novellk Chapter 21 Digital Room
Chapter 21 Digital Room
The cold system notification had barely faded when another notification, audible only to Chen Yang, followed immediately.
[You are under the influence of a mad will; your Sanity is temporarily increased by 10 for 1 hour.]
"???"
In an instant, Chen Yang felt his mind clear up and his senses become sharp. This feeling... was even a little bit exhilarating.
He discreetly observed the other players in the hall.
A look of anxiety and paranoia suddenly appeared on most people's faces.
This is clearly a group buff.
However, the other players don't have the [negative entropy state], so they've most likely lost sanity.
As for Wu Xia, who was already on the verge of collapse, she even started to chuckle softly, which was particularly eerie.
"Good grief, they're launching a psychological attack right off the bat?"
Chen Yang thought to himself, "Judging from this, this dungeon is designed to drive players crazy first, and then make them kill each other."
At this moment, the text on the circular screen changed again.
The game consists of five rounds, each lasting ten minutes.
Each player starts with a number.
Each round, the system randomly selects a standard value.
Players whose numbers are below the standard value must enter the room before the countdown ends, or they will face penalties.
Each room can accommodate a maximum of 2 people.
The room door can be destroyed, but once destroyed, the room will be discarded in the next round of the game.
It seems this instance is not just about players mindlessly ganging up and killing each other.
Chen Yang recalled the previous flood and knew that this hour would definitely not pass so easily.
According to the rules, 10 rooms can accommodate a maximum of 20 people. If everyone sits in a row and shares the fruit, theoretically 20 out of 100 players can survive.
But how can things possibly be orderly under such rules?
[First round of the game begins, current standard value: 33]
Countdown: 09:59
Players whose numbers are less than 33, please enter the room as soon as possible.
Chen Yang glanced at his panel.
【34】
We were lucky; we just barely beat the standard value.
This means he can stay out of the first round and not get involved in the fierce competition for apartments.
The moment the notification tone sounded, the situation instantly spiraled out of control.
A large number of players rushed toward the nearest door like madmen, their eyes bloodshot.
A room not far from Chen Yang was occupied by the two fastest players within seconds, and the door was slammed shut.
The third player was a step too slow; he threw himself onto the door and started banging on it frantically.
"Open the door! Let me in! Let me in!"
A hysterical roar came from inside the room: "Get out of here! There are ten rooms in total, why are you fixated on this one? Go find someone else!"
The player, hearing the ticking of the countdown, was grinding his teeth in frustration. Looking around, he could only turn and rush into the distance.
Even after he left, the two people inside the door didn't dare to relax. They remained firmly behind the door, watching everyone who approached as if they were thieves.
Chen Yang simply sat cross-legged on the ground and switched to spectator mode.
There were several other players around him who had also reached the required number. Although they were also observing, they were all pale-faced and tense.
Chen Yang looked around and found that all 10 rooms were full.
But in the lobby, there were still thirteen or fourteen players who hadn't managed to get a room and were frantically banging on the door, trying to force their way in before the countdown ended.
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, a muffled thud suddenly erupted from the crowd.
"Bang!"
Chen Yang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a burly player swinging a fire axe the size of a millstone and chopping it down hard on the wooden door of room number 3.
Wood chips flew everywhere, and a jagged gash was cleaved into the sturdy door panel.
"Holy crap! Are you crazy?"
The people inside screamed in terror, "The door's been smashed! This room's ruined in the next round! Are you trying to kill everyone?"
"If I don't make it in this round, nobody's going to survive!"
The burly man's face was contorted with rage, veins bulging on his arms. He swung his axe again with a backhand, yelling, "Screw the next round! I just want to live now!"
This desperate move acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the entire scene.
The dozen or so players who had been pleading desperately suddenly realized what was happening and began pulling out all sorts of weapons from their system space.
Crowbars, wrenches, and even homemade hammers were used to relentlessly attack the nearest door.
"Stop them!"
One of the players, who had been sitting and watching the show, suddenly jumped up, his voice piercing the air:
"The room's broken, everyone's trapped! Anyone who wants to live, fight back and kill these lunatics!"
The area is closed.
If what happened before was a fierce battle to buy a house, now it has turned into a real life-or-death struggle.
Those players who were temporarily safe also completely dropped their pretense in order to preserve their resources.
Humanity is squeezed to the point of exhaustion in this cramped space.
Some players still retained a shred of rationality and just wanted to separate the person.
But many more people, under long-term high pressure, have long since become beasts. They directly use knives in and out, their actions so swift and decisive that they are chilling.
Before one of the players who was banging on the door could retract his crowbar, a dagger pierced the back of his neck, spraying blood onto the door panel and flowing in through the crack.
Chen Yang remained seated, observing the situation with detached indifference, like an outsider.
He had no intention of taking action.
The game rules only mentioned penalties, but not elimination.
As long as he doesn't die instantly, he's confident he can pull through thanks to his regenerative abilities in his negative entropy state.
The countdown has entered its final few seconds.
Those outside the door are fighting for their lives, while those inside are killing each other for a way out; neither side has a way out.
[Time's up! Round 1 is over!]
Number of people in the room: 20
[Number of people outside the building who did not meet the standard: 10]
Death toll: 7
[Number of rooms damaged: 2]
[Number of players remaining: 93]
[Punishment begins: One organ will be randomly removed from the body of the player who failed to meet the standard.]
[There are 4:59 minutes left until the next round of the game begins.]
The cold, automated sound system echoed throughout the hall, abruptly halting the killing.
Immediately afterwards, a series of chilling screams filled the air.
Chen Yang saw a player's left eyeball disappear into thin air, leaving only a dark eye socket spurting blood.
Some people were clutching their stomachs and rolling around in agony, sweating profusely.
Even worse, some people didn't even scream before collapsing headfirst, clearly having had their hearts removed.
The unluckiest one had his entire left leg disappear instantly, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cut.
However, before Chen Yang could even reflect on the cruelty of the punishment, he suddenly froze on the spot.
[You are under the influence of a mad will; your Sanity is temporarily increased by 10 for 1 hour.]
Chen Yang's eyes narrowed.
Not right.
He met the numerical target in this round, so he should be on the safe list. Why was he also affected?
He quickly scanned his surroundings and noticed that the players who had been safe before now had a strange blood-red glint in their eyes, were breathing heavily like bellows, and were becoming increasingly frantic.
"Good heavens..."
A chill ran through Chen Yang's heart.
"This game doesn't need to be directly wiped out."
This kind of psychological manipulation alone could drive this group to kill each other until not a single one is left.