Chapter One: Shen Li, You’re Absolutely Insane

“You’re crazy.”
“No one will believe you.”
“Even if you’re sane, they’ll only think you’re insane.”
“Why are you still alive? No one believes you.”
...
Crash—Skyscrapers streaked rapidly downward before Shen Li’s eyes, and the world faded into darkness.
...
[Welcome, guests, to Combat Island. Free agents must find three teammates and locate the program login point within one hour to log in successfully; otherwise, the program will not begin.]

The sharp male voice from the broadcast jolted Shen Li awake. As she groggily opened her eyes, sunlight pierced into them, forcing her to shield them reflexively with her arm.

“Why are you still alive? Just die already...”

Clutching her throbbing head, her temples pounding violently, those words echoed relentlessly in her mind until a “beep” sounded, and a virtual display appeared before her.

Ning City, the wealthiest metropolis in the nation with the highest concentration of tycoons, had made rapid technological advancements, enabling people to operate virtual screens seamlessly.

The phone’s screen materialized before its owner, allowing direct interaction. This virtual screen felt eerily familiar to Shen Li, reminiscent of when she participated in the first season of the show.

Suddenly, the screen went black, then lit up a second later, showing images of her three teammates from the program.

Her teammates were bound by their hands and hung on crosses, unable to open their eyes under the scorching sun.

What was happening?

She glanced around: an uninhabited island, a wild overgrown grove before her, the roaring sea behind, and herself sitting on the beach, dressed in a fluttering floral dress.

This was the setting of the first season of the show!

Had she been reborn back to the first season?

She checked the date and time on the screen to confirm her suspicion, then suddenly scrambled toward the unmanned camera.

Viewers watching the live broadcast were shocked:

—What the hell is this crazy woman doing?
—Is she seriously mentally ill? Can someone send her to a mental hospital?
—Why does she get to move freely while my Shushu is hanging in the sun?
—Her eyes are terrifying, like she wants to kill me...
...

She knew that man was watching. Watch closely—heaven spared her life so she could return for revenge.

—

Pei Wenxuan, just you wait!

Pei Wenxuan was the owner of the voice echoing in her mind—the man who, in her past life, had sent her to a psychiatric hospital and brainwashed her into suicide.

Their grudge began with Pei Wantian, Pei Wenxuan’s sister.

She and Pei Wantian debuted in the entertainment industry around the same time. Because they shared similar roles, they often competed for the same opportunities. Shen Li, relying on her talent, gained popularity rapidly, while Pei Wantian, who couldn’t act well, lagged far behind.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Pei Wantian enlisted her brother’s help to seize resources. The Pei family was a prestigious clan in Ning City, while Shen Li came from an ordinary background with no support—naturally, she couldn’t compete against such capital.

Gradually, all her opportunities were snatched away, and her career plummeted. Just as she was trying to recover, Pei Wantian, whose career was booming, was suddenly exposed for diva-like behavior and resource grabbing—these accusations were true, and Pei Wantian faced severe online backlash.

Unable to withstand the cyberbullying, she slit her wrists and died by suicide.

This was when Shen Li’s hatred for Pei Wenxuan was born.

Pei Wenxuan was convinced Shen Li had deliberately framed and slandered his sister, exposing her and painting Shen Li as the murderer, inciting the whole internet against her and cutting off all her resources.

Pei Wantian’s fans sent Shen Li threatening letters and terrifying packages. Over time, Shen Li not only lost all work but her mental state became increasingly fragile and tense.

...

Shen Li clenched a handful of sand, gritting her teeth, eyes brimming with hatred.

If Pei Wenxuan had stopped there, maybe she wouldn’t hate him so deeply. But he had meticulously designed this variety show to portray her as a “madwoman.”

In the last life, during the show, Pei Wenxuan used every despicable trick to provoke and film her outbursts, manipulating public opinion to brand her insane.

She was a crazy woman.

No matter how much she insisted she was sane, no one believed her.

In the end, the production team sent her to a psychiatric hospital for “mental issues.” During the month she spent there, Shen Li longed to escape every day. Pei Wenxuan visited daily, brainwashing her until she plunged into deeper despair.

Then, she watched helplessly as she died, consumed by hopelessness.

Shen Li remembered clearly that before her last leap, the only phrase echoing in her mind was:

No one believes she’s sane. No one believes she’s innocent.

She’s guilty—unworthy of life.

So she jumped.

Unexpectedly, fate had mercy, allowing her to open her eyes and return three months earlier. This time, she would never let others control her. She would seize the threads of destiny herself.

Shen Li scanned her surroundings and, recalling the first season’s mission clues, pressed her sand-covered hands against the soft sinking sand, rose, and decisively stepped forward.

—Are we really going to watch this whole show from the killer’s perspective? So annoying.
—Why is a murderer even allowed on the show? Disgusting!
—Give us back Wantian! Murderer Shen Li, give us back Wantian!
—

—This woman is so cunning! She killed someone—even indirectly—she should be thrown in jail!
—I’m going to curse her to death. She destroyed a girl through cyberbullying; she deserves the same fate!
...

Shen Li didn’t need to look; she knew the comments were filled with malice. She didn’t care—just watch. Those people would learn the truth.

On the director’s boat, the director spoke into the walkie-talkie: “Begin.”

Squinting, a sinister smile curled his lips. Shen Li, this is only the beginning.

He fixed his gaze on the monitors, waiting for the show to unfold.

The prop team had set the trap, waiting for Shen Li to step into the snare.

Three.

Two.

The entire production crew anxiously watched Shen Li take her final step.

One.

Excited, the prop master triggered the mechanism. The muddy ground beneath Shen Li gave way, and all the earth surged downward like a landslide into a massive pit.

Shen Li stood precisely at the vortex’s center; as expected, she fell into the enormous pit. The director slapped the table triumphantly: “Perfect!”

His show was officially underway.

However, Shen Li’s lips curled into a cold smile. Calmly, she fixed her gaze on the cold weapons arrayed around the pit, ready to be launched at her.

She remembered that in her previous life, after falling in, she had suffered many injuries from the prop weapons—some nearly piercing her heart and even threatening her eyes.

Because she was a despised artist tainted by scandals, the audience only cheered her tragic fate and never condemned the production team’s cruelty.

But this time, she was no longer an ignorant girl.

“My stage begins now.”

Click!

The prop weapons activated.

Everyone watching the screen prepared to stand and applaud, cheering Shen Li’s tragic plight.

But they never got that moment—they were instead stunned by Shen Li’s brilliant mastery and total control...