On the day of the SATs, the text on the test booklet in front of me suddenly vanished, replaced by a single, life-or-death question. [If you had to push one person in this room to their death, who would you choose?] Just as I hesitated, paralyzed by fear, a stream of floating chat logs—like a Twitch livestream—erupted before my eyes. [The female lead is such a bleeding heart. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, so she writes her own name. Too bad she gets sacrificed in the first round.] [She’ll die without ever knowing that the Prom King, who’s been 'helping' her, is the one who actually voted for her.] [Wait? Is that the Big Boss in the corner? Adrian Thorne? Why is he participating in the game personally?] I immediately stood up, walked over to the pale, sickly boy in the corner, and extended my hand. "Hi. Want to team up?" 1 The exam room was dead silent. The standard instructions on the packet had dissolved into that terrifying question: [If you had to push one person in this room to their death, who would you choose?] My pen hovered over the paper. I looked around. Other students were gasping, eyes wide, clearly seeing the same thing. Before panic could fully set in, a cheerful, distorted child’s voice boomed over the PA system. "Welcome, students, to the SAT Survival Game! Bet your lives and let the party begin!" "Please answer the question on your paper carefully. Once everyone has voted, the student with the most votes dies! Tee-hee!" The voice cut out, leaving a suffocating silence. After a long minute, a guy with thick glasses stood up. "My name is Simon. I’m the valedictorian, so you guys know I’m logical. Listen to me." I recognized him. He was a genius, always top of the class. Simon adjusted his glasses, his voice trembling but loud. "There’s an obvious loophole. If everyone writes their own name, nobody gets the 'most' votes. It’ll be a massive tie. Nobody dies." A murmur went through the room. Most people nodded, desperate for a solution. A few looked skeptical—who could guarantee no one would betray the group? I was weighing the odds when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around and my heart skipped a beat. It was Jason Miller. Jason was the varsity quarterback, the school heartthrob, and the guy I had been crushing on for three years. I usually only watched him from the bleachers; he had never spoken to me before. "You're Sarah, right? Sarah Jenkins?" Jason flashed a charming smile, ignoring my blushing face. "Since we're from the same homeroom, we should look out for each other, right?" "I think Simon's plan is solid. Just write your own name. We'll get through this first round easy." He spoke more words to me in ten seconds than he had in three years. My head was spinning. Under his intense gaze, I picked up my pen. Just as I was about to write "Sarah Jenkins," the floating text scrolled across my vision again. [Look at this simp. She’s about to get sacrificed. She has no idea the male lead is writing her name down right now.] [Seriously, look at her. Does she really think a guy like Jason would notice a nobody like her? He’s only using her as a shield.] [He’s doing it to protect the heroine. It’s kinda romantic in a twisted way.] My hand froze. I looked past Jason’s shoulder and caught a hostile glare. It was Bella, the head cheerleader and school queen bee. The "Heroine" the comments were talking about. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me. My blood cooled instantly. "What's wrong, Sarah? Write it down. We're running out of time," Jason urged, a flicker of impatience crossing his eyes. The crush I had harbored for years evaporated, replaced by disgust. He was nothing but a fake. My affection had been a filter, blurring out the cracks. I ignored Jason and focused on the floating comments. [Hey, isn't that kid in the corner the final boss, Adrian Thorne? Why is he in the newbie zone?] [Dunno. The plot never mentioned this. Let's keep watching.] I looked at the boy in the corner. He was pale, almost translucent, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. He watched the panic around him with a faint, amused smirk. I stood up abruptly, ignoring Jason’s shocked expression, and walked straight to Adrian. "Hi. Want to team up?" Adrian looked at me for a long moment, a spark of interest lighting up his dark eyes. "You have a plan? Let's hear it." "Everyone agreed to vote for themselves," I whispered. "But people lie. If we coordinate our votes against one person, that’s two votes guaranteed. It gives us leverage." I took a deep breath. "Also, I know two people are already colluding to vote for me. I need protection." Adrian raised an eyebrow. "If that's true, I could just vote for you with them and ensure my own safety. Why help you?" "You won't," I said, staring him down. "Because that would be boring. Wouldn't it?" Adrian tilted his head, studying me. Then, he sat up slowly. He jutted his chin toward Jason. "You want to vote for him?" I nodded and showed him my paper. I had already written Jason Miller. "As you wish." The moment Adrian wrote the name, the cheerful voice returned. "Voting is closed! Oh my, we have a three-way tie!" "Jason Miller, Sarah Jenkins, and Simon. Two votes each! We are entering sudden death overtime!" My hands clenched into fists. My heart hammered against my ribs. Jason's two votes came from me and Adrian. My two votes came from Jason and Bella. But Simon? That was unexpected. The voice continued. "Among these three, one is a long-term animal abuser, one has slept with the Principal for grades, and one is a thief." "Please use this information to re-vote on these three candidates!" The room exploded into chaos. 