The moment the players started trying to pry open the elevator doors, Bai Jiang quietly retreated further into the corner.
Someone shouted, "Are you all crazy? Didn't the system say not to leave the elevator? It's obviously a trap!"
But the man at the front, his eyes bloodshot from fear, roared back, "Are you stupid? You believe that mechanical voice? What if it's lying? What if it's trying to trap us here like livestock? I'd rather take my chances outside!"
More people joined him.
The elevator was small. With twenty people crammed inside, emotions spiraled rapidly out of control.
Someone threw a punch. A fight broke out.
A woman screamed.
Bai Jiang lowered her gaze.
This was it.
This was the true test.
A closed space. Limited oxygen. Human panic. No external threats required.
Humans would destroy themselves.
Bai Jiang silently accessed her supermarket inventory.
Oxygen tanks. Emergency medical supplies. Food and water. Rope. Knives. Fire extinguishers. Protective masks…
Everything she'd stocked in her supermarket during her lifetime was now her lifeline.
She pulled out a small oxygen cylinder from her inventory and concealed it behind her back, ensuring she could breathe steadily without attracting attention.
Meanwhile, the chaos worsened.
Someone had been injured during the scuffle. Blood dripped onto the elevator floor.
A young woman clutched her arm, sobbing. Her sleeve was torn and bloodied.
A group at the front still focused on prying open the elevator doors. The rest cowered in corners or shouted in fear.
Bai Jiang calmly evaluated the situation.
First danger: Oxygen depletion caused by overpopulation and panic.
Second danger: Psychological collapse.
Third danger: Direct violence.
She knew if someone lost control and started killing people to reduce oxygen consumption, the real nightmare would begin.
Her gaze swept across the players.
Sure enough, someone was showing signs of that very thought.
A man crouched in the corner, eyes darting left and right. His breathing was rapid, expression twisted. His lips moved slightly as if talking to himself.
Bai Jiang tightened her grip on the oxygen cylinder.
If that man acted—
Suddenly, the elevator shuddered violently.
The players screamed.
The lights flickered.
In the next second, the mechanical voice echoed once more:
[Warning: Unsafe action detected. Players attempting to force open the doors have triggered emergency security measures. Punishment initiated.]
Before anyone could react, a sizzling electric current crackled at the elevator doors.
Those prying at the doors screamed as they were electrocuted.
The rest shrank back in terror.
When the electricity ceased, three people collapsed to the floor, twitching violently.
"Ahhhhhhh!!"
The woman who had been trying to stop them earlier burst into tears. "I told you! I told you not to open the door! Why didn't you listen?!"
A terrible silence fell over the elevator.
People stared in horror at the scorched bodies of the three who had collapsed.
Bai Jiang exhaled silently.
Three players—dead.
Nineteen people left.
The system's punishment had reasserted control over the chaos.
But fear still hung heavy in the cramped air.
Bai Jiang knew that from this moment on, the players would split into two extremes.
Some would collapse mentally, terrified into submission.
Others would become more desperate, risking anything to escape.
She quietly moved to the injured young woman—the one whose arm was bleeding.
The woman, her face pale, looked up warily as Bai Jiang approached.
"Don't worry," Bai Jiang said softly. "I'm not here to hurt you."
From her supermarket inventory, Bai Jiang took out a small bottle of disinfectant and a roll of gauze.
"Hold out your arm."
The woman hesitated, then complied.
Bai Jiang quickly cleaned the wound and bandaged it.
The woman's eyes reddened. "T-Thank you…"
Bai Jiang said nothing. She returned the supplies to her inventory.
At that moment, someone asked weakly, "Where… where did you get that stuff?"
Bai Jiang didn't answer.
Her expression was calm, but her mind was coldly calculating.
She couldn't let others know she had supplies.
Because in a closed death game like this, those who had supplies… would be the first to be targeted.