Chapter 6 • The Silence Before the Critical Point
1143 Words
The light was dim and yellow, yet the red dot of the surveillance camera trembled almost imperceptibly—like the slow blink of some cold-blooded creature's eye.
The air in the room felt frozen solid. After the earlier whispers and quarrels, the people had descended into an oppressive silence.
On the table lay their supplies: two packs of rations, four bottles of water, three small boxes of dehydrated energy bars—already dwindling in quantity.
No one admitted to taking anything, just as no one claimed to have left them untouched. But every single person knew the stock was running low.
Ji Yuan leaned against the wall, his elbow resting on the edge of the table. His eyes were calm, yet his gaze caught every tiny movement without fail. He had noticed three things:
First, Yi Ran had been biting her lip frequently since a while ago, her eyes darting constantly toward the supplies;Second, Cui Xun had gotten up and paced around the room once, his eyes sweeping over every single person;Third, Xie Chuan had pretended to stretch, but his hand had been discreetly squeezing something hidden in his pocket.
He made his notes not with pen and paper, but by quickly constructing a mental model:Yi Ran → Anxiety levels rising.Cui Xun → Rescanning the crowd; likely formulating a strategy.Xie Chuan → Concealing his actions; possesses hidden items or motives.
"You guys think…" Xie Chuan finally spoke up, his tone laid-back and drawling, with no attempt to deny the unspoken accusations. But a flash of sharpness flickered across his eyes.
"If we're stuck here like this, are we gonna have to fight over everything just to survive?"
No one answered. He scratched his head and smiled again, as if muttering to himself:
"Then I'd better team up with someone smart—someone who can help me stay alive."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a man in the corner stood up abruptly.
He wore a gray jacket, his hair messy, and had been curled up on the bed closest to the door this entire time. It was not the first time he had drawn Ji Yuan and the others' attention.
This time, his eyes glinted with malice as he fixed his gaze on Ji Yuan, Lu Xu, and Yi Ran.
"You three…" his voice was dark and menacing, "you knew the rules all along, didn't you? You're just sitting back and watching us tear each other apart!"
"We didn't," Lu Xu replied, his tone flat and unyielding.
"Who do you think you're fooling?"
He advanced step by step, his shoes scraping harshly against the floor, a grating sound that set teeth on edge.
"Hand over what you know! Or else—"
"Or else what?" Xie Chuan cut in suddenly, standing up with a grin and placing himself between the gray-clad man and Yi Ran. He raised his hands in a placating gesture, but his words were anything but friendly:
"You here to throw a punch, or to throw your life away?"
The air hung thick with tension. Ji Yuan did not move, but his eyes lifted slightly, locking gazes with Shen Zheng across the room.
Shen Zheng's lips twitched into a faint smirk. Still leaning against the wall in the corner, he tapped a finger against his leg—as if savoring the unfolding drama.
"System," Cui Xun spoke suddenly. His voice was not loud, but it cut through the tension like a knife.
"We request a clarification on the current supply allocation rules."
The system offered no response. But half a minute later, the red dot on the ceiling flickered once.
[Supply shortage detected. Hierarchical Selection Mechanism activated automatically.][Rule-abiding individuals will be prioritized. Violators will be classified as low-efficiency units and stripped of supplies.]
The announcement was like gasoline thrown onto a smoldering fire.
"What do you mean hierarchical selection?! Who gets to decide that?!" someone roared. "Why do they get food while we starve?!""That's right! The three of you have been whispering nonstop—you're the low-efficiency units here!""Hand over the water!""Is the system even listening to us?!"
The room erupted into chaos in an instant. The silent crowd exploded into a frenzy of movement. A hand shot out toward the table—only to be pinned down firmly by Cui Xun.
"Raise a hand, and you'll be labeled a defective unit," he said, his voice devoid of any emotion. The man froze, then gritted his teeth and pulled his hand back.
The chaos was quelled—for the moment.
Ji Yuan watched as the gray-clad man's lips twitched. Then, slowly, he retreated back to his corner. He had not given up; he was simply waiting for the next opportunity.
Ji Yuan also noticed that when Xie Chuan had stepped in to stop the fight, he had not exerted any real force—but his position had perfectly shielded Yi Ran from harm. It was no coincidence.
"You've been watching this whole time, haven't you?" Ji Yuan murmured to Xie Chuan.
Xie Chuan scratched his head. "I don't intend to die anytime soon." He grinned his usual lazy grin, making no attempt to deny it.
"…But I only team up with people who know where the real stakes are."
Silence settled over the room once more. Ji Yuan looked away, then spoke up suddenly:
"Has anyone else noticed… one of the cameras is no longer in its original position?"
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
He pointed to the upper-left corner of the room. "Earlier, that red dot was pointing at the door. Now it's aimed straight at the center of our group."
Everyone turned to stare at that corner—and a chill ran down their spines. The system was not targeting the room, nor was it tracking individual actions. It was targeting the people in a specific spot.
It was not hunting those who had done something—it was hunting those who sat somewhere.
Perhaps it was observing who always lingered close to chaos. Or perhaps it was watching who remained seated at the eye of the storm, never uttering a word.
"You see," Lu Xu whispered. "It's already begun its selection."
Just then, the red dot on the camera shifted again. A new notification flickered to life:
[Individuals engaging in malicious behavior will be permanently eliminated.][Room assignments will be reallocated tomorrow morning. Please maintain order.][Those who uphold order will be prioritized for advancement to the next phase.]
The room went dead silent.
Yi Ran whispered, "…What does eliminated mean?" No one answered her.
But Ji Yuan, Lu Xu, and Cui Xun all turned to look at the same person almost simultaneously—Shen Zheng.
Shen Zheng smiled back at them, then slowly spoke, his voice laced with cold amusement:
"Just wait—it's not time for the best part yet."
End of Chapter 6
- Writer
