"Before we go any further, let’s get to know each other. I’ll start.” The woman with the ponytail couldn’t sit still any longer and spoke up first. Clearing her throat and struggling to keep the tremor out of her voice, she said, “My name is Lu Wanting. I’m a language teacher. I was prepping a lesson when I blacked out and found myself standing on a bridge.”

The young man with glasses followed. “Bai Li, programmer. I was working late on a project, and when I stood up, I realized I was on a wooden bridge.”

“The name’s Li Duo, I’m a martial arts instructor.” The bearded man who’d first spoken to Fang Chen stood up, clasping his hands in greeting. “To be honest… my schedule is usually pretty strict. I was asleep when this happened.” He scratched his head, looking sheepish. “At first, I thought this was all just a dream.”

“I’m Zhang Bin, a university student, and this is…” The young man in the corner looked down at the girl clutching his arm. She was pale and gripping his clothes as if she’d lost the strength to speak.

“Her name’s Rong Rong, my girlfriend. She gets scared easily. We were watching a movie in the living room when suddenly the screen seemed to stretch on forever, and a bridge appeared right in the middle.”

“Fang Chen, courier. I was delivering an urgent package.”

“Meng Qiyan, I was taking a shortcut home…”

“Hold on.” The man who looked like a playboy snapped his fan shut, interrupting the introductions with a suspicious look. “So, who among you is the Ferryman?”

Everyone: “?”

“Let me put it in simpler terms,” he continued. “Think carefully. Did any of you come into contact with a bridge?”

Silence fell over the group as they each tried to recall.

Bai Li adjusted his glasses, hesitating. “I’m not sure, but I remember overhearing my coworkers talking about a holiday plan to visit a glass bridge.”

“Ah…” the couple sighed in unison. “The movie we were watching was The Bridges of Madison County.”

“One was just heard, and the other seen. Those don’t count.” The playboy’s gaze shifted to the others. “And you, Teacher Lu?”

The woman with the ponytail bit her lip before finally speaking up. “I remember now. The lesson I was preparing was on Seizing the Luding Bridge.”

Li Duo slapped his forehead, realization dawning. “I dreamt of a bridge!”

“Those don’t count.”

Now, all eyes turned to Fang Chen and Meng Qiyan.

Meng Qiyan shook her head. “I was planning to take a shortcut home, and there’s a narrow bridge on the way, but I only saw it from afar. I hadn’t stepped on it.”

It seemed that everyone had some indirect connection to the idea of a “bridge” before winding up here.

The more Fang Chen listened, the stranger it all seemed. Finally, he spoke up. “I walked on a wooden bridge.”

As soon as he finished, the playboy snapped his fan shut, stepped forward, and examined him closely. His scrutinizing gaze held a mixture of emotions, and he muttered to himself, “So this is the kind of… Ferryman we’re dealing with…”

Fang Chen noticed him stifling the words “quality specimen” with a cough, a look that reminded him of the judgmental stares he’d gotten before he switched to his courier job.

Almost nostalgic.

Fang Chen crossed his arms, his body half cloaked in shadow. From this angle, only the person directly in front of him could catch the glint in his eyes. A smirk tugged at his lips, and a growing tension seemed to envelop them both.

His gaze fixed on the man before him as he slowly spoke, “Get to the point.”

Though his words were light, they carried an undeniable command.

The playboy stiffened.

He clenched his fingers around his fan and motioned behind him. “Does this scenery look familiar to you? Does it remind you of anything, or have you been to a similar place?”

Fang Chen thought back over his twenty-six years. After a long pause, under the group’s watchful eyes, he shook his head. This gloomy shack was so eerie that even beggars might avoid it. Not only had he never been here—he hadn’t even dreamt of such a place.

The man’s expression twisted into a look of pity.

“Seems like you know something about the situation we’re in?” Fang Chen asked, his brow furrowing.

“Not exactly. Just things I’ve heard.”

“Is there a way to leave?”

“There is. It’s simple. We play a little game, and if we win, we survive.”

