Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Hurry up! Hurry!"

At nine o'clock in the evening, which was one o'clock in the afternoon in the examination time frame, JiuZhou was still asleep. Suddenly, researchers from various grain production bases in H Province rushed out of their institutes, clutching instruments of all sizes.

Ordinary people couldn't sleep either; they left their homes, carrying lanterns as they walked through the pitch-black fields.

"Speed is essential! This concerns this year's grain production."

Even the most serious experts couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

Soil, water quality, air—all natural factors related to grain production had to be retested. They needed to confirm that conditions were improving, and they couldn't wait another second.

In fact, these people could feel the difference as soon as they stepped outside. The wind felt softer, and even without their breathing masks, they didn't feel any difficulty breathing. There was no longer an uncomfortable, irritating smell in the air.

Looking up, the stars seemed clearer and brighter, as if a layer of gray filter had been removed.

"The pollution level of an entire province has dropped, and some previously unusable land can now be utilized. We'll be able to produce more and higher-quality grain this year!" Standing in the field, the base director looked up at the long-lost starry sky, his heart warm.

On the first day of the game, they were given such a pleasant surprise. This wasn't just a random participant; this was a carefully selected deity!

"The sky in the liberated area is bright, the people in the liberated area like it very much~"

Viewers from JiuZhou were already singing in the live stream.

As one of the representatives of the two major factions, several countries led by JiuZhou implemented a unified distribution system, similar to the rationing system used during times of scarce resources. Of course, it was improved based on specific circumstances.

Under the premise of ensuring citizens' basic survival as much as possible, each person received different resource allocations based on age, occupation, work situation, and other factors. If someone was sick or pregnant, there were additional subsidies.

Therefore, if H Province's grain production could recover, ordinary people might see an increase of a few taels in their monthly rations of natural grain.

Don't underestimate those few extra taels; most people's staple food was synthesized starch using carbon dioxide. Natural grains were reserved for special occasions or guests. A few extra taels meant an extra meal.

Such a benefit to every household, who wouldn't be happy?

Of course, the happiest were the people of H Province.

They grew fruits and vegetables on balconies, courtyards, and any available space, and raised small livestock like quails and lute chickens. This provincial purification didn't bypass them, so many were pleasantly surprised to find that the soil they dug and the water they stored met 'pollution-free' standards.

This meant that their home vegetable gardens could produce pollution-free fruits and vegetables.

So the people of H Province were ecstatic. How could government-issued nutritional supplements and vitamin tablets compare to real fruits and vegetables?

At the very least, they could exchange their surplus at the government-established free market for other items, which was also a supplementary source of income.

While the outside world was still excited, the unboxing was already a thing of the past for Ji Xinghai.

After confirming his choice, the red representing H Province's pollution level instantly turned into the orange of light pollution. The map disappeared, the brass treasure chest vanished, and the hunter's cabin returned from the online gaming world to reality.

Ji Xinghai didn't feel much, life was too long, and some of his emotions had been worn away through the repeated crossings.

As an outsider who is bound to die and is likely to meet a violent end, only intense stimulation can evoke emotions of 'happiness' and 'busyness' in him.

He was preparing to go down the mountain, where a significant 'surprise' must surely await.

Surprises in this kind of environment are often accompanied by risks, and there may be a bad end to one’s life. “Bad end to one’s life” is a compliment to him.

"However, let's first satisfy our hunger."

Ji Xinghai stooped to examine the clay pots, finding that the hunter's cabin was well-stocked with various good things: white rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and an assortment of seasonings, all of which were more than enough to prepare a satisfying and nutritionally complete lunch.

He cleaned the pots, basins, bowls, and knives with water from the water tank, and also whittled two pine branches to use as chopsticks.

At this moment, the adventurous students had reached the foot of the mountain. At the base of the mountain lay a small plain, encircled by a range of mountains. From a distance, one could see the village, with a relatively tall and broad, flat cylindrical building standing in the center of it.

If one is familiar with distinctive architecture, they would recognize this as a 'Tulou', a type of collective building that serves both residential and defensive purposes.

The one who had ventured the furthest was Jason, a veteran of the Federation's elite Navy SEALs and an avid enthusiast of extreme survival games. He was now ravenously hungry, yet he could endure it, and he was approaching the village.

He longed to approach that peculiar structure, which seemed to resemble an Eastern castle.