2 Relief washed over the crowd—they were safe. Now, they just wanted to gossip. "Sarah is the only girl in the bottom three," someone shouted, pointing at me. "She must be the one sleeping with the Principal." "Gross. She looks so quiet and innocent, but she's dirty." Their eyes scanned me with disgust. "But back to the game," another guy said. "Stealing is bad, but abusing animals? That person deserves to die. Is it Simon or Jason?" Jason frowned, looking offended. "I have a golden retriever and a cat at home. I love animals." "That means nothing!" Simon’s hands were shaking violently under the desk. "Psychology says abusers often use pets to hide their true nature! It has to be Jason! Vote for him!" As they argued, Bella pushed through the crowd. She grabbed Simon’s arm and yanked up his sleeve. "Look at his arm! Three deep scratches. Those are defensive wounds from an animal struggling. Isn't that proof enough?" Under the harsh fluorescent lights, the angry red welts on Simon's arm were undeniable. Simon’s face went sheet white. His lips trembled, and then he collapsed to his knees, sobbing. "Please... I don't want to die... it was just a stray cat..." The cheerful voice chimed in. "Ding! Second vote complete. Candidate Simon, unanimously eliminated!" Bang. A single shot fired from a hidden port in the wall. The bullet went straight through Simon’s forehead. He looked surprised for a split second before toppling over into a pool of his own blood. The room went dead silent. The only sound was stifled sobbing. 3 I clutched my chest, trying to calm my racing heart. I had survived. Because I was a girl, everyone assumed I was the one sleeping with the Principal. I wasn't. I was the thief. In kindergarten, driven by childish jealousy, I stole a crystal bracelet from another girl. My mother found out and beat me until I couldn't sit down, then dragged me to the girl's house to apologize. It was the only time she ever hit me, so the memory was branded into my soul. I didn't defend myself against the rumors earlier because I didn't want to draw attention. But now, I was curious. I was the thief. Simon was the abuser. That meant the one sleeping with the Principal was... I glanced at Jason. He caught my eye, his expression a mix of contempt and malice. He knew I had voted for him. Suddenly, a voice spoke only in my ear. "Sarah Jenkins, congratulations on surviving the sudden death round! You have received a reward item: The Immunity Totem." No one else looked around. Only I heard it. I looked at Jason. His eyebrows twitched. He had clearly received a reward too. Was it also an Immunity Totem? Before I could think, the PA system crackled again. "Congratulations on surviving Round 1! Now, please look at the blackboard. Do you wish to leave the game now?" Two options appeared on the digital blackboard: YES and NO. A guy in a loud Hawaiian shirt—let’s call him Chad—rushed up and slammed YES. "Screw this game! I'm out of here!" Could we really leave? I looked at Adrian. He was smiling faintly, as if watching a play he’d already seen. It wasn't that simple. The text on the blackboard changed. [Current Prize Money: $10,000 per survivor. If you pass Round 2, the prize becomes $100,000. Please confirm: Leave now?] Chad’s hand froze in mid-air. "Dude, press it! I don't want to die!" someone yelled. "Wait," another voice hesitated. "Maybe we should play one more round? $100,000... that's more than I'd make in two years." "Shut up!" Chad roared, turning around. "We're flunking out of high school anyway! We're losers! Might as well gamble!" He slammed his hand onto NO. Instantly, the lights cut out. Pitch blackness. The cheerful voice giggled, the sound echoing ominously. "Welcome to Round 2: Lights Out!" "In ten minutes, the Hunter will enter the room and cull ten students." "Everyone has an equal chance of being attacked. Only students holding an 'Immunity Totem' are safe." Before she finished, people started crying. "There are only thirty of us left! That’s a one-in-three chance of dying!" "Shut up! Stop crying!" I quietly grabbed Adrian’s sleeve, trying to make myself small. Having the Totem right now wasn't necessarily good. "Hey!" Chad shouted at the ceiling. "Can I steal someone else's Totem?" The voice giggled sweeter than ever. "Of course! And just a little hint... there are already Totems in play. If you kill the holder, the Totem is yours!" "Ten minute countdown... start!" A giant red digital clock appeared on the blackboard, ticking down. Panic erupted. "Who has it? How do we know?" "If we find them, do we really have to kill them?" Jason’s voice cut through the dark. "I know who has a Totem." Footsteps rushed toward me. Jason grabbed my arm and yanked me up. "Survivors of the sudden death round got rewards. My reward was the ability to hear the hidden broadcast." "I heard it. Sarah has the Immunity Totem!" 4 The room went silent for a heartbeat. Then someone whispered, "So if we kill Sarah, we don't have to die?" I felt gazes locking onto me in the dark like physical weights. Chad stood up first, grabbing a heavy metal chair. "I want that Totem! Anyone gets in my way, you're dead!" I struggled against Jason’s grip. The floating text scrolled by. [The female lead looks so desperate. I can't watch.] [It's her destiny to be cannon fodder. Early death, late death, same thing.] [Jason is using her again. He actually has a Totem too, he's just using her as bait to distract the mob.] My eyes widened. I shouted into the darkness, "The broadcast said 'holders', plural! Jason has one too! He's trying to distract you!" The voice on the PA paused, then laughed maniacally. "I like smart students. Reminder: time is running out." The mob hesitated, then turned toward Jason. Their greed was now mixed with anger at being tricked. While they hesitated, I bit Jason's hand, broke free, and scrambled behind Adrian. The mob lunged. It was chaos. People tripping, shoving, swinging chairs blindly in the dark. Screams of pain and rage filled the air. I clutched Adrian’s shirt, my only anchor in the storm. The mob was hunting for me and Jason. Adrian spun around, shielding me with his body, his broad back a wall between me and the madness. I couldn't see anything, only relying on the floating comments to know what was happening. In the dark, Adrian lowered his head. "Sarah, you did well this time." I was confused. "This time?" We just met. But the comments were going wild. [Wait, did Jason just use Bella as a human shield? My ship is sinking!] [The plot is totally broken! In the original novel, they survive together!] [It's all Sarah's fault. If she hadn't exposed Jason, he wouldn't have panicked and sacrificed the heroine!] Bella was dead? My jaw dropped. But before I could process it, the cheerful voice returned. "Ten minutes are up! The Hunter is here! Ready or not..."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "388123", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel