Chapter 1: Entering the Game, A Strange Chat Group

Lightning pierced through the pitch-black clouds, accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder, as torrential rain began to pour down in sheets. 

A green Lamborghini Revuelto sped down the highway. 

Ryan rested one hand casually on the steering wheel, while the other hand rested atop the head of the woman beside him. "Hmph, Jessica, you gluttonous cat…" 

The alluring woman in the passenger seat had not fastened her seatbelt. 

She leaned her upper body over the center console, her head buried deep between Ryan's legs, her right breast voluptuously spilling from her neckline, continuously rubbing against his calf. 

The woman released her lips and turned her head to gaze at the mischievous Ryan with a sly smile. 

She licked the corner of her mouth, her face flushed, and murmured, "I was just worried you might drink too much, so I thought I'd help you stay awake!" 

Upon finishing her sentence, she extended her tongue and resumed her playful circling motion. 

A tingling sensation surged from Ryan's lower body along his spine, reaching the back of his head. 

He exhaled a contented breath, feeling an overwhelming sense of pleasure. 

The two had just met at the nightclub, yet it felt as if they were old friends upon first glance. After downing a couple of drinks, they decided to find a place for a more intimate exchange. 

As they approached the hotel, Ryan, however, chose not to stop. 

Gazing at the empty road ahead and the traffic light that was a mere four seconds from turning red, he pressed the accelerator down once more. The engine of the supercar roared ferociously, completing the zero to sixty acceleration in a mere two seconds. 

The exhilarating rush of high-speed driving sent Ryan's adrenaline spiking. 

Coupled with his companion's exceptional skills, it was an indescribable pleasure beyond compare. 

Ryan found this sensation rather refreshing. 

At the age of 22, having amassed a fortune exceeding one hundred million through stock trading and cryptocurrency, the feeling of novelty was as essential to him as air. 

The monotony of life suffocated Ryan, and once his desires were satiated, a sense of emptiness emerged. 

Thus, he often sought out thrilling experiences to fill that void. 

"Vroom vroom vroom—" 

The supercar's engine howled like a banshee as it zipped past several intersections in rapid succession. 

Suddenly! 

A blinding white light pierced Ryan's vision. 

"Bang!!!" 

Accompanied by a colossal crash, the entire world was plunged into a profound silence… 

Damn it, my head hurts so much. 

After what felt like an eternity, Ryan wearily opened his eyes. The throbbing pain in his head had diminished slightly, and his vision began to clear. 

The scene of the car accident flashed vividly in his mind. 

Ryan jolted upright, quickly lowering his gaze to inspect his body. 

However, he found no signs of injury. 

It seemed that the accident had not occurred, there were no areas of pain on his body, and he muttered in astonishment, "I'm not dead? Where is this place…?" 

This was certainly not a hospital, darkness enveloped him in all directions. 

The only illumination came from a translucent panel before him, emanating a soft blue glow. 

At that moment, a cold electronic voice resonated in the air. 

The translucent panel in front of Ryan also displayed corresponding subtitles. 

"Welcome to the Night Survival Game!" 

"The game world operates on a 48-hour day cycle, daylight lasts only 12 hours, while the remainder is enveloped in darkness. During the night, monsters with heightened aggression will emerge, significantly increasing the danger level. Players are advised to allocate their time wisely." 

"Each player will receive a small cargo truck, a basic crafting station, and an initial supply of a crowbar, all other resources must be obtained through supply crates." 

"The safe zones on the map will continuously shrink, so players must drive their vehicles toward the designated safe area." 

"Supply crates will respawn randomly and will emit a beacon when players approach." 

"Every week, the game will introduce random events, and once a month, there will be a version update, during which the difficulty will increase." 

"Players should quickly enhance their abilities, survival is the sole objective." 

"Wishing all players a pleasant journey!" 

Before long, 

The surrounding environment began to shift. 

In the distant expanse ahead, a faint white light seemed to materialize. 

That light rushed towards him like a tsunami, dispersing the surrounding darkness in an instant, and the environment appeared to transform. 

Ryan rubbed his eyes, his pupils gradually adjusting to the brightness. 

The desolate wasteland stretched endlessly, with only a serpentine black highway cutting across the distant horizon. 

Ryan could not help but twitch his lips in disbelief, "This is too realistic, is this really a game?" 

A chill wind swept over him, causing him to shiver violently. 

The temperature here seemed terrifyingly low. 

Ryan took a sharp breath, "No way, if this keeps up, I'm going to freeze to death." 

Just three meters ahead, a small cargo truck was parked. 

He needed to get to it quickly! 

Ryan hastened to the front of the truck, discovering that the door was unlocked, and he swung it open, taking a seat inside. 

