Chapter Two: Fear Has a Price

The system's seven survivors meant Zhou Ran, the six at the table, and Meng—seven living people out of eight total. The eighth was dead, or no longer human. The stage curtain flew open. Lulu raised her beak and began a warped birthday song. With each line, another row of lights went dark. “Do we need the missing cameraman and the girl from the monitor?” Lin Wan asked. “No. An empty chair isn't a customer, and a person on a screen may not be in this room.” Zhou Ran activated Fear Scent. Six caramel odors surrounded the table. A thin trace of wet iron came from the restroom. The rotten-cake sweetness pooled beneath the stage. “Find Meng,” he told Lin Wan. “Whatever you see, don't call his name.” “And you?” “I'll make the birthday pizza.”