021 The End of the Great Escape

By the time we returned to the surveillance room, an hour had already passed. Fortunately, Han Xue and Wen Lingyu had come back unharmed as well, and our group was no smaller than before. The deadly game was nearing its end—the battle between the Medical and Engineering faculties had reached its conclusion, and finally, a list of two hundred survivors was sent to our phones.

Zhang Yisheng, Wang Yan, Lin Xiayue, and Su Mu were all still alive, each possessing abilities. Wang Yan, in particular, was an enemy with whom we had a blood feud. The number of survivors from other faculties was sparse, and apart from Wang Yan, who stood alone, the others were similarly diminished.

Only three girls remained from the Law School: Zhou Zitong, Jiang Tingjie, and Xia Qingqiu.

The Agricultural School had only Su Mu and Cheng Gen Tu.

In the Arts School, save for Han Xue and Wen Lingyu whom we protected, no others survived.

Our group comprised the sole survivors from the Business School; the Engineering and Medical faculties still had the greatest numbers.

Walking out of the teaching building alive did not bring the relief I had imagined. Though we survived, we had made enemies of formidable foes. The promises I once made were unfulfilled; those I sought to protect ultimately became pawns. I felt myself an unfit leader, unsuited for command.

I could not inspire; I failed to protect others. I used people as bait to secure my own survival—such selfishness was hardly the mark of a leader.

The message for the third round arrived. I did not even look at it, nor did I have the heart to say farewell; I simply returned to my dorm alone.

The dormitory was cold and gloomy, the wind howling in through the window, yet I felt nothing.

Shadows gathered at my side, a crowd of ruthless figures intent on my death. I merely sneered.

“Looking for trouble? I’m not in the mood.” Two streaks of light flashed in my hand, and in an instant, all the soulless ones were destroyed.

Dragging my weary body, I returned to my dorm, climbed onto my bed, and sat in a daze, waiting for Third Brother’s return.

Though I knew no one would ever lie in that bed again, I deceived myself, insisting it was all a dream, all false, and I would soon awaken.

I stared at Third Brother’s bunk, the mark of the Black Spade Two glowing relentlessly on my skin.

Tan Tou, Lin Wan, Han Xue, and others messaged me; my phone rang nonstop. At last, I simply switched it off, granting myself some peace.

It was time to reflect, to consider what lay ahead. Could I truly lead them forward? Was there any future left in this place?

I asked myself two questions, and my mind was flooded with memories of everything that had happened—events that all began that night.

That strange corridor, those thirteen odd doorways—what were they, what triggered this murderous game?

Why did the school authorities not intervene? Where had our teachers gone? Why was there no police, no concern from outside? Had we truly been completely isolated?

Were we the last survivors, forgotten by the world? I mocked myself as my eyelids grew heavy, and at last, with my mind reaching its limit, I fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, I awoke at noon. It had been a long time since I slept so soundly. Even though I was still alone in the dorm, life had to go on.

I turned on my phone and began replying to messages, and checked the instructions for the third round.

“Third Round Game: Handkerchief Drop. One person is randomly given a white handkerchief. If, within one hour, they pass it to another, they exit the game.”

“Location: University Hospital.”

“Participants: Engineering, Arts, and Business Schools.”

“Note: The holder of the handkerchief will be pursued by a vengeful ghost. If the holder dies, the game randomly selects another person to begin.”

“Game Time: Wednesday afternoon.”

Wednesday afternoon—that was today. Checking the time, there were less than two hours until the game began.

I went to the next dorm to find Chen Hao and Tan Tou. The three of us ate together; the others were nowhere to be found.

“Tan Tou, do you think what I did was right?” I asked as I picked at the last of my meal.

“If you believe it’s right, then it is,” replied Tan Tou, without looking up. “Trust your own judgment.”

“Zijian, let’s keep practicing boxing after this round,” Chen Hao said with a grin. It seemed he had already forgotten the dire situation we were in. Who could think of training when their lives were at stake? Yet Chen Hao’s cheerful, simple nature gave me a glimmer of hope for the future.

“Thanks, brother.”

Brotherhood meant always having someone behind you, someone to support and help you. That was how Tan Tou and I were. Mutual trust was our greatest strength, and I trusted Chen Hao completely as well.

At the university hospital, we met old acquaintances again: Lin Wan, Lu Ling, and the last two from the Arts School, Han Xue and Wen Lingyu. Seeing us, they naturally joined our group. Soon after, Wu Mingran, Sun Cheng, Li Yuan, and Pang Dongqiang joined us. Gradually, the remaining members of the Engineering School arrived.

I instructed my team: whoever received the white handkerchief must immediately pass it to the next person, so as to escape as quickly as possible.

The priority was Han Xue, Wen Lingyu, Li Yuan, Wu Mingran, Sun Cheng, Pang Dongqiang, Chen Hao, Tan Tou, myself, Lu Ling, and Lin Wan.

Ordinary people without abilities were to exit first, followed by us ability users. Lin Wan was last because his ability was acceleration, making this round easy for him.

As for the remaining Engineering students, I had no intention of saving them. Lin Wan seemed indifferent; apart from Lu Ling, he had no friends left.

Yet I felt certain there were more ability users in Engineering than just those two. For safety’s sake, we had to preserve our strength and keep our abilities hidden.

This time, Lin Wan and Lu Ling provided portable walkie-talkies so we could report our positions at any time.

While being together made it easier to pass the handkerchief, the appearance of a vengeful ghost could wipe out the whole group. Even ability users weren’t confident they could defeat such a ghost.

The third round began quickly. Our group entered the university hospital first, swiftly ascending to the second floor.

Soon after, the Engineering faculty’s main force arrived, crowding the hall and leaving no room for escape.

I watched from the stairwell on the first floor, when suddenly a white handkerchief descended from above, covering a man’s eyes. There was a sharp, shrill scream, and a white shadow rushed over, reaching the blinded man in moments.

Grabbing both his arms, the ghost tore him in two.

After a few seconds of silence, chaos erupted as the remaining men screamed and scattered in every direction.

The next moment, the white handkerchief flew onto another man’s face, this time binding his mouth so he could make no sound. He struggled but could not remove it.

The ghostly woman in white approached, seemingly savoring the hunt.

The young man, desperate and sobbing, dropped to his knees, banging his head on the floor.

It was useless. The ghost cleanly severed his head, and the handkerchief flew again, covering another man’s ears.

This man, however, did not panic. Moving quickly, he retreated from the ghost and, learning from the previous victims, wasted no time trying to remove the handkerchief. Instead, he immediately grabbed a nearby man; as soon as he touched him, the handkerchief dropped off and latched onto the next victim’s eyes.

The ghost glanced at him reluctan