035 The Broken World

Terrified screams from the girls echoed all around.
"Han Xue? What's wrong?" I quickly asked Han Xue, since currently she was the only one who could both hear and speak to me.
"Someone is dead." This time it was Lin Wan, the Six of Spades, who spoke. Apparently, her hearing and speech hadn’t been taken from her.
"It seems the rules of this Broken World are simple," Lin Wan analyzed. "Each person loses one thing."
"Lin Zijian lost his sight, Sun Cheng his hearing, Chen Hao his speech, and Han Xue her arms."
Only after Lin Wan’s explanation did I understand why Han Xue could see the situation clearly—her loss was her arms.
"I’ve lost the ability to move my legs, and Lu Ling can’t speak," Lin Wan continued, explaining the scene for us disabled ones. "But those over there weren’t so lucky."
"The three who just died—one lost his head, one his heart, and the last..."
"The last one simply lay motionless on the ground," Han Xue said, forcing herself to stay calm.
"The body was intact, so his soul must have been directly obliterated," Lin Wan added.
"Wait, look over there," Han Xue suddenly exclaimed. "It looks like words are appearing."
I lifted my head too, though I couldn’t see anything.
"Game rules: within one day, reduce the number of players to less than half to complete the game."
Lin Wan read the rules aloud. Once again, it was a brutal battle for survival.
Kill others, or be killed yourself.
"Han Xue, gather our group together," I said.
Then... Suddenly I realized someone was holding me.
"Han Xue, enough. Now’s not the time," I said quickly—after all, I was currently lying atop Chen Hao, the Two of Diamonds. This girl was sprawled right across my back.
"Zijian, what are you talking about?" Han Xue’s voice came from in front of me.
So it wasn’t Han Xue on my back; it had to be Wen Lingyu.
"Wen Lingyu, cut it out—get off me!" I shouted, but then I heard Wen Lingyu’s voice coming from Han Xue’s direction.
"Lin Zijian, are you blind? I’m right next to Han Xue!"
Damn it—then who was on my back?
"Han Xue, who’s on top of me?" I called out, activating the power of the Two of Spades!
I shot two beams of light back with both hands.
Pang Dongqiang used his ability to immobilize the intruder, and I seemed to hear something shatter.
"It’s fine now," Pang Dongqiang said, coming up beside me.
Lin Wan added, "There are quite a few little ghosts in this game. Be careful."
"Especially you, Lin Zijian. Not being able to see is a real problem."
Indeed, I had become a burden to the team.
"Wen Lingyu and Pang Dongqiang have both lost their sense of smell."

"This time, our fighting force is just me, Chen Hao, Sun Cheng, and Lu Ling," Pang Dongqiang said, scanning the group.
Since I was blind, I couldn’t fight. And the two girls were to be protected.
Lin Wan, though she’d lost the use of her legs, could still support us with her Six of Spades ability.
Thanks to Lin Wan and Pang Dongqiang’s explanations, I understood our current situation. Almost everyone was on the rooftop—around fifty people.
Subtracting the three dead, forty-seven remained.
We’d have to see another twenty-two die to finish the game.
Our group had eight people; the other side had split into three factions: Lin Xiayue’s team, led by her with Chu Yuyan and Hu Xing’er; Zhang Yisheng leading a group of boys; and a third group, neutral and unaffiliated.
Those neutrals probably didn’t want to join the all-girls team, nor did they like Zhang Yisheng.
But Hu Xing’er and Chu Yuyan were actively recruiting: "Boys, come join us!"
"Our big sister will protect you, otherwise, you might not last long!"
Hu Xing’er even shot them a flirty wink.
Chu Yuyan chimed in, "Zhang Yisheng, bring your medical students to us. Our big sister will take good care of you."
But Zhang Yisheng was unmoved. Ever since our last fight, I hadn’t really gotten to know him.
The four groups staked out corners of the rooftop, no one making a rash move. We knew Lin Xiayue and Zhang Yisheng were both Pact-Bearers, so we didn’t attack first.
No one wanted to be the one that others took advantage of. Lin Wan urged a pre-emptive strike several times, but I wasn’t a killer at heart.
To spare the girls from the bloodshed, I had Chen Hao shield them, with Lu Ling joining to protect them as well.
Lin Wan said Lu Ling’s steel body had strong defensive power, so I entrusted the girls to him and Chen Hao.
Over on Lin Xiayue’s side, Chu Yuyan patiently tried to persuade the other two groups to join them.
But what use was that? In this game, you could only survive by killing.
If I hadn’t seen Chu Yuyan’s true face, I might have been deceived by her gentle appearance.
Zhang Yisheng and his group of boys weren’t swayed. They just waited in silence behind him.
Having fought Zhang Yisheng, we knew his strength—and there was someone else behind him who looked familiar.
Looking closely, I realized it was Su Mu from the Agricultural College, quietly blending into Zhang Yisheng’s team.
Minute by minute, time dragged on. No one made a move. The heat of midday came, the rooftop temperature soared.
Suddenly, someone in the unaffiliated group stirred.
Everyone’s attention was drawn. Lin Wan kept me updated as I listened.
A boy, as if possessed, jumped off the roof.
Now, only forty-six remained.
Lin Xiayue frowned.
"Looks like someone couldn’t take it anymore," she said, glancing at both our teams.

Lin Wan told me Lin Xiayue was watching our side closely, clearly suspecting we’d caused that boy to jump.
"If that’s the case, let’s begin," Lin Xiayue declared.
She strode to the front of her group; Chu Yuyan and Hu Xing’er quickly led their people to a corner.
"Sorry, but you all have to die now!"
A playing card flashed in Lin Xiayue’s hand.
I heard Lin Wan’s voice: "Seven of Hearts!"
Then came the hiss of snakes; an immense force pressed down on me.
My body felt unbearably heavy.
I heard the others panting, all struggling to withstand the pressure.
The concrete beneath my feet began to crack under the weight.
With a crash, the ground beneath me gave way, and I plunged straight down from the rooftop.
"Sun Cheng, get the girls out!" I shouted. "Chen Hao, Lu Ling, Lin Wan, Pang Dongqiang—stick together! Fight as you can!"
Before I could finish, I crashed heavily onto a tree, then fell to the ground.
Fortunately, the tree broke my fall, sparing me serious injury.
"Zijian?" A familiar voice—must be Han Xue.
"Han Xue, is that you? I can’t see." I felt a sense of security knowing a friend was nearby.
Blindness made me anxious, afraid of being ambushed.
"Zijian, I’ve lost all feeling in my hands, and I twisted my ankle when we fell," Han Xue said, sounding dejected. But in this situation, I could only rely on her to report on our surroundings.
"Don’t worry, Han Xue. As long as I’m here, we’ll survive."
I gave her a bit of reassurance, then continued,
"Tell me about our surroundings. Can you see if any of our friends are nearby?"
There was a brief silence. Then Han Xue answered seriously,
"We seem to be in the little garden in front of the Medical School. There’s a low shrub between us, and the main gate is behind me."
"I can’t see anyone else. But there’s someone behind you."
"But it’s too far, I can’t make out who."
So, it seemed we hadn’t been too badly hurt.
"Han Xue, is there anyone else around us?"
"Yes!" Han Xue exclaimed.