On StarNet, a livestream room that had never appeared before suddenly shot onto the trending searches.

Because it had been placed in a publicly accessible domain, almost anyone from any race, in any corner of the interstellar world, could see this livestream room as long as they logged onto StarNet at this time.

Seeing the title “Hide-and-Seek” written on it, quite a few netizens clicked in out of curiosity.

This livestream room did not have only one single livestream feed.

Inside, there were many densely packed small squares, each displaying a different image.

As if afraid the viewers would be dazzled and unable to tell which was which, the upper right corner of each small square was thoughtfully marked with a number.

Starting from Number 1, the small squares continued all the way to Number 7039. Viewers could freely choose whichever one they wanted to watch.

[This streaming format is pretty interesting. It looks a lot like some big variety show or reality performance.]

[Is this a new program some entertainment company has been working on recently?]

[What’s with the survivor count up there? Is this some kind of survival reality show?]

At this moment, scattered bullet comments had already begun chatting.

Basically, the viewers who came in would more or less randomly choose one of the small squares to open.

Lulu, who had just finished her graduation thesis, also discovered this somewhat strange livestream room.

Since her best friend usually did livestreams too, she was highly accepting of all kinds of odd livestreams. While some bullet comments were still curious, she had already clicked open a livestream numbered 57.

As soon as she entered, what came into view was an extremely messy street.

This street seemed to have just gone through some kind of chaos. The ground was in disorder, and all kinds of stalls and food were scattered everywhere.

[The picture is really realistic. It’s shot on location, right?]

One bullet comment drifted lazily past.

The next moment, the camera suddenly turned.

A person’s figure abruptly appeared in the frame. That person looked terrified as they rummaged through a pile of debris, and every so often, they would warily check their surroundings.

[Actor? The acting looks pretty good. Even I’m starting to get nervous.]

As the bullet comment was being sent, the person in the image let out a shrill scream.

Thick blood instantly spread across the entire screen. The last thing on camera was a pair of scarlet eyes greedily looking in the viewers’ direction.

The person who had just been rummaging for things was now like a rag doll, half their body held in the mouth of a huge, hideous monster, while the remaining half hung outside and swayed gently.

Vaguely, one could still see their limbs twitching.

[!!!]

The viewers who directly witnessed this scene were so frightened their hearts nearly stopped.

But before they could react, the image in this square went black. The survivor count marked in the livestream room also dropped from 7039 to 7038.

And that number was still constantly decreasing. In just one short minute, that number had already dropped to 6890.

Quite a few squares in the livestream room had also gone dark.

A crowd of viewers who had been ejected from the extinguished squares immediately began cursing.

[Ahhhhh what the hell kind of livestream is this?! Why isn’t the image censored?!]

[Shit! I opened holographic mode too. The moment I entered, I was swallowed into that monster’s stomach!]

[Wasn’t this supposed to be hide-and-seek? Why is it monsters eating people as soon as you go in?!]

[The title probably means those people find places to hide, and those monsters act as the “it” trying to find them.]

[The picture is too realistic. I’m having trouble accepting it.]

[I just want to ask, are those monsters inside real? And were those people really eaten?]

[+1. I also think it’s way too realistic. Those corpses and the blood don’t feel fake...]

[Absolutely fake. This kind of thing is usually some reality show or program. Don’t worry, everyone. The people inside are probably hired actors, and those monsters can also be simulated with holographic technology.]

[Agree with the above. This livestream room is probably a gimmick the program team deliberately made. Nowadays, these program teams will do anything to attract attention...]

[So it’s a show? Scared me to death. I have to say, this program team is really willing to spend money. Over seven thousand livestream feeds? Did they hire that many actors in one go? And those monsters are really convincing too. I can’t see any traces of special effects at all.]

Some viewers frightened by the livestream images slowly calmed down after seeing the explanations in the bullet comments.

Good thing it was a show...

Just as they were thinking this, some people also sensed that something was wrong.

[Huh... wait! Don’t you think the scene in the images looks familiar?]

[Now that you mention it...]

[Isn’t this Blue Luster Star’s Central Square? And isn’t that street the one I went to last month?]

The moment the words Blue Luster Star appeared, the bullet comments instantly exploded. Messages flooded the livestream room like an overwhelming tide, almost drowning it out.

Because of the upcoming conference, Blue Luster Star had already been a hot topic on StarNet recently. Very soon, the news that this livestream room was currently broadcasting Blue Luster Star rapidly spread across all of StarNet.

When netizens heard it, they thought, Broadcasting Blue Luster Star? What was there to watch?

But when they clicked in, chaos erupted.

And there were also faces they recognized.

[This is my neighbor. She said recently that she was going to Blue Luster Star for a trip. Why is she in the livestream too?]

[I saw my dad in livestream 395, but I lost contact with him a few hours ago!]

[My boyfriend is inside too...]

Among these shocked or help-seeking bullet comments was Lulu. She had also seen her best friend in a livestream numbered 777.

