Rebirth: I have Monopoly System

My name is Li Zhiming, and I’m a freshman at Modu University. Since this was my first time studying away from home, it was also my first time seeing the dazzling city lights of Modu at night.

Right after class this afternoon, my three roommates and I had dinner off-campus, then took the subway to the Bund.

We were here for New Year’s Eve, and by ten o’clock, the entire street was already packed with people. And still, more crowds were constantly pouring in toward the Bund.

I found a slightly elevated spot and stood on it. Looking out, the entire street was a sea of black heads.

At that moment, I was already starting to regret not listening to that President Wu from the internet—the one who got flamed so badly. I just had to be curious and come see the New Year’s Eve spectacle for myself.

The scene was so noisy that we had to shout to be heard. I yelled to my three roommates, "Guys! Maybe we should head back! There are too many people!"

Lu Xixi frowned and shouted back at me, "Li Zhiming! If you want to go, go by yourself! We’re already here, let’s just go see the light show!"

Liu Xiaolong and Gan Shuai chimed in, "Zhiming, we’re already here! Don’t overthink it! We’ll just be careful! Look, there are even police over there!"

Seeing that all three of my roommates wanted to stay, I didn’t say any more and just went with the flow of the crowd toward the viewing platform.

Our original plan was to bypass the viewing platform, cross the bridge, and take a group photo under the Oriental Pearl on the other side.

But there were just too many people. The crowd carried us along, leaving us no choice but to move toward the viewing platform.

When we were still far from Chen Yi Square, things were going smoothly. It wasn’t too crowded.

But just as the four-meter-plus tall statue of Chen Yi came into view, we suddenly noticed some tourists going against the flow of the crowd.

Some of them were cursing and muttering, "The light show’s been canceled! Damn it, why didn’t they announce it earlier! Made me come all this way for nothing, and it’s so fucking crowded!"

Hearing this, a sense of foreboding washed over me.

Because I’m from the north and 185 cm tall, I could clearly see a growing number of people up ahead trying to push their way back against the crowd.

As we got closer to the stairs of the viewing platform, I noticed it was exceptionally congested. I could clearly see some people trying to come down while others were still trying to go up.

’I never thought I’d see the day when even walking could turn into a traffic jam.’

The pressure from behind terrified me, and I couldn’t help but yell, "Stop pushing me! It’s a gridlock up ahead!"

As we slowly neared the top of the stairs, I realized I was stuck between a rock and a hard place; I could neither advance nor retreat.

I turned my head and saw that our group of four, which I had been leading, had been broken up. Only Gan Shuai was still behind me; the other two had been pushed more than a meter away.

Just then, I suddenly heard a commotion in the distance.

Everyone around me, myself included, couldn’t help but look over. Across the street, from the top of the Peace Restaurant, a large shower of what looked like money was fluttering down.

We were too far away, and with all the noise, we couldn’t hear what they were shouting over there at all.

Just as I snapped out of it, someone on the stairs, distracted by the spectacle, missed their footing and fell.

This fall was like a domino, setting off a chain reaction. A huge section of the packed crowd on the stairs collapsed.

I screamed in terror, "Someone fell up ahead! Gan Shuai, you guys, quick, cross your arms over your chest!"

Thanks to Wu Yun’s warning, I had specifically researched how to increase one’s chances of survival in a stampede. I never thought that knowledge would actually come in handy.

I tried to control my direction, but the force pressing in from all sides showed me just how insignificant human strength was.

Here, I was no longer in control of my own body. I was moving forward, but the surging of the human tide made me sway uncontrollably from side to side.

Thankfully, I’m tall, so my feet could still touch the ground. Combined with my subconscious effort to protect my chest, I felt that aside from my restricted movement, I was okay for the time being. This eased my frantic heart quite a bit.

The crowd was truly like water, surging back and forth. Each of us was like a single drop, with no say in where we were going, no idea where we would be in the next second.

Luckily, we were on flat ground with no obstacles, so no one was falling over—we were just being crushed together. ’Then again,’ I thought, ’it would have been hard to fall even if you wanted to; we were packed so tightly from every direction.’

Many girls around me were shouting and crying.

I turned my head and saw a short girl trapped in the crowd, screaming. As time went on, I watched as her face turned a sickening purple, until she was just being jostled about by the masses like a wooden doll.

I wanted to scream in horror, but it felt like something was blocking my throat.

I wanted to save that girl, but I could barely keep myself alive!

Just as we were struggling in this sea of people, someone on the stairs nearby started shouting.

I looked up and saw a man standing on the railing, directing everyone to move back. He was holding a megaphone, but it was so noisy that the sound didn’t carry far before dissipating into the chaos.

The veins on the man’s neck were bulging as he screamed hysterically, "Back up! Hurry up and back up! People are dying! BACK UP!!!"

I could tell his voice was already hoarse, and his tone and expression were a mixture of terror and desperation.

Seeing the girl who was now hovering between life and death, and remembering the huge number of people who had just fallen on the stairs, I knew Wu Yun’s prediction had come true! The stampede was really happening!

There was no time to think. All I could do now was use all my strength to save myself. As for everything else... I could worry about that if I made it out of here alive.

A lot of people couldn’t take it anymore. They were all screaming, and everything descended into chaos.

I managed to steal a glance at the stairs. It was madness. The people who had fallen had already been swallowed by the surging crowd. After the initial fear, a chilling coldness washed over me. Those who had fallen... their chances were slim.

Many people around me were shouting, "Stop pushing! Stop pushing!" But in reality, no one could tell who was actually pushing. Everyone just hoped the person next to them would stop, but in truth, no one had any control over their own movements.

Driven by the instinct for survival, many people subconsciously tried to push their way out of the crowd and run.

But the ever-moving current of people made it impossible for us to just dart away. I could only shout to my roommates, "Follow me! Don’t get separated!"

We moved slowly forward with the crowd. I don’t know how much time passed. Maybe ten minutes.

Slowly, we actually managed to follow the flow to the side of the road.

Using my height advantage, I saw that the side of the road was relatively less crowded. I yelled, "Head for the road! Everyone, head for the side of the road!"

Right after I shouted, I heard others behind me shouting the same thing.

Suddenly, I could feel the pressure on my body start to ease.

I was overjoyed, shouting as I pushed my way toward the road.

A moment later, the space in front of me suddenly cleared. We had finally escaped to safety!

I glanced behind me. My three roommates were right behind me.

I kept running, looking back as I went. Behind us, it was still a terrifying sea of people.

"Run! Let’s just get out of here!"

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