Chapter Five: The Game Begins

The Black Sail sailed on the sea for an entire night. There was no entertainment or service in the ship's cabins, only a suffocating silence. The guests were confined to their small, individual cabins, the doors locked from the outside, like prisoners. Besides a simple bed and a bottle of water, there was nothing else. This was a form of psychological torture, designed to strip them of their last vestiges of decency and composure from the civilized world. Gu Qingshuang didn't sleep all night. She didn't touch the water, but sat cross-legged on the cold floor, resting with her eyes closed. The stillness of her body allowed her senses to become acutely sharp. She listened, listening to the frequency of the waves crashing against the hull, the subtle changes in the engine's operation, and the howling of the wind through the cracks in the portholes. Through these sounds, she constructed a nautical chart in her mind—the ship's speed, direction, and approximate distance from land. When the first ray of light pierced the darkness, and the roar of the engine began to subside, she knew they had arrived at their destination. Almost simultaneously, the electronic lock on the cabin door clicked open. A emotionless, synthesized voice echoed through the cabin: "All guests, please assemble on the deck. Repeat, all guests, please assemble on the deck." On the deck, the sea breeze, heavy with a raw, primal humidity, rushed in, carrying a sweet, pungent scent of decaying vegetation and earth. Everyone was there, and the night of confinement had left everyone looking more or less exhausted. Su Manqi's makeup was still impeccable, but the irritation in her eyes was undeniable. Lei Zhe stretched his muscles vigorously, trying to show his strength. Tang Xin hugged her bear tightly, her face as pale as paper. And the sight before them made everyone gasp. It was an island. An island that couldn't be described as "beautiful" or "magnificent." It was more like an ancient beast lurking on the surface of the sea, ferocious and silent. The island's skeleton was formed by black volcanic rock, like the jagged ribs of a giant beast, piercing the sky in a chaotic tangle. The coastline wasn't soft sandy beaches, but rather reefs with sharp edges, sculpted by millennia of crashing waves. Deep within the island lay an impenetrable, primeval jungle. The trees were impossibly tall, their dark green canopies layered upon layer, blotting out the sun and casting countless fragmented patches of light and eerie, varying shadows. From the depths of the jungle came occasional shrill and unfamiliar bird calls, like warnings or cries of despair. The entire island exuded a wild and dangerous aura, a sense of "no trespassing." "Welcome to... 'Desolation Island'." A voice suddenly rang out, not from any of the crew members on the boat, but from... the sky. Everyone looked up sharply, only to see a black, strangely shaped drone hovering above the yacht. The voice was electronically processed, cold and distorted, neither male nor female, like a pronouncement from a god or a demon. "I am the host of this game. You may call me 'God'." The projection device beneath the drone activated, casting a beam of light onto the deck, forming a constantly rotating, abstract eye pattern. "Before you set foot on this island, I will announce the core rules of the first stage of the game. Listen carefully, because I will only say this once." The atmosphere instantly froze; everyone held their breath. "Rule one: From now on, your identity, status, and wealth are all reset to zero. Here, you are no longer celebrities, professors, or socialites. You are simply survivors numbered 1-6." "Rule two: Your luggage has been dropped onto the beach ahead. After landing on the island, you will have exactly 60 seconds to choose and select only one item from all your belongings. After 60 seconds, all remaining supplies will be... completely destroyed." This rule caused an immediate uproar among the group. “What? Only one item? Are you kidding me?!” Lei Zhe was the first to roar in anger. “All my equipment is packed in three large bags!” “My skincare products… my clothes…” Tang Xin was on the verge of tears. Su Manqi's face instantly turned ashen. The two huge suitcases she brought contained everything she needed to maintain her dignity and elegance. Now, she had to choose between a pile of Hermès and a bottle of SK-II? This was the ultimate humiliation! Only Professor Chen Wang, Huo Ying, and Gu Qingshuang remained silent. Professor Chen pushed up his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses sharp as a knife, seemingly analyzing the deeper meaning behind this rule. Huo Ying licked her dry lips, a wild glint in her eyes; this cruel rule had instead ignited her competitive spirit. The voice, referred to as "God," ignored everyone's reactions and continued to announce in its infuriatingly calm tone: “Rule three: This game has no script, no intervention, and no rescue. Everything on the island is real. Real hunger, real danger, and… real death. We are only responsible for recording, not for saving. Good luck to you all.” As soon as the words fell, the eye pattern below the drone suddenly transformed into a bright red, pulsating 60-second countdown. At the same time, a rope ladder was suddenly thrown down from the side of the ship, extending all the way into the turbulent sea below. “The game begins.” No one had time to complain or think anymore. The blood-red countdown was like a death sentence, forcing everyone into action. Lei Zhe roared and was the first to rush towards the rope ladder. Huo Ying followed closely, her movements agile as a leopard. Although Professor Chen was older, his movements were not slow. Su Manqi gritted her teeth, and no matter how unwilling she was, she could only lift her expensive trousers and awkwardly climb down. Tang Xin screamed, almost being pushed and shoved, half-falling and half-climbing onto the ladder. Gu Qingshuang was the last. She calmly glanced at the countdown; 45 seconds remained. That was enough. The seawater was icy cold, the waist-deep water swirling with mud and sand, making every step incredibly difficult. After finally trudging to the beach, everyone immediately rushed towards their luggage like mad. It was an incredibly ironic scene. Lei Zhe hesitated for a fraction of a second between a machete and a first-aid