Crime Prison Island

He had been sticking close to Gao Xin and Luo Yan, as if he had taken every word they said to heart.

Gao Xin turned to glance at him, this person had been following Luo Yan from early on, then was assigned to his fishing team by Luo Yan, and even called him "Brother Hard Work."

However, after what had happened with Liu Di and Cheng Men Li Xue, it became very difficult for Gao Xin to easily feel good about anyone.

At the moment, he merely nodded lightly and said, "This game gives the weak a chance, allowing them a certain possibility to catch up with the strong, but that's all."

"Falling into the hands of this bunch, we don't even qualify as the weak, just pigs and sheep."

Luo Yan also added, "Protection for newbies, what are you thinking? If everyone had a chance to turn their fate around, it wouldn't be so comfortable for the strong ones here anymore. Then they would need to deal with other strong ones and guard against those below surpassing them, it would be a constant headache."

"If the day comes when they can't keep things under control, the concepts of the strong and the weak might gradually blur, and instead of being in conflict, they might shift the discord outward, uniting to break out of prison."

"And to prevent the strong from wanting to break out is likely the main purpose of this game. If the weak want to turn their fate around, they have to rely on themselves, so why establish protection to encourage them?"

Su Lei's face showed a color of despair, his eyes nearly devoid of light.

They weren't even the weak ones; they were pigs and sheep.

"Let's go."

Gao Xin, Luo Yan, and the others silently initiated matching, then walked into the elevator.

Soon the elevator began to ascend rapidly.

After stopping at an unknown floor, the doors opened to reveal a barrier of light curtains.

The voice of Number 97 echoed inside the elevator: "Xu Feng, Luo Wei, Zhou Fangjiang..."

It called out the names of ten people in succession, asking them to leave the elevator and enter the game area.

On hearing Luo Wei's name, Gao Xin was startled for a moment, almost mishearing it as Luo Yan.

Apparently, even though they matched together, it was not certain that they would be in the same game, as it seemed to be an official allocation.

Could it be that they couldn't form teams? No, it was probably because none of them had entered team mode. After all, like puppets, they had been ushered by Sasaki to call out for matching and then entered the elevator, consequently all being regarded as individual players.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Luo Yan.

Luo Yan glanced back at him; both were familiar with each other and had agreed to try to escape together if the opportunity arose, so they had some rapport. If they could be in the same game, they would be able to look out for each other.

"Vocational school brother, we might have to participate in the games separately," Gao Xin said with a bitter expression.

"The people who were just named were all from that area on the side. We've been standing together; the odds are we won't be separated," Luo Yan said optimistically.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the elevator stopped again, a bell chimed, and Number 97 announced new names.

Among those called was Luo Yan's name.

"Damn..." Luo Yan scratched his head.

Gao Xin grimaced: "Vocational school brother, your guess was quite good. Don't guess next time."

Luo Yan was sharp in his analysis, always logical and well-founded, but whenever he made a judgment, things often turned out contrary to his predictions.

"Brother Hard Work, everyone is on their own now, don't you die on me," Luo Yan patted Gao Xin's shoulder.

Gao Xin nodded gravely: "You too, I hope we can see each other again after this."

The two of them had met briefly and found each other likable, but were forced to separate, uncertain whether there would be another chance to meet, perhaps this parting might be forever.

After Luo Yan left, Su Lei asked from the side: "Brother Hard Work, do you think those whose names weren't called can get out?"

"Why don't you try and then you'll know?" Gao Xin said despondently.

Su Lei nodded and actually went to try; but as soon as he touched the light curtain, he stiffened and fell to the ground like he had been electrocuted.

Gao Xin hurried over to help him up: "You kid, why are you so naïve? Of course, it wouldn't work."

Given Su Lei's robust physique, and possibly because the electric current wasn't very strong, he quickly recovered, rubbing his head and saying, "I wanted to be with vocational school brother, but it's a pity I wasn't assigned to his team. I only know you now, Brother Hard Work, and I hope we won't be separated."

Gao Xin felt bitter and speechless. The young man looked no older than eighteen or nineteen, truly having no one else to rely on, and so had treated him as a crutch.

Luo Yan did indeed have some talent, but Gao Xin was the one who really couldn't guarantee his own safety—he even hoped to have someone to rely on.

While he had thought about not getting too close to these criminals, since the young man had claimed to know only him, he was willing to have an extra hand in the game.

"Alright, if we're not assigned separately, you can follow me. We'll watch each other's backs," he said.

Afterward, several groups of people continued to depart intermittently.

Sometimes a few people left, sometimes a dozen or more; it seemed that different games required different numbers of players.

Thinking this, Gao Xin suddenly froze, understanding that the games were not necessarily played only by them newcomers; it was very possible that there were others, even veteran Radiation players.

And all of them were wearing prison clothes, easily identifiable as newcomers.

Picking on the soft spots, it was very likely they would be targeted right from the start.

Although he still didn't know what the game was, like Luo Yan, shedding his clothes seemed to have no downside.

With that in mind, Gao Xin made an immediate decision and removed his jacket, baring his torso.

He also casually suggested Su Lei do the same.

Recalling that Luo Yan had done this before coming to the island, Su Lei promptly started to undress as well.

"No, the pants are also very obvious," Gao Xin frowned, Luo Yan mainly wanted to hide the fact that he was a Glassperson, so taking off his top was enough.

But now, Gao Xin wanted to conceal the fact that he was a newcomer, and just removing his top wasn't going to cut it.

With a grit of his teeth, he didn't care that there were women nearby and stripped off his prison pants as well, leaving himself only in his underwear.

"Ah! What are you doing!" The only woman in the elevator, Jin Meimei, cried out, her hand covering her mouth, yet her eyes sneaked a peek.

Gao Xin didn't even bother with her response; what use was it worrying about decency at a time like this? Besides, he wasn't completely undressed.

...