Killer vs Killer

In the darkness, a voice spoke, "The people should be arriving soon, shouldn't they? Then let us begin this game!"

At the Miss Airport, Guangcheng Heming and Sanada Rie did not arrive on a private jet this time; after all, they were on leave. Following the agreement, they arrived at the location Deng had specified: Miss 7th Street. This commercial district had been built a year ago and was now one of the top ten commercial districts in the world. However, what the United States had not anticipated was that the number of foreigners arriving here far exceeded the local American population.

Until Heming went to request leave, he had not realized that the missions assigned by the Pitch Black were not mandatory. Completing missions was merely a way to obtain rewards; those who did not wish to go out could simply stay home and practice the Pitch Black Heart Method alone.

"Why are there so many police officers? I didn't notice them when we arrived earlier," Rie questioned, gesturing to the police patrolling back and forth on the street.

Heming smiled and said, "You haven't been watching the news, have you? Ao City was hit by a terrorist attack. Although not many people died, a large portion of the buildings were destroyed, and it happened overnight. That's why the United States has become so tense. If we hadn't been carrying our Pitch Black employee IDs when we arrived, we would have had to go through at least three layers of security checks!"

Indeed, nowadays, if a terrorist attack occurred anywhere, the United States would immediately impose martial law. Every street had at least six police officers patrolling, and anyone they didn't recognize would be stopped for questioning.

The two waited for about ten minutes before Deng appeared and walked slowly toward them.

"Let's go. This event only occurs once every three years, and this is the second time. The number of participants is limited, so I signed you up. It would be a pity not to play, anyway!" Deng said as he walked up to Heming.

"What exactly is this thing?" Heming was now eager to know.

"Ah, I can't really explain it clearly. Just wait until you get to the venue and read the instructions. The prize this time is a small island, but as for the game, we focus on the process. The reward isn't important to us; we don't have much ** for money," Deng replied, then gestured for Heming and Rie to follow him.

Miss 8th Street was only a few hundred meters away from 7th Street, but there were clearly twice as many people here. Deng led the two to a residential building and said, "This is the location. We will stay here until the game ends. Of course, those who wish to quit the game can leave early. Oh, right, you two don't have a problem staying together, do you?"

"Huh? Staying together..." Heming was taken aback by Deng's sudden question.

"No problem at all!" Rie immediately cut in before Heming could finish speaking.

Deng pulled out a document and said, "As long as there's no problem. Due to the number of participants, I helped you select a single room. This is the confirmation form. Just hand it to the doorman when you go in. Now, go on in!"

Heming took the document and glanced at it; it didn't say much, just bore a stamp.

"You finally arrived. It's time to enter. Go hand in your confirmation forms first!" Zeng had apparently been waiting at the entrance for some time. Seeing Heming and the others, he immediately walked up to greet them.

"Hello, please show me your confirmation forms," the doorman said with a smile, requesting the forms from Heming and Rie.

"Ah, here you go!" Heming had been talking to Rie and was startled by the doorman's sudden request, but he quickly handed over the forms.

The doorman examined the forms carefully and said, "Welcome, Mr. Guangcheng Heming and Ms. Sanada Rie from the Pitch Black. Your room is the second one on the sixth floor. Please enjoy everything here!"

Heming nodded slightly and led Rie upstairs. It was a very ordinary residential building, much like the dormitories he had lived in during college. On the fifth floor, Heming ran into Deng and Zeng.

"Zeng and I are both on the fifth floor. I'm in the sixth room, and he's in the second. You should hurry back to your room; the instructions are about to begin." Deng had evidently been standing there waiting for Heming.

"Understood. I'm in the second room on the sixth floor, so I'll head up now!" Heming took a quick look at the layout of the fifth floor and went up.

Upon entering the room, he found it decent enough. There was no separate bedroom; it was just like a standard hotel room. The bathroom was right by the entrance, and a few steps further, one could see the bed. Beside the bed was a computer—a very simple setup.

"Welcome, adventurers from all over the world, to this 'Killer vs Killer' game. Your host for this event is Meiling Bell from The Council. Thank you all for supporting The Council's activities. Now, let me explain the details to you."

"There are a total of [number] participants assigned to [number] rooms. Most anticipated are last year's champion, Seldon from The Church, and the runner-up, Togawa Ichiki from Japan. Oh, the announcer just informed me that this time, we even have employees from the Pitch Black and members of the Hunter Guild participating. That means this place has gathered almost all the adventurers in the world. Who will emerge victorious this time? It's truly exciting!"

"Now, let me tell you the basic rules of 'Killer vs Killer.' During this game, the use of mobile phones is prohibited. Furthermore, I'm sure you are all aware of the special restrictions placed on certain players. If you cheat, you will be permanently disqualified from participating in the game. I hope everyone respects this precious opportunity. These rooms have been specially reinforced; no matter what you use, you cannot hear sounds from the outside, so everyone can play with peace of mind!"

"Every room is exactly the same!"

"The rules for killing are as follows: odd-numbered players kill during the day and hide at night; even-numbered players kill at night and hide during the day. Odd-numbered players must submit their 'killing method' table to the computer before 12:00 PM and their 'hiding method' before 7:00 PM. Even-numbered players must naturally submit their killing method before 7:00 PM and their hiding method before 12:00 PM. This time, we have adopted a new method: to ensure everyone enjoys the game, we have canceled the previous rule where killers in the same room could kill each other."

"In this game, if two killers choose to kill the same room, they can cooperate to search. Of course, the search items can only be the locations already selected. Also, while a single killer would normally choose three target locations, if two killers are involved, it won't be six locations, but four. That is to say, after searching four locations, the killers must return to their rooms. However, if more than two killers choose the same room, they must decide who goes by playing rock-paper-scissors. The two winners get to carry out the killing, while the losers must return to their rooms."

"As for the 'lamb' players, they can choose to perform a self-defense action, but this can only be used once every two days. If you use it today, you cannot use it again until the day after tomorrow. The self-defense action allows the lamb to defend themselves during the killer's third search and eliminate the killer. Remember, it can only be used during the killer's third search. If it is the first or second search, the lamb will..."

"And if two killers discover the lamb during their fourth search, the lamb can use the self-defense action to evade, meaning that search will be considered a failure."

"A room with multiple people can be counted as one person or as several individuals. You can hide together or separately, but when killing, it only counts as one attempt—three times total."

"Those are the general rules. The morning is free time, and you can do whatever you like. Oh, and during meal times, someone will deliver food to your rooms."

"Now, I declare the second 'Killer vs Killer' game by The Council, officially started!"

"The first round begins tomorrow at 12:00 PM. Please prepare yourselves. We will be in lockdown starting tonight until free time resumes tomorrow morning. I wish you all a pleasant time."

After hearing the instructions, both Heming and Rie were astonished. This was the first time they had ever encountered a game like this!

The game looked simple, but it was actually incredibly complex.

Choosing a room to kill in was not entirely based on luck; it relied on intellect—on seeing through what rooms others would choose and what rooms they would avoid.

When killing, one had to first consider the places people frequented to hide, and then choose more secretive locations...

Heming looked at Rie. Both of them were thinking of almost the same thing: how should they choose a room?

Normally, the numbers 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 16, 18, and 20 were the most popular choices. However, if most people thought the same way as Heming, then those who didn't choose these numbers might very well be the ones who survived...

"This is truly a headache-inducing task," Heming said, staring at the computer.