Han Jiang stayed frozen in place.
Warm blood kept dripping down from his golden-blonde hair. Drop after drop landed on his face, slid along his cheek, and soaked straight into his white T-shirt. The shirt turned red almost right away. Ugly red patches spread over his chest, messy and impossible to ignore.
He did not move one bit. Even his fingers stayed quiet.
The cold concrete under his feet felt sticky now, like it wanted to grab hold of him. The air smelled thick and sharp with fresh blood. He could hear the heartbeats of those who were still alive. Some beat fast, almost crazy. Others grew slower, like the bodies were slowly giving up.
Not too far, a woman began to cry when the Red Light came.
"I… I can't stop… my baby… my baby is waiting at home…"
Her shoulders shook a little, as if she tried hard to hold it in but failed.
Boom.
Her body exploded. Blood and pieces flew out. Some hit the people standing close by. They wanted to scream, but they could not. The Red Light was not over yet.
Another man lifted his hand to wipe blood from his eyes.
"Just a second… just one second…" he whispered, like he could make a deal with whatever watched them.
Boom.
He disappeared too. Only a red mist stayed in the air.
Han Jiang felt his mind split into two parts.
The old Han Jiang inside him wanted to vomit. Wang Bo had stood right next to him before. That guy even called him "bro" like it meant something. Han Jiang had pulled him forward a few times. Now Wang Bo was dead, and Wang Bo's blood covered him.
But the colder part, the part that came with being a Ghost Controller, stayed calm. It felt no big emotion. The scene looked wrong, yet also strangely in order, like leaves falling in their own pattern without caring who saw.
Life is the path we choose to walk, but death is the ending that fate arranges quietly in the background.
That sentence floated through his head. He did not feel heavy sadness. Even though Wang Bo exploded right in front of him, Han Jiang's breathing stayed even. No guilt or panic rose up. Just a quiet, distant acceptance, as if his body already knew how to survive this.
Around him, people panicked every time they could speak.
"Why is this happening… I only read one post…"
"My legs won't stop shaking… I'm going to die here…"
"I saw my neighbor explode… his head flew right past me…"
Han Jiang slowly turned his golden eyes to look around. Bodies kept bursting open. Most people never even got a last word. It ended with a wet sound, quick and final, like turning off a light.
The doll's voice came again, sweet like a little girl showing off.
"Players~ The switches will be faster now. Be careful~"
A short Green Light. Only three seconds.
People ran like mad because their lives really depended on it.
Then Red Light came right after.
Dozens exploded together. The concrete ground looked darker and redder, as if it had drunk too much.
A strong construction worker tried to test the rules. He dropped low and crawled during Red Light, keeping every move small.
"I just need to move a little… they won't notice…"
He shifted his knee.
Boom.
He blew apart while still crawling. Arms and legs flew in different directions. The ground no longer looked normal.
A teenage boy blinked too hard. His eyelids moved.
Boom.
He was gone.
Li Wei and Su Mei were still alive. They stood apart, separated by bodies, blood, and spreading fear. Their faces looked different now. Li Wei no longer seemed like a calm leader. His eyes were wide open, sweat running down his face nonstop. Su Mei bit her lip hard. Her hands shook a little at her sides. She tried to hide it, but Han Jiang saw everything clearly.
They looked at each other across the field. Just a quick glance. It was enough. Fear had pushed away their old rivalry. No one had strength left for arguments.
When Green Light came again, Han Jiang ran. His new body made it feel easy. His steps were long, steady, and smooth. He did not gasp for breath. He did not slow down. Without trying, he moved ahead of others. Under the harsh light, his golden hair stood out, now streaked with red.
The player count on the big screen kept falling.
874…
Then 820…
Then 750…
People complained louder whenever they could talk.
"This doll is simply turning this game into hell mode!" someone shouted during a short Green Light, voice full of anger and fear.
"Yeah! The switches are too fast! How are we supposed to survive this?!"