"Go, Jason! You are the champion!"

"Become the champion and you shall be granted entry to 'Eden' upon your return!"

The off-field Federation supporters were cheering him on, but Jason might not have heard their voices. His journey had been too smooth, and he had already lost his composure mentally.

So by the time he realized something was amiss, the village was already too close.

wrong.

Danger!

Jason suddenly turned his head and plunged into the grass, but outside the village lay the cultivated fields and the overgrown wastelands, a vast open space where his large frame could hardly conceal itself.

The audience was caught off guard; they hadn't yet seen the expected enemy, but instead were greeted first by a series of gunfire echoing from the central stronghold-like structure within the village.

"Damn it! Sniper!" Jason's voice was drowned out by the gunfire.

The sound of a gunshot?

For the tranquil mountainous region, the sound was too distinctive and too loud, so much so that even Ji Xinghai, who was staying in a hunter's cabin, could hear it. However, he did not rush out to investigate; instead, he continued with his own tasks. On the contrary, it startled the students who were also preparing to descend the mountain.

"Thermal weapons? The enemy has thermal weapons? And maybe more than one?" The deterrent force from thermal weapons defeated some of the ambitions, and the outstretched foot was retracted.

Given that the adversaries possess modern firearms while they are only armed with melee weapons, it would be most prudent for them to remain within the dense forest.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Jessen rolled and crawled into the dense undergrowth, dragging his injured leg as he lay low for a long time, with gunshots still following him from behind. On one side were ordinary men armed with farming tools, now with a gunshot wound to the leg, while on the other were snipers hiding in fortresses, shooting down from high ground. The outcome for Jessen was already predictable.

"He was too arrogant, taking risks without gathering enough information."

The people from the Jiuzhou Command Unit looked at their own trainee, who was truly calm under pressure. Despite the continuous gunfire outside, he was calmly preparing lunch.

Ji Xinghai worked efficiently, quickly washing the pots and pans before scooping out a handful of rice to rinse clean. He placed it in a clay bowl and put it in the pot to steam. Then he dragged over a small log and squatted by the water jar to clean the dry-aged mushrooms.

The dry-aged mushrooms wanted to run, but they were too severely injured to do so. Finally, they stopped pretending to be dead and looked at him with teary eyes, "Don't eat me, I can help you."

Ji Xinghai remained cold and unyielding, breaking them apart piece by piece and cleaning each one. He trusted his instincts; this thing would be useful to him.

The dry-aged mushrooms soon became fragmented, transforming into a basin of prime ingredients. By the earthen stove was a basket of eggs, along with salt and vegetable oil, perfect for a dish of dry-aged mushroom scrambled eggs with rice.

"Huh, what's Brother Hai doing?"

"Is he going to eat the black-crowned mushrooms?"

"!!! That's a Tier 3 anomalous creature, Brother! You shouldn't eat that!"

Ji Xinghai's actions frightened the live stream viewers into acknowledging him as their brother, forgetting even the joy of having just discovered a pristine land.

It had been years since anomalies appeared, and there were indeed brave warriors who dared to face their fears head-on. However, those who ate anomalous creatures mostly ended up insane, foolish, or violently deranged...only a select few remained completely unharmed.

They didn't dare to bet that Ji Xinghai was one of these one-in-a-thousand 'immune' individuals.

However, the trainees inside the scenario couldn't hear the cries of the general public. He meticulously cleaned the fragments of the dry-aged mushrooms, washing them thoroughly before setting them aside to air-dry while waiting for the rice to finish steaming.

In truth, fried rice should not be made with freshly steamed rice; leftover rice from the previous night is best. But given the current conditions, he had to make do.

The flames from the pine branches licked the bottom of the pot on the stove. Ji Xinghai sat beside it, casually playing with the watch he had taken from the Country R trainee.

There were no special buttons; after feeling around, it still looked like an ordinary digital watch.

How did this thing work?

If it were before, he would have already begun experimenting with various methods. But considering that many people might be watching his actions, Ji Xinghai restrained himself.

Sometimes suppressing one's nature was also part of the fun of deception.

He set the confiscated watch aside and began processing the mushrooms he had previously gathered.

Sunlight shone on the hunter's cabin, where the hunting dog lay, occasionally lifting its head to look around. It was a scene of tranquil beauty, no matter how one looked at it.

Washing vegetables, cooking, adding firewood—the smoke