Chapter 1

I stared at her in confusion, too stunned to react.

When Winnie Foster saw my expression, she thought I was scared. She turned to Josie and sneered.

“So this is the backup you called? That’s hilarious. A few words and she’s too scared to move. Guess she’s an idiot, just like you.”

Tears spilled down Josie’s face at once. “Nina, go back! I shouldn’t have called you here. I’m sorry.”

Winnie backhanded her across the face.

“Shut up. Who said you get to talk?”

Then she looked at me with a taunting smile and let out a cold laugh.

“Since you’re already here, why don’t you join the game too? I’ll personally show you sisters what this place is really like. You should thank me.”

The players around her burst into laughter.

“Josie is scared as a kitten. She’s crying before we’ve even started. Once she sees the entities, she’s probably going to wet herself.”

“Josie, you’re seriously ungrateful. Winnie went through all this trouble to bring our whole class into the horror game. Instead of thanking her, you’re crying and making a scene. What a buzzkill.”

Josie suddenly broke down.

“Get away from me! Did I ever say I wanted to come in here? What gives you the right to drag me in without asking?”

A middle-aged woman immediately stepped forward, her tone sharp.

“Josie, it’s bad enough that you never fit in. Now your classmates are willing to include you, and you should be grateful, not throwing a tantrum.

“I always thought you only had a personality problem. Now I see your character is the real problem.”

Josie’s face went white in an instant. HerzAaz body swayed like she might collapse.

Rage shot through me.

Josie used to be so bright and lively when she was overseas, but after transferring back here, she had grown quieter by the day.

Every time I asked, she said she was fine.

I never imagined she was being bullied at school.

And even her teacher was leading the charge.

I couldn’t bring myself to imagine how she had survived the past six months.

My heart clenched with pain. Josie had been loved and protected like a treasure since she was little. How dare they treat her like this?

I clenched my fists and strode forward to bring her to my side.

But Winnie yanked Josie behind her.

“Hey, your sister is the main attraction today. Without her, where’s the fun?”

The others quickly agreed.

“Exactly. Winnie, when does the game start? I can’t wait.”

“I can’t believe horror games really exist. I want to see what those entities look like.”

Someone else hesitated.

“Winnie, is this game really safe? There are so many of us. What if you can’t protect everyone?”

Winnie immediately pulled out her phone.

“Relax. I’m ranked in the top ten on the player leaderboard. And my boyfriend is a legendary player. Even the entities run when they see him.

“I’ll call him over right now. Just relax and have fun.”