Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Peak Ranking, Xie Antong’s Intel

【The shop function is now available.】

【During rest periods in the game, all Chosen Players can prepare in advance and purchase items. The products in the shop will assist in improving your performance in the game.】

【The friend system is now available.】

【All Chosen Players can add friends, transfer funds, and gift items. Of course, a transaction fee will be charged based on the specific amount.】

【Look forward to future features such as co-op gameplay.】

【Feature Release Announcement.】

【Since the game began, new people have been chosen every day. We look forward to seeing everyone become Players.】

【Now, two games have passed, and many outstanding Players have emerged. We believe that in the end, they will have everything.】

【To help Players better understand themselves and others, after the next game ends, we will introduce the Peak Ranking.】

【There will be benefits for those on the list. We look forward to seeing more participation and excellent performance in the next game.】

The announcement ended, and the dialogue repeated twice in everyone’s mind, as if emphasizing the key points.

Lu Ce frowned slightly as he looked at the announcement.

“Peak Ranking.”

This kind of thing was basically putting the top Players under a spotlight.

Only three games in, and he was probably already among the strongest. But his strength was far from overwhelming—compared to some violent organizations, he was definitely not on their level.

The simplest fact was that he still didn’t have the confidence to survive in front of firearms.

“But it says there will be benefits, so maybe it’s not too bad.”

“I wonder if it will expose my real appearance and personal information. I’ll deal with it when the time comes.”

Since it wasn’t something he could decide, Lu Ce temporarily put it out of his mind.

He was cautious, but he wasn’t afraid to take risks.

There was no way he would intentionally hold back in the next game or refuse to participate just to avoid the ranking.

Survival was important, but increasing his strength was the top priority. If trouble came, he would just face it head-on.

With that thought, he pulled up the screen in his mind and looked at the interface.

【Rest Mode.】

【For each game, you can choose to participate as a Spectator or a Player.】

【Of course, we believe the world welcomes Players, and Players will ultimately own the world.】

【Time until the next game begins: 47:57:43.】

【This is the challenge of the gods. Welcome to Chosen’s Paradise!】

In addition to the standard interface, two new pages had appeared—Friends and Shop.

After familiarizing himself with the functions, Lu Ce opened his eyes in his room.

Sitting up in the dimly lit room, he checked his body and felt himself in one piece.

Yeah, perfect. The special reward from Perfect Completion—complete restoration.

One of the best perks of joining the game. In the Real World, the effects of being Chosen of Agony were too restrictive.

He bounced lightly on his feet. The first thing he noticed was how light he felt—really light!

If 10 Strength had been breaking past the Genetic Lock limit, then 24 Strength was way beyond normal control.

Lu Ce didn’t know what the ancient martial artists meant by “light as a swallow,” but he believed in one thing—brute force launches bricks. Right now, he was the brick!

His legs felt like they had high-powered engines, capable of producing terrifying propulsion.

He hadn’t had legs in the last game, so there hadn’t been any movement, and he hadn’t noticed the difference. Now, even controlling his body required some adjustment.

If Zhang Tao appeared in front of him now and provoked him, he might actually hesitate—because one hit might literally kill the guy.

Killing in the Real World... that would be a bit hard to deal with.

His experiences in the game, combined with the lingering influence of the Greed Mask, had left him slightly unhinged. He needed to return to normal.

He pulled out his phone and opened his usual app. The first trending topic on the screen made his heart clench.

【—The Chosen’s Game really kills people!】

Lu Ce had expected this.

The second game was when Chosen’s Paradise truly bared its fangs, when people would start realizing the game’s brutal reality.

Five people who entered with him had died—right in front of him.

One of them, he had killed with his own hands.

The survivors hadn’t achieved Perfect Completion. Unlike him, they wouldn’t get a full recovery...

Returning to the Real World missing a leg?

The thought weighed heavily on Lu Ce. This level of global turmoil wasn’t going to be small.

【The government should ban Chosen’s Paradise!】

【No one should be allowed to participate in that game!】

【What exactly is Chosen’s Paradise? Supernatural powers or a hoax?】

【Hospitals everywhere are suddenly overcrowded—official explanation?】

The trending topics were completely different from before. The initial excitement and curiosity had given way to fear.

Lu Ce even noticed that some extreme headlines and videos disappeared the moment he refreshed the page.

Clearly, an unseen hand was working hard to suppress information and maintain stability.

But Lu Ce knew this wouldn’t last. There was no way to cover this up forever.

“Sigh...”

He exhaled, shut off his phone, and headed to school.

Ding-ling-ling!

The school bell rang, but the classroom remained noisy and chaotic, with no one stepping in to maintain order. It felt more like a marketplace.

His classmates chattered endlessly, bursting with an energy typical of their age—an energy he found impossible to understand.

But this time, Lu Ce no longer listened to their conversations.

Their discussions about the game, their fears, their speculations—he had lived through it all himself.

At some point, he had become distant from them.

“The game is over. Did you watch it? Or... did you play?”

A voice suddenly sounded close to his ear, warm breath brushing against his skin, pulling him from his thoughts.

Turning his head, he found Xie Antong leaning in close, speaking right next to his ear.

Lu Ce had never admitted anything, but from the way she spoke, it was clear she had already assumed he was a Chosen Player.

“What? Do you need something?” Lu Ce avoided answering directly.

“If you cleared it, then congrats—you got lucky. If you were a Spectator, then I’m sure you saw a lot, too.”

Xie Antong’s expression was slightly grave. As she spoke, she took out her phone and lowered her voice.

“I tried to gather as much intel as possible this time.”

“Chosen’s Paradise isn’t a joke. Some of the games are so brutal they surpass human limits.”

“They call it Hell Mode, and it lives up to the name—it’s pure hell.”

“And even though the game has only just started, there are already some insanely strong Players emerging.”

“Take a look at this video.”

She furtively passed her phone under the desk.

Lu Ce’s left eyelid twitched violently...