025 Watching the Drama Unfold on Livestream

Instead of worrying about whether I might be exposed, it was better to seize the opportunity to rest. For someone like me, whose stamina had been nearly depleted, sleep was absolutely essential.

Yet when I drifted off into a hazy slumber, I did not feel any relief; on the contrary, I felt even more exhausted. It was as if I had awakened in another world. Rising from bed, I gazed out the window to see a blood-red moon hanging in the pitch-black sky, as though the entire earth had been soaked in crimson.

What was happening? I rolled out of bed and searched for my phone, intending to contact Tanhead and the others, but the device was nowhere to be found.

Steeling myself, I walked to the door and opened it, only to find the corridor shrouded in darkness. I returned to my room and absorbed some moonlight through the window, converting it into stored power in case monsters appeared and I needed to defend myself.

Once I was prepared, I stepped boldly into the dark hallway. The only sounds were my footsteps and the rapid beating of my heart.

I jogged all the way to Chen Hao’s dormitory door—it was locked. After knocking several times and receiving no reply, I made my way to Tanhead’s dorm, but again, there was no answer.

At the stairwell, I found the iron gate locked, which meant I was trapped on this floor.

After wandering about for several minutes, I returned to my own room, only to be confronted by a merciless figure charging straight at me.

I hurriedly dodged to the side, and a flash of red light from my hand sliced the monster clean in half.

My eyelids grew heavier, and after a bout of dizziness, I realized I was still lying in bed.

Was it all just a dream? I had no time to ponder, for another ruthless figure was lurking at the bedside, eyeing me with predatory intent.

I fired a beam of light, killing it instantly.

How had this merciless figure appeared at my bedside? How did it get inside?

I glanced at the clock—it was already noon. The fourth round of competition had long since begun.

I had set an alarm for the morning, so why hadn’t it rung? Or was there something else...

Looking at my phone, the alarm showed it had indeed sounded—vibration and ringtone, placed right beside my pillow. It was impossible not to notice.

Could someone have tried to harm me?

Perhaps some ability had been used to plunge me into unconsciousness, deliberately attracting a ruthless killer to finish me off?

If news of my ability had leaked, such a scenario was certainly plausible.

The thought made me shudder. I quickly messaged Tanhead and the others; perhaps it was safer for us to share one dormitory from now on.

At least this way, we could look out for each other.

Chen Hao, Tanhead, and I moved into a single dormitory.

Sun Cheng, Pang Dongqiang, and Li Yuan took the room next door.

I didn’t tell Tanhead about the strange events I’d encountered that morning, fearing it might cause unnecessary worry.

In the live broadcast, the most attention-grabbing figures were the three known ability-users: Lin Xiayue, Wang Yan, and the unidentified girl with healing powers.

They and another ponytailed girl, Hu Xing’er, had formed a team from the outset. The law school’s only survivors, Xia Qingqiu and Zhou Zitong, had no choice but to join the fray. Besides these, there were a few girls from the art school—obviously lucky survivors from the previous round, with no real combat prowess.

The first to become the “ghost” was Xia Qingqiu. He and Zhou Zitong searched for targets, but being outnumbered, they couldn’t conduct a thorough sweep. This round’s game of hide-and-seek was held in the gymnasium—a space larger than the campus hospital. After a minute, the female ghost appeared as expected, forcing Xia Qingqiu to designate Zhou Zitong as the ghost and escape.

Once Xia Qingqiu left the game area, we watched Zhou Zitong’s transformation through the screen.

A faint mark on her forearm revealed her as an ability-user—Plum Blossom 10.

Zhou Zitong sprinted with extraordinary stamina and soon encountered Lin Xiayue’s group near the badminton court.

With a sneer, Zhou Zitong declared, “Lin Xiayue, it’s you.”

In this hide-and-seek game, if you saw someone and called their name, the ghost’s role would be transferred.

Having her name called, Lin Xiayue was furious. She’d thought her group’s numbers would deter any challengers, but hadn’t expected this little girl to confront her alone.

“Zhou Zitong, from the law school, right?” Han Xiaoman gritted her teeth. “You’re dead!”

