The white hall.
Again.
But this time—
Silence.
No panic. No running.
Only breathing.
Heavy. Uneven.
Alive.
Ethan stood still, his eyes scanning the survivors.
Fewer.
Much fewer.
The two sisters stood nearby—shaken, but unharmed.
Renji leaned against a wall, calm as ever.
Maya checked her pistol, her expression unreadable.
And around them—
Dozens of players.
Broken.
---
A sound echoed.
Heels.
Everyone looked up.
The woman stood on the balcony once more.
Perfect.
Untouched.
Smiling.
"Congratulations," she said.
Her voice carried effortlessly.
"You have successfully cleared Game 1."
Silence.
Then—
Explosion.
"WHY ARE WE HERE?!"
"LET US GO!"
"PLEASE—WE DON'T WANT THIS!"
Voices overlapped. Desperate. Angry.
A man stepped forward, trembling.
"Stop this!" he shouted. "Show some mercy!"
No response.
His hand shook as he raised a gun—
And fired.
A sharp crack echoed.
The bullet shot upward—
And stopped.
Mid-air.
A faint shimmer appeared in front of the woman.
A barrier.
The bullet dropped harmlessly to the floor.
Gasps filled the hall.
"…Impossible," someone whispered.
The woman's smile didn't change.
"No violence," she said calmly.
"This is a safe zone."
A pause.
"Every player has a defense field that prevents physical harm within this area."
Silence fell again.
Controlled.
Forced.
---
"Now," she continued,
"Let us proceed."
A soft glow appeared in the air.
Panels.
Floating.
Information.
"After each game, players are awarded points based on performance."
Images flashed—
Fighting.
Running.
Helping.
"Attack. Defense. Strategy. Cooperation."
"Points may be used to purchase weapons, enhance physical abilities, or acquire power cards."
Murmurs spread.
"Each player will also be assigned a private room."
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
System.
Structured.
Not random.
---
"…Why?"
The question cut through the noise.
A boy stood forward.
His voice wasn't loud—
But it carried.
"Why are you doing this?"
For the first time—
The woman didn't answer immediately.
Before she could—
A voice came from the crowd.
"You still don't get it?"
Heads turned.
A girl stepped forward.
Calm.
Almost… amused.
"They're feeding us. Giving us shelter. Power."
She shrugged lightly.
"What more do you want?"
Silence.
Her eyes moved across the room.
"This isn't punishment," she continued.
"It's survival."
A pause.
"…Alien invasion."
The words dropped like weight.
"Earth is being destroyed," she said.
"They chose some of us."
"To live."
"To fight."
"To prove we're worth keeping."
Shock.
Fear.
Disbelief.
"No… that's insane…"
"You're lying!"
"We're not stupid!"
The crowd began to split.
Some believed.
Some refused.
Voices rose again.
Arguments.
Shouting.
Pushing.
Chaos returning.
---
"Enough."
The word cut through everything.
Cold.
Sharp.
The woman's voice.
The entire hall froze.
"No violence in the safe zone."
Her eyes moved across them.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"Any violation…"
A pause.
"…will result in elimination."
Silence.
Immediate.
Absolute.
---
A soft glow appeared in every player's hand.
Keys.
Simple.
White.
"Your room access," she said.
A massive gate behind them opened.
Slowly.
Beyond it—
A long corridor.
Doors.
Hundreds of them.
Waiting.
---
Ethan looked at the key in his hand.
Then at the others.
The game wasn't over.
It had just changed.
---
«"Prepare yourselves," the woman said softly.»
«"Game 2 will begin soon."»
---
And with that—
The doors opened.