Hesitation is defeat; vacillation is suicide!
[Congratulations, you have drawn: Pain Threshold Reduced by 1%.]
Crack... Lin Shuang could practically hear her own heart shattering. She should have known.
Of course her luck was absolute garbage. In the world of Main God's Game, the rewards were always this pathetic—petty, stingy scraps from the Main God himself. But 1%? Was this supposed to be a consolation prize? This was less useful than the cheap red string bracelet you get as a "free gift" at a mall!1
[Game Instance initializing... Instance Type: Survival. Party size: 10.]
[Briefing: Deep within a midnight subway station, ten travelers wait for the final train. Suddenly, the station lights extinguish, and all exits seal. A deranged butcher armed with a chainsaw is hunting for prey.]
[Notice: The survival duration for this game is 6 hours. Every hour, the number of butchers doubles (defeated butchers do not respawn), spawning randomly throughout the station.]
[Players, have a pleasant game.]
The world blurred. In a heartbeat, Lin Shuang was standing inside the station.
She faced the subway security gates, where massive, flickering advertisement screens lined the walls every few meters. Her reflection caught in the glass: she was dressed as a secretary—a tight, black short-cut blazer, a form-fitting pencil skirt, and long, slender legs wrapped in black silk stockings.
Players were randomly assigned an identity and outfit; if it was practical, you were lucky. If not... well, like Lin Shuang's current getup, you were screwed.
(Damn it! Is my luck really that abysmal?)
Lin Shuang screamed internally. The game started with a ten-second countdown, just enough time for players to properly lament their wardrobe choices. She kicked off her high heels instantly, feeling the slick, tactile friction of the silk stockings against the cold floor tiles.
...She suddenly understood why the original body had tripped.
The station had three levels: the top was the security checkpoint, the second was the North-South line, and the third was the East-West line. Ten players were scattered randomly across them. Lin Shuang wasn't sure where she was, but she vaguely recalled that the protagonist of this instance started at the first-level security check.
And as for that... monster...
Lin Shuang heard the sudden, guttural roar of a chainsaw and human shrieks echoing from nearby. She bolted in the opposite direction.
She didn't make it far. Between the sheer panic and the sweat slicking her feet inside those slippery stockings, a sickening thud echoed through the corridor. Lin Shuang's knees slammed into the hard tile floor.
The impact of bone against ice-cold ceramic was brutal.
(That 1% pain reduction... what a load of psychological comfort.)
It hurt like hell!
"Run! He's here!"
Just as Lin Shuang was struggling, clutching her knees and preparing to tear through her stockings to get a better grip, a man in a blue-and-white shirt—probably a Student role—sprinted past her. He offered a warning, but not a shred of help.
Clearly a veteran. He even spared a quick, leering glance at her legs as he flew by.
The chainsaw's whine grew deafening. Soon, a hulking figure in a blood-splattered lab coat emerged, wielding a massive saw. The game was designed to be easy at the start; if Lin Shuang stood still, the butcher would just mosey along. But the moment she started running, he would pick up the pace.
Lin Shuang felt like she was sprinting for her life—if she had to run an 800-meter dash right now, she'd smash a three-minute record!
(Curse this pencil skirt! Without it, I'd be taking these stairs two at a time!)
She scrambled up the stairs to the second level. It was empty now—that Student must have warned everyone about the butcher downstairs. Behind her, the roar of the saw grew more aggressive, accompanied by the butcher's heavy, wheezing laughter.
* * *
This instance wasn't difficult, at least not for the first few hours. One butcher in the first hour, two in the second... by the fifth, there would be 16, and by the sixth, 32. Any butcher killed didn't count toward the next spawn, so the best strategy was to eliminate them early.
Jiang Mo pondered this and headed toward the second level. He believed in himself more than he trusted anyone else. Besides, the more he killed, the higher his rating—and the more rewards he could draw.
Most of what he pulled was trash, but every now and then, he'd hit a stroke of genius. The Tang sword at his waist was one such lucky pull. You couldn't bring real-world items into a game, but you could bring up to five Game Items.
As he descended, seven other players burst out from various subway exits.
