As Li Ning stood in the abandoned subway station, tightly clutching the map in his hand, the whispers he'd never experienced before still echoed in his mind. He had found the map in a corner of the school library, and the area marked on it was called "The Place of Stillness." This location could not be found on any modern map.

"Perhaps... this is the answer," he murmured to himself, almost unsure of why this map captivated him so much. Ever since his encounter with the man in black, his body seemed to be drawn by an invisible force. With every step, he could feel a faint tremor beneath his feet.

He decided to personally explore the location marked on the map, to prove that it wasn't just an illusion.

The twilight's fading light barely illuminated the entrance of the abandoned subway station. Broken windows cast the remaining light onto the rusted turnstiles. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the scattered debris on the ground showed no signs of life.

He slowly descended the worn steps, each step leaving a clear imprint in the dust. The surrounding silence was so profound that it seemed as if the entire world had frozen in place, leaving only the sound of his hurried heartbeat. His gaze fell once again on the map in his hand, and he vaguely felt that its light was out of place against the surrounding darkness, as if it were drawing him toward an unknown abyss.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps broke the silence. He turned around and saw a figure slowly appearing in the distance. The person was wearing a gray coat, head lowered, and holding a worn-out suitcase.

"Are you also drawn here?" The person suddenly lifted their head, revealing a pale face.

Li Ning was momentarily stunned, but heard the other person continue, "This is the entrance to death. Have you heard their call?"

"Their call?" Li Ning furrowed his brows and asked.

The man in gray pointed to the ground. "Those sleeping souls are awakening."

As soon as the words were spoken, a deep rumble echoed from the depths of the subway station, as if the sound of countless footsteps was approaching. Li Ning looked down at his legs and suddenly felt a familiar chill creeping up from his knees—this feeling was exactly the same as when the man in black had taken his body last time.

"Run!" the man in gray shouted, grabbing Li Ning and pulling him toward another passage.

They ran desperately, not stopping until they finally came to a halt. Before them lay a ruin, surrounded by abandoned vehicles and broken steel beams, with an eerie blue light filling the air.

"This... is the Place of Stillness," the man in gray panted, speaking breathlessly.

Li Ning stared at the city before him, built from piles of abandoned vehicles, his mind filled with confusion and unease. Everything here seemed to embody the concept of "death." The buildings under the blue light appeared distorted, resembling a civilization long past its demise.

"Place of Stillness... such an ironic name," Li Ning muttered softly, his gaze sweeping across the dilapidated buildings, faintly spotting figures moving in the shadows.

"This was once the boundary between the living and the dead," the man in gray said gravely, "but now, it is just a graveyard for those whose lives were taken."

Li Ning asked in confusion, "A graveyard?"

The man in gray nodded, pointing toward the center of the city. "That is its core. It controls everything."

Before the words could finish, Li Ning suddenly felt a cold, ominous presence rush toward him. He turned around and saw Lin Ming slowly walking toward them, a cruel smile on his face.

"Lin Ming?" Li Ning could hardly believe his eyes. "How are you here?”

Lin Ming's gaze was cold and deep as he looked down at his chest. The heart that had once beaten there had now turned into a swirling vortex, emitting a thick black aura.

"Me? I’ve found my place here," Lin Ming said with a cold smirk. "Rather than being abandoned by this world, why not make it work for me?"

"You’re insane! This place is full of curses!" the man in gray shouted angrily. "The power here will only treat us as toys!"

Lin Ming glanced dismissively at the man in gray, sneering. "Toys? No, I don’t intend to be a passive victim. Since He has granted us power, I will use it to tear apart this curse."

Li Ning felt fear creeping up from the depths of his heart. The Lin Ming before him was no longer the friend he once knew. The coldness and desire in his eyes sent a bone-chilling shiver through him.

"What do you want to do?" Li Ning gritted his teeth and asked.

Lin Ming sneered, his voice low and menacing. "Li Ning, I thought you'd understand. We, the abandoned ones, have nothing left to lose. The power here can let us rise, and yet you choose to remain a weakling, trampled underfoot."

Li Ning clenched his fists, wanting to strike back, but he couldn’t deny the truth in Lin Ming's words. Every word felt like a blade, cutting through the weakness and resentment deep inside him.

"But the cost..." Li Ning whispered.

"The cost?" Lin Ming laughed maniacally. "You’ve already paid the price, Li Ning! Ridiculed, abandoned—what do you have left to lose?”

As Lin Ming's words echoed, his hands suddenly swept through the air, unleashing a powerful shockwave. The ruins collapsed instantly, and black tendrils surged from the debris, hissing sharply as they lashed toward Li Ning.

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"Run!" the man in gray shouted, pushing Li Ning in another direction.

Li Ning hurriedly dodged and sprinted toward the center of the city. Every inch of the ruins was crumbling, and the black tendrils tightly coiled around his ankles, trying to drag him into the endless abyss.

"Find the answer quickly, or you're as good as dead!" The voice of the man in gray echoed in his ears.

Li Ning gave it everything he had, charging toward the source of the light that shone in the darkness. Just as he was about to reach it, the black tendrils nearly consumed him, but a powerful light illuminated the entire ruin, dispelling everything in the darkness.

He was almost pushed back by the light, but he gritted his teeth, reaching out to touch the stone tablet.

