Chapter One: Please Select Your Target for Romance
[Welcome to the Beginner’s Trial Zone of “Help! I’m Surrounded by Them!”]
[Classic Map “Campus**” has been activated.]
[Please select your romance target:]
[A. The pure and adorable desk-mate]
[B. The alluring and voluptuous school beauty]
[C. The aloof and cunning top student]
[D. The eight-pack-abs brother]
[E. The stern, married homeroom teacher]
[F. The buddy who loves singing, dancing, and basketball]
[G. The snow-white, tender neighbor aunt]
[H. The fiery, hot-bodied sports school babe]
[Each target can only be picked by one player.]
[Selections are currently locked and will be available after the 100-second preparation period.]
[Now entering preparation period:]
[99—]
[98—]
[97—]
The countdown flickered on the hovering screen above.
Wen Nan’s gaze drifted from the screen as he looked around.
He stood in the middle of a boys’ dormitory.
The room was in complete disarray—empty soda cans, water bottles, and milk tea cups nearly carpeted the floor. The stench of sneakers and socks, the sourness of sweat, the peculiar scent of Chinese photinia flowers, and the aroma of instant noodles all mingled together, invading his nostrils.
Besides Wen Nan, three other boys stood in the dorm—a tall, athletic guy, a chubby boy wearing designer sneakers as slippers, and a short, scrawny guy with glasses.
Judging by their stunned expressions, they, like Wen Nan, must be players who’d entered the beginner’s trial zone.
[Beep!]
[Dear Mr. Night Nine-Times, welcome!]
[I am your system, No. 9527.]
[If you have any questions or need help during your romance quest, just call my name, and I’ll be at your service!]
[Now, let me show you your attribute panel—]
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in Wen Nan’s mind. Immediately, a screen floated before his eyes:
[Name: Night Nine]
[Level: lv1]
[Strength: 2/100]
[Agility: 3/100]
[Armor: 1/100]
[Charm: 4/100]
Wen Nan frowned slightly, quietly observing his three roommates.
It seemed the personal attribute panel was generated by the system and was visible only to each player.
That was reasonable, but…
His attributes were unbelievably low!
Wen Nan called out in his mind: [9527.]
9527: [I’m here.]
Wen Nan: [How do I increase my stats?]
9527: [Completing romance quests, exploring the map, or purchasing equipment and items from the shop will all improve your level and attributes.]
Wen Nan: [Open the shop.]
A classic game shop interface appeared before Wen Nan, but most items were locked, displaying “level too low, cannot purchase.”
Of the three lv1-available items, the cheapest was 200 gold coins.
Wen Nan glanced at the top right of his account—starting balance: only 100 gold coins.
He asked again: [How do I earn coins? Don’t tell me I have to spend real money?]
After years in the hospital, he didn’t have a penny to his name. If this was a pay-to-win game, then…
9527: [No, currency from the original world cannot be used on this map.]
[Players can only earn coins through the following methods during their romance quests—]
[1. Overall livestream popularity, converted at a 10,000:1 ratio to coins]
[2. Gifts from livestream viewers, 50% credited to your account]
[3. Player betting pools, with viewers placing bets]
[Methods 1 and 2 are exchanged in real-time, method 3 is settled after each quest.]
Wen Nan paused, startled.
A livestream room?
This game had livestreaming?
Was everything he did being broadcast live somewhere?
But where was the livestream interface? Where were his viewers?
9527: [Livestream permissions will unlock once your romance quest officially begins.]
Wen Nan glanced at the countdown above—only twenty seconds left.
[Beep!]
A crisp alert chimed in his mind.
9527: [Congratulations! You’ve received a newcomer’s gift pack. Open now?]
Wen Nan: [Open.]
9527: [Newcomer’s gift pack opened—add any attribute to full for a three-hour trial period.]
[Please select the attribute to boost:]
[Strength][Agility][Armor][Charm]
As he pondered, the three roommates around him suddenly erupted in golden light.
The scrawny guy with glasses bulked up rapidly. The athlete’s limbs grew even longer and more slender, wrists and ankles narrowing. The chubby boy’s skin visibly thickened.
Apparently, they’d used their trial cards on strength, agility, and armor.