With that, Lin Xiayue’s long hair billowed out, a circle of purple light bursting forth, and the mark on her neck became visible as her hair flew.

As expected, Lin Xiayue was also an ability-user—Hearts 8.

Through the screen, I watched as Zhou Zitong was struck by the purple glow, collapsing to the ground.

Lin Xiayue approached, mocking, “Don’t you know your own limits? Daring to provoke me?”

Zhou Zitong endured the immense pressure but showed no sign of retreat.

“Don’t think completing the game guarantees you’ll leave alive.”

“Prepare to die!”

“Wang Yan! Go!” Lin Xiayue maintained her purple aura, while Wang Yan let out a howl and transformed into a beast, rushing forward.

“Heh.” Zhou Zitong laughed coldly. Wang Yan’s body halted mid-air and was thrown aside, as though seized by an invisible hand.

“Tanhead, can you tell what kind of ability this is?” I stared intently at the screen. If we could discern their true powers from this game, we could prepare for future battles—know your enemy, and you’ll never lose.

Tanhead thought for a moment. “Telekinesis?”

“Psychokinesis!” Chen Hao shouted, startling both Tanhead and me.

“Quiet down,” I scolded Chen Hao. Still, our guesses were aligned: this power, which repelled opponents without physical contact, had to be some form of manipulation, and Zhou Zitong’s next actions confirmed it.

“Go!” Zhou Zitong commanded, and every badminton racket around her sprang to life, flying directly at the group of four.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiayue’s purple glow flashed, and everything fell to the ground at once.

“Lin Xiayue’s ability seems to be an area effect, likely also control-based. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have Wang Yan do the killing,” I mused.

“Maybe the girls just don’t like fighting,” Chen Hao interjected.

“Oh, please.” I shot him a look. Han Xue once told me she barely survived Lin Xiayue’s pursuit.

This woman was no gentle soul—if you couldn’t be friends with her, you’d best stay far away.

Zhou Zitong’s face darkened, her confidence waning.

“Lin Xiayue, I didn’t expect your power could suppress mine. Miscalculation, indeed.”

“But it seems you forgot someone.”

“Oh?” Han Xiaoman replied. “You mean Xia Qingqiu? Hu Xing’er watched her leave the gym—you think she’d come back to help you?”

“Returning after leaving is suicide,” the healing girl laughed. “No one would be that foolish.”

“No, it’s not foolish.” With a young girl’s voice, the law school’s other survivor made her entrance.

“Xia Qingqiu—she actually came back.” I was shocked. After finally escaping the game, she didn’t seize the chance to leave.

“We didn’t think it through. The game never forbade leaving and returning,” Tanhead remarked. “If we’d known, Lin Wan and the others could’ve returned to help everyone escape.”

Xia Qingqiu’s entrance on screen shifted the dynamics once again, but I noticed that as she entered the zone covered by purple light, her body trembled.

She collapsed to the ground. “So it’s this kind of ability,” Xia Qingqiu said, bewildered, turning to Zhou Zitong. “Looks like we both guessed wrong.”

Zhou Zitong gave a helpless smile. “Nothing for it, let’s just escape first.”

“Hey! Do you think I don’t exist?” Lin Xiayue shouted, the purple glow bursting forth once more.

Zhou Zitong and Xia Qingqiu were pressed flat against the floor. At that moment, a word flashed through my mind.

“Gravity!” Tanhead and I exclaimed in unison. “That’s right—Lin Xiayue’s ability is to manipulate gravity.”

“Ready!” Xia Qingqiu shouted, as red light flared from her body. Countless fireballs materialized and shot toward Han Xiaoman’s group.

The violent explosions sent clouds of smoke billowing skyward; in that instant, Han Xiaoman’s gravity field dissipated, and Xia Qingqiu and Zhou Zitong seized the opportunity to flee.

Watching from the screen, we were filled with fear—this petite girl, Xia Qingqiu, possessed such a devastating flame-based superpower.

It was clear that every survivor was terrifying in their own way.

But what was even more alarming, after the smoke cleared, the four stood there virtually unscathed...