But her best friend, who was always bright and polished in daily life, now looked haggard, her entire body shrinking into a corner in fear and unease.

With how familiar Lulu was with her best friend, she could be certain that the person in the livestream was her best friend herself, and she was very sure her best friend would never participate in any reality show.

As more and more voices of doubt appeared, the popularity of this livestream room continued rising. Some people ran under the Alliance’s official website to ask questions, while others directly asked netizens whose IP addresses were currently on Blue Luster Star.

Little did they know, the residents of Blue Luster Star were also utterly confused.

Many of them still did not know something had happened at Central Square. They only knew the Alliance had dispatched troops and surrounded the area.

The residents of Blue Luster Star had thought the Alliance sealed off the square because of the conference being held tomorrow. After all, it was very normal to implement road controls for an important conference.

In the end, none of them had expected a livestream room to suddenly reveal that a bloody massacre was actually taking place inside Central Square.

Countless netizens seeking the truth immediately rushed to the Alliance’s official website.

But on the Alliance’s side...

The office had now fallen into dead silence.

The representatives of various races had also seen the livestream on StarNet.

And on the screen before them, the man wearing a shirt and vest was still smiling gently.

“I wonder whether everyone present is satisfied with this game?”

As he said this, his gaze looked toward the silver-haired sovereign sitting on the sofa.

Mansendis did not pay attention to him. He was opening his light-brain and finding the livestream that belonged to Wen Yuzhi among the many squares.

In the image, the young man’s situation still seemed fairly good. His body was clean, and he was neither injured nor stained with any blood. Six Saint Clan royal guards were all beside him. Only his face was a little dirty, as if he had somehow rubbed against a bit of dust somewhere.

Aside from that...

Mansendis also saw an unfamiliar face in the image.

It was a human.

That human seemed to have noticed that the young man’s face had been smeared with dust as well, and very naturally reached out to wipe it off for the cub.

The young man turned back, seemingly saying a quiet thank-you to the other party, and a faint smile appeared on the human’s face as well.

The two sides just looked at each other like that, you looking at me, me looking at you.

At that exact moment, a viewer who was also watching this livestream room sent a bullet comment: [Huh?! The looks in livestream 999 are all so high. The one beside this little beauty... is that his boyfriend?]

Before Mansendis could say anything, Mond, who had also seen this image from the side, frowned and said, “What nonsense are these people saying? I remember interstellar law states that spreading rumors about an underage cub is illegal.”

Their little highness was still so small. How could he possibly have a boyfriend...

These bullet comments were absolutely spouting nonsense!

Mansendis listened to Mond’s words. He neither responded nor refuted. He merely looked at that human with a slightly icy gaze.

On the other side of the screen, seeing Mansendis completely ignore him, Dan did not get angry.

The smile on his face remained bright. He even kindly gave a reminder while Raymond An was quietly discussing countermeasures with his subordinates.

“I advise you not to waste your efforts. Once this energy barrier is activated, it cannot be shut down. No external attack can destroy it, unless you intend to abandon this planet. But in that case, the people trapped inside won’t survive.”

“What do you want to do?”

Raymond An asked him, “If you trapped so many citizens for money, we are willing to pay ransom. Or if you have any demands, you can raise them. As long as they aren’t too excessive, we can do our best to help you resolve them.”

“Then what if I say my demand is for you to kill the sovereign of the Saint Clan?”

Dan said with a smile.

But Raymond An could not smile.

Kill the Saint Clan sovereign... What kind of joke was that? Even if everyone present attacked together, they might not even be able to get close to the other party.

And the Saint Clan who heard this sentence all looked coldly at Dan as well.

If the other party were not hiding behind a screen right now, but had appeared here instead, they would definitely chop this fellow who dared speak disrespectfully to their King into minced meat.

Dan saw the killing intent in these Saint Clan members’ eyes, but he did not reveal even the slightest trace of fear.

Only before he pushed Raymond An, this pitiful chairman, to the point of madness, Dan said slowly, “Only a joke.”

“I’m not short of money, and I don’t have any demands. I simply want you to play a game with me. After all, nothing interesting has happened in the interstellar world over the past half year. Don’t you think days like this are very boring?”

Not at all, thank you!

Raymond An and the others did not speak, but the expressions on their faces clearly revealed this meaning.

Dan, however, seemed not to have seen it. He continued speaking. “This game is my gift to you, to celebrate your peace conference, and to add a little excitement to these boring days.”

“This game will last for a total of three days. After three days, the energy barrier will automatically disappear. During these three days, everyone may enjoy this carnival to your hearts’ content.”

“The rules of the game are also very simple. You may choose to hide and spend these three days that way. Safe zones will randomly refresh within the field. Safe zones will provide food and shelter. Lucky ones there will not need to fear being attacked. Killing stray beasts can also earn a supply pack, and supply packs can open into random food or weapons.”

“Oh, right. A warm reminder: if you don’t want to hide, and don’t want to face stray beasts either, this game also has an especially considerate rule. Killing survivors can earn peace time. Each survivor killed grants two hours of peace time. Well? Isn’t that thoughtful?”

