Amid the throngs of people packed into the subway, the stifling press of humidity made Ye Shu furrow her brows. Wearing an incongruously formal cocktail dress, she did her best to shrink into herself and not draw attention.
"Zzz—welcome—too...come in..."
A crackling, static-filled sound tickled her ear. Ye Shu rubbed at her ear and glanced around: the other passengers showed no sign of having heard anything out of the ordinary. She convinced herself she'd just imagined it, but her heart only sank further.
She’d thought she’d been dealt the role of the fake heiress in some grand, twisty melodrama, but the Ye family had reclaimed their real daughter in an instant. Without so much as a backward glance, they’d thrown her—the imposter—out the door.
Does anyone understand? She hadn't even gotten a single day to enjoy the life of luxury... The moment she transmigrated into this world, she was being hauled away by bodyguards and tossed into the street.
Now, she didn’t have a penny to her name, wandering, alone and destitute.
The original owner of this body might have been a daughter of the wealthy Ye clan, but her father was indifferent, her mother cold, and she had an overbearing elder brother to boot. Even the dress she wore was bought with money scraped together from part-time jobs. A tragic fate, through and through!
"Loading... Welcome, player Ye Shu, to the game!"
"Please note: If you fail in the game, the player dies. If the in-game player dies, the real-world player also dies."
"Ding! Generating game character..."
Ye Shu tensed, her mind blank, forgetting to even breathe.
A game???
So this was a game world after all?
Ye Shu, a dyed-in-the-wool corporate worker, had read her share of sci-fi stories. Some faint excitement flickered in her chest—but mostly, there was dread.
In a heartbeat, Ye Shu's figure shimmered and vanished from the subway, as though she had never existed at all.
For a brief instant, the subway’s overhead lights seemed to dim, a shadow crawling across everyone’s head.
…………
"Congratulations, player Ye Shu, you are now bound to the Survival Game. Our services are at your disposal. New player protection now active. To ensure your safety, please heed the following friendly reminders:
1. Do not make eye contact with them. Do not let them know you can see.
2. They (perhaps) cannot be killed.
3. Stay away from darkness: only light—light alone—can save you."
Ye Shu’s vision went black. When she came to herself, a blazing screen confronted her, right in her face, with blood-red text that made her skin crawl.
Before she could react, the mechanical voice returned.
"Would you like to draw a card?"
Swallowing hard, Ye Shu’s eyes darted around. Endless darkness surrounded her—no sense of up or down, only the void. She might never have eaten pork, but she’d certainly seen a pig run: the moment she heard the phrase, she realized this so-called game was no ordinary challenge. With resignation, she pressed ‘Yes’ on the glowing screen.
"Congratulations, you have obtained an SSS-level Rewind Card! (Note: The card cannot be dropped.)"
"Congratulations, you have obtained a medium-grade cinnabar prayer bead bracelet x1."
"Congratulations, you have gained +1 Strength and +1 Agility."
Ye Shu awoke from a freezing chill.
Inside the subway car, the air was dim and frigid—the oppressive heat she remembered had completely vanished, replaced with a bone-deep cold.
She rubbed her arms, shivering, an instinctive sense of crisis flaring inside her.
A screen appeared, words scrolling across the light:
"Game Role: Freshman, Southeast University"
"Game Name: Ye Shu"
"Age: 20"
"Current Number of Survivors: 1,000,000/999,997"
"Game Overview: The Ghost Domain has been unleashed; Miller Star faces disaster. They cannot be killed. Avoid them at all costs."
Ye Shu stared, stunned, lowering her gaze to the bracelet on her right wrist—beads as red as fresh blood. The sense of dread only grew. She ran her fingers over the bracelet, but found no comfort.
She had always been terrified of ghosts. Now, her rookie protection period felt more like a death sentence...
Ye Shu stared at her toes, not daring to look at the windows opposite, terrified at what she might see reflected there.
The subway car was nothing like before. The huge compartment held only her, and on the side bench, a lone young man sat, his cap pulled low enough to hide his features.
The train cut through pitch-black tunnels. The silence was thick enough to hear her own frantic heartbeat.
"This train’s final stop is Guiyu Station. Next stop: Ruyue Station. Passengers alighting, please be ready and exit through the left-side doors in an orderly fashion."
When Ye Shu heard the announcement, her heart dropped like a stone.
There was no way she was disembarking at the final stop—that was the gateway to hell itself. As for Ruyue Station, as she peered outside, not a hint of light could be seen. Something unspeakable seemed to lurk out there in the dark—leaving was out of the question.
She fought to keep her terror in check, glancing sidelong at the young man on the bench. Even in the wavering shadows, she could make out the silhouette of his form—his heels remained firmly on the floor.
It was only the two of them aboard. Perhaps, she thought, he was a player, too.
The prompt had warned against making eye contact: she hoped this didn’t count as such...
Just as Ye Shu was about to make a move, the young man rose and strode toward her. For the first time she saw his face—exquisite beyond mortal reckoning. Clean, sharp features, a pronounced bridge to his nose, and, at the tail of his right eye, a small beauty mark like a teardrop. His entire air was chilling, utterly otherworldly.
Even though Ye Shu wasn’t the type to judge by appearances, for that brief instant she was thunderstruck by his beauty.
Her pink lips parted, her round, almond eyes gazed at him in helpless innocence, the cinnabar beads at her wrist grown hot. Yet before she could find her voice, the young man looked up—and she saw his eyes.
His eye sockets were caverns of pure black—no whites to speak of.
Those weren't a human’s eyes!!
He was a ghost! A gui!
Ye Shu fought to stay perfectly still—not daring to make a sound, desperately averting her gaze.
"You can see me!!"
"You can see me!!"
The male ghost’s voice was laced with delight, splitting his lips to reveal rows of jagged, saw-like fangs. His crimson tongue flicked menacingly in the darkness.
The beads at Ye Shu’s wrist burned ever hotter. She squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to open them, holding her breath as the rhythmic tap of shoes on the floor faded away.
She sat rigid, eyes shut as tightly as locks, sweat breaking cold along her spine. She had no idea how long she endured.
"This train is now arriving at the final destination—Guiyu. Passengers alighting, please leave via the left door."
Just then, the broadcast, now a woman’s saccharine voice, cut through Ye Shu’s heart like a death toll.
Slowly, she dared crack open one eye. The male ghost was nowhere to be seen. The breath she’d been holding still hovered in her chest—then above the subway handrails, she heard a slow, creaking sound.
Instinctively she looked up.
The male ghost’s body contorted, draped along the train’s ceiling, his face twisted in a seething rictus that split his mouth to both ears. His eyes gleamed black as Hell itself, promising to tear her limb from limb.
Damn it all!
Ghosts can lie, too.
Ye Shu’s breath caught. Half her body went numb; her mind swam in fog, near collapse.
A single thought screamed in her head.
Run!
Run now!!
Don’t let him catch you.
"You can see me!!"
Her vision blurred. She barely managed to turn—and in that instant, the thing’s fangs tore through her skull, and her cinnabar beads exploded in a rain of crimson powder, littering the ground.