Daisy_Flower_4657

"I Want to Play a Game" blends elements such as time loops, infinite streams, rule-based games, and post-apocalyptic survival, all set against a unique Chinese aesthetic with mind-bending plot twists. The story unfolds in an alternate realm known as "The Land of Endings," where all participants are "the Guilty"—people burdened with sins in the real world—who are forcibly drawn into a death game controlled by the Twelve Zodiac. The game is divided into three levels: "Heaven," "Earth," and "Human." Within ten days, participants must win "the Dao" through strategic play, deduction, or cooperation; once they accumulate enough, they can escape. Those who fail will lose their memory and be resurrected on the eleventh day, while only those who awaken the "Echo" ability can retain their memories and move on to the next cycle of reincarnation. Originally a "place for divine creation," The Land of Endings has become a brutal battleground for survival following the betrayal of the Zodiac leader, "Tianlong" (Heavenly Dragon).

I Want To Play A Game

The world tilted as I regained consciousness, the garrote's bite still burning my throat. The luxury sedan's seat reclined at a glacial pace, pinning Zhang Huanan against the rear door. His wire slackened just enough for me to slam the seat adjustment button.

"Fuck you—" Zhang's curse died as the power seat inched backward, crushing him against the door.

Gasping, I twisted toward the backseat, pistol trembling in my grip. The earthquake intensified—walls cracked like eggshells, the sky splintering into jagged puzzle pieces. A sledgehammer materialized in Zhang's hand, swinging toward my temple.

Xuanxuan's voice echoed: "Dad, will you come to parent-teacher day?"

I drove my thumb into his eye socket. Warm vitreous humor coated my finger as he screamed. The gun barked—a round tore through his lung. His hammer found my skull.

Darkness swallowed me to the symphony of collapsing buildings.

I awoke at a circular table with nine strangers, neck throbbing, skull dented but intact. No blood. No pain. Just the lingering shame of betrayal.

A goat-masked figure slit a woman's throat. Blood pooled across the table's cryptic symbols.

When the nightmarish game ended, I stood clutching twenty *Dao*, the metallic tang of Zhang's blood still coating my tongue.

The derelict school's sign hung crooked: **Paradise Port**. A ponytailed teen guarded the gates, his Mandarin fractured. "You... need help, that way?"

The boy—Kim Won-hoon—scampered inside. Through cracked windows, I glimpsed Ethan analyzing a blackboard scrawled with names. Mine glared in red:

#87: Liars, Sudden Deaths, Serpent's Gambit

Wendy blew on freshly painted nails. "The legend himself. Survived three Zodiac trials intact?"

Ethan's glasses glinted. "Kings shouldn't meet kings."

My Duty