It hadn't even taken the dizziness for Ichinose to pass before she was already charging into the center of the room. She slammed both hands against the smooth surface of the sphere and demanded an answer.
"GANTZ!!"
"Why did you choose the school building as the exam site? And what about all those innocent students? Do you want them all to die there?!"
The Black Sphere Room fell silent at once.
Yamada Albert, who had been checking something on his phone, looked up at the sound. Confusion filled his eyes behind his sunglasses, and he instinctively glanced at Ryuen Kakeru and Shiina Hiyori.
Ryuen Kakeru furrowed his brow too. What the hell?
As for Shiina Hiyori, she quickly recovered from the shock of being randomly selected and slipped seamlessly into the scene.
"So Ichinose means..."
"The school building we're in is the exam site?"
Shiranami Chihiro added:
"Some of our classmates are already being attacked by monsters! When we were teleported here, we saw Hirata from Class D trying to lure them away..."
At that, everyone's expression darkened.
If innocent students were being dragged into this... then the nature of the exam had changed.
Kamuro Masumi glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was lost in thought, then at the furious Ichinose, and couldn't help speaking up:
"You're called GANTZ, right?"
"Was this a mistake, or did something go wrong?"
"The least you could do is explain."
The Black Sphere seemed to activate in response.
Light rippled across its surface, and lines of white text appeared:
[This was not a mistake.]
[This trial has activated weighted mode: in addition to hidden monsters, surviving "allied units" will count as bonus rewards.]
[For each survivor protected until the end of the trial, all participants will receive additional points at the final tally.]
[Conversely, if a target dies, the corresponding points will be deducted.]
"Points deducted?"
Horikita Suzune's eyes narrowed as she immediately spotted a flaw in the statement. "Then what happens if those students who got caught up in this die...? Are they really dead?"
[Of course. Their deaths will be recorded by the system.]
[Life and death are up to fate; wealth and honor are up to heaven. At least this time, you needn't worry.]
"See? I told you it wouldn't be that simple." Sakayanagi Arisu sighed softly and turned to Kamuro. "This is the truth of 'meritocracy.' Even those who want to hide safely in the back will eventually be dragged into the vortex. There's no escaping it."
Su Wei watched the solemn expressions on everyone's faces. He looked solemn too, but inside, he was perfectly calm.
In truth, apart from named characters like Amikura Mako and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, most of the students caught up in this were NPCs he'd deployed with his GANTZ privileges—in other words, extras to fill out the scene.
It was just a little trick to make the mission more immersive.
He admitted there was a bit of mischief behind it.
But Kabane were basically zombies. What fun was there in just killing monsters?
Judging by the results, it seemed to be working pretty well.
Su Wei wondered if he should take the [MC Milk] he'd rolled a couple days ago and use this opportunity to fleece people for points.
If someone got bitten, one swig of this milk would not only cure the infection but also give them a boost of calcium.
"Enough talking!" Ichinose slapped the Black Sphere hard again. "Give us the mission! Tell us the targets! I want to save them!"
GANTZ fell silent for three seconds.
[As you wish.]
The display changed, showing a monster with a glowing heart and a grotesque, zombie-like appearance.
[Target: Kabane × 20]
[Characteristics: Steel hearts, tireless, infectious]
[Favorite things: Living people, living people, and living people]
[Catchphrase: Guh... Awooo!]
[Failure penalty: The entire school will fall.]
[Time limit: 90:00]
[Helpful hint: As before, there is also a hidden monster (*＾-＾*)]
Seeing that the failure penalty was different from before, Ichinose Honami's pupils contracted.
"Infectious..."
Shiina Hiyori pressed her lips together.
"So they're similar to zombies... We can't let them bite us?"
Su Wei nodded. "Steel hearts. I wonder if the Combat Knife can cut through them."
"Why not try and see?"
Ryuen Kakeru picked up the Gantz Sword he'd chosen earlier.
Shiina Hiyori's arrival had given him another chance to choose.
Ichinose took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, then turned to face the others, whose expressions varied.
They might come from different classes and have different interests.
But at this moment, she had no other choice.
"Everyone."
"This time, we're not just trying to pass the exam."
"To protect our school... please, give it everything you've got!"
"We have to get everyone out alive!
### People liked to say, "In the apocalypse, kill the do-gooders first."
But in truth, what people hated was often the kind of sanctimonious hypocrite who made others sacrifice for their own ideals while lecturing from a moral high ground—not those who were genuinely willing to give of themselves.
At least, that was how it was for high schoolers like Shiina Hiyori and Shiranami Chihiro, who still had a conscience.
There was nothing hypocritical about Ichinose's actions now. She was simply stating the facts.
After everyone had chosen their equipment, blue light flashed, and they were teleported back to the school building.
The hallway's motion-sensor lights flickered as if the power were failing, an appropriately ominous backdrop to the clusters of red dots on their Black Guns' screens—and the few green ones that either disappeared or turned red in an instant.
"Tch. What a massacre."
Looking at the carnage on the screen, Ryuen Kakeru clicked his tongue.
"But with allied units marked, at least we don't have to waste time searching for them."
"We only have ninety minutes..."
"We have to clear out the zombies and protect classmates who are running around everywhere. It'd be pretty heartless to stumble around blindly again."
Sakayanagi Arisu sighed softly.
Ichinose Honami didn't join the discussion.
After quickly identifying the two main groups of survivors, she made her decision:
"Most of the survivors are gathered in the first-floor lobby and an empty classroom on the third floor."
"Except for Ryuen and Su Wei, everyone in our group has one Standard Gun and one Capture Gun."
"To work efficiently and play it safe, we should split into two groups."
"Same as last time?"
Ichinose looked to Su Wei and Ryuen Kakeru for confirmation.
"Whatever."
No one objected. Even Ryuen Kakeru only shrugged.
In fact, it was just what he wanted.
After all, this time, Lady Luck was on his side.
He had Shiina Hiyori, the brains, and Yamada Albert, whose strength was no less than his own.
The three of them had never had such a perfect start!
"Then, good luck, everyone."
Leaving them with those words, Ryuen Kakeru led the two Class C students toward the stairs without looking back.
Watching them go, Ichinose Honami nodded to Su Wei, then followed after them with Shiranami.
Soon, only Su Wei's group remained in the crowded hallway.
"Su Wei."
Sakayanagi Arisu turned around and smiled at him.
"Only Kamuro has a Capture Gun."
"So everyone's safety from here on out is in your hands!"
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right. Did you put on your Reinforcement Suit?"
"We were teleported so late that I didn't even get to see you change, Su Wei. What a shame~"
Su Wei glanced at her.
"Don't ask questions when you already know the answer."
"Besides, even an idiot could tell the two extra doors marked 'men' and 'women' in the Black Sphere Space were changing rooms, right?"
Before you continue