"My heart can't take it anymore!"
"I want to go home… please let me go home…"
Han Jiang thought the same inside: hell mode. But he did not say it out loud. He saved his breath and kept moving, trying to make every stop clean and perfect.
At the 200-meter mark, a blue window popped up, but only for him.
[Objective: Survive and Reach the finish line]
[Reward: Sword of Light, 50 + Ghost Fragment]
[Failure: Death]
Han Jiang almost frowned, but he kept his face still because Red Light was on.
"Hmm? The system finally showed up again. And now it's giving me a mission?"
Confusion rose inside him, but he controlled it.
"Why didn't it give this mission before the death game started?"
He stared at the words once more. Sword of Light—what kind of sword was that? And Ghost Fragment—what did it even do? It looked like a reward, but it explained nothing. He did not trust vague promises in a place like this.
Around him, shouting continued in broken bursts.
"I can't run anymore! My legs are dead!"
"Someone help me! Please!"
"We're all going to die here!"
The count dropped again. Now around 620 left.
Han Jiang's vision felt sharper than before. He could see small things: sweat on skin, fingers twitching, knees trembling. He also noticed faint blue-gray afterimages where people had died, like traces that stayed for a second then faded. It felt like the first sign of Spirit Vision waking up.
He looked around quietly. He told no one what he saw.
The doll spoke again, still sweet, still light, as if this was just a harmless game.
"Special Final Round coming~ One long Green Light for seven seconds. Then a very long Red Light. Good luck, players~"
The field changed.
The finish line moved back another fifty meters. The concrete seemed to stretch longer right in front of their eyes, like the space itself was being changed.
People screamed.
"What the hell?! It added more distance!"
"This is cheating! You can't do that!"
"The doll is playing with us!"
During the next Green Light, cursing filled the air. People sounded desperate and angry, like they fought back with words because they had nothing else.
"Fuck this doll!"
"Evil thing! Let us go!"
"I hope you break into pieces!"
On the screen, the doll's smile stiffened just a little.
"Bad children~ Didn't your parents teach you it is wrong to curse? Saying bad words makes the Lost One sad."
People stopped talking at once. Fear closed their mouths, even if the anger inside only grew stronger. No one dared say it out loud anymore.
Li Wei and Su Mei looked even more tense. Their faces turned pale. Their eyes fixed on the timer that appeared.
2:19
2:18
2:17
Only two minutes left. If they did not reach the end soon, they would probably die here, either by the rules or by their bodies giving out.
Li Wei raised his voice, trying to gather the remaining people one last time.
"Everyone! This is our last chance! When Green Light comes, run with everything you have!"
Su Mei spoke right after. Her voice shook, but she forced it to stay clear.
"Don't look back! Don't help others! Just run straight! Save your own life!"
They tried to give people something to hold onto, even if it was harsh.
But before they could say more, someone shot forward like a trigger had been pulled.
It was Han Jiang.
Without Wang Bo beside him, without anyone to drag or support, he ran at full speed. His golden hair streamed behind. His body felt light, stable, strong. He covered the distance fast, like the rules were made for someone like him.
People noticed.
"He's running!"
"Follow him! Now!"
The crowd moved forward together. Panic pushed them faster than their legs wanted.
"I can't do it anymore!" a woman cried while running, her voice breaking.
"My legs… they're burning!"
"Faster! Faster!"
Someone tried to help an old man, grabbing his arm.
"Come on, grandpa! I'll pull you—"
Six seconds passed.
Red Light hit.
The man moved a little while pulling.
Boom.
He exploded. The old man, startled and shaking, exploded right after.
More screams came, sharp and frantic.
"Nooo!"
"Why did you move?!"
"I don't want to die!"
Blood sprayed again. The field turned into thick red mist and scattered parts. People cried, people froze, people ran. Some cursed inside their heads. Everyone kept going with whatever strength they had left, because stopping meant dying.