For example, right now.
The glaring red light above Qi Xu's head was so intense it made him want to wear sunglasses, and the text was magnified several times over.
"I'm in third place"—those enormous characters were three times wider than Qi Xu himself, as if he were running around with a giant neon sign on his head.
Suddenly, Qi Xu felt a pang of unease. He rolled to the side, swiftly taking cover behind a nearby rock just as a barrage of machine-gun fire riddled the spot where he’d been standing.
From the map, Qi Xu could see that this was likely the current first-place player, who had deliberately come to ambush him.
Qi Xu focused on evasion, constantly repositioning, avoiding direct confrontation.
The "first-place" pursuer was relentless but always one step behind.
Then, luck struck—Qi Xu found a pump-action shotgun amid the rubble! He stood up immediately.
Whirling around, he returned fire. Dust and debris flew as red and green dots on the map scattered from the danger zone.
Now, only the first and third-place contenders remained. It was only then that Qi Xu got a clear look at his opponent.
He was stunned. What the hell?
It was a little girl—no older than seven or eight, by the looks of it.
A machine gun hung around her neck, a pistol in one hand, and a magazine clenched between her teeth. Though she looked battered, covered in dirt and blood, her eyes were sharp and ruthless. The scene itself was jarring.
Including the three-plus years from the previous round of the game, Qi Xu had rarely encountered young players. He knew from the team survival dungeon that humans as young as six were dragged into this death game.
But there was no denying it—children faced far greater challenges and pressure than adults.
They hadn’t even had time to learn basic life skills or develop mentally before being thrown into life-or-death trials. It was undeniably cruel.
So most were eliminated early on... harsh, but inevitable.
This little girl, though, was a force to be reckoned with. She was a Slayer—meaning she’d chosen the blue button—yet she’d clawed her way to the top of the leaderboard.
Coupled with her ruthless ambush just now, Qi Xu was certain: she was decisive and lethal.
A single moment of hesitation on Qi Xu’s part sent shattered stone flying, leaving two bloody gashes on his face.
Snapping back to focus, he lobbed a smoke grenade to block her line of sight and fired blindly into the haze.
Her age didn’t matter—she was trying to kill him. Any hesitation, and he’d be dead.
After a rapid counterattack, the girl slowed her assault.
Both noticed the same thing on the mini-map: a cluster of red and green dots had dispersed, only for several more to converge, forming an encircling formation—likely hoping to swoop in and pick off the survivors.
The little girl suddenly shouted, "Hey, friend! Truce? Temporary alliance—deal with them first. Here’s my goodwill."
Qi Xu watched as unused magazines dropped from above. He couldn’t help but admire her boldness.
He tossed an apple in return. "Agreed. Let’s clear out the vultures first."
After speaking, the two of them tacitly stopped fighting and pointed their guns outward. Though they couldn’t fully trust each other, anyone with half a brain could see that this was the smartest move under the circumstances.
Fortunately, neither of them was stupid. Once their guns were aimed outward, the group of players who had been closing in to scavenge leftovers hesitated, no longer daring to advance.
In the end, they outright chickened out and scattered.
Qi Xu was the first to swing her gun back around, pulling out her last two poison gas grenades.
"Wanna team up, pretty girl? Both of us have high points—going solo now would make us easy targets."
The little girl spoke with an oddly worldly tone, her movements rough and careless.
Qi Xu tilted her head slightly. The last player who’d wanted to team up… well, their corpse had long gone cold.
Also, being called "pretty girl" by a kid felt downright bizarre.
"Team up, sure. But you don’t exactly seem trustworthy."
Qi Xu shot a glance at the hand the girl had kept hidden in her pocket the whole time.
The little girl just grinned, flashing a row of white teeth, and raised both hands. "Better now?"
Qi Xu made her stance clear first. "I don’t kill unless attacked. Only self-defense."
She still couldn’t bring herself to slaughter indiscriminately, even if that choice made her seem foolish in this survival game. But a person had to hold onto some principles—otherwise, what was the difference between her and the mindless zombies controlled by the game?
The little girl nodded without hesitation. "What a coincidence. Same here."
Qi Xu didn’t buy it for a second, her lip twitching involuntarily. Who was the one who ambushed me earlier?
"That was a misunderstanding! You’re pretty new to third place, right? I had a grudge against the last guy who held it. Thought you were him."
Qi Xu couldn’t be bothered to fact-check that.
But the red and green dots on their radars were still lurking nearby, watching. For now, teaming up was the best outcome, so she didn’t press further.
The two cautiously closed the distance, sitting down to eat a little without exchanging much. Neither asked for names or nicknames—those were taboo topics.
Then came the sound of footsteps...
Both instantly raised their guns, barrels trained on the doorway.
The voice arrived before the person did.
"Hey there, first place, third place. I’m second place. Wanna team up?"
Qi Xu’s eyes lit up. What luck—fancy running into you here.
Before the little girl could respond, she cleared her throat and said, "If you want in, show some sincerity first."
The little girl frowned, hesitant. This third-place player wasn’t bad—the two of them were enough. She wasn’t keen on adding another variable.
More people meant more unpredictability. But since Qi Xu had spoken first, she held back her objections.
Two hemostatic bandages were promptly tossed in from outside.
"How’s that for sincerity?"
Qi Xu immediately turned to the little girl. "I’m low on meds."
Her stance was clear: she wanted to bring this second-place player onboard.
The little girl still wasn’t thrilled. "We could just take his stuff and then gang up to rob him."
She didn’t bother lowering her voice, and the words carried straight to the person outside.
"Check the window."
Qi Xu and the little girl both glanced to the right. About a hundred meters away, the only standing tree in this abandoned construction site toppled with a crack.
"So? Good enough shot for you? Do I qualify?"
It looked like a show of skill, but the underlying threat was unmistakable.
The little girl instantly changed her attitude, swiftly holstering her gun with a bright smile. "Welcome aboard! We should definitely team up—strength in numbers, right? This game’s unplayable late-stage without allies."
Just then, the person outside the door slowly stepped in. "Pleased to meet you all. I’m Eggy the Great Scythe. What do I call you?"
..........
