GOLDEN Zone

INITIAL EVALUATION

Patrick's finger touched the glowing YES button.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Then the screen went black.

The room fell silent.

Even the sound of rain outside seemed to disappear.

Patrick frowned and tapped the screen.

Nothing.

The phone had become completely unresponsive.

"Great," he muttered. "I just broke my phone."

Suddenly, a golden light flashed across the display.

A single eye appeared.

It wasn't human.

Its iris seemed made of liquid gold, rotating slowly as though examining him.

Patrick felt his heart skip a beat.

The eye looked directly at him.

Not at the phone.

At him.

A metallic voice echoed from the device.

"Participant confirmed."

Patrick nearly dropped the phone.

"What the hell?"

The voice continued.

"Identity verified."

"Age verified."

"Psychological profile verified."

"Initial evaluation beginning."

Lines of golden text flooded the screen.

---

NAME: Patrick Han

AGE: 26

STATUS: Civilian

ZONE RANK: None

WEALTH INDEX: 3/100

INFLUENCE INDEX: 1/100

POTENTIAL INDEX: Unknown

---

Patrick stared at the numbers.

His face darkened.

"Wealth index three?"

That felt insulting.

A new line appeared.

Assessment: Financially unstable.

Patrick groaned.

"Okay, now you're just mocking me."

The system ignored him.

Assessment: Ambitious.

Assessment: Persistent.

Assessment: Suitable candidate.

Then a final line appeared.

Assessment: Desperate enough to take risks.

Patrick froze.

That one hurt.

Because it was true.

The screen flashed.

A notification appeared.

---

FIRST EVALUATION AVAILABLE

Difficulty: F

Reward: 5,000 Credits

Penalty for Failure: None

Accept?

YES / NO

---

Patrick blinked.

"Five thousand credits?"

The system responded instantly.

Credits are the official currency of the Golden Zone.

Credits may be exchanged for money, resources, opportunities, and privileges.

Patrick sat upright.

Money.

Now he was listening.

"How much is five thousand credits worth?"

The answer appeared.

Current exchange value: $5,000 USD.

Patrick almost fell off the bed.

"What?!"

His monthly salary wasn't even close to that amount.

Five thousand dollars could change everything.

His debts.

His rent.

His future.

For the first time since receiving the mysterious invitation, excitement replaced fear.

"What do I have to do?"

The screen flashed again.

---

FIRST EVALUATION

Leave your apartment.

Travel to Freedom Square.

Arrive within 30 minutes.

Do not tell anyone.

Do not use public transport.

Do not ask questions.

Failure to arrive on time will result in evaluation failure.

---

Patrick looked at the clock.

11:43 PM.

Freedom Square was across the city.

At this hour?

In the rain?

Without transportation?

The task sounded ridiculous.

Yet the reward remained displayed at the top of the screen.

5,000 Credits.

Patrick clenched his jaw.

This could all be fake.

But if it wasn't...

He couldn't afford to ignore it.

Not anymore.

Five minutes later he was outside.

Rain soaked his clothes almost immediately.

The streets were nearly empty.

Streetlights reflected on wet pavement.

Patrick checked his phone.

A timer had appeared.

28:14

28:13

28:12

The countdown was already moving.

He began running.

His shoes splashed through puddles.

Cold air filled his lungs.

Every few minutes he checked the timer.

25:01

21:43

18:22

The square still felt impossibly far away.

His legs burned.

His chest ached.

Several times he considered giving up.

Then he remembered the reward.

Five thousand dollars.

Enough to solve problems that had haunted him for years.

So he kept running.

Minutes later he turned a corner.

And stopped.

Three people stood in the middle of the road.

All wearing black suits.

All holding umbrellas.

All staring directly at him.

Patrick slowed.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

The tallest man stepped forward.

"Patrick Han?"

Patrick hesitated.

"Who's asking?"

The stranger smiled.

"We represent an interested party."

Patrick immediately took a step backward.

"No thanks."

The stranger's smile widened.

"You should be careful."

"Careful of what?"

The man pointed toward Patrick's phone.

"The people watching."

Patrick's blood ran cold.

Before he could respond, all three men turned and walked away.

No explanation.

No threats.

Nothing.

Within seconds they vanished into the rain.

Patrick stood frozen.

His phone vibrated.

A new notification appeared.

WARNING

Unauthorized contact detected.

Continue evaluation immediately.

Patrick looked around.

The empty street suddenly felt much more dangerous.

Who were those men?

How did they know his name?

More importantly—

Who was watching him?

The timer continued counting down.

12:19

12:18

12:17

Patrick swallowed hard.

Questions could wait.

The evaluation came first.

He resumed running.

Ten exhausting minutes later, Freedom Square finally appeared ahead.

Relief washed over him.

He had made it.

Or so he thought.

As he stepped into the square, every light surrounding the area suddenly switched off.

Darkness swallowed everything.

The city vanished.

The rain stopped.

The sound disappeared.

Even the air felt different.

Patrick's breathing became the only thing he could hear.

Then a golden doorway appeared in the center of the square.

It hovered several feet above the ground.

Impossible.

Beautiful.

Terrifying.

The door slowly opened.

Golden light spilled across the darkness.

A notification appeared on his phone.

---

FIRST EVALUATION COMPLETED

BONUS ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED

CANDIDATE ARRIVED WITH 02:14 REMAINING

BONUS REWARD GRANTED

---

Patrick barely noticed.

His eyes remained fixed on the doorway.

Because something was standing inside.

Watching him.

Waiting.

A silhouette.

Human-shaped.

Motionless.

Then the figure took one step forward.

And smiled.

"Welcome, Patrick."

"I've been waiting for you."

Who is the mysterious figure behind the golden door, and why does he already know Patrick's name?