The attribute boost affected their bodies directly—it was like something out of a sci-fi movie, the visual impact was immense.
[Please choose your attribute to boost.]
The system urged in his mind.
Wen Nan quickly made his choice: [Charm.]
A golden glow flashed around him, and a fleeting itch tingled across his skin and bones.
9527: [Boost complete. Current charm: 100/100.]
Wen Nan wanted to find a mirror, but looking up, he saw the other three staring at him with complex expressions.
“You… boosted charm?” the glasses guy asked.
Wen Nan nodded. “Yes.”
If this were a typical game, he’d have boosted strength, agility, or armor. But…
This was a romance quest game.
Why would you need high strength, agility, or armor to woo girls?
Naturally, charm should be maxed out!
The glasses guy stared at Wen Nan, hesitating to speak.
At that moment, the countdown above pulsed red, an ear-splitting alarm blaring like a fire drill.
[Preparation time ending. All players, take your positions!]
[10—]
[9—]
[8—]
Wen Nan looked up at the countdown screen, bemused—was choosing a romance target supposed to be this nerve-wracking?
Anyone who didn’t know better would think this was some kind of battle royale.
He glanced at the options again: the pure desk-mate, the stunning school beauty—all seemed like perfect romance targets.
But among these options, were there some odd choices mixed in?
[3—]
[2—]
[1—]
As the countdown hit zero, the athlete bounced in place, leapt up, and, in a perfect slam dunk motion, smacked the screen above.
Smack!
His palm landed squarely on—
F. The buddy who loves singing, dancing, and basketball?!
Wen Nan was stunned.
So, bro, you actually…
He suppressed his urge to comment, choosing to show respect instead.
He glanced at the other two, expecting similar disbelief, but found both staring at the athlete with… deep envy and even jealousy.
Wen Nan:?
Something’s off here.
While he was still processing this, the chubby boy dragged a desk over, preparing to climb up and snatch one of the remaining options.
The glasses guy dashed forward, wrestling with him.
In the end, the strength-maxed glasses guy easily overpowered the armor-maxed chubby boy, climbed onto the desk, and made his selection—
D. The eight-pack-abs brother!
Wen Nan:?
Who would’ve thought this tiny dorm room could be so diverse.
He looked at the chubby boy sprawled at the desk.
His face was ashen, as if he’d lost a loved one.
Gritting his teeth, the chubby boy looked at the remaining options, his thoughts grave:
‘Everyone knows this is a horror escape game. As the title says, all the bosses are female ghosts!’
‘Since the only bosses are female, it stands to reason that options D and F, the two male characters, can’t be bosses—they must be ordinary neutral NPCs.’
‘These options are beginner-friendly—grabbing one is a win.’
‘Too bad his hands were slower, letting the athlete and the glasses guy snatch them first.’
‘Now, he’d have to settle for second-best.’
‘Among the remaining options—all female—the difficulty clearly varies—’
‘In this game, the more beautiful and attractive a woman is, the more dangerous she is.’
‘So…’
Smack!
The chubby boy slapped—
E. The stern, married homeroom teacher.
Wen Nan fell silent at his choice.
Is this guy’s last name Cao?
While he was quietly roasting him, the athlete said, “We’re done. It’s your turn.”
Wen Nan smiled. “You guys are pretty considerate, removing three wrong answers for me.”
He wasn’t joking; he was genuinely grateful. This batch of players sure had distinctive tastes.
But for some reason, the three all gave him that indescribable look again.
“If it were me, I’d pick C from the remaining ones,” the glasses guy said, pushing his glasses up. “The top student is probably male, and likely unattractive. The uglier, the safer.”
“I think A’s the best,” the chubby boy cut in.
He figured, the desk-mate may not be female. And so cute—probably a boy, right?
But as they watched, Wen Nan shook his head, stepped onto the desk, raised his hand—
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
[Player Night Nine has successfully locked in—]
[A. The pure and adorable desk-mate]
[B. The alluring and voluptuous school beauty]
[C. The aloof and cunning top student]
[G. The snow-white, tender neighbor aunt]
[H. The fiery, hot-bodied sports school babe]
He claimed all five targets. Wen Nan’s lips curled, and he let out a sinister chuckle:
“Kids make choices. Adults, of course, want them all!”