The temperature difference between inside and outside the truck was noticeable, without the biting cold wind hitting his face, it felt somewhat warmer, yet it hovered around a mere 7 or 8 degrees Celsius. However, Ryan was still clad in summer attire—short sleeves and shorts, staying in such an environment for an extended period could lead to hypothermia. 

"Isn't it too cold? Am I in the Arctic Circle?" Ryan's words came out with visible steam. 

He rummaged through the truck's interior, hoping to find an article of clothing, but despite his thorough search, he only unearthed a crowbar. 

Glancing at the rear bench seat, he promptly climbed into the back. 

Using the crowbar, he tore through the fabric covering the seat, gradually pulling it away to fashion a makeshift shawl, which he draped over himself, providing a modicum of warmth. 

Ryan returned to the driver's seat, muttering to himself, "I need to find a supply crate quickly, it's definitely going to get colder once night falls." 

"I hope to find something to keep warm…" After saying this, he started the cargo truck. 

Fortunately, the truck's radiator had not frozen, and it successfully roared to life. 

Ryan glanced at the truck's gear shift, recollected his previous experience, and after stalling the engine twice, he slowly released the clutch, allowing the vehicle to begin moving. 

He couldn't help but smile wryly, "Sigh, not long ago, I was driving a Lamborghini…" 

Now, that Lamborghini had transformed into a battered cargo truck. 

His beautiful passenger had also been replaced by a cold, hard crowbar… 

"Oh, I seem to have dragged Jessica into this mess." Ryan sighed lightly, feeling little guilt. 

After all, he had only known her for a short time, so their bond was not particularly deep. 

Moreover, she might not even be dead, perhaps she had entered the game as well. 

At that moment,

Ryan noticed a translucent panel automatically materializing in his line of sight, displaying a rudimentary 2D map, revealing only a straight road ahead. 

"What's the point of this map?" Ryan muttered, closing the map interface. 

He began to examine the system panel. 

Since the truck was moving slowly, the road was straight, and the panel was semi-transparent, he felt relatively safe. 

[Basic Panel] 

[Player Name: Ryan] 

[ID: "404"] 

[Vehicle: Cargo Truck (Level 1)] 

[Supplies: Crowbar x1] 

[Messages: Regional Chat Room (3000 players, 128 new messages), Private Messages (0), Admin Work Group (13 members, 6 new messages)] 

"ID 404?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. 

Having majored in computer science in college, he instinctively focused on the "404" server error code. 

"There shouldn't be any special significance, right?" Ryan continued browsing, opening the regional chat room. 

[Does anyone know where this place is? My phone has zero signal!] 

[Help, I can't drive at all!] 

[Aliens! It must be aliens! We're all going to be captured for experiments!] 

[Damn it, I'm wearing summer clothes, and I'm freezing to death…] 

[Has anyone found a supply crate? What does it look like?] 

Ryan closed the regional chat room, it seemed everyone was newly entered into the game. 

At that moment, 

Ryan noticed a peculiar group chat. 

"Admin Work Group?" He reached out and clicked it, "What is this group for?" 

[Admin Work Group ]

[Diamond K]: The highest level A supply crate for this round is very well hidden, that dry well is something most people wouldn't even glance at. I don't think it will be found before it respawns. 

[Diamond 6]: The ordinary monsters have fully spawned, and at 8 o'clock, the system will officially activate the night. 

[Diamond 7]: Hehe, I designed a pretty powerful monster that I plan to include in the first round of challenge mode. Anyone want to bet on how many people will die then? 

[Diamond 10]: I think these players are quite foolish, at least 300 of them should die, right? 

[Diamond A]: Seven, I'll remind you once more, the design of the monsters must be reasonable. Our goal is to filter out players, not engage in meaningless slaughter. 

[Diamond 7]: Boss, I understand. This monster's weakness is ultraviolet light, as long as it's exposed to it, it will become incredibly weak. Even beginners can easily take it down, and the treasure chest rewards are quite generous—it's practically a beginner's benefit! 

[Diamond 8]: But it's likely that it won't be discovered until the sun rises and the challenge ends, only then will the surviving players possibly find out about this weakness… 

[Diamond A]: I think that's reasonable. Let's proceed with that. 

[Diamond A]: Enough idle chatter, hurry up and upload the work log. In six days, we will initiate the Extreme Cold Hell event, and we need to quickly eliminate the first batch of weaker players. 

… 

Ryan took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes slightly, "It seems I… have stumbled upon something quite significant, hasn't I?" 

This strange real-life survival game, the hidden administrators behind the scenes, their confidential chat messages were laid bare right before his eyes!