After Jo and Reina collected their groceries, they both started to leave the mini market towards the previous apartment, but before going up to the apartment, Jo saw Mina hiding again at one of the reception desks at the entrance to the apartment. Jo called Mina, hey Mina, at first Mina was shocked and scared and didn't want to come out, Jo who was sure it was Mina, her best friend, ran to her, it turned out it was indeed Mina. Seeing that, Mina hugged Jo, where have you been, I'm scared, Jo answered why Mina, everyone who came with me in the game died.. everyone died... Jo who realized that calmed Mina down and said come with me, calm yourself down first. Meanwhile, they walked towards Reina's apartment.
After a long and restless night, the three of them woke up the next day with a slightly calmer atmosphere. The morning sunlight penetrated the windows of Reina's luxury apartment, creating a sharp contrast to the shadows of anxiety in the room. Jo, Reina, and Mina sat at a small dining table, enjoying instant breakfast from yesterday's hunting. The atmosphere was silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Jo was confused. "I have an accumulation that the next game will be much more dangerous. But we can't keep hiding. If we don't join, we'll run out of time to live."
Mina still looked traumatized. Her hands were shaking as she held the cup of instant coffee. "I... I can't bear to see people die anymore," she muttered.
Reina hugged Mina's shoulders gently. "We'll protect you. This time, you're not alone."
Jo added, "We'll find the pattern of this game. We can survive. Maybe even find a way out."
Suddenly, from outside the window, a mechanical voice echoed throughout the city: "Attention all players. The next game will start at 18:00. Please proceed to the marked area to register. Location: Government District."
Mina was shocked, her face turning pale again. "Not... again?"
Reina stood up, fixing her hair. "It's time. Let's prepare ourselves."
Jo walked to the window, looking out at the mentioned government district, with a sharp and determined look. "This game isn't over yet. But now... the three of us will play as one team." The three of them began to prepare simple equipment, snacks, drinking water, and anything they could bring to survive. Behind the lingering fear, seeds of hope and new strategies began to grow.
The time showed 16:45. Jo, Reina, and Mina were ready. They brought a small bag containing snacks, drinking water, a flashlight, and one tool that reminded Jo when he saw it, an electric shock.
Jo raised an eyebrow. "Reina, are you serious about this? Do you want to kill someone?"
Reina remained calm, putting the tool in her bag. "I have no intention of killing anyone, Jo. But we don't know what kind of game we're going to face. It could be more than just a puzzle. It could be open violence."
Jo looked at Reina with a little worry. "But this... is too extreme. This is just a game, right?"
Reina turned her head, staring at Jo sharply. "Jo, this isn't a game you play on a computer screen. This is the real world. In the first game, people really died. I won't let us die fighting without."
Mina who was listening from behind interrupted in a low voice, "The government district building is big... I'm afraid there will be hundreds of players inside. What if this game isn't just against time or doors? What if we have to fight... fellow players?"
Jo sighed. Her head was still full of guilt, fear, and questions about who created all of this. But she knew one thing, they couldn't enter the next game unprepared.
"Okay," she said finally. "But we only use that tool if it's really an emergency. Don't let it harm our humanity."
Reina nodded. "I know the limits."
Time continued to pass. Exactly at 5:30 p.m., the sky began to darken. The three of them began to walk towards the government district, passing through the quiet and empty streets of Tokyo. The destination building looked tall, like a monster waiting for them to enter its jaws.
The lights around the building turned on automatically as they approached. At the entrance, there were already dozens of other players, some alone, some in small groups, all with faces full of alertness and fatigue.
Jo held Mina's hand tightly. Reina walked ahead with confident steps. The three of them knew... the next game might change everything.
After walking through the large glass doors of the government district building, Jo, Reina, and Mina stepped into a large room with shiny metal walls. In the middle of the room, there were small cubicles with screens and retina scanners. Above them, a familiar voice echoed:
"Please register before the game begins."
Jo swallowed and turned to Reina. "We can still retreat, you know?"
Reina just smiled lopsidedly. "No, we've gone too far."
The three of them went to their respective cubicles and scanned their eyes. After the process was complete, the voice sounded again:
"Thank you for registering. Number of registered players: 120."
"The game will begin in 5 minutes. Please prepare. The door to the safe zone will open shortly."
All the players in the room tensed up. Eyes stared at each other, full of suspicion. Jo felt an invisible pressure filling the air. Suddenly, the big screen above the room lit up, showing a new game logo and instructions:
Game: Terrorists and Police 🎮
Tutorial:
• All players will be divided into 2 groups, each with 60 players.
Terrorist Group: Tasked with planting and activating bombs at 6 secret points in the game area.
Police Group: Tasked with deactivating bombs and stopping terrorists.
• The location of the bombs is unknown at the beginning. Each group will get clues about their location and role in their safe zone.
• If time runs out and there is at least 1 active bomb, then the Terrorist group wins.
If all bombs are deactivated, then the Police group wins.
• Players from the opposing group may be eliminated. Be careful, not all players can be trusted.
Work together, or... die alone.
Jo took a deep breath. "This is not an ordinary game... This is a war simulation."
Reina gripped her bag tightly. "If I were a terrorist, I would make sure not to kill indiscriminately. But if anyone tries to touch Mina or you… I will activate this center."
Mina shivered. "I don't want to be a murderer…"
Suddenly, the voice came again:
"The safe zone door will open in 10 seconds. Prepare to accept your respective professions. The safe zone will separate and close completely after the time runs out."
The large doors began to open, revealing two lighted hallways—one to the left and one to the right. On the top screen, each player's name appeared with an arrow pointing to their zone.
Jo quickly turned to the screen. His name was pointing to the right. The Police Zone. He immediately saw Reina and Mina… also to the right.