Chapter 1

A bizarre selection of 'personnel'...

Well, in fact, it was a so-called infinite opening. Everything went black, and with a whoosh, he woke up to find himself in a different place. However, not many people present thought they had been kidnapped or anything like that. Some, more terrified, had already huddled together in the corner, trembling and looking at the faint figure not far away with fear.

The figure was dressed in the common attire of an ordinary young man, and his physique gave the impression of being quite frail. The only difference was that one could see through his body to the scene behind him. Even though the faint figure's face was also filled with confusion, it still couldn't dispel the feeling of fear that ordinary people felt from him.

Adding to that, his sickly appearance and overly pale skin made him seem even more ghostly. There were quite a few young people present, and perhaps they had once been fascinated by supernatural things, but encountering such a situation was a different matter entirely.

Many people had tried to find ghosts before, but if they really encountered one... many would probably not want to!

"Hmm... I should be at the crematorium, right?"

Nine Lives glanced around strangely, not understanding why everyone was looking at him as if they had seen a ghost. This place didn't seem like hell; it was more like a maze.

Crematorium?

The corners of the mouths of those who heard Nine Lives' murmur twitched slightly, and no one dared to ask for more details. Everyone present was an ordinary person, and they rarely had the chance to see a ghost. Now that they had, those who could look at Nine Lives directly were considered quite brave.

"Are you a human or a ghost!?" Just as Nine Lives was spacing out, a rough voice sounded. He turned around to see a man with a strong presence walking over. There were quite a few people here, about dozens in total.

"Of course... huh? It seems I'm not really one." Lifting his hand to look at it, Nine Lives was momentarily stunned. His semi-transparent hand was not something that could be faked. Had he really died? Although he didn't know how he got here, the last time he woke up, he only felt heat.

At that time, he was being roasted in a furnace. Just as he managed to escape from the furnace, he saw where he was and, due to severe 'burns,' his consciousness faded again. Yes... so he really did die?

His last clear memory gradually returned, and Nine Lives calmed down. It was good that he hadn't died. He didn't care what he had become. From his current spectral form, it was clear what he had been like in life: a typical frail young man, the kind who didn't know if he would make it to the next day. Even his name was given by a passing fortune-teller, who left it to him because the name was strong and 'nine' was the ultimate number, making it complete without being overly taboo. As for whether it was useful... that was another matter.

He had no surname, as he was adopted. What surname he had didn't matter.

Now, it seemed this name hadn't made him particularly strong. He was still sent to the crematorium when his time came...

Well, perhaps becoming this way was a different kind of living?

"Well, you don't seem to be a fierce ghost. Where are we? Are you all having a party?" Nine Lives smiled and stopped worrying about his current state, instead focusing on his surroundings. A party?

If the mix of people here could be considered a party.

White-collar workers, students, workers, and so on. After the initial panic, Nine Lives' normal behavior gradually calmed the others. They began to look around and pay attention to things they had previously ignored.

Where are we? How did we get here?

"You don't know where we are either?" The man who asked Nine Lives frowned, thinking that Nine Lives should know something. This was a subconscious reaction; among the dozens of people here, only Nine Lives was a 'dead' person.

"A maze?" Scratching his head, Nine Lives moved his body. Without the constraints of a physical body, he felt free from the frailty that had bound him. Even though his form remained the same, the actual feeling gave him a sense of strength. He was no longer the kind of person who could hurt his back by lifting a brick. In life, his physical condition was poor, but he rarely felt mentally fatigued and rarely slept.

Doctors had severely warned him about this. Even so, he had to rest regularly, and even more than normal people. His spirit was strong, but his body couldn't keep up. He didn't want to die early, so he had to endure this!

"Look over there!"

With a cry, everyone's attention shifted. On the ground, words slowly appeared:

Cough! A rather bizarre scene, it was an introduction to the place. The first sentence chilled everyone's hearts: there was no exit. The space, though not infinite, was large enough that if someone ran alone, they were unlikely to encounter anyone else.

