Chapter 2: First Round, Preliminary Evaluation

The 'broadcasting studio,' as the mechanical voice called it, was a bright, luxurious hall teeming with extravagance.

The gorgeous yet grotesque pure gold chandelier hung from a high, vaulted ceiling, while the walls were vividly carved with exquisite, lifelike relief sculptures. Flames flickered on silver candlesticks in every nook of the wall, casting looming shadows.

The hall was structured like a giant staircase, divided into a total of nine steps. The lower the steps, the more spacious they became, with the widest step large enough to accommodate a football field. Each step was draped with a different colored carpet and adorned with unique décor.

Of course, the most striking feature was the ten thrones located on the highest step.

The base of the thrones was made of the most luxurious crystal, with a velvet carpet laid over them. Fruits and drinks were placed beside them, clearly emphasizing the strict difference in class.

The stairs have only one thing in common: they all face a three-dimensional projection hovering in the air.

The words 'Thriller Trainee' are floating on the projection.

These words appeared as three-dimensional projections when one looked up, reflecting on the lens of everyone's eyes. No matter how large the hall was, they could be seen effortlessly. Similar to the sound that appeared out of thin air without any medium to transmit, this technology was clearly beyond the capabilities of modern science.

The people who had gathered at the top and bottom of the stairs entered in file and assembled at the center of the studio.

The expressions that filled their faces were varied. Most showed restlessness and anxiety. The noise they stirred up echoed incessantly in the air."

It was impossible to measure the size of the hall with the naked eye. No one could see its end, and countless human heads stretched endlessly under the pressure.

Yet, completely unperturbed, Zong Jiu stood his ground, idly twiddling his fingers as he magnanimously accepted the attention that washed over him from all sides.

The beauty of the cannon fodder in the novel was needless to be mentioned. Due to a congenital lack of pigment, he exhibited physical characteristics of mild albinism, such as his white hair. Wherever he went, as long as people were present, he could effortlessly attract attention.

Zong Jiu thought it was a pity.

If this were a regular talent show in the entertainment industry, his face alone would guarantee an audience.

A sudden commotion broke out in the crowd, followed by screams rising one after another.

They discovered something that had appeared out of thin air in front of their chests.

"What's this thing?"

Amidst the noise, Zong Jiu silently lowered his head. He wasn't surprised to see the blue letters that had appeared out of thin air in front of his chest.

Thriller Trainee: Rank E

The original owner of this body was merely a decorative glass vase. There wasn't much muscle on him—just like a white chicken with a combat power of five. An E-rank was reasonable; there was no mistake about that.

If there was room to explain all the previous occurrences, then this badge appearing out of nowhere was no coincidence.

The crowd began to grow restless. However, not everyone was affected.

At the very least, the people standing by the wall were unaffected.

Their faces bore the same calm, cold indifference.

The words on these people's badges were uniformly ranked C and above, with the highest in sight being A-rank—a stark contrast to the masses of panic-stricken E- and F-rank newcomers crowding around Zong Jiu.

Additionally, they seemed to be divided into several different organizations, each minding their own business and maintaining a necessary social distance.

Although he didn't know the specific politics behind them, Zong Jiu was familiar with the novel's setting and was therefore well aware of this.

Not all trainees were like Xia Chuan and the others, who were transferred directly from reality into this gruesome and terrifying trainee program.

For years, people from all over the world had the misfortune of being selected as 'chosen ones' to enter this terrifying infinite loop—and their numbers weren't small either. After all, the number of inexplicable disappearances each year exceeded two million, and it was estimated that millions were struggling here.

There was no way to return to the real world from this infinite loop. Let alone escaping—it was difficult enough just to stay alive. Most survivors died in the never-ending dungeons that forced them to participate in one round after another. Only a very small minority managed to survive, struggling in obscurity.

Compared to these experienced veteran survivors, who had countless ways to stay alive, Zong Jiu—a newbie pulled in just to make up the numbers—obviously had no chance of winning.

It's been a long time since I've seen this many people at once.

