Chapter 3: The Only Live Round

"Click."

Wei Xinjian pulled the trigger with force once again. Still a blank!

*Grind, grind, grind—*

The heavy iron blocks shifted again, pressing completely against both of Wei Xinjian’s ears, flush against his cheeks.

"Ngh! Ugh-ugh!"

Wei Xinjian grew even more frustrated. His body trembled violently, but his head was now immobilized, forced to stare straight at Lin Sizhi opposite him.

The third shot.

The probability of this shot being live was 1/4.

—If the designer of this game was truly clever, they would have placed the bullet in the 3rd or 4th position of the cylinder, forcing him to blow his own brains out while being crushed by the iron blocks and gradually losing his sanity.

Wei Xinjian seemed to see the cold smile of the game’s designer.

The iron blocks only move 1.29cm; I won't die yet...

I must make a rational and calm judgment...

Wei Xinjian gritted his teeth viciously and pulled the trigger again, aiming at the innocent man.

"Click!"

Still a blank.

*Grind, grind, grind—*

The heavy iron blocks shifted again. This time, Wei Xinjian felt his vision go black; the pressure inside his brain rose sharply, as if a rotten watermelon were about to burst!

A searing pain shot through his skull. Wei Xinjian couldn't even identify which bone had cracked, and his consciousness began to blur.

"Ugh... ngh-ugh..."

Wei Xinjian’s eyes were completely bloodshot; everything he saw was a sea of red.

He beat the iron blocks with his hands in vain, but they remained unmoved.

Finally, Wei Xinjian slowly turned the muzzle of the revolver toward himself.

The death probability of the fourth shot was 1/3.

It was higher than any of the previous shots, but Wei Xinjian had no other choice.

He would rather shoot himself dead now than endure this torture any longer.

However, just then, the television, which had been reduced to static and hissing, flickered back to life with image and sound.

【Every unforgivable sinner deserves punishment, but every person who repents sincerely should have one last chance.】

【If you repent sincerely now, I can tell you: the fifth bullet in the revolver's cylinder is a blank.】

【Make your choice. Your time is running out.】

Wei Xinjian, who had already aimed the gun at himself, stopped.

In his blood-red eyes, he seemed to see a final glimmer of hope.

The fifth bullet is a blank!

The shot Wei Xinjian was about to fire was the fourth.

There were only two possibilities left: the live round was either in the fourth position or the sixth.

The mortality rate for this shot had soared to 1/2.

Shoot myself? Gamble on the last one?

No, I can't. A 1/2 probability is just too high...

Wei Xinjian didn't understand probability, but he knew that if he just held on a little longer, just a little longer, he could survive...

Wei Xinjian felt as if his head were splitting, but under the influence of adrenaline, he had temporarily adapted to the pain.

If the next shot was still a blank, the iron blocks would move forward another 1.29cm. It was dangerous, but Wei Xinjian didn't think he would necessarily die.

Because he only had to endure the crushing force one last time.

If the fourth shot was a blank, then the remaining two bullets would be accounted for.

The fifth shot would be a blank, which he would fire at himself; the sixth would be the only live round, which he would fire at the person opposite him, and it would all be over immediately...

The mechanism would disengage, he would escape this place—this was the only way to live.

The numbers on the LED timer continued to jump; there was only one minute left.

Wei Xinjian let out a pained groan and pulled the trigger at Lin Sizhi once more.

The fourth shot!

"Click."

A blank!

*Grind, grind, grind—*

"Aaaaaah—"

Even with the cloth gagging his mouth, Wei Xinjian let out a scream of extreme agony!

The heavy iron blocks squeezed inward again. Intense pain spread through his mind; Wei Xinjian could barely feel the existence of his own head anymore.

With all his remaining strength, he aimed the muzzle at himself and fired the fifth shot.

"Click."

The fifth shot was the known blank; nothing happened.

Blood began to flow from Wei Xinjian’s eyes, mouth, ears, and nose. He could feel nothing but the searing pain in his brain.

But in the end, he squeezed one word out through his teeth—

"Die..."

Wei Xinjian tremblingly raised the revolver one last time.

The final live round. As long as he killed the innocent man opposite him, the game would end, and the mechanism would stop.

"Click."

The final shot was fired.

Wei Xinjian’s eyes were covered in blood, his vision a blur. His ears were clamped so tightly by the iron blocks that he couldn't hear a thing.

But he could still feel something strange in his right hand holding the gun.

No vibration, no recoil, nothing happened.

It was still a blank!

"Ugh—ngh—ah—"

"You—lied—"

There was no live round in the revolver at all.

A final roar erupted from Wei Xinjian’s throat, but it was cut short abruptly.

*Grind, grind, grind—*

The heavy iron blocks moved forward another 1.29cm, causing irreversible, permanent damage to his brain.

Death was now only a matter of time.

As if all his strength had been drained in an instant, Wei Xinjian’s right hand dropped, and the silver revolver clattered to the floor.

"Click."

Accompanied by a series of mechanical sounds, the locks on the iron chairs holding both men opened.

As the mechanism opened, Wei Xinjian collapsed to the ground, on the verge of death.

But just then, Wei Xinjian vaguely saw that the innocent man opposite him had actually woken up and was standing up from his seat.

"Save—save me—"

Driven by his final instinct for survival, Wei Xinjian reached out his hand.

"Save me—"

Wei Xinjian saw the innocent man raise his hand to untie the cloth knotted behind his head.

There was no expression on his face.

"Save—"

Wei Xinjian hadn't given up on his final struggle.

However, Lin Sizhi reached down, picked up the revolver that had fallen to the side, and popped the cylinder open with a "click."

Then, he took a live round from his own pocket and placed it inside.

"You—you—"

Wei Xinjian’s eyes were completely blinded by blood, but through the blurry scene before him, he vaguely realized something—something very important.

When the final shot was fired, Wei Xinjian had discovered there was no live round in the revolver.

That was why he thought the rules had deceived him.

But now, Wei Xinjian realized the rules hadn't lied

The rules stated

【In this enclosed space, there is one innocent person, one revolver, and one live round.】

【The revolver's cylinder has 6 chambers, with the five empty chambers distributed in random positions within the cylinder.】

However, the rules had never said that the live round was inside the revolver's cylinder.

"Click."

Lin Sizhi pulled back the hammer, and the pitch-black muzzle aimed at the dying Wei Xinjian.

"Bang!"