Dan’s words were not only spoken for the representatives of various races in the meeting hall to hear. They also appeared inside the energy barrier.

Every surviving person inside heard these words.

They also all understood their current situation.

The rescue from the outside world they had prayed for could no longer be relied upon. They had to survive for three days and wait until this damned game ended.

Some people instantly broke down crying on the spot. Some went mad and ran out, shouting at the sky that they did not want to play this game.

There were also people who had already been mentally prepared because rescue had not arrived for so long. They quickly accepted reality, then turned and began finding places to hide, or went to search for the safe zones mentioned by that voice.

But no matter what method of survival they chose, there was one thing everyone tacitly understood.

They had begun to grow wary of the living people who were also survivors.

No one ignored the final rule—

Killing a survivor could earn two hours of peace time.

The appearance of this rule undoubtedly added even more suspicion and distrust between survivors who were already anxious and uneasy.

And it was also like a seed planted into the hearts of the survivors, only waiting for the right opportunity to break through the soil and sprout.

“Is this to make us kill each other?”

Wen Yuzhi said with a frown.

If this continued, how much trust would there still be between survivors? Even if they met, they would guard against each other. And if the survivors could not unite, there would be no way to resist so many stray beasts.

How far could they get by hiding alone?

With stray beasts’ sensitivity to flesh and blood, even if they hid in a corner, the beasts could find them. Only by joining forces could the survivors deal with these stray beasts.

The so-called safe zones and supplies were only a small sweetness meant to numb them.

They were meant to make these survivors think that as long as they found a way to hide and endured these three days, everything would be fine.

Even Wen Yuzhi had to admit that the final rule was far too treacherous. It was practically putting malice nakedly in front of their faces.

At this time, Wen Yuzhi still did not know about the livestream. Otherwise, his understanding of the perversion of the people behind the scenes would have risen another level.

He looked at Xi Heyan and the Saint Clan royal guards before him and said, “Let’s go kill stray beasts.”

Since those people wanted to play this game, then he would play with them.

But his approach was not to hide. Wen Yuzhi’s goal was to clear out these stray beasts.

Xi Heyan had no objection. In any case, he absolutely did not believe the person behind the scenes would be kind enough to let them find a corner and hide for three days until it was over.

His combat style had also never liked passive waiting. He leaned more toward taking the initiative to attack.

In other words, he preferred the dangerous path.

And the young man who appeared soft and gentle was unexpectedly consistent with him in this aspect.

The human and the Saint Clan member had practically reached the same conclusion without discussion.

As for the other Saint Clan royal guards, they completely and unconditionally obeyed little highness’s orders. Whatever Wen Yuzhi said, they would follow little highness’s instructions and do it.

After confirming the goal, Wen Yuzhi took out the chip.

Just now, they had discovered that there was a connection between the chips.

This kind of connection could be captured by Wen Yuzhi’s mental energy. The closer the distance, the stronger this connection became.

After hearing the rules, Wen Yuzhi immediately thought that they could use this chip to find the other stray beasts. Just as stray beasts could use scent to find them, he could also use the chip to track the stray beasts.

Between prey and hunter, identities often changed.

Wen Yuzhi and the others had now gone from captured prey to hunters taking the initiative.

Outside, the livestream room’s popularity was still constantly climbing. More and more people came to watch after hearing the news.

They still did not know whether the images in this livestream were real or fake, but amid the Alliance’s continued silence, many people already had an answer in their hearts.

Those who, like Lulu, had relatives or friends they knew trapped inside naturally could not accept it.

They went to the Alliance, but the Alliance did not respond. Then they went to find the account that had posted this livestream room, only to discover after clicking in that the account was empty.

There was no contact information inside, nor had it posted any content.

The only thing netizens could find was the picture in its avatar.

That pattern of blood-colored wings.

Those desperadoes who had spent years moving through the black market recognized it at a glance as the Tribunal’s symbol.

Those blood-colored wings came precisely from the bloodstained sword-bearing angel in the black-market interface.

And when Dan said the words “enjoy this carnival,” these desperadoes also began shouting wildly.

They did not care whether people died or not. They only cared that the Tribunal had set up this game in front of the entire interstellar world.

This action had undoubtedly stomped the Alliance’s face beneath its foot.

In the eyes of these desperadoes, the Tribunal’s behavior was simply thrilling enough, exciting enough.

That was how it should be. They should slap those noble masters’ faces hard!

Such high-profile arrogance and the commotion on StarNet also startled some people who had always been hiding behind the scenes.

Dan looked without surprise at the warning sent to him from that side.

He directly interrupted the other party. “Sorry, I’m not that idiot teacher of mine. And I’m not like you, hiding and skulking all your lives. Do you know what creatures spend all their time in the gutters?”

At this point, Dan began to laugh, wildly and wantonly.

“Rats that can’t bear the light,” he mocked.

“You want to be rats, but I don’t. After tonight, I want everyone to remember me.”