kit, finally grabbing the machete, which looked the most intimidating. Tang Xin cried as she opened her suitcase, and amidst a pile of fancy clothes and snacks, she inexplicably hugged her little teddy bear. Professor Chen Wang didn't touch the bag containing his change of clothes, but instead took out a tightly wrapped object from his canvas backpack—it looked like a map or a book. Huo Ying's goal was incredibly clear; she directly pulled out her compound bow from her equipment bag and securely strapped the quiver to her back. Su Manqi stood in front of her two LV suitcases, her face full of humiliation and struggle. Her fingers traced over a complete set of Helena Rubinstein skincare products, over exquisite jewelry boxes, and finally, she grabbed the thickest-looking Gore-Tex hooded jacket. It was a rational but reluctant choice. Gu Qingshuang walked to her small backpack. The countdown had 10 seconds left. She didn't open the backpack, but instead simply picked it up. Everyone was stunned. "The rule is to choose 'one' item," Gu Qingshuang's voice was not loud, but exceptionally clear, "My backpack is one item." Only then did everyone realize that her backpack was so small that it could be considered "one" item. This interpretation of the rules was ingenious, yet flawless! A trace of annoyance flashed across Lei Zhe's face, while Su Manqi cast a cold, scrutinizing glance. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." The countdown reached zero. Below the drone hovering in mid-air, several dazzling red beams of light suddenly shot out, precisely hitting the abandoned suitcases on the beach. There was no explosion, no flames; those expensive leather suitcases, clothes, and equipment turned into dust at a visible speed in the red light, leaving not even a trace of smoke. Absolute, ruthless technological dominance. The last vestiges of hope for a civilized world were completely wiped out. Tang Xin finally broke down and burst into tears. Lei Zhe gripped his machete tightly, his expression grim. After a brief period of chaos, the struggle for leadership began. "Don't panic!" Lei Zhe shouted, trying to take control of the situation, "We must stick together now! First, we need to find a safe place to set up camp, and then find water and food! I suggest we stay on this beach; the view is unobstructed, and if anything comes out of the forest, we can spot it immediately!" His suggestion was met with some agreement; after all, the deep jungle looked terrifying. Su Manqi snorted, crossed her arms, and walked to the side, clearly disdainful of participating in such a discussion. Huo Ying, meanwhile, was busy inspecting her bow, like a lone wolf. While everyone was arguing and debating, no one noticed that Gu Qingshuang had already left the group. She hadn't participated in any of the discussions; from the moment they landed on the island, she had been observing. Not observing people, but observing the island itself. She observed the wind direction, the tide lines left by the waves crashing against the rocks, the contours of the distant mountains, and the distribution of vegetation. Her brain was like a supercomputer, rapidly processing this seemingly unrelated information, constructing a complete environmental model. Lei Zhe's suggestion, in her opinion, was utterly foolish. The beach seemed open, but in reality, it offered no shelter, and the night sea breeze would cause significant heat loss. Most critically, it was a tidal zone; once the tide came in, they would be trapped by the seawater with nowhere to escape. Her gaze finally settled on a seemingly unremarkable rock face about thirty meters high on the left side of the beach. It was covered with dense vines, looking no different from anywhere else. She walked straight towards it. "Hey! Lin Weiyu! Where are you going?" Lei Zhe noticed her leaving the group and shouted disapprovingly. Gu Qingshuang didn't answer. She walked to the base of the rock face and pushed aside the thick, dripping vines. A dark, gaping cave entrance suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes. It wasn't a deep cave, but more like a fissure in the rock, about two meters wide and four or five meters deep. The ground was dry, about three meters higher than the surrounding terrain, so there was no need to worry about the tide. The sides were solid rock walls, with only one entrance to defend. Vines hanging down from the entrance provided natural camouflage, making it difficult to spot from the outside. It was a perfect, natural shelter. Windproof, rainproof, safe, and hidden. Everyone was stunned. They had just been arguing fiercely about where to set up camp, and this woman, whom everyone had overlooked, had silently found the best solution for everyone. "There... there's actually a cave here!" Tang Xin exclaimed in surprise. Lei Zhe opened his mouth, his face turning pale then red. He had just been eloquently demonstrating his leadership, but Gu Qingshuang's simple action made him look like a boastful fool. For the first time, genuine shock appeared in Su Manqi's eyes. The Lin Weiyu she remembered was impulsive, foolish, and emotional; in this situation, she would have cried even more than Tang Xin. But the person before her was calm, sharp, and possessed almost terrifying observational and judgmental abilities. This was simply not the same person. A strange, unpleasant premonition, like a vine, wrapped itself around Su Manqi's heart. She felt that her proud sense of control had, for the first time, shown a crack in the face of this "useless" person. Gu Qingshuang ignored everyone's gazes. She put down her backpack and took out a small roll of thin, silver metal wire, skillfully setting up a simple tripwire at a height of about thirty centimeters from the ground at the cave entrance. Then, she took out a fire striker and began systematically scraping the magnesium strip, preparing to start a fire. Every move she made exuded an undeniable professionalism and efficiency. There were no unnecessary words, yet her actions were more convincing than any grand pronouncements. The image of a hidden, highly intelligent "high-level player" was quietly established in everyone's minds. A spark flew, and a small cluster of orange flames flickered in Gu Qingshuang's calm eyes. It not only ignited the dry leaves but also ignited the first silent confrontation in this brutal game of survival.