The screams of players desperately passing the bomb echoed through the city. Footsteps pounded against the cracked pavement as people shoved, dodged, and scrambled for survival.

39:02

The red timer in the sky kept counting down.

Shuntaro ran beside her, his blue hood pulled up, his sharp blue eyes scanning the chaos. He didn't look panicked. If anything, he looked like he was still enjoying himself.

Yukian, on the other hand, was not.

I just need to stay ahead. Keep moving. Stay out of sight.

Then—

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Her stomach dropped.

A man with wild, panicked eyes burst out from an alleyway, his wrist glowing bright red.

He had the bomb.

And he was coming straight for her.

Yukian's breath caught. Move. Move—!

She tried to dodge, but—

Too late.

The man lunged, grabbing her arm with both hands.

BEEP!

Her wristband flashed red.

The alarm switched to her phone.

Her mind went blank.

She had the bomb.

38:27

Yukian's pulse spiked.

The man let out a breathless laugh, stumbling back in relief. "Sorry—"

Yukian punched him in the face.

His head snapped back, and he crashed onto the pavement.

"SON OF A—"

She didn't hear the rest.

She was already running.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. The red alarm on her wrist beeped louder, faster, reminding her that she was running out of time.

Find someone. Pass it. NOW.

Then—

A familiar voice.

"Aww, sweetheart. That's unfortunate."

Yukian's head snapped to the side.

Shuntaro was jogging at an annoyingly relaxed pace, his smirk never fading.

Yukian's eyes narrowed.

She didn't even think.

She lunged toward him.

Shuntaro's grin widened. "Tch. Not happening."

Before she could grab him, he sidestepped at the last second, dodging effortlessly.

She stumbled forward, cursing under her breath.

"That was cute," he mused, shoving his hands in his pockets. "But you'll have to try harder than that, sweetheart."

Yukian gritted her teeth.

38:00

She had less than a minute to pass it.

And Shuntaro wasn't going to make it easy.

37:58

The red timer on Yukian's wrist glowed like a death sentence.

Her heartbeat slammed against her ribs, the BEEP BEEP BEEP of the bomb ringing in her ears.

Thirty seconds left.

She ran straight for Shuntaro.

His blue eyes sparkled with amusement as he stepped back, keeping just out of reach. "Tch. Persistent."

Yukian lunged again.

Shuntaro dodged, smoothly stepping to the side.

But this time—she was ready.

She didn't stop her movement.

Instead—she pivoted sharply, spinning away from him.

Straight toward a different player.

A girl with dark hair, eyes wide with fear.

She barely had time to react before Yukian slapped her wrist.

BEEP!

Yukian's alarm stopped.

The girl's started.

The realization dawned in her eyes. "You—YOU LITTLE—!"

But Yukian was already gone.

37:30

She ducked into the shadows of a collapsed building, her chest heaving.

For now—she was safe.

But the game wasn't over.

Not even close.

The red timer in the sky kept ticking down.

37:10

Yukian crouched in the shadows of a collapsed building, breathing hard.

She could still hear the shrieks of panic echoing through the city. Players were still running, pushing, desperate to survive.

And then—

A scream.

"WAIT—PLEASE—!"

Yukian's breath caught.

She turned just in time to see the girl she had tagged standing frozen in the street.

Her wristband was still glowing red.

00:02.

00:01.

Then—

A sharp, mechanical BEEP.

Yukian's stomach dropped.

The girl's body jerked violently.

For half a second, she almost looked normal.

Then—

BOOM.

A deafening explosion shattered the air.

A burst of red mist spread through the street—where the girl had been standing seconds ago.

Yukian's chest tightened.

She was gone.

Just like that.

The entire city fell silent.

Dozens of players stood frozen, staring at the empty space where the girl had been.

No body.

No remains.

Just a dark stain on the cracked pavement.

Shuntaro let out a low whistle. "Well," he murmured, "guess the rules weren't bluffing."

A wave of pure horror rippled through the crowd.

The red mist still lingered in the air.

Yukian couldn't breathe.

One second. The girl had been there.

The next—gone.

Her hands trembled as she stared at the dark stain on the pavement.

The robotic voice boomed overhead.

"PLAYER ELIMINATED."
"SELECTING NEW HOLDER."

BEEP.

A new wristband glowed red.

Yukian's breath hitched.

Her eyes snapped to the player standing closest to her.

Shuntaro.

He blinked, then lifted his wrist slowly.

His wristband was glowing bright red.

His phone beeped. The countdown had started.

05:00.

A slow, eerie grin spread across his lips.

"Well," he muttered, cracking his neck. "Isn't this fun?"

Then—he turned to Yukian.

His blue eyes gleamed.

And he ran straight for her.