A typical tactic: a threat followed by a sweet promise. After the threats came a bunch of promises that made people sleepy, like being superior and immortal. Nine Lives glanced around; clearly, some people were tempted. They believed it?

After the promises came the conditions... just one person.

"Ah?" Nine Lives smiled, seemingly finding the atmosphere lacking, "It seems you're supposed to kill each other?"

First, he didn't seem to be a person here...

In an instant, the people who had gathered together immediately dispersed, some going solo, others forming groups. Then, after the conditions, another guarantee appeared: if you died here, you wouldn't really die; it would just be a nightmare. So, everyone could act freely.

In this vast, empty maze, Nine Lives felt this 'selection' wouldn't last long. The last sentence clearly eliminated everyone's concerns... huh?

Is that so?

Sometimes, being too real can be a bad thing. People still had their reservations!

A real death experience?

But this clearly gave some people a reason. After a quick calculation of the pros and cons, without food, even if they did nothing, everyone would go mad from hunger.

Well, these people running around could be considered backup food.

"Hmm, speaking of which, can you eat human flesh?"

Tsk, Nine Lives' smile carried a hint of malice. His voice wasn't loud, but in the confined space, everyone could hear. Everyone was either panicked or more on guard.

"What do you mean!! You must know something!!"

Nine Lives' words were clearly malicious, with a clear intent to incite.

"Huh? Yes! I am inciting you. Look at me, I'm not a person, so you can all try your best. Don't become someone else's backup food."

His malicious words made many people glare at Nine Lives. Shaking his head, Nine Lives didn't care. Was what he thought impossible? In a few days, they would see what was inevitable!

"Goodbye, everyone."

Food was useless to him, so he decided to find a place to stay.

"Stop!!" A few brave men rushed at Nine Lives. After some observation, this guy seemed 'harmless'?

Nine Lives' words had shattered the relatively harmonious and cooperative atmosphere. How could they let him leave easily? But he did leave...

As a ghost, he was immune to physical attacks. No one here could hurt him. He just found a passage and walked in. In this huge maze, a few turns would make it hard for others to find him. He even touched his forehead, which could still feel pain.

Nine Lives shook his head. He couldn't pass through walls, and ghosts could feel pain?

"Hey, he shouldn't count as one of the conditions, right?" After Nine Lives left, the people who had gathered began to discuss. The conditions required a person, not a ghost.

"I don't know if he counts, but I'm leaving. What if someone targets me for food?" A fat man stood up and ran to another passage, disappearing from everyone's sight. Some people felt a bit regretful. The fat man could last longer without food, and he was quite resourceful.

Before leaving, he left everyone feeling uneasy...

As for death, it was just a nightmare? No one was willing to try it unless absolutely necessary. This also gave people a sense of security, a 'backup plan.'

It's just a nightmare, right? If pushed to the limit, suicide... would be fine?

One by one, people chose a direction and ran off. Once the truth was revealed, there was no room for compromise. Now, many people felt that the strangers were looking at them like backup food.

In the end, almost everyone acted alone. Better safe than sorry. Modern people had seen enough movies and TV shows. Being betrayed by friends and family... well, it's not that I don't trust you, but I don't want to affect our relationship.

So, let's split up and go our separate ways.

Those who stayed together were clearly all on guard against each other, but they didn't mind since they were unlikely to meet again once they separated.

Thinking too much about these things was pointless. It was better to find a place to stay, conserve energy, and last as long as possible.

"Where is this place? It's clearly not a prank. My body can't be faked. Infinite? Where are the veterans? Isn't leaving just one line of text a bit irresponsible? And is it really okay to die casually? That statement feels quite irresponsible."

Muttering, Nine Lives looked up at the top of the maze, which was also sealed. Only then did he notice that there was no light source here. In a sealed environment, how could there be light? Yet, it was strangely bright...