The Narrow Cage (1st Update)

The night passed quietly amidst the varied emotions of countless people. The next morning, all those who participated in the live simulation were woken up early by room service and gathered in the small auditorium.

The small auditorium has a beautiful name, Liuli Xuan, and its interior decoration perfectly matches this name. Pieces of glass are inlaid and arranged, and when the lights are turned on, they shimmer and sparkle, soft and not dazzling.

The rows of light-colored soft seats are spacious and reflect the color of glass. People can stretch their legs out without touching the seat in front of them.

The twenty-seven participants found their preferred seats and waited for the simulation to begin. They chatted occasionally. Apart from them and two support staff members, there was no one else in the small auditorium; everyone else was waiting elsewhere to watch the live stream.

Yu Xing and his group sat in the back, with no other teams on either side. Zhao Yijiu had a cold and gloomy expression, while Yu Xing had a slight smile. At first glance, one would think that Zhao Yijiu was a bad-tempered and difficult person to deal with, while Yu Xing was the social coordinator in the team, responsible for playing the "bad cop."

Zhao Ruru thought so too, so she sat to Yu Xing's left, far away from Zhao Yijiu to his right.

Zhao Mou contacted her last night, saying, "My younger brother is also going to participate in the live stream, but he has too little experience and needs someone experienced to mentor him. You happen to be a participant as well, so why don't you do me a favor and mentor him?"

Zhao Mou had once saved Zhao Mou Zhao Ruru's life during a simulation, and she was already grateful to him. When she heard that he had something to ask of her, she naturally came without hesitation, as it was just a humble gesture and didn't conflict with her interests. However, she was exhausted by his cold and warm attitude.

Yu Xing is one thing, although he's so impenetrable that it's hard to read his thoughts, but this big iceberg is clearly much harder to communicate with!

She just couldn't understand it. Was this person really a member of the Zhao family? Was he really that old fox Zhao Mou's younger brother?

Yes, because of some things that happened when she was a child, Zhao Yijiu was quite famous in the Zhao family, but that didn't stop Zhao Ruru from being surprised when she saw him in person.

However, just as she was starting to regret it, fearing that teaming up with these two would drastically increase her chances of dying, Yu Xing's analysis and arrangement of the Death Parallel Line made her almost stand up and firmly pin her to the chair.

Okay, when it comes to ability, personality issues are irrelevant.

Wow, it smells amazing!

Everyone gathered rather late, and after sitting for a short while, it was almost time to leave.

"Is the purpose of gathering everyone together to confirm the identities of the deceased as soon as possible?" Zhao Ruru had her hair tied in a bun, was petite, and dressed in simple and convenient sportswear.

Because she was engaged in a deduction exercise during last year's family gathering and couldn't make it, this year was her first time attending the gathering. However, she had actually heard of the process: the participants in the live deduction exercise gather together and then disappear when the exercise begins.

Because it's a one-to-one time flow, whoever dies midway will appear in their assigned position. The person assigned to observe the death must immediately step forward to comfort them, register the death, and strive to ensure the deceased receives the greatest possible solace.

To liven up the atmosphere, Zhao Ruru asked the question even though she already knew the answer.

Yu Xing yawned. "Maybe?"

Zhao Yijiu closed her eyes to rest. "..."

Well, we can't talk today.

She rolled her eyes inwardly, gave up decisively, and let herself sink into the soft chair.

Time passed second by second, and finally, in a certain second, she felt her five senses were instantly shut off. Her vision was filled with utter darkness, and there was no sound around her. She could not even hear her own breathing and heartbeat, and she also quietly lost her sense of temperature.

Yu Xing was in the same situation. After a moment of reaction, he realized that the live broadcast had started.

He felt as if he had no physical body, like a wisp of ethereal spirit. But this only lasted for a few seconds. Soon, his senses returned, and the suffocating air around him pressed in relentlessly.

Having regained his physical presence, Yu Xing felt icy cold all over. As usual, he reached out and touched his surroundings, only to find himself sitting in a small space again.

This time was different from the Rookie Tournament. At least the Rookie Tournament provided a narrow corridor, but now he was in a cramped metal box, unable to even stand up. He bumped his head on the metal sheet above him as soon as he tried to get up.

Yu Xing estimated that the box was probably a cube with a side length of no more than 1.5 meters. Since he couldn't find an exit for the time being, he could only huddle in a corner with his legs bent, waiting for the preparation time to pass.

Although the environment could easily evoke images of a caged beast, imprisonment, and other oppressive terms for the deducer, Yu Xing remained calm. He sat obediently, his down jacket completely enveloping him, blocking out most of the cold air, which was quite comfortable.

[Bite]

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced his eardrums, startling Yu Xing, who was dozing off in his fur collar. A large screen, one meter wide, unfolded on the metal sheet in front of him, displaying the time at the top and divided into two sections below. The smaller left section displayed a line of blood-red text.

[Camera not turned on]

On the larger screen on the right, familiar bullet comments had already begun to flood the screen, jumping around rapidly, several times more lively than during the Rookie Tournament. The flickering light became the only source of light in the iron box, shining on Yu Xing and making him seem as if he were shrouded in the special effects of an old photograph, making him indistinct.

He could only shift to a more convenient position to examine the rapidly rising barrage of bullets.

[It's finally starting! Holy crap, I've been waiting for so long!]

[A bloody storm, a parallel world of death!]

[Forget about the previous ones, this month is a special month, it won't be that bloody (dog) you know what I mean.]

[But it's technically demanding. I don't watch livestreams to see how people die; I just want to see their skills.]

[Here it comes! Rumor has it, Luo Liang is in this one!]

[Also, Xu Yaoyao and Zhao Ruru (`) are the best in the reduplicated character group]

[Ye Xiao is also here, Xue Su, Liu Songrong, hahaha, it's a battle of gods!]

The November Death Parallel Line belongs exclusively to the Three Great Families. Celebrity predictors tacitly refrain from participating, but this doesn't mean that there aren't any famous people among those who participate.

Many people were just one step away from becoming star predictors, having already accumulated a certain amount of popularity in previous live streams and videos. The barrage comments were exceptionally active at this moment. Unlike the Rookie Tournament that Yu Xing had participated in before, where the audience did not have a clear preference, now, in addition to the show's fans, many viewers came because they knew the participants.

Yu Xing glanced at the comments and found that the "rumors" were quite reliable, as they mentioned people on the list he had obtained from Zhao Mou.

Just then, images gradually appeared on the screen in the live stream. Although the simulation world had not yet been entered, and the current images of the simulation participants were not displayed, a group list slowly emerged on the screen.

Group One three, totaling twenty-seven people, arranged in orderly rows with their Persona Mask, looked quite impressive.

[I can picture it! Holy crap, the Diamonds, the Soul Reaper, and the Sacrifice are in the Group One! Damn, did these three know each other?]

[Awesome!]

[Awesome!]

[Interrupting my study session, this list terrified me]

[Whose livestream should I watch? A happy dilemma]

Although the groups are set up here, if the participants are scattered, the live stream room is separate. Once the two groups meet, the live stream room will merge into one and be broadcast from the best angle.

Yu Xing couldn't see the audience's perspective; he only knew that the comments section suddenly became excited, as if they had already obtained the team roster.

[Xu Yaoyao and Zhao Ruru are not in the Group One, I cried]

[I laughed. I told you guys not to support cults; their relationship isn't good at all.]

[I want to see these girls clash and tear each other apart!]

[Where do I think I've heard the name "Xing" from Zhao Ruru's team before?]

With a large number of viewers watching the live stream, including many who had seen the previous Rookie Tournament, some immediately recognized Yu Xing.

Yu Xing sat leaning back, catching a few comments about him in the live chat.

[First place in the Rookie Tournament, and a really good actor!]

[I've been following him, I never expected him to be... cough cough, to be participating in November's Death Parallel Line, I wonder what his last name is?]

I still want to see San act in a movie.

[Oh right, right, that Magician called him San back then, it was pretty cool.]

I only remember him because of his looks; he's incredibly handsome.

How good-looking is it?

[Super good-looking!]

For some reason, as Yu Xing read this, a cryptic smile crept onto her lips, and a not-so-kind glint flashed in her eyes.

In a place unseen by the participants in the live stream, the list disappeared, and a series of system notifications began to flood the screen.

Yu Xing saw that the blood-red text on the left screen had changed.

[Camera is about to turn on, countdown 3, 2, 1]

He quickly concealed his expression and resumed his obedient demeanor.

When the countdown reached zero, instead of the so-called camera appearing on the left side of the screen, new text appeared. Yu Xing knew that this half of the screen was not for displaying videos, but for displaying notifications. Meanwhile, the audience could already see his current performance from behind the invisible camera.

He leaned forward a little and peered over to see the background information.

[This competition is set in a fictional world; all settings must be explored by the participants themselves.]

[You are a passerby. You don't remember why you fell into a coma. You only know that the moment you opened your eyes, you found yourself in a strange place that didn't match your memories.]

Your mission is to survive in this terrifying place, evade the ghosts, find the full truth as soon as possible, and obtain a way to leave.

[During this time, you will encounter two other unlucky people just like you. Hopefully, you can help each other and survive together.]

The number of comments decreased significantly in that instant, as if they had been diverted from the same live stream. The density of the remaining comments dropped sharply, making it possible to read each one clearly.

[Huh, I've been randomly assigned to someone's live stream.]

[Wow, this guy is so handsome!]

[Hmm, this person looks familiar]

[This brother, we've met before.]

[Stop kidding, you look so familiar, I remember now, luckily]

[Oh, someone was just talking about him, I didn't recognize him at first, but then I saw his face and it reminded me.]

Why can't I see his face clearly?

[Holy crap, is this what you guys were saying was good-looking? You bunch of pretentious people actually have a day when you tell the truth, I love it!]

[Wait, I suddenly see his face clearly, this... is just so my type!]

The conversation was actually a little strange, but the audience was so caught up in the excitement of the live stream that no one paid any attention to it.

From this moment on, the live stream of Death Parallel Line was officially divided into twenty-seven live stream rooms. From the viewer's perspective, this means that twenty-seven small screens appeared below the Death Parallel Line program, with the mask title displayed above the screens.

Initially, viewers are randomly and evenly assigned to different locations. Viewers can adjust their locations themselves; those who are interested can stay, while those who came for other viewers can leave the live stream and go to their corresponding small screen. If two predictors meet, their corresponding small screens will also merge into one.

Soon, the number of viewers in Yu Xing's live stream stabilized. His audience base was relatively weak among the twenty-seven people. Those who came here included fans who had liked him since the Rookie Tournament, people who were introduced to the show and were attracted by his looks, and some laid-back people who were assigned to the show and didn't want to switch.

Overall, the comments were much more harmonious than last time. After all, last time it was because the streamers were newcomers, and everyone felt comfortable mocking them. This time, everyone is Differentiation Tier, and if someone says something offensive and offends a big shot, and gets reported, those with bad tempers might start attacking the comments in the live stream as soon as they leave.

Some celebrity spectators began their enjoyable spectating tour, as was the customary procedure of being notified upon entry.

Qu Xuanqing entered the live stream room.

[Xu Shu entered the live stream room]

Zeng Lai entered the live stream room.

Ren Yi entered the live stream room.

Yan Li entered the live stream room.

[Lu Xiaorong entered the live stream room]

[Yan Ming entered the live stream room]

The notifications for these people to enter the room rang one after another. By the frequency, it was obvious to others that they were not randomly assigned, but rather that they had chosen Xing's live stream room as soon as the live stream was split up.

The audience was momentarily stunned.

What does that mean?

Is it some kind of rare animal?

Look at this lineup... what is this?!

The Great Witch Qu Xuanqing, Xu Shu, the "fourth-in-command" of [Midnight], Ren Yi and Zeng Lai of [Research Institute], and King of Hell, Fatty Lu, and Boss Yan of [Widow Investigation Team].

What is this?

Are you guys having a party here??

Only a few viewers remember that during the Rookie Tournament, Qu Xuanqing showed a different attitude towards Xing. At that time, Ren Yi also watched the whole thing in Xing's live stream, along with Lu Xiaorong and Yan Ming.

Fortunately, none of these big shots intended to speak, and the chat fell silent for a moment. They no longer dared to engage in superficial discussions about faces and began to analyze the current situation.

Is he looking at the rules? What kind of place is this? It looks so cramped.

[Is it a metal box? Wow, is this episode going to be this exciting? They've crammed people into shipping containers?]

[Looking at the rules, it's still the same background information that's practically nonexistent. I get it, it's another deduction scenario with a large plot component.]

He doesn't seem too nervous?

"Bang!"

Yu Xing read the rules while watching the live chat. Since there was no difference in identity among the participants this time, and there was no need for secrecy, it was clearly still in the "preparation time" stage, and the participants were not blocked.

Suddenly, with a dull thud, he was thrown backward uncontrollably, a feeling of weightlessness washing over him. He could only hold onto the sheet metal underneath to keep himself upright.

"They've been lifted up?"

He could feel the space around him lifting up and swaying slightly with a certain amplitude and frequency, as if he were being carried forward.

The next moment, as if he had been thrown into the air, the box suddenly tipped over, and Yu Xing's head slammed into the metal plate on top with a "bang." It didn't actually hurt him much, it was just loud, but for the sake of his persona, he still let out a short, suppressed cry of pain.

But the next moment, he was enveloped by an irresistible drowsiness and forced into a coma.