“So this is the abyss? Doesn’t look like much to me.” Fu Shiyi cast a casual glance at the pit, feigning indifference as he flicked a pebble inside.

Ye Shu spared him a brief look but made no move to stop him. This pit had been here for three years, and throughout that time, the denizens of the game world had hurled endless trash into its depths without anything untoward happening. Could it be her suspicions were unfounded? Perhaps the dungeon had nothing to do with this bottomless hole at all?

"Let’s go." They lingered for a moment, the pit remaining unchanged, until at last the staff returned.

With a cacophony— A flood of garbage tumbled into the not-so-large chasm.

In an instant, it was devoured whole, leaving not a whisper of sound behind. To think so much was dropped in, yet not a single echo returned… It was, quite simply, eerie. Under normal circumstances, even a single stone would elicit a reply from the void. Come to think of it, did this mean… the pit truly was bottomless?

Ye Shu, startled by her own conclusion, furrowed her brow and at last turned away.

"Hey, hey, coming through!" Fu Shiyi bounded forward enthusiastically, only to trip over the safety railing and nearly tumble headlong into the darkness.

“What was that all about?” Ye Shu’s face had gone pale in a flash. If he fell, he’d never come back—Fu Shiyi’s reckless bluster was simply incorrigible. She berated herself; she never should have brought him here.

“Damn, that scared me half to death—just about cashed in my chips there. Lucky for me, my luck holds.” He lay sprawled on the ground, panting, the fear in his eyes gone as soon as he read Ye Shu’s expression. With a smirk, he sidled up to her, teasing, “Ye-jie, worried about me? No need! It’s just a little black hole—no big deal.”

Ye Shu rolled her eyes and strode away.

————————————

Back at the hotel. Ye Shu continued combing through reports on the pit.

Three years ago, the chasm had appeared out of nowhere in City F, causing a sensation. Throngs flocked to see it; experts theorized a sinkhole formed from tectonic movement and summoned legions of surveyors. Yet every device sent into the pit failed inexplicably. Investigation could only proceed by sending people down on ropes. But the ropes had snapped halfway. None of the surveyors ever returned. Their last reported depth: 10,001 meters. After that, no one dared venture in again. Over time, it had simply become humanity’s dumping ground.

Ye Shu raked a hand through her tangled hair, skimming for any useful news—but the more she found, the less there was to learn.

"Ye-jie, first few days of the game are a safe zone, no need to stress—veterans like us guarantee victory!" Fu Shiyi lounged on the sofa, carelessly flipping a dagger between his fingers. Ye Shu: “...” Where did this kid’s confidence come from? She was certain the pit was the key to the game; sometimes, no sign was the deadliest omen.

“Get some rest. I have business.” Ye Shu reached out to contact Su Bai. As she suspected, there was a pit in Zone A as well.

[Sultry Cockroach in Black Stockings]: Shu-shu, I’m fleeing that pit at full speed—it’s like an ill-omened place! And I went to see it: throw anything in and it makes no sound. It’s like a bottomless abyss!!

[Cockroach]: When the pit suddenly appeared, so many cars tumbled straight in without warning. No recovery, nothing… Packing up now, I’ll contact you soon.

[Your Dad]: Wait… You’re saying the pit in Zone A just appeared today?

[Cockroach]: Right! Is there a problem? I was right there! Nearly drove straight in, too—good thing I’m quick behind the wheel, otherwise you’d have lost your bestie forever, Ye Shu.

Su Bai thoughtfully sent over a photo of the pit.

It was identical to the one Ye Shu had seen at the dump—deep, pitch black, a crowd clustered nearby, faces stricken with terror. Some bold soul leaned over, calling into the depths, but those who’d fallen in would never hear them again.

But why did the pit in the D-Zone dungeon appear three years ago?!

[Your Dad]: Alright, just run for now.

Ye Shu brought up her screen. It took only a moment to find her answer: In every area except D, the pits had appeared only as players entered the game. None had existed before; only hers dated back years.

The one thing they all shared: not a single sound ever came back from those pits.

Somehow, Ye Shu drifted off, slumped by the window.

Cree-aaak— A faint, persistent rustling reached her ears as consciousness returned. The ceiling swayed violently. In seconds, rebar warped, white plaster rained from the walls, and a chandelier crashed towards her head. Ye Shu rolled aside on instinct, just avoiding the falling crystal.

What on earth…? Was it an earthquake? The entire room shook, walls shedding chunks by the second. Ye Shu considered leaping out the window to escape, but at the last moment remembered Fu Shiyi next door. She kicked through his door. He was still buried in bed, snoring through thunder.

“And he calls himself a veteran? Not a drop of caution in him.” Ye Shu cursed and hauled him by force from under the covers.

“Ahhh! Ow—who’s there?!” He yelped, then froze as Ye Shu’s grim face came into view. “Ye-jie, it’s you!” “Move it.” Ye Shu dragged Fu Shiyi out and together they vaulted from the window, barely escaping disaster.

Outside, chaos reigned—calls for help, cries and sobs tangled in the air.

“Call the police—was that an earthquake?!” “Someone’s hurt here, get an ambulance!” “Damn it, came all this way on vacation and now this—why now?” "Are we sure it’s an earthquake? Feels like something’s clawing up from the ground…" “Ye-jie, what’s going on?” Fu Shiyi looked thoroughly bewildered.

“No idea. Let’s just find somewhere safe.” But Ye Shu’s dread only deepened; what the bystander said rang true. She could feel it—something beneath the ground… was about to break free. Best to leave—while they still could.

“Shiyi, we—” Before she could finish, the ground gave way beneath her. She scrambled, hands scraping bloody against rough asphalt as she barely kept herself from falling. Glancing down, Ye Shu was struck by a swift sense of déjà vu: beneath her feet yawned blackness—collapsed earth. If not for her quick reflexes, she’d have been gone.

“Help! What’s happening? Help me… Why’s the ground collapsing? I can’t hold on—someone, anyone, help!” “Just my luck—a quake on top of a landslide? Is this ground made of tofu? Breaks at a touch!” “Ahhh! Save me…” A few people dangled precariously over the void, clutching the crumbling edge, trying to climb back up.

“I can’t hold on—” “I don’t want to die…” “Help! Help them!” “There’s something underfoot, it’s pulling me—” But she vanished mid-sentence, swallowed by the collapse.

Their desperate cries echoed—and then fell silent. In a matter of moments, all was still. No sound ever came back from below.

Ye Shu stared numbly at the abyss below her, and she thought she finally understood just what kind of collapse this really was.