Same-Level Showdown

Same-Level Showdown

Player 18 showed no change in expression. He raised his hand and chose the black ball first.

The countdown hadn't begun yet, but Player 95 kept begging. The key to this round was who got picked at random, and only Player 18 on the other side could influence the result.

But whether Player 95 was kowtowing and weeping or pleading in a mournful voice, Player 18 said nothing. At last, under the host's urging, he had no choice but to crawl over and choose the black ball.

Immediately afterward, the projection balls on both sides began flashing in turn. Five seconds later, they stopped on the black ball on Player 95's side!

"Congratulations, Guest 95! You've won the black-ball task!"

The glass door behind Player 95 and the glass case housing the Heart Stamp on the other side opened at the same time. The moment seawater rushed in, Player 95 tried to retrieve the diving gear from his backpack, but it was already too late. He was slammed against the giant screen in the middle and, as expected, was stamped by the Heart Stamp, which was larger than a person. A few seconds later, blood seeped out. His eyes went blank, and when the Heart Stamp rolled him away, a heart-shaped hole remained in his chest—his heart had been ripped out.

The giant screen returned to the square. Player 18 was unharmed, but bloodstains remained on the ground on the other side.

"How heartless!" someone whispered.

But most people remained silent. What else could they do? The damage to the ground in the square showed how hard those glass walls were to break. The players were trapped in a narrow space with nowhere to hide. If they couldn't kill the piranhas quickly, wouldn't they die all the same?