The afternoon sun piercing through the forest canopy turned a reddish-orange, creating a gripping atmosphere around Group 27's hiding cave. The forest, previously loud with bird sounds, suddenly fell silent. An unnatural silence. As if nature was holding its breath, waiting for the bloodshed about to happen.
Inside the cave, the atmosphere was slightly more relaxed compared to previous hours.
Udin sat cross-legged near the cave mouth, acting as the gatekeeper. His sharp eyes occasionally glanced at the bushes, but his shoulders were no longer as tense as before. Adel's presence, looking fragile and crying continuously, unconsciously lowered his vigilance level. Udin had a fatal weakness: he couldn't bear to see a girl cry.
"Drink a little more, Del," Salma offered, handing over a bottle cap of mineral water—their last ration divided equally. "Your lips are still pale."
"Thank you, Sis Salma," Adel said softly, accepting the water with trembling hands. She sipped it slowly, then looked at Udin. "Brother Udin... thank you for letting me join. I promise I won't be a burden."
Udin turned, smiling thinly. "Take it easy. As long as you don't try anything funny, we'll protect you."
"Yes, Brother," Adel nodded, then slowly rose. "I... my legs are cramping. Can I stretch my legs over there? The air is a bit stuffy in the corner."
Adel pointed to the area behind Udin's back, near the cave wall.
"Sure. Here," Udin shifted his body slightly, making room.
Salim, sitting deep inside the cave observing the map on his tablet, suddenly felt a bad premonition stinging the back of his neck. He saw Adel move. Her movement... was too smooth for someone whose legs supposedly hurt from running for hours.
Leg injury... but her weight distribution is balanced?
"Udin!" Salim called sharply. "Don't let her behind you!"
However, the warning was half a second too late.
Just as Udin turned to Salim in surprise, Adel was already in his blind spot. Adel's pitiful face vanished instantly, replaced by a terrifying cold sneer. Her right hand reached into her skirt pocket at lightning speed.
It wasn't a tissue she pulled out. It was a tactical folding knife—a knife that should have cost 1,000 Points in the Shop, or perhaps looted from another participant they had eliminated earlier.
Squelch!
The sound of metal penetrating flesh sounded wet and horrifying.
Adel plunged the knife right into Udin's left flank, in the gap between the lower ribs and the pelvic bone. The kidney area. A paralyzing vital point.
"ARGH!"
Udin roared in pain. His body seized instantly. He tried to turn to strike, but the pain exploding in his waist made his muscles go limp.
Adel didn't stop there. With efficient technique, she twisted the knife slightly before pulling it out, ensuring the wound gaped open and wouldn't close easily. Fresh blood spurred, soaking Udin's white uniform and Adel's gray skirt.
"Udin!" Salma screamed hysterically.
Alya shrieked, covering her mouth with her hands. Rehan jumped up, scared half to death.
Adel hopped back agilely, staying out of reach of Udin's hand still trying to grab her. She stood at the cave mouth, holding the bloody knife casually. No more tears. No more fear.
"Sorry, Udin," Adel said, her voice changing to a creepy, spoiled tone. "But your points are more valuable than your kindness."
"Adel... you..." Udin collapsed to the ground, clutching his waist. Blood flowed heavily through his fingers. His face was deathly pale, eyes staring at Adel with a mix of pain and deep disbelief.
At the same time, the bushes in front of the cave were parted roughly.
"ATTACK!"
Septian's shout echoed.
From behind the trees, three members of Group 23 emerged. They were no longer sneaking. They ran charging in with full weapons—sharpened wooden spears and stone clubs.
Group 27's defense collapsed before it could even be built. Their "Tank", Udin, was paralyzed in the first second.
"Retreat! Get inside!" Salim shouted, pulling Salma's collar who was still frozen in shock.
"Udin! We have to take Udin!" Salma struggled, tears flooding her face.
Alya, despite her fear, lunged toward Udin. She ignored the incoming enemies. Her medical instinct took over. She grabbed Udin's collar and pulled him with all her might.
"Rehan! Help Alya!" Salim ordered.
Rehan, face pale, joined in pulling Udin's legs, dragging the large body deeper into the narrow cave alcove.
Septian stood at the cave mouth, blocking the sunlight. He smiled with satisfaction seeing the chaos before him. Beside him, Adel stood licking a bit of blood splattered on her hand—a theatrical gesture to intimidate the opponents' morale.
"Finish them," Septian ordered coldly. "Take the tablets. Transfer the points. Leave the corpses."
Two of Septian's henchmen advanced. They pointed spears at Salim who stood at the very front unarmed.
Salim was cornered. Behind him were his injured and panicked friends. In front of him was death.
Salim's brain spun looking for a way out. Physically outmatched. Weaponry outmatched. Outnumbered.
The only way was to disrupt their vision.
"Rehan! Now!" Salim shouted.