“But… it’s a long story, and I can’t really shorten it.” He glanced at Fang Chen meaningfully, “You’ll know soon enough.”

Just as he was about to walk away, Meng Qiyan quickly grabbed his sleeve. “Stop with the mysterious act. You’re the only one who hasn’t introduced yourself yet.”

“No need for introductions. I’m not the Ferryman. You can call me Young Master Liu.”

“Oh wow, look at you, a ‘young master.’” Meng Qiyan covered her mouth in disbelief, her tone full of disdain. “How can someone be this shameless? You think this is your home or something?”

The young man’s face flushed slightly, clearly embarrassed by her words. “What do you know…”

“Yes, you’re right. Out of all of us, you clearly know the most.”

After a brief pause, he finally surrendered and said, “Fine! My name is Liu Mang. Mang, as in ‘radiating brilliance!’” With that, he gave a dramatic wave of his sleeve and hurried back to his spot, adding one last remark, “And no one’s allowed to call me by my name directly!”

Meng Qiyan’s mouth dropped open. She leaned over to Fang Chen, whispering, “Who in their right mind would name their kid something like that?” Fang Chen gave an approving nod.

“So, uh… what do we do now?” Zhang Bin asked timidly.

Liu Mang leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, and replied, “We wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“For more people.”

“More people are coming?”

“The game hasn’t started yet, which means not all the players are here.”

Meng Qiyan scratched her head. “Oh, I get it. It’s like waiting for a game to load.”

Even though they’d introduced themselves, the distance lingered in the room; the barriers between them hadn’t lessened in the slightest. None of them truly understood what it meant to be “The Ferryman,” but given that only one person among the eight had that title, it clearly meant something special.

Humans always regard what’s special with special attention.

In just a short time, Fang Chen had attracted plenty of curious glances, each person harboring their own suspicions.

The first to approach was Bai Li, the programmer. Just by looking, Fang Chen could tell he was the quintessential “tech guy.” Fang Chen had felt Bai Li’s intense gaze since the moment he walked in.

Adjusting his glasses, Bai Li spoke up, “Excuse me. I’d like to do a search. Please cooperate.”

Before Fang Chen could question it, Meng Qiyan jumped in. “And why exactly should he?”

“He thinks this is some sort of reality show—a scripted setup,” Lu Wanting commented from her spot against the wall, knees drawn up as she glanced over.

Bai Li continued, ignoring the interruption. “Considering people will be moving around, the best way to capture real-time footage would be to hide cameras on them. The smallest pinhole cameras are only two millimeters wide, so they’d be hard to detect.”

Fang Chen looked at Lu Wanting. “Did you all agree to this?”

“Of course not.”

He redirected his gaze to Bai Li. “Do you really think our arrival here was something a normal person could orchestrate?”

“There are actors.”

“What about your own experience?”

“How would I know? There are plenty of knockout drugs on the market these days.”

“So you think everyone went to all this trouble just to fool you?”

“Unless there’s a body search, I’m not trusting anyone.” Bai Li’s face darkened.

Meng Qiyan muttered softly, “As if you’re a celebrity worth all this trouble.”

“And what am I supposed to do, then?!” Bai Li’s voice jumped an octave, his face flushed with anger, his whole body trembling. Once the pent-up tension found an opening, it spilled out in waves.

“This d*mn place has no signal! I can’t afford to miss my attendance bonus!”

“I’m ranked number one for attendance in the entire company!”

So, he was a thoroughly seasoned corporate workhorse.

Bai Li started raving like a man who’d lost his mind, clutching his head, waving his arms around like a howling baboon, gradually spiraling out of control.

Fang Chen felt like he was witnessing reverse evolution in action, and he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“What’s that look in your eyes?” Bai Li suddenly froze, his gaze sharp. “Are you mocking me?”

When fear pushes someone to the edge, they’ll do reckless things to try and feel braver.

Just like now.

Before Fang Chen could respond, a fist filled with anger was already coming his way.