The bell rang.
Classes were over.
Or rather...
The school wanted everyone to believe classes were over.
Students poured into the corridors, but there was no laughter.
No conversations about homework.
No plans for the weekend.
Only whispers.
Only suspicious glances.
Only people carefully avoiding eye contact.
Version 2.0 had changed the atmosphere of the entire school.
The three girls walked together in silence.
Mei Chen kicked an empty juice carton lying in the hallway.
"I hate this place."
The carton bounced against a locker.
Nobody even looked.
Yue Ning adjusted the notebook tucked under her arm.
"It worked."
Mei Chen frowned.
"What worked?"
"The system."
Yue Ning looked around the corridor.
"People aren't scared of punishment anymore."
"They're scared of each other."
Lin Xia stopped walking.
"...Listen."
They fell silent.
Somewhere down the hallway...
Students were whispering.
"...Did you hear?"
"...Another one..."
"...Third floor..."
"...No way..."
"...Already?"
Mei Chen sighed.
"Great."
"Now what?"
🔹 THE CROWD
The whispers led them toward the old music building.
Unlike the rest of the campus...
This hallway was crowded.
Dozens of students had gathered outside a classroom.
Nobody dared step inside.
Nobody dared leave.
They were simply...
Watching.
Lin Xia gently pushed through the crowd.
"What happened?"
A nervous boy answered without taking his eyes off the classroom.
"...Someone received an invitation."
"...Invitation?"
He nodded.
"You don't reject invitations."
"...Why?"
The boy looked at her as though she'd asked whether gravity existed.
"Because nobody has."
🔹 ROOM 305
The classroom door stood open.
Inside...
Everything looked normal.
Desks.
Chairs.
A whiteboard.
Sunlight streamed through the dusty windows.
Except for one thing.
A crimson envelope rested neatly on a student's desk.
Perfectly centered.
The student stood frozen.
He looked seventeen.
His name badge read:
LI WEI
His hands shook so badly he couldn't even reach for the envelope.
A translucent notification floated above it.
SPECIAL INVITATION
Recipient Confirmed
Awaiting Response
Nobody moved.
🔹 THE RUMORS
Students whispered around them.
"...My senior said invitations only appear after major system updates."
"...They're extremely rare."
"...Nobody knows how recipients are chosen."
"...I've heard everyone who's accepted either became incredibly powerful..."
A pause.
"...Or disappeared."
Mei Chen folded her arms.
"That's reassuring."
🔹 ACCEPTANCE
Li Wei finally took a deep breath.
Slowly...
He picked up the envelope.
The red wax seal broke by itself.
He never touched it.
The letter unfolded in midair.
Golden words appeared.
Dear Li Wei,
You are cordially invited to participate in an Exhibition Match.
Opponent: Unknown
Venue: Auditorium
Time: Tonight, 8:00 PM
Attendance is voluntary.
Acceptance requires only one word.
The classroom became deathly quiet.
Li Wei swallowed.
"...If I don't accept?"
The letter answered immediately.
Invitation expires in ten minutes.
"...And?"
No response.
🔹 THE CHOICE
The timer appeared.
09:59
It immediately began counting down.
Students stared.
Some silently urged him to refuse.
Others hoped he would accept.
Curiosity was stronger than fear.
Mei Chen whispered,
"This feels wrong."
Lin Xia nodded.
"The wording."
Yue Ning looked up.
"...Voluntary."
Lin Xia continued.
"It keeps emphasizing choice."
"But it's hiding the consequences."
🔹 A SMALL DETAIL
Yue Ning suddenly noticed something strange.
The envelope.
It wasn't generated by the system.
It had...
Handwriting.
Real handwriting.
She stepped closer.
The signature at the bottom was barely visible.
Only two letters remained.
X.O
Her heartbeat quickened.
"This..."
She whispered.
"...Someone actually wrote this."
🔹 THE DECISION
The countdown reached one minute.
Li Wei closed his eyes.
His breathing became steady.
Then...
He smiled.
A tired smile.
"I've spent three years surviving."
He looked around the room.
"I'm tired of hiding."
He looked at the floating invitation.
"...I accept."
The letter burst into thousands of glowing red fragments.
Every classroom screen across the school lit up.
SPECIAL EXHIBITION MATCH CONFIRMED
Audience Attendance Available
Broadcast Begins at 20:00
The hallway exploded with whispers.
"Broadcast?"
"...Everyone can watch?"
"...An exhibition match?"
Mei Chen looked at Lin Xia.
"...We're going."
Lin Xia didn't answer immediately.
She looked at the place where the invitation had disappeared.
"No."
Both girls turned toward her.
"We're investigating first."
🔹 A HIDDEN MESSAGE
As the crowd dispersed...
Yue Ning noticed something on the classroom desk.
Hidden beneath where the envelope had rested.
Three tiny engraved letters.
So small that nobody else had seen them.
M.W.
Her eyes widened.
Master Wen?
Before she could tell the others...
The letters slowly faded away.
As though they had never existed.
🔹 FINAL SCENE
Far beneath the school...
Inside a chamber lined with hundreds of unopened crimson envelopes...
A mechanical arm carefully wrote another name.
The ink shimmered black before drying into deep crimson.
The envelope sealed itself with red wax.
A screen beside it displayed only one line.
Next Candidate Selected
The camera slowly turned.
The name on the envelope remained hidden.
Only the first letter could be seen.
L
The machine placed it neatly onto a growing stack.
And somewhere in the darkness...
Someone whispered with quiet satisfaction.
"The next experiment begins tonight."