It was either death or agreeing to their game. If you agreed, you might have a slim chance of surviving.
You humiliated yourself by accepting the game.
The young master of the Jackson Family and his entourage politely stepped aside for you. You looked at the long, winding road leading to the City of Doom and started running like prey.
You could hear mocking laughter behind you, and you could feel the young master of the Jackson Family slowly raising his bow and arrow.
Your life had become their toy.
You barely dodged arrow after arrow.
Finally, you got close to the city walls.
It felt like hope was just within reach!
But then, the young master fired a stronger arrow that pierced through your leg bone. More arrows followed, tearing through your body and turning you into a human pincushion.
Your body collapsed near the city gates, blood pouring out beneath you.
In your final moments, you realized something painfully ironic: not a single soul in the world cared that you were dying.
Except for one figure at the Chaoyang Martial Arts School training ground, who stood there silently in the sunlight just like she promised.
She waited until the sunset swallowed her shadow completely, but you never showed up. In the end, she turned and left.
It felt like the heavens had given you one final tribute!
Damn it. A final tribute!
Bertram gritted his teeth in anger.
In this third simulation, dying like that was just way too frustrating!
I got hunted down like prey, arrow by arrow!
And to make it worse, something as insane as an attack on the police station actually happened.
Who would be crazy enough to break into a police station just to silence someone?
But not only did it happen, they actually pulled it off!
Poor Officer Nelson ended up in the ICU!
"Officer Nelson, you spent thirty thousand Dawn Coins just to get credit, this isn't my fault!"
He really paid money just to get beat up this time!
Meanwhile, Bertram somehow managed to avoid the whole mess.
But in the end, he still couldn't dodge being betrayed by a cop!
"At least I figured out one thing in this simulation, the mastermind is from the Jackson Family!"
"The Jackson Family kidnapped Vanessa, the daughter of the Olson Family, just to get their hands on some kind of treasure. Whatever it is, it must be insane if they're willing to go that far!"
"Otherwise, a family that powerful wouldn't act this shameless."
"But even if they're the worst, they're still way out of my league."
Damn it. I'm just an F-rank, and they've got A-ranks.
I'm barely stronger than a guard dog. Why do I have to deal with this kind of pressure so early in the game?
Bertram felt like crying but had no tears left.
"That cop who sold me out... I don't even know when he did it, but I have to be ready for the worst."
"If the Jackson Family already knows I reported them, how can I flip the script and change my fate?"
Bertram thought hard.
"The Olson Family's daughter, Vanessa, is at the underground coal plant in East District Nine. That's valuable info. But how do I explain how I know? I can't just say I overheard it again."
"So many 'coincidences'—and every time they're planning something huge, I just happen to be eavesdropping?"
The Infinite Life Simulation must never be exposed!
"Even if I solve the issue of the information source, will this news be enough for the Olson Family to shield me from the looming threat of the Jackson Family?"
A person without value wouldn't be protected by a powerful family.
Bertram was racking his brain.
He didn't want the tragic ending from the life simulation—being shot to death—to actually come true.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up.
"Maybe this could work!"
"Bertram, someone is looking for you in the office!" Homeroom teacher Mr. Javion knocked on the door, letting him know.
"Okay, sir, I'll head over right away!"
Bertram took a deep breath, thinking this might be the beginning of everything.
He got up and walked out of the dorm, heading straight for the office.
When he arrived, he pushed the door open to find the room strangely quiet.
There was only one person sitting there, legs crossed, calmly scrolling on her phone.
She was a stunningly elegant girl wearing a light blue jacket. Her skin looked soft as snow, and her features were so beautiful they seemed unreal—flawless in every way.
Out of all the girls he'd seen, maybe only the mysterious girl from the dojo could compare.
But what stood out the most were her eyes. Her pupils looked like snowflakes, or maybe like a frozen lake stretching endlessly.
"Are you the student who reported to Officer Nelson?" The girl with the frozen-lake eyes set her phone down and looked up. Her voice was calm and flat, but it carried an invisible weight that made you instinctively want to stay quiet.
"Reported? What report?" Bertram asked, pretending to be confused.
"Can't remember the report? Then do you remember the thirty thousand Dawn Coins?" Her tone didn't change.
"Uh, that I do remember. Yes, I reported to Officer Nelson. Is something wrong?" Bertram answered after a short awkward pause.
In his mind, he gave himself a perfect score for how natural he sounded.
Bertram's honest reaction left a decent impression on the Ice Lake Maiden. At least he knew how to keep a promise and wasn't a total idiot.
Her face turned serious. "You can think of me as Officer Nelson's superior."
"Last night, the police station where Officer Nelson worked was attacked by a group of mysterious people. The men in black who were arrested after your report were all silenced, and Officer Nelson was badly injured. He's still in the emergency room," she said, her voice dropping slightly and making the air feel cold around her.
"Who would dare to attack a police station?" Bertram was so stunned he dropped into the nearest chair.
"Did you catch them?" he asked quickly.
"Hmph! Those bastards! They scattered and ran into the city. By the time we reacted, it was too late. All the men in black were silenced, and the trail leading to Vanessa's kidnapping ended there. Before Officer Nelson was rushed into emergency care, he gave me your info. I came to see if you could tell me anything else," she said, eyes fixed on him.
"How could they be so bold!" Bertram gritted his teeth.
"But I really don't know anything more. I already told Officer Nelson everything that day," he said, shaking his head helplessly.
The Ice Lake Maiden's expression turned darker.
Ever since her sister Vanessa was kidnapped, she had been running around chasing clues, and just when she finally found a lead, it got wiped out completely by whoever was behind this.