Confession, Death, and a Bizarre Game

"Senior Lin Yu... I like you!"

Late at night.

Jiangcheng Media University, Drama Club, on stage.

The shy junior schoolmate wore a pretty sailor uniform dress, her small leather shoes reflecting the dazzling stage lights.

Her makeup was exquisite, her hair tied in cute and playful twin ponytails, and she held a bouquet of vibrant and bright champagne roses.

Lin Yu stared blankly at the cute junior schoolmate who had suddenly appeared before him.

At this moment, Lin Yu was wearing an English-style costume.

A deerstalker hat, a double-breasted suit, white gloves...

Like the stereotypical "detective"—after all, in tomorrow's official performance, the role he was to play was an elegant and wise detective.

This was Lin Yu's usual habit; the day before a performance, he would put on his costume alone and come to the Drama Club stage to "find his feel."

After all, Lin Yu was a very typical method actor.

And as the current "pillar" of Jiangcheng Media's Drama Club, Lin Yu also had this privilege—it was permitted by the club president and the faculty advisor.

Logically, no one should have disturbed him at this time.

So...

Looking at the pretty junior schoolmate enthusiastically confessing to him, Lin Yu frowned slightly.

"It's my rehearsal time now, I'm sorry."

"I use all my private time for studying and practicing my acting. I don't have any plans to date right now, sorry."

Lin Yu said somewhat stiffly.

However, the junior schoolmate on the other side maintained a bright smile after hearing Lin Yu's words.

"Senior, don't misunderstand me, I don't want to date you!"

"My liking for you is the liking of a fan for an idol—I'm your crazed fan!"

Lin Yu's frown deepened: "A fan? If you want to give gifts, take photos, or get autographs, there will be an interaction session after the performance tomorrow."

Although he didn't particularly like these sessions.

But the club president said they were necessary means to attract the audience.

The pretty junior schoolmate in the sailor uniform shook her head again upon hearing this.

"No, Senior, I think you misunderstood. I'm not the type of fan who is satisfied with photos and autographs. I'm a 'crazed fan' like Mark Chapman."

Lin Yu was stunned upon hearing this.

"Mark Chapman?"

He searched his mind for the name and quickly recalled it.

"The murderer who shot John Lennon, and also Lennon's crazed fan..."

The pretty junior schoolmate beamed when she heard Lin Yu's words.

"You got it right, Senior Lin Yu. I knew you were not only a good actor but also very knowledgeable!"

Amidst her bright laughter, the bouquet of champagne roses in her hand bloomed!

"Swish—"

The girl tore apart and threw away the bouquet in her hand.

The pale orange petals scattered, like splashing blood under the light.

And from the damaged bouquet, the girl retrieved the object that best represented the word "violence."

As vivid as roses represent love.

Dark, heavy metal replaced the soft, bright flowers, held in her slender, fair hands.

It was...

A gun.

"Beretta M9."

Seeing the gun suddenly appear and pointed at him, Lin Yu felt a chill run through his body, his mind going blank.

He subconsciously identified the model of the handgun before him.

Is it a prop? A prank?

Although in China, a gun appearing before you is most likely a prop...

But Lin Yu wasn't feeling optimistic right now.

Not only because the gun felt too real.

But more so because of... her sharp, calm gaze, fixed on him without wavering.

Lin Yu, who had spent a long time researching "serial killers" for his roles, knew very well...

This is a gaze that views people as prey and targets, which can be summarized as "killing intent."

"Bang!"

The muzzle flash exploded, and the bullet pierced through a cluster of falling petals, then likewise precisely pierced Lin Yu's beating heart.

Iron and fire, blood and death, declared that the Beretta M9 in the opponent's hand and the killing intent in their eyes were both genuine.

Pain and cold rapidly spread from the bullet wound in his heart. Lin Yu felt all his strength drain away, and he collapsed limply onto the ground.

From above, the girl's voice echoed again—gone was the teasing and flippancy from before, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.

Even a touch of... reverence.

"May you be seen by the gods."

The girl's voice stopped, and Lin Yu felt his consciousness gradually fading.

"What a joke, this is so sudden..."

His initial confusion, upon realizing he was about to die, transformed into an intense sense of unwillingness!

How could he die here, inexplicably, from some inexplicable strange person and an inexplicable shooting?!

"I don't want to die!"

There was a performance tomorrow...

Next week, next month, there were more performances to come, and his remaining life was full of them!

His acting still needed refinement.

Up to this point, he hadn't even had a single performance that he was completely satisfied with!

How could he just die here inexplicably?!

But no matter how unwilling or resentful Lin Yu was.

In the end, everything returned to eternal silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yu opened his eyes again.

The pain from his death still lingered in his chest, but it felt like an illusion.

He instinctively touched his heart but found no wound.

Looking around, Lin Yu realized he was in a dark, void-like space.

"Is this hell, the underworld, or the afterlife?"

"Or perhaps I'm not dead at all, and I've become a vegetable, my consciousness trapped in a place like this?"

Lin Yu looked around blankly, his mind racing with random thoughts.

As if to answer his questions...

As soon as these thoughts arose, blood-red text appeared in the void before him.

[Welcome to the Death Game!]

[Here, we grant the deceased with a strong desire to "live" a chance to start over.]

[Participate in the game to gain a new life.]

[Do you choose to participate?]

Looking at the blood-red text, Lin Yu had a realization.

He had likely encountered... some kind of "supernatural power."

As a university student, Lin Yu was quite passionate about acting, spending most of his time honing his craft. His life was relatively simple and monotonous.

But Lin Yu wasn't a primitive man.

He also read web novels and watched anime during his free time.

Combining that knowledge, he understood his current situation.

A powerful entity had created this game called the "Death Game."

The deceased who were chosen had a chance to be resurrected by participating in this game.

And based on the experiences from those stories, Lin Yu knew very well.

Games that allowed people to "die and come back to life" were often cruel and dangerous.

But even so...

"Do I even have a choice?"

Lin Yu sighed softly.

To live, to continue performing, to continue his life, Lin Yu had only one option.

"I participate."

As Lin Yu responded, the blood-red text changed again.

[Welcome, Player "Lin Yu", to the "Death Game"!]

[Drawing initial profession for you...]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the Unique Profession: Deceiver!]

[Profession Ability: After activating this ability, any "deception" you perform on others, if believed, will "manifest" to a certain extent. The degree of "manifestation" depends on how much others believe you.]

Lin Yu read the newly appeared blood-red text.

But before he could understand it, more blood-red text appeared.

[Initial profession generation complete!]

[Joining game...]

[Game Name: Who is the Outsider?]

[Clearance Conditions: Kill all players from different factions or survive until the allotted time.]

[Number of players in this game: 7.]