Big Brother, You’re So Fast! I Didn’t Even Have Time to React!

The game continues.

The four words fell upon the ears of the human players like a death sentence. There was no difference between these words and the toll of a funeral bell.

In the first round of the first game, one player had already died, and four others had been consumed entirely by fear, unable to think clearly or react to the situation. In such circumstances, the odds of surviving three games and escaping the amusement park were nearly zero.

"This is the most brutal aspect of a horror game," Yi Bai thought, his gaze lingering on the three veteran players. With the heightened senses of a vampire, he had overheard Ye Qun's analysis, which aligned perfectly with the information he had gathered through his Insight Eye.

The cruelty of the handkerchief game lay in the bizarre children's song. Players were required to slice off their own arm and toss it behind a chosen target as a "handkerchief." And that was just the beginning!

If the target didn't notice the "handkerchief" before the song ended, they lost. If the target did notice, but couldn't catch the one who tossed it before the song was over, they also lost. Conversely, if the one who tossed the "handkerchief" was caught, they lost.

Yi Bai had further insight. He knew that strictly adhering to the game's rules wouldn't lead to fatal consequences. Even if one lost, they only needed to perform in the center of the circle. The quality of their performance would be judged by the ghosts—if it amused them, it would count as a success. If not, the penalty would be to offer up a body part as food.

So, the game had no fairness to it at all. Survival depended entirely on the whim of the ghost children. Fortunately for Yi Bai, this was hardly an issue for him.

"Throw it—throw it..."

The strange, eerie tune began again.

This time, one of the ghosts—who looked no different from a three or four-year-old child—stood up. Its pale face twisted into a chilling smile as it skipped joyfully around the circle of players.

Yi Bai narrowed his eyes. He knew the ghost children would seize the opportunity to make the first move, rather than merely waiting for the human players to figure out the rules themselves. If that happened... the first round of the game would likely be over before it even finished.

"My hand... it's gone!"

Ye Qun and the other two veterans quickly noticed that the small ghost, hopping around joyfully, had lost half of its left arm. Their hearts skipped a beat, and they immediately looked behind them, only to breathe a sigh of relief. The severed arm wasn't there.

"Huh?"

On the other side of the circle, Yi Bai couldn't help but twitch his eye. He watched as the ghost, with a smiling face, glanced at him with a look of curious expectation before bouncing away.

Yi Bai understood. He had been chosen. Not because of anything in particular—just because the Death's Temptation talent made the ghosts instinctively feel a sense of neutral goodwill toward him.

For ghosts, a neutral stance was considered a form of "goodwill." And with that neutral status, the ghosts simply wanted to play with Yi Bai, without any intent to harm him.

Reluctantly, Yi Bai reached out and grabbed the cold, pale, severed half-arm of the ghost. It still had a slightly fleshy feel to it.

"Big brother, come catch me! If you lose, you'll have to perform a little show for me!" the ghost laughed, its voice ringing with childish excitement as it ran to the other side of the circle.

Yi Bai slowly stood up as the eerie song began to intensify.

"Then you'd better run fast, little one. I'm quick, but more than that... I'm persistent!"

In a flash, Yi Bai was upon the ghost. His speed was so overwhelming that no one—neither the ghost nor the human players—could even react in time.

With his vampire abilities, Yi Bai's physical prowess far surpassed these ghosts, who were still at the Wandering Spirit level. Even if he gave the ghost a ten-second head start, he could easily catch up.

"Got you!"

Yi Bai grabbed the ghost child, who was about the size of a small human, and lifted it up effortlessly, reclaiming the severed arm with a flick of his wrist.

"Wow! Big brother, you're so strong! Your speed is amazing! I didn't even have time to react!"

The ghost child's eyes sparkled with admiration, its fear forgotten. It was excited, even thrilled, by the game.

Yi Bai smiled slightly, though he found the ghost's enthusiasm a bit unsettling. But now was not the time for hesitation.

"You lost, so shouldn't you perform a little show for me?" he asked with a smile.

"Of course! Of course!" The ghost showed no sign of regret for losing. Instead, it squirmed excitedly in Yi Bai's grip, as though it were a fish out of water.

From the feedback Yi Bai received through Insight Eye, he knew that a simple chase had boosted the ghost's favorability toward him to the "Friendly" level. Its nature, much like that of a child, was now clear.

"Please, begin your performance."

Yi Bai released the ghost, returning to his seat.

Everything had happened so quickly. The human players, initially stunned, now found themselves either excited or terrified.

The remaining four new players were relieved, thrilled even. But for the three veteran players, terror and caution ran deep.

In a horror game, the appearance of someone who could effortlessly control the ghosts? That was no small matter.

What did that mean?

For the new players, it was a lifeline—an opportunity to latch onto a powerful player. But for the veterans, it was a danger. It meant they could easily become pawns to be sacrificed when needed.

After all, wasn't that how Ye Qun had viewed the new players at first?

Reflecting on that, Ye Qun now felt the same fear. He could be the next pawn to be discarded at any moment.

And for Liu Zhen and Yu Quan, their thoughts weren't much different. They looked at Yi Bai not with admiration but with an ever-deepening sense of wariness.