Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 12: New Game Launch [Complete]

1419

When Lin Sanjiu opened her eyes, she wondered if she had just experienced a terrifyingly vivid, blood-red nightmare. Not only had the grand prize died, but Silvan was dead too. Even she was—

"Is everyone awake?" a somewhat familiar voice said, prompting her to sit up quickly. Before she could identify the speaker, she instinctively felt her temples. They were intact, not crushed as she remembered.

However, the vivid memory of her temples being smashed with repeated blows made her feel nauseous.

"I hope you remember," the voice continued with a laugh, "the game rules have stated that players who die in the game won't actually be harmed. You've just been revived, so confusion is expected."

The grand prize!

Frantically, Lin Sanjiu looked around. The pain she felt was so intense, it was as if her skull had indeed been shattered. She gasped for air and whispered hoarsely, "Grand prize?"

He had played the role of a plant in the game, but since he didn't genuinely take root, he should be fine now, right?

"According to the information I received, the player who played the catmint is undergoing treatment due to unique injuries," said a volunteer wrapped head to toe, standing amidst the players. "He's still in treatment."

Treatment?

"Who is treating him? And why is it unique?" Lin Sanjiu asked. She noticed Silvan slowly getting up from a far corner, seemingly struggling. They had returned to the apartment's lobby, where the game had begun.

"I don't know about that," the volunteer said with a shrug, "but I know he'll be fine. Once he's back to normal, he'll be brought back here. You'll be notified, and you can collect him then."

Everyone here spoke in such a way that the subject was often missing. Brought back by whom? The one treating the grand prize? Was the only one capable of treating a Veda the Veda themselves?

'Am I supposed to just wait?'

"Are you out of your mind?!" someone shouted, pulling Lin Sanjiu out of her thoughts.

She turned to see Leah – the in-game name of the black-haired girl. Leah wasn't yelling at her or the old man, Jessica, but at another girl, who played Mr. Grant in the game. "Mr. Grant" was sitting on the ground, gaping, with a vacant expression, as if in disbelief. Although she and Leah didn't get along, she remained silent under Leah's tirade.

"What were you and this old man planning to do to me?" Leah said, rubbing her throat. "Are you psychopaths?"

Lin Sanjiu snorted. "If not, they wouldn't have slaughtered everyone in the building at the end."

She looked up to see Silvan approaching her. The moment in the game when he, as Pink, had an ice knife plunged into his carotid artery, was likely to become material for her nightmares in the future.

It was impossible not to be angry, even if she kept reminding herself that they were just under the influence of the game.

With a soft grunt, Silvan slumped down next to her, emitting the scent of figs. Every movement seemed to drain him, and his complexion was no better than the others', but he had made the effort to come over.

"Slaughtered everyone?" said a sallow-complexioned man, who played the role of the beautiful woman named Ivy. Those who died early in the game seemed unaware of what happened later.

"All dead," replied a man with a face unfamiliar to Lin Sanjiu, "Except for Leah. In the end, they killed every character in the building, including me."