Survival Deadline

First Experience on Safety Island

The dim world behind closed eyelids began to redden, and the moment of opening her eyes felt as grand as the dawn breaking through the sky.

Manda, clutching her chest, gasped for breath as if on the brink of death.

Her skin seemed to retain the heat from the explosion, burning with pain that lingered at her nerve endings, making even the slightest movement a struggle.

Being alive was a relief.

The feeling of being dragged down to hell was horrendous.

The joy of surviving was faint. She staggered to her feet, not yet able to survey her surroundings, when she bent over and vomited a pool of sour water.

The feeling of abandoning someone seeking help behind her seemed even worse.

So disgusting.

Truly disgusting.

Manda knelt, taking a moment to recover before wiping the damp corners of her eyes. The strong but not glaring sunlight gently enveloped her.

Undeniably, no matter how much she regretted it, there was an equal amount of no regret.

Their choices in the last thirty seconds were the most unreserved and candid display of their humanity.

Mutually so.

Manda stood again, kicking the soft sand beneath her feet, her gaze reaching the endless sea and sky.

She wasn't alone on the beach. People were scattered near and far, all similarly disheveled.

The sea breeze blew, and the unyielding coconut trees and rocks stood still. Between the rugged rocks, rooms with numbers were densely embedded, stretching to the hilltop due to the slope.

"What in the world is going on?"

"Unheard of!"

"Damn it!"

"Does anyone know more? Let's discuss."

"Are we just guinea pigs??"

The beach grew crowded, with chatter everywhere. Manda sharply noticed that these people were more stable than the previous girl and had formed groups within minutes, deciding to look out for each other.

"Hey, what's your name?"

A sudden touch on her shoulder made Manda turn to face a cheerful countenance.

Their eyes met, and the latter clearly hesitated, inadvertently averting his gaze, his hand retracting as if shocked.

The man's gaze couldn't help but move from her long black hair covering her waist, to the wide neckline of her white dress barely covering her collarbone, then to her delicate chin and nose, and finally back to her moist almond eyes.

Her iris was a very light brown, almost translucent under the sunlight due to the contracted pupils... nearly lifeless like glass beads.

The man, accompanied by two others, sighed internally, realizing that there truly existed such pale, delicate individuals resembling porcelain dolls.

Meanwhile, Manda was also observing them. Two men and a woman, all between twenty and thirty, with the two standing behind looking reserved, clearly led by the man who initiated the conversation.

In just such a short time, a hierarchy had already formed within this temporary group.

"Manda."

"Oh~ hello there, I'm Lu Lin." The man immediately switched to a friendly mode, introducing the other two, "This is Tan Wenbin, Qiao Yuanyuan."

Manda nodded at them, receiving polite smiles from two strangers.

"Manda, did you also escape from that bomb room?" Lu Lin wasted no time getting to the point.

"Yes, bombs, timers, keys, locks."

After her response, the three exchanged looks: "It seems everyone here came from that room, survivors."

Qiao Yuanyuan, with bobbed hair and appearing the oldest, frowned: "Speaking of which, what exactly does this new world refer to?"

Tan Wenbin adjusted his glasses: "I'm more curious about what force could gather so many of us here at the same time."

Lu Lin laughed: "Isn't it more important to figure out what will happen next?"

Manda bent down, dusting off the sand on her dress hem.

Everyone looked similarly disheveled, all wearing uniform white dresses or suits, with hair in a mess as if they had just woken up.

"There were rules in that room; there should be here too."

Lu Lin glanced at Manda, who spoke last, and stroked his chin: "Right, let's wait then."

His fearless demeanor struck Manda as incredible. How could a normal person not be afraid, or even show enthusiasm, when suddenly thrust into such an inexplicable situation?

Unaware he'd been labeled "abnormal," Lu Lin smiled: "Here it comes."

The beach's noisy chatter quieted down with the "ding" sound echoing around, everyone's hearts hanging in suspense.

