Since sleep eluded her, she might as well check out the origin of the whistle sound. Unaware of the old saying that curiosity killed the cat, Player Zero rolled off the tree.
The whistling had come from outside the city. By now, the city gates had long been closed.
Not a few who heard the whistle grew curious, and Player Zero jogged along the road, encountering several players along the way who had also come in response to the sound.
The ten-plus-meter-high city walls blocked their path. After a few players tried unsuccessfully to leave the city, they could only return begrudgingly.
"I heard this damn whistle sound a month or so ago, high-pitched and piercing; it scratches at your heart uncomfortably." Listening to a few players, Player Zero realized that this whistle sound seemed to occur once every month or so.
The players dispersed, and those like Player Zero who ended up sleeping on the streets were not few in number.