Rehan, who was dragging Udin, understood the code. Earlier that afternoon, when they were bored waiting, Rehan idly collected damar tree resin and dry moss, then wrapped them in slightly damp broad leaves. He said it was a simple chemistry experiment: a primitive smoke bomb.
Rehan reached into his pants pocket, grabbed the leaf bundle, and threw it onto the pile of the small campfire remains they made last night (whose embers were still hot).
Fwuuush!
The wet leaves and resin caught fire instantly upon hitting the embers Rehan blew on. Thick, acrid white smoke billowed high immediately, filling the narrow cave space in seconds.
"Cough! Cough! What is this?!" shouted Septian's henchman, their vision blocked by the white fog.
"My eyes burn!"
Panic shifted to the attackers. The smoke contained natural irritants from the tree resin.
"Run! Through the back gap!" Salim ordered.
The cave had a small ventilation hole at the back covered by roots. Tight, but enough for a teenage body.
Salim pushed Salma in first. "Fast!"
Then Alya. Then Rehan and Salim worked shoulder-to-shoulder pushing Udin's semi-conscious body through the hole. Udin groaned in pain as his wound scraped against the rock, but he didn't protest.
"Chase them! Don't let them escape!" Septian's shout was heard from behind the smoke.
Salim was the last out. Before disappearing into the forest, he glanced back. He saw Adel's silhouette amidst the smoke, standing still watching him.
Salim saw no guilt there. He saw emptiness.
They ran. Ran aimlessly, cutting through the darkening forest. Alya and Rehan supported Udin on the left and right. Salma cleared the path in front, swatting away thorny branches. Salim was in the back, erasing their footprints as best he could.
They didn't stop until their lungs felt like they were about to explode.
Once deemed far enough, they collapsed in a small valley flowed by a shallow river.
"Udin..." Alya immediately checked Udin.
His condition was critical. Udin's face was as white as paper. His lips turned blue. His breathing was short and shallow.
"Massive hemorrhage," Alya diagnosed quickly, her hands pressing the wound on Udin's waist. Fresh blood kept seeping out, staining Alya's hands. "The knife hit a major blood vessel. If not stopped, he'll go into hypovolemic shock (blood loss) in 20 minutes."
"Do something, Al!" Salma urged hysterically. "Stitch it! Or something!"
"I have no tools!" Alya cried in frustration. "My tools were all taken! I need a compression bandage! I need a suture needle! I need antiseptic!"
Alya looked at Salim. A demanding gaze.
"Buy it, Lim. Buy it in the Shop. Now."
Salim turned on his tablet with trembling hands.
POINTS: 340.
He opened the SHOP menu.
* Medical Kit (Complete): 500 Points.
* Hemostatic Bandage (Blood Stopper): 250 Points.
* Antibiotics: 100 Points.
"Our points aren't enough for the complete package," Salim said, his voice hoarse. "Only enough for the bandage. But if we buy the bandage, our remaining points will be 90. That's only enough to live for another 1.5 hours."
A brutal moral dilemma. Saving Udin's life now meant killing the entire group in 1.5 hours due to running out of time points.
"Buy it," Udin's voice sounded weak. He opened his eyes slightly. "Buy it... or I die now."
"But Din, if we buy it, we all die tonight!" Rehan said in panic.
"I... I promise..." Udin coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. "I promise... if I live... I'll replace those points. I'll kill anyone to replace those points."
Salim looked into Udin's eyes. He saw the fire of life nearly extinguished there.
Then he looked at Salma and Alya. They didn't need to speak. Their gazes said one thing: Save him.
"Okay," Salim pressed the BUY button.
Ding.
TRANSACTION SUCCESSFUL.
REMAINING POINTS: 90.
A small drone descended from the forest canopy, dropping a small box containing the hemostatic bandage right in front of them, then flew back up.
Alya grabbed the box, ripped it open with her teeth, and immediately wrapped Udin's wound. The bandage contained special chemicals that instantly clotted blood upon contact.
The bleeding stopped. Udin's breathing began to stabilize, though he was still very weak.
They survived Udin's death. But now, they faced a new death sentence.
Salim looked at the timer on his tablet.
TIME REMAINING BEFORE POINTS DEPLETION: 01:30:00.
One hour and thirty minutes.
"We have to move," Salim said, standing slowly. His face no longer held hesitation. Adel's betrayal had killed the last remnants of naivety in his heart.
"We need points. Right now. Not by scavenging. Not by defending."
Salim picked up a sharp rock from the ground, gripping it tight until his palm bled.
"We find other groups. Anyone. And we take their points. Until dry."
Salma didn't argue. She wiped her tears, then nodded. The wise Student Council President's face was now covered in dark shadows.
"Let's go," Salma said coldly.
In the distance, thunder rumbled. Rain began to fall, washing away Udin's blood spilled on the ground, but it couldn't wash away the vengeance just carved into the hearts of Group 27.
Adel and Septian had created a monster. And that monster was now hungry.