system chimed.
Winner Confirmed
Silence.
🔹 THE PUNISHMENT
Everyone looked at Zhao Jun.
Waiting.
Nothing happened.
Mei Chen frowned.
"...I thought the loser gets punished."
Han Rui looked toward the audience.
"...Watch."
The winner didn't look at Zhao Jun.
She looked into the crowd.
Her eyes stopped on another student.
A girl wearing glasses.
"...Her."
The gymnasium froze.
The chosen girl stood abruptly.
"...What?"
The winner calmly spoke.
"She's his older sister."
Silence.
System text appeared.
Relationship Confirmed
Penalty Transfer Authorized
The sister's expression turned to horror.
"...No..."
🔹 THE COST
A glowing bracelet formed around her wrist.
Numbers appeared.
72:00:00
Yue Ning whispered,
"...A timer?"
Han Rui nodded.
"If she doesn't win a challenge within seventy-two hours..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't have to.
Everyone understood.
🔹 THE CROWD
Nobody cheered.
Nobody celebrated.
Students quietly stepped farther away from friends.
Classmates.
Siblings.
Partners.
Version 2.0 wasn't making people afraid of losing.
It was making them afraid of caring.
🔹 THE GIRLS
As they left the gym—
None of them spoke.
Finally Mei Chen broke the silence.
"...That's disgusting."
Lin Xia nodded slowly.
"It isn't trying to defeat players anymore."
"It's redesigning society."
Yue Ning looked back at the gymnasium.
"And if this keeps happening..."
"...Eventually nobody will trust anyone."
🔹 FINAL SCENE
In the control room...
A graph appeared.
COOPERATION INDEX
Yesterday: 81%
Today: 69%
Projected Tomorrow: 57%
Another graph rose beside it.
SELF-PRESERVATION INDEX
Increasing...
The unseen observer quietly recorded the data.
"Excellent."
A pause.
"Human isolation is progressing faster than expected."
The monitor faded to black.
Only one message remained.
Behavioral Experiment #2: Successful