"Brother, the butcher spawned on the third level," the man in the Student outfit panted, his gaze landing greedily on the blade at Jiang Mo's hip. "Don't go down there. Two people are already dead. Let's talk strategy."
Jiang Mo ignored him, continuing his descent.
"Trying to act cool..." the man spat, waving his hands. "Fine! Everyone, while we have a moment, let's coordinate!"
In a survival instance, cooperation was usually the safest path, but you had to be constantly wary of betrayal and greed.
Jiang Mo heard the chainsaw's roar intensify. With a sharp, metallic shing, he drew his blade.
He rounded the corner and looked toward the sound.
His eyes widened. For the first time, Jiang Mo doubted his own vision. "Lin Shuang?"
"Jiang Mo!" Lin Shuang had just hurled her last high heel at the butcher. When she turned and saw Jiang Mo rushing out, her eyes lit up.
(Mama! I finally see him! The living, breathing male lead!)
Whether she lived or died now depended entirely on that favorability she'd been farming these past few days.
"Boss... save my life!" Her foot slipped, and she pitched forward.
(You have got to be kidding me. Is this a scripted death?)
She squeezed her eyes shut. But instead of the floor, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. Jiang Mo caught her, his free hand gripping the Tang sword, the blade wedged deep into the teeth of the butcher's chainsaw.
The butcher roared in fury, the metal groaning under the strain. Jiang Mo's arm bulged with veins as he strained against the beast, pulling Lin Shuang tight against him and spinning her behind him.
"Step back!"
Summary:
Lin Shuang begins a survival game in a dangerous subway station, struggling with a restrictive outfit and poor luck. She encounters the male lead, Jiang Mo, just as she is about to be killed by a butcher. Jiang Mo saves her at the last moment, drawing his weapon to deflect the attack. The situation remains precarious as they stand against the butcher on the second level.
Trivia:
The game instance has a 6-hour survival limit.
Butchers double in number every hour.
Players can bring five game items from previous draws.
Lin Shuang has been farming favorability with the male lead previously.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A coarse northern Chinese idiom meaning "useless" or "worthless," literally referencing chicken feathers and testicles, emphasizing extreme triviality.
Notes:
• Lin Shuang - Lin Shuang is a college student who transmigrated into an infinite stream game as a cannon fodder supporting role. Struggling with anxiety and a desperate need to survive, she adopts the persona of a character clinging to the male protagonist to secure a life of comfort. Known simply as Shuang, this name represents her role as an outsider navigating the original owner's complex social ties.
• Shuang - Lin Shuang is a college student who transmigrated into an infinite stream game as a cannon fodder supporting role. Struggling with anxiety and a desperate need to survive, she adopts the persona of a character clinging to the male protagonist to secure a life of comfort. Known simply as Shuang, this name represents her role as an outsider navigating the original owner's complex social ties.
• Lin - A third-year university student trapped in a lethal survival game, she masks her panic and physical vulnerability with a facade of bravado and wealth. Lean and striking in a black blazer, pencil skirt, and silk stockings, she wields a Tang dao to survive. Often judged by others for her appearance, she navigates the infinite stream as Jiang Mo’s partner, struggling with trauma while forging vital alliances.
• Jiang Mo - A cold, calculated player in the Infinite Stream, he masks a predatory nature with a polite, gentle persona. Though methodical and aloof, he acts as a devoted protector to Lin Shuang. With a background in boxing, he maintains a guarded, thoughtful temperament shaped by past isolation. He currently lives alone, balancing his lethal survival skills with a surprisingly tidy and controlled lifestyle.
• Jiang - A cynical, survival-hardened veteran player, he appears as a weary construction worker in a white vest and camouflage pants. Armed with a Tang sword and chainsaw, he acts as a reluctant, practical protector within the game. Though detached and suspicious of social ties, he finds himself strangely addicted to his interactions with his rookie partner, balancing lethality with an unwanted protective role.
• Mo - A given name, used alongside Jiang. Given name of Jiang, known for his cold-but-caring demeanor and martial proficiency. The first name carried by Jiang. The given name of Jiang.
• Butcher - A hostile, respawning creature in the game instance armed with a chainsaw.