"Answer me—why have you come here?" A cold, indifferent voice rang out in his mind.

Li Ning struggled to respond. "I... I want to know the truth! I want to live!"

The stone tablet seemed to respond, and within the blue light, the outline of a door began to appear.

The door slowly creaked open, revealing the profound darkness within.

"Enter, find your own fate, or—be consumed by it," the voice said coldly.

Li Ning glanced back. Lin Ming's figure was slowly drawing nearer, but he had no time to hesitate. Resolutely, he stepped into the door.

Behind the door, everything immediately fell into silence. Li Ning found himself standing in an empty space surrounded by endless darkness, the ground etched with the same runes as on the stone tablet. Before him, a dense black mist hovered, within which faintly flickered a pair of eyes.

"You have chosen to enter the core," the voice spoke again. "But the truth of the core is not something everyone can bear."

Li Ning raised his eyes to meet the gaze of the eyes, his voice trembling slightly, "Tell me, why must I go through this? What is my fate?"

The eyes in the mist stared at him, the voice deep and somber, "Your fate is to choose—either to be destroyed in despair, or to be reborn in despair."

As the voice faded, images surged from the darkness. Li Ning saw his past, feeling deep anger and helplessness.

"This is your memory as a living being," the voice echoed. "Now, as a member of 'The Still Land,' tell me, are you willing to accept its rules and become its servant?"

Li Ning fell silent, the warnings from the man in gray and Lin Ming's smile flashing in his mind. Finally, he spoke with determination, "No. I will not become anyone's servant!"

The eyes in the mist narrowed slightly, as if surprised. Then, a deep laugh followed, "Very well... then you will learn to control it."

As the laughter dissipated, Li Ning felt a powerful force surge into his body, as though endless darkness and death magic were drawing near. As the power of the black mist flooded into him, Li Ning felt as if he were being torn in two. The dark energy spread through his body, seeming to invade the depths of his soul. His heart began to race uncontrollably, his breath grew erratic, and the surrounding darkness thickened, as if it were about to devour him entirely.

However, he did not collapse. Instead, in the midst of that power, he found some kind of connection. He suddenly realized that he was not passively accepting these changes, but could actually control them. A surge of unfamiliar strength rose within him—the magic granted by the god of death.

"This is... death magic?" Li Ning murmured. His hands trembled slightly, and the black mist seemed to flow from his fingertips, forming a vortex that slowly condensed into a solid black energy.

"You are no longer an ordinary living being," the cold voice spoke again. "You are now one of the controllers of 'The Still Land.'"

Li Ning endured the intense pain in his body, feeling the dark energy begin to flow through him, as though an invisible force was connecting him to this desolate world. He looked at the surrounding black mist, attempting to control it, and—succeeded.

The black mist in the vortex calmed under his control, as though it had become his subordinates. His eyes suddenly grew cold, and it seemed as though he understood instantly what he needed to do.

"This power... is what I have fought for," Li Ning whispered, a determined light flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, a figure reappeared from the black mist—it was the man in gray. His figure looked slightly aged, his face weary, but he remained alert. He observed Li Ning's transformation, a hint of concern in his eyes: "Are you really ready? This power... it will consume everything, including yourself."

Li Ning's gaze was cold: "I know the danger it poses, but I am no longer the person abandoned by society, bound by fate. I’ve decided to stop running away. Since I've come this far, I will take control of everything."

The man in gray fell silent for a moment, as if contemplating something. Then, he spoke slowly: "If you're willing to face the trial of this power, be prepared to pay the price. The game of 'The Still Land' has only just begun. You must find your own path to break free from the chains of death."

Li Ning nodded, his gaze firm: "I'm ready."

As he finished speaking, the black mist instantly engulfed him, and with a powerful force, he was forced into a deeper space.

There was no light here, no objects—only endless darkness and an overwhelming sense of oppression. He could feel countless eyes watching him from all directions, each second filled with tension and danger.

"You've finally arrived," a deep and ancient voice echoed in the darkness.

Li Ning froze, and the black mist slowly began to dissipate, revealing a tall, blurry figure. It was an entity with an aura so ancient it seemed to transcend the boundaries of time.

"Who are you?" Li Ning asked, his voice trembling.

"I am the guardian of 'The Still Land,' and I have witnessed the crossing of countless living and dead," the figure spoke slowly. "You have entered the realm of death. To control the power here, you must follow one rule—you must win the game."

"Game?" Li Ning asked, confused.

"Yes," the guardian's voice was cold, "The Still Land never allows any living being to leave easily. All souls that enter here are forced to participate in an inescapable death game." The guardian's voice was like an icy wind, carrying an irresistible threat. "Only by winning the game can you leave here and gain the chance of rebirth."

Li Ning felt a wave of pressure: "What if I lose?"

"If you lose, you will be imprisoned here forever, becoming one of its inhabitants," the guardian's voice was like the chilling wind, carrying a threat that could not be resisted.

Li Ning took a deep breath, his gaze even more determined: "I won’t lose."

"Then prepare yourself for the trial," the guardian said. The darkness around them began to twist, gradually forming a huge vortex. At the center of the vortex, a strong light radiated, as if calling him toward an unknown fate.

Li Ning did not hesitate. He stepped toward the light, his heart filled with resolve. He was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead and embrace the fate that was his to claim

Chapter 4

The fourth game; Lost City

Completed