One, two, three, freeze

Xin Jiu chose One, Two, Three, Freeze without hesitation.

Bubu muttered under his breath, "Why not pick the easiest one, Chinese jump rope?"

"Because I don't know how to play."

"..."

The moment she finished speaking, everything before her began to spin and blur. When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer in the arcade, but standing on a running track.

This track was different from the rubber tracks she usually saw in stadiums and schools.

It was twenty meters wide, with fluorescent light strips lining both sides. It actually looked quite pretty, like a nice place for a night run.

She wasn't alone. Several dozen players stood scattered around her.

[All fifty players are present.]

[The game rules are as follows:]

[1: The track is 25 kilometers long. Players must reach the finish line within half an hour.]

[2: When the "Snake Woman" calls out "One, two, three, freeze! Don't move!" all players must remain motionless. Anyone the "Snake Woman" catches moving will be punished.]

[3: Once the game begins, reward or penalty items will drop at random every thirty seconds. Players, take care to distinguish between them.]

[4: Only the first thirty players to reach the finish line will survive this game.]

Out of fifty people, only thirty could survive. That meant certain death for the other twenty.

She quickly scanned the players around her.

Everyone's expression changed after hearing the rules. They had clearly all been frightened by them.

"Why would people die playing a game?!" one player shouted in a breakdown. "I'm not playing! Let me out!"

"Why didn't anyone warn us we could die when we entered the game?"

"This is your oversight! I'm not playing!"

Had they known they could die playing games here, they would rather have washed dishes at restaurants and teahouses!

The system gave no response.

Xin Jiu felt that this game was getting more and more underhanded.

The service areas were clearly supposed to be way stations where players could catch their breath or get supplies, yet Snake God Mountain deducted points the moment they entered, and now there were games that could kill them. Did the game administrators know?

Or were these rules they had agreed on after discussing them?

Bubu tried to poke his head out again. Xin Jiu swiftly pushed him back down and whispered, "Wait until I tell you to come out."

Just then, an eerie sound suddenly came from behind them.

It was a scraping sound, like something heavy slowly dragging across the ground. Everyone turned to look.

At first, there was only a blurry outline. As she drew closer, they saw her clearly.

It was an enormous snake, deep red all over, but eerily, its upper body was that of a woman-an exceptionally beautiful woman, at that, with delicate features and long black hair cascading down.

A few small scales covered her face, and her snake eyes were scarlet too.

She lay coiled on the track, a lazy smile on her lips.

"Oh my~" she began, her soft voice very pleasant to hear. "All fifty little cuties are here."

She slowly lowered her body, cupped her cheeks in both hands, and swayed past all the players with satisfaction. With every face her gaze swept over, the corners of her mouth rose a little higher.

"Ah... I'm just so happy."

She let out a heartfelt sigh.

"It's been so long since I last ate human flesh. The last time was decades ago."

"You probably don't know this, but I learned this game from human children. They were having such fun back then. Seeing them happy made me happy too, and then I gobbled them up in one bite. Today, it's your turn to play with me. I'm really, really looking forward to it."

With that, her scarlet forked tongue slowly licked her lips.

This batch of players looked a little old and might not taste as good, but they were better than nothing.

The track fell deathly silent.

Every player's expression changed. Some had trembling legs, while others were quietly crying.

Xin Jiu knitted her brows. Had she really eaten people, or was this a scripted speech the game had given her to break the players' composure before it even began?

"You all heard the rules clearly just now, didn't you?" The Snake Woman lazily stretched, her tail swishing back and forth across the track. "I'm actually very easy to get along with. I don't go around eating children who follow the rules. But if you dare move after I finish calling out, you'll be in for something very nasty..."

The players nodded. Xin Jiu noticed that some had already started applying buffs to themselves.

"Then, let the game begin!"

After speaking, the Snake Woman began to sing. Her once sweet, soft voice suddenly became piercing and shrill, leaving your mind in a muddle when it reached your ears.

Most of the players covered their ears. Two couldn't withstand it and dropped to their knees on the spot.

Xin Jiu's ears rang, but rather than covering them, she activated her [Speed Skill] and took off running.

She was fast, leaving more than half the players behind in an instant.

But none of the players who had made it out of the Forest Labyrinth were novices. She saw someone pop a pill into their mouth. After swallowing it, flames flared around them, and they shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

That immediately put five hundred meters between them and Xin Jiu.

Another player wore glowing boots, covering more than ten meters with every step.

The players each displayed their abilities. The track was filled with the light effects of all sorts of skills, outshining even the fluorescent strips on either side.

Although Xin Jiu's [Speed Skill] wasn't the best among them, at least it kept her from falling behind. For now, she was still among the leaders.

She didn't look back, but the Snake Woman's breath seemed to brush repeatedly against her neck and ears.

Every brush sent goosebumps rising all over her body.

Thirty seconds later, a sudden rumbling came from overhead.

Xin Jiu looked up and saw several enormous wooden posts plunging straight toward a spot fifty meters ahead of her.

The rules had said that rewards or items would drop at random every thirty seconds.

These clearly weren't rewards, but obstacles!

The Speed Skill let her cover thirty meters in a second. It was too late to brake now, so she could only dodge to either side. But there was more than one wooden post. Xin Jiu drew a deep breath and nimbly wove between them.

Some players failed to dodge in time and were struck squarely by the posts.

Others were sent flying outright, rolling several times across the track before lying on the ground, twitching.

Xin Jiu had no energy to spare worrying about anyone else.

Because besides the wooden posts, a large white sphere had appeared up ahead.

[One-kilometer speed boost. Takes effect immediately upon contact.]

It was a reward item!

Xin Jiu pushed off hard and sprinted toward the glowing sphere. This speed-boost item could propel her a whole kilometer forward. She had to get it!

She was already running at her limit. Just as she was about to touch the glowing sphere, another hand reached in from the side.

The glowing sphere vanished the instant it was touched.

White light enveloped that player's figure. Xin Jiu glanced over and found that it was actually a rather older woman.