Prologue

An inexplicable 'personnel' selection...

Alright, it's actually a rather cliché infinite flow opening. My vision went black, and with a whoosh, I woke up to find myself in a different location. However, not many people present thought they were kidnapped or anything similar. The more terrified ones had already huddled together in a corner, trembling, and fearfully watching the faint figure not far away.

The other party's attire was also typical of a young person. Judging by their build, they even seemed quite thin. The only difference was that one could see the scene on the other side through their body. Even though the faint figure's face was filled with confusion, it couldn't dispel the sense of dread that emanated from them, a feeling that made ordinary people fearful.

Coupled with the sickly aura they exuded, their skin was excessively pale, making them as ghostly as could be. There were quite a few young people present. Perhaps they had yearned for supernatural encounters, but facing such a situation was a different matter entirely.

Many people had tried to find ghosts before. If they truly encountered one... I believe many people would wish they hadn't!

"Hmm... I should have been at the Crematorium?"

Nine Lives glanced around strangely, not understanding why everyone was looking at him as if they had seen a ghost.

This place didn't look like Hell at all; it was more like a Labyrinth.

Crematorium?

The corners of the mouths of those who heard Nine Lives' whisper twitched slightly. They didn't dare to ask for clarification. Everyone present was an ordinary person and had never had the chance to see a ghost. Now that they had, those who could meet Nine Lives' gaze were considered brave.

"Are you human or ghost!?" Just as Nine Lives was spacing out, a gruff voice rang out. Nine Lives turned to look, and a burly man with an imposing aura walked over. Speaking of which, there were quite a lot of people here, dozens of them?

"Of course I am... Huh? It seems I'm really not." He looked at his hand and was stunned for a moment. A semi-transparent hand was certainly not something that could be achieved with special effects. Did I really die? Although I don't know how I got here, the last thing I remember was feeling heat.

At that time, I was being roasted in a furnace. As soon as I broke free from the furnace and saw where I was, I was severely 'burned,' and my consciousness sank again. Well... speaking of which, I really did die?

As the last clear memories gradually returned, Nine Lives calmed down. It was good that he didn't die. Regardless of what he had become, his current Soul Body image clearly showed what Nine Lives was like in life: a typical sickly youth, the kind who might not see tomorrow. Even his name was given by a passing fortune teller, which he happened to keep. The reason was that the name sounded tough, and nine, being the extreme of numbers, was just one short of perfection, thus not too taboo. As for whether it was useful... that's another matter.

He had a name but no surname, as he was adopted anyway, so his surname didn't matter.

Now it seemed this name hadn't made him particularly tough; he still had to die of old age and be sent to the Crematorium...

Well, perhaps becoming like this is another way of living?

"Well, it doesn't seem like a vengeful spirit. Where is this place? Are you guys playing a party?" Nine Lives smiled leisurely, no longer dwelling on his current state. He shifted his attention to his surroundings. A party?

If people from all walks of life could gather here.

White-collar workers, students, workers, and so on. After the initial panic, Nine Lives' calm demeanor gradually eased the anxious feelings of those around him. They began to examine their surroundings, paying attention to things they had previously overlooked.

Where is this place? How did they get here?

"You don't know where this is either?" The man who had asked Nine Lives frowned. He thought Nine Lives should know something; this was purely an instinctive reaction. There were dozens of living people here, and only Nine Lives was a 'dead' person.

"A Labyrinth?" Nine Lives scratched his head and moved his body. It seemed that without the constraints of a physical body, he had escaped the confinement of his sickly physique. Even though his build remained the same, he felt an extraordinary sense of fullness and strength. He was no longer someone who could pull a muscle lifting a brick. Speaking of which, his physique in life was terrible, but his mental energy rarely felt fatigued, and he slept very little.

Doctors had sternly warned him about this. Even so, he needed to rest regularly, even more than normal people. His mind was sharp, but his body couldn't keep up with this mental energy. If he didn't want to die early, he shouldn't push himself like this!

"Look here quickly!"

With a startled cry, everyone's attention shifted. On the ground before them, a line of text slowly materialized—

Cough! A rather bizarre scene, an introduction to this place. The very first sentence chilled everyone's hearts: there was no exit. While the space wasn't infinitely large, the chances of running into someone else if you went out alone were slim.

A standard tactic, a stick and a carrot. After the threat came a slew of sleep-inducing promises: being superior, achieving immortality, and so on. Jiu Ming glanced around; clearly, some people were tempted. Was this what they believed?

After the promises came the conditions... only one person was needed.

"Oh?" Jiu Ming chuckled, as if the atmosphere wasn't tense enough. "It seems we're supposed to slaughter each other?"

First off, he wasn't human here...

In an instant, the people who had gathered dispersed. Some became isolated, others huddled together in groups. Then, after the conditions, a guarantee was added: dying here wouldn't be a real death, just a nightmare. So, everyone could go all out.

A vast, empty Labyrinth. Jiu Ming felt this 'selection' wouldn't last long. However, that last sentence clearly removed everyone's scruples... Hmm?

Was that so?

Sometimes, being too real had its downsides. There were still concerns where concerns should be!

A real death experience?

But that statement clearly gave some people a reason. After a quick calculation of gains and losses, without food, even if they did nothing, the people here would go mad and wipe each other out due to hunger.

Well, weren't the people running around here just reserve food?

"Hmm, speaking of which, can human flesh be eaten?"

He clicked his tongue. Jiu Ming's smile carried a hint of malice. His voice wasn't loud, and the space wasn't wide, so everyone could hear him. Everyone looked around with either panic or increased wariness.

"What do you mean!! You must know something!!"

Jiu Ming's words were poisonous, the instigation too obvious.

"Huh? That's right! I am instigating. Don't you see I'm not human right now? So, you all take your time and work hard. Don't become someone else's reserve food."

His words, full of malice, made many glare at Jiu Ming with anger. Shaking his head, Jiu Ming didn't care. Were the things he thought impossible? In a couple of days, they would know what was absolutely going to happen!

"Bye-bye, everyone."

Food was definitely useless to him. He should find a place to stay first.

"Stop right there!!" Several brave men charged at Jiu Ming. After observing for a while, this guy seemed 'harmless'?

Jiu Ming's few words had shattered the relatively harmonious atmosphere, the potential for alliances. How could they let him leave so easily? In fact, he really did leave...

As a ghost, was he immune to physical attacks? At least, no one here could harm him. That was enough. He casually walked into a passage. This was a huge Labyrinth; after a few turns, others might not find him. He touched his forehead; it really could get bumped and hurt.

Jiu Ming shook his head. He couldn't phase through walls anymore. Did ghosts feel pain?

"Um, he shouldn't count towards the conditions, right?" After Jiu Ming left, the people who had gathered started discussing. After all, the conditions required people, not ghosts?

"I don't know if he counts, but I want to go by myself. What if someone targets me and treats me as food?" A fatty stood up and ran towards another passage. After a few turns, he disappeared from everyone's sight. Some people with ideas felt a bit regretful. The fatty could endure hunger better than ordinary people, so this running fatty was quite quick-witted.

Before leaving, he left everyone here with an uncomfortable feeling...

As for death, it was at most the person having a nightmare? No one was willing to try unless absolutely necessary. Similarly, that sentence carried aggression, a 'way out' for the weak-willed.

Anyway, at most it's just a nightmare, and if pushed too far, suicide... is that okay?

One by one, people began to choose a direction and run off. Once some things are pointed out, there really is no room for compromise. Now, many people probably feel that strangers are looking at them like they're backup rations.

In the end, basically everyone acted alone. It's better to be safe than sorry. Haven't modern people watched enough movies and TV shows? Being stabbed in the back by friends and family... sigh, brother, this isn't about not trusting you, it's just that I don't want to affect our relationship, right?

In short, let's split up first, as if we're all going back to our own homes.

Those who stuck together were clearly wary of each other, but thinking that they would hardly meet again once they separated, they didn't care much.

Instead of thinking too much about these things, it's better to quickly find a place to stay and conserve energy by moving as little as possible, to last longer.

"What kind of place is this? It's obviously not a prank. My body can't be faked. Infinite? Where are the Veterans? Leaving only that line of text is too irresponsible, isn't it? And is it really okay to die casually? I always feel that sentence is quite irresponsible."

Muttering, Jiu Ming looked up at the ceiling of the Labyrinth. It was also sealed shut. It was then that he noticed there were no lights here at all. Since it was a sealed environment, how could there be light? Yet, it was surprisingly bright here...