"Number 0000 at your service—Congratulations on obtaining the first test qualification. Next, we will announce the living guidelines for Safety Island and the game rules for the new world. Please listen carefully and memorize."

"As you can see, this island will serve as your residence in the new world. Each room's number corresponds to each of you here, drawn randomly. The rooms are fixed and cannot be changed or occupied by others."

"Any form of b****y violence or uncivilized fighting is strictly prohibited on Safety Island."

"Each person's stay on Safety Island cannot exceed ten days at a time."

Manda lowered her gaze. This experiment-like setting with numbers, was it a selection process?

"Here are the rules for the new world's game. The game

is turn-based, with each person experiencing different rounds. The specific rounds depend on the individual's brain usage. Like the audition, the rules for each game round will be explained beforehand. To increase the game's complexity, fun, and sustainability, the system will introduce three types of cards to assist players."

"One, the real-item card, allowing players to exchange for various needed items."

"Two, the message card, providing valuable information."

"Three, the function card, rarer and with diverse functions, for players to explore on their own."

"Each game round has a time limit. Please manage your time well."

"Basic rules explained. Please enter your numbered rooms to rest. The first official game round will begin in ten days. Enjoy the game."

"The end."

As the voice faded, a white light appeared on everyone, and Manda felt a chill on her wrist. In the blink of an eye, an unidentified material bracelet appeared on her left wrist, silver-gray, with a number engraved on it.

This was her number.

So early in the sequence, Manda instinctively frowned. Ideally, a number around four or five hundred would have been better.

Lu Lin raised his wrist: "I'm 0678."

Qiao Yuanyuan added: "0923."

Lastly, Tan Wenbin: "0450."

All eyes turned to Manda, who, after frowning for a while, finally said: "0005."

"Wow," Lu Lin exclaimed, "I don't know why, but single-digit numbers seem special."

The others nodded in agreement, with Qiao Yuanyuan hesitating before saying, "It also feels a bit dangerous..."

Tan Wenbin attempted an analysis: "We still don't know what these numbers are based on, or what their purpose is. It can't just be for matching these rooms, which, aside from their locations, look indistinguishable with their square shapes."

Lu Lin shrugged: "Who knows? We can only take it one step at a time. It seems the rooms are arranged in numerical order. Our numbers are quite spread out, so we'll be separated soon."

Qiao Yuanyuan, filled with unease and gloom, said, "It was hard enough getting to know each other."

Manda gave her an odd look. They had barely exchanged greetings; what was so hard about that? If such a short interaction could generate a sense of closeness with complete strangers, it was truly puzzling.

Tan Wenbin smiled: "We still have ten days here; we can communicate."

Lu Lin, with a grin, said: "Right, the rules say we can't steal rooms, but it didn't say we can't visit each other."

Manda glanced at the stone paths stretching from the beach inward: "I'm going to find my room. Goodbye."

Qiao Yuanyuan thought, "What's with this girl?! As a woman suddenly placed in a strange land, doesn't she feel the need for protection from seemingly decent men?!"

By then, the crowd had dispersed, with some grouping together like Manda, solitary. Finding a room was easy once the arrangement was understood.

The island had a total of 1,138 rooms, corresponding to the number of players. The rooms in the island's center started with number 0001 and expanded outwards in a clockwise spiral, with those beyond 1000 nearly reaching the beach.

Manda opened room 0005 to find it well-lit due to its favorable location, the interior setup a notch above the exterior. Furniture including tables, chairs, cabinets, and a bed were all present, with a cabinet dividing the space into two areas, bedding and a desk in the back, and a round dining table with four chairs at the front.

Manda ran her fingers across the table, finding it dust-free.

The setup suggested a long-term stay.

Manda snapped the door shut.

No matter where this was, the most pressing matter was finding a way out.

Most on the island, after exploring their rooms, whether anxious, calm, scared, or fearless, pondered this question.