While Zong Jiu was secretly observing the group, the survivors were also whispering among themselves.

In the past, they had all been in fixed teams within their organizations and couldn't interact outside those teams. They could only meet in the instance dungeons. Now, seeing so many people at a glance, along with the countless noisy newbies below, they couldn't help but feel emotional.

Although the rewards of the horrifying Thriller Trainee Program were highly tempting, the mortality rate set by the main system made many hesitate. Even though many survived, those who had the guts to sign up—and managed to pass the screening—numbered not more than one in ten.

There aren't many veterans participating, so to build momentum, they had to pull in some newbies.

"What's the use of having so many people?"

Qin Ye crossed his arms and sneered. "All the high-level players we see now are the same old faces. The newbies are probably just appetizers for the main system, meant to make us feel more involved."

The other person didn't say a word, silently agreeing. He cast a pitying look over and sighed, "What a pity. If the newcomers could fight through a few instance dungeons, their chances of survival might be higher. But they got hell mode right from the start—tragic."

The newbies over there were still making as much noise as a bustling marketplace, all talking at once.

The veterans looked on coldly. None of them had any intention of coming forward to explain or maintain order.

This was the only large-scale system task that had been released in many years by the Infinite Loop. Furthermore, with such generous rewards, the difficulty level was bound to be unimaginable.

Even the veterans couldn't guarantee that they would survive until the end of this program, let alone the powerless newbies.

No one was a saint. They could barely save themselves, let alone others. Simply being able to take care of themselves was good enough.

[Time is up. The door to the broadcasting studio has been locked.]

Echoing the voice, as soon as it finished speaking, the doors around the hall slammed shut like a jackhammer, blocking all who had yet to enter the broadcasting studio.

[The first round of the preliminary evaluation has ended.]

The mechanical voice resonated through the hall, devoid of any emotion.

The candles began to extinguish one by one. As the extinguished flames floated into the air, they formed a burning virtual figure.

"Welcome, Thriller Trainees, who have successfully entered the venue. I am the personification of the main system."

"Next, I will explain the basic rules and schedule of the Thriller Trainee program to you, so stay tuned."

————————————————————————————————————

Holding a mobile phone in one hand, Xia Chuan sat on the steps in boredom, occasionally looking down.

After having used it so much, his phone was about to run out of battery. The battery bar had receded to a glaring red and would automatically shut down at any moment.

Disappointingly, the signal bar at the top was still empty.

After some encouragement, many people gathered in the stairwell. Others took out their mobile phones and came up the stairs to take photos with Xia Chuan. Although he felt impatient inside, he had no choice but to go along with it, as he had no assistants or bodyguards around.

"Something's wrong. Why is it so quiet?"

After everyone had lined up to take photos with the celebrity, someone finally noticed that something was wrong. "Huh? Where did the people who went upstairs go? Why is it so quiet?"

After the mechanical voice announced the final five-minute countdown, the corridor fell into complete silence. Even the footsteps and noises from before had disappeared without a trace. Only their voices echoed in the stairwell, sending inexplicable chills down their spines.

"Hang on, what the fuck. It can't be that there's an exit upstairs and they have all left, right?!"

The man who had just finished taking a selfie with Xia Chuan suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He slapped his thigh. "Everyone's already gone out, and we're still sitting here like idiots. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Fuck! You're right! Why else would it be so quiet?!"

"We really are idiots. We just stood here without a clue."

Everyone suddenly came to a realization and rushed up the stairs one after another, making a violent sound on the stairs.

"Damn it, I've been trapped here for so long. I've had enough! Let's go!"

They all rushed up the stairs.

After running through a few corners, the people standing at the front of the corridor suddenly stopped in their tracks.

"What's going on? Don't block the way! Keep going!"

The people behind made a commotion, unable to understand why they had suddenly stopped.

For some reason, a strong sense of uneasiness suddenly swept over Xia Chuan's senses.

Just as he was about to raise his head, he felt something hot and sticky fall from above onto his head.

It abruptly covered his vision. Xia Chuan subconsciously pulled it away from his face. "What is this?"

But he realized something was wrong when he grabbed it.

The thing was sticky and awful, with tissue and blood dripping from one end and foul-smelling black and yellow mucus leaking from the broken place on the other.

The body that was broken in half fell heavily into the crowd. Blood and shattered organs splattered everywhere.

The expressions on their faces were forever frozen in joy, perhaps mixed with a hint of astonishment.

Xia Chuan trembled. He screamed, louder than at any of his concerts, then quickly threw the thing in his hand away.

What he had just held in his hand was actually a bloody intestine.

———————————————————————————————————

The system monotonously explained the rules of this evaluation round of the infinite loop to all the trainees in the broadcast studio.

Although Zong Jiu had known these rules for a long time, he still listened carefully from beginning to end.

The rules were similar to the format of selection drafts in the real world.

The hall was filled with tens of thousands of thriller trainees who had successfully passed the preliminary evaluation, and they would all have to compete against each other in the future.

They would go through countless horror instances and face repeated eliminations until only the final one hundred people and the only one in the center position were chosen.

During the preliminary evaluation, the system assessed their individual strength and roughly divided the trainees into seven ranks: S, A, B, C, D, E, and F.

"After each competition, the system and the instructors will reevaluate the trainees based on their performance."

"The higher the rank, the more privileges and personal authority you will have in the trainee dormitory. High-ranking trainees can have their own rooms, enjoy service privileges, and even learn the details of the next competition in advance."

"Everyone in the hall was already standing on different steps according to the ranks on their badges. Even the other nine thrones had been assigned. Only the one representing the number one remained empty.

The white-haired young man silently lifted his head and gazed at the highest row behind him.

Unfortunately, Zong Jiu's position was too low. The people at the top could easily see him, but he couldn't see them.

Zong Jiu remembered the description from the original novel.

The dormitory for S-rank trainees was located on the top floor of the trainee dormitory. It was an excessively luxurious outdoor viewing suite with a panoramic roof garden. Even the indoor pool was as large as an apartment.

Meanwhile, their E-rank dormitory was a simple eight-person room with practically no human rights at all.

"Since this is a variety show, the entire program will be broadcast live for the survivors, with the bullet screen function enabled. To maintain the show's effect and prevent leaks, the bullet screen and live-streaming functions will not be available to the trainees. During the show, aside from the trainees, the survivors' communication system will not be accessible."

"That's all. Next is free time for questions. As long as they are within the rules, I will answer them for you."

Obviously, others had the same question as Zong Jiu: "Why is there no one in the first seat of the top row?"

"That's a very good question," the main system said coldly. "If you are number one, you also have the privilege of not participating in the assembly."

A sudden commotion broke out in the crowd. Meanwhile, the veterans squinted and whispered to each other, their faces filled with fear. They did not seem surprised that the number one seat was vacant.

At first, they were just scared and obediently listened to the explanation. But now that the main system had finished speaking, they immediately voiced their dissatisfaction. "And why should we listen to you?"

"That's right! There are so many of us. If each of us contributes, we can escape. If we all spit at you, we could drown you. If we work together, what can't we accomplish?"

But the system never responded to these noisy voices of doubt.

On the contrary, the veterans stood by. While the newbies were confused and still in the mood to question the system, the veterans had already memorized the rules stated earlier as if they knew them like the back of their hands and had begun analyzing them quickly.

At that moment, a faint voice suddenly rose, easily overshadowing the debate in the hall.

"You haven't mentioned the elimination rules."

The voice came from above, coming from the top ten thrones.

The veterans exchanged glances with each other.

"If death in the instance dungeon equates to elimination, is ranking relevant to this? If it is, can falling behind in rank lead to elimination being overridden?"

That nice and unhurried voice hit the nail on the head, directly pointing out the questions that the system hadn't explained.

It was unclear whether the person who asked the question had too much authority or if the question was sharp enough, but the main system quickly provided an answer.

"The ranking is indeed related to elimination. After each round of mini-tournaments, the trainee with the lowest ranking will be eliminated," the golden-red silhouette responded.

"Trainees eliminated due to their ranking will be placed in a punishment instance dungeon. If they clear it, they will be given a chance to revive."

"If they die in the instance dungeon, they will lose the opportunity to challenge the punishment instance dungeon."

"Then, one last question," the voice said coldly. "—Who is the instructor?"

The veterans' eyes flashed as their backs tensed.

The system mentioned that rank evaluation would be conducted by both the system and the instructor. This meant the mysterious instructor held the power to decide each person's fate.

Throughout the entire infinite loop, all the famous and powerful individuals had, without exception, voluntarily signed up to join the lineup for Thriller Trainee. And after all this time, aside from the main system, they had never encountered any other existence that held authority or even interfered with their life and death.

The main system calmly replied, "The question is beyond the scope of authority and will not be answered."

"Wait."

After hearing this, the newcomers who had been in an uproar earlier were startled. "Are you kidding? How can we die?"

He laughed as he spoke. "No way. There are so many of us... So what if you have the ability to bring us here? Do you really think you can take our lives too?"

"Since you still refuse to face reality at this point," the main system said coldly, "in that case, verify it all with your own eyes."

On the high platform at the center, the flickering figure of the main system suddenly split apart, dispersing into tens of thousands of bright sparks that flew toward the extinguished candles.

The doors sealing the broadcasting studio slowly lifted from the ground.

It wasn't quite right to call them doors; rather, the entire dome of the hall was rising—like a gift box being unwrapped, its elegant wrapping torn apart to reveal the cake inside.

The surrounding barriers were removed, allowing bright sunlight to stream in from outside, gilding the thick carpet with a reddish-gold outline that shimmered in fragments.

As striking as the sunlight was the crimson-red blood that covered the corridor outside.

Corpses lay haphazardly around, their faces pale and green. Their chests were ripped open to the stomach and disemboweled, with the contents casually placed on the ground like trash.

A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood—it's like an image of purgatory.

At the end of the tragic bright red, only one person still had some breath left.

The man's back was covered in blood. Half of his spine had been removed, with minced flesh drooping and dripping from him.

An absolute silence fell over the studio.

The veterans had been through countless storms and were able to handle the scene well. Only the lower-ranking newbies wet their pants in terror, retching loudly, "Blaargh—"

Amidst the sound of vomiting, someone suddenly asked in horror, "W-w-wait… Isn't… Isn't that Xia Chuan? The lead singer of that boy group? That's Xia Chuan!"

Almost simultaneously, the man crawling on the ground heard the sound of the door being raised. He crawled toward it in ecstasy.

His hands clawed into the thick carpet as he endured the excruciating pain. His expression twisted with agony, his eyes bulging, and the gnarled white bones of his fingertips left long bloody streaks across the floor.

"Hah, hah…"

Xia Chuan let out an incoherent, broken sound from his throat as he weakly called for help.

It was only ten meters, but it felt like he had crawled for a century.

Finally, just as Xia Chuan was about to reach the door, his head suddenly detached from his neck. It rolled to the side like a rubber ball, splattering white brain matter all over the ground.

A celebrity who only appeared in front of the media cameras, surrounded by microphones, was now powerless to fight back. He was like a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered—no warning, no weapon, no uncertainty. He didn't even know how he died.

But just like that, he died in full view before everyone's eyes.

The newbies trembled as they watched this scene.

They were scared out of their wits and didn't dare to move forward.

"This is what happens when you don't follow the rules, and also the explanation and evidence you were looking for."

"Congratulations to all of you for choosing the right path on your first step."

As if in response, the wide dome descended from the sky once again.

In an instant, everyone in the hall was pulled into the air by an unseen force.

The main system's voice resounded through the hall: "We have received notice from the instructor that the first match, originally scheduled for tomorrow morning, has been moved up to today. Everyone, please prepare yourselves."

Everyone turned pale with fright. In the next second, the carpet beneath their feet suddenly shifted, pulling them into a bottomless darkness.