The Player-Dominated World
"I'm not hungry, I'm not hungry! I'm fine!" Xiaomei hurriedly shook her head, then lowered her head and said, "I didn't get a good look at your faces. I won't tell anyone, so please don't kill me!"
"Why would we kill you?" one of them said. "You're not a Cannibal Player. Besides, even if you did tell someone, it wouldn't matter. Who has time to worry about anyone else right now?"
Having just been through such a roller coaster, Xiaomei couldn't help sobbing. "I finally managed to settle down in a big city. I'd just saved up enough money to rent a nicer place. I don't want to die..."
The two Players could only sympathize. They couldn't get out, either.
"Look on the bright side. Just take it one day at a time." The two men exchanged a glance, then laughed. They seemed to be taking things in stride.
"Can I come with you?" Xiaomei suddenly looked up. "Everyone else in the Mall has already left. I'm afraid to go home alone. Could you take me with you? I know where the Mall owner lives. He's collected lots of items!"
"Is the owner a Player?" one of them asked.
Xiaomei shook her head. "He's an ordinary person, just wealthy. I guess he wants to be prepared in case he becomes a Player someday."
"We'll take your word for it." The two helped her up and had her show them the way.
The Mall owner lived nearby. The three didn't plan to rob him openly, so they intended to use their usual method. But they hadn't expected the box he used to store his items to be specially made. Opening it set off an alarm, startling the old man in the bedroom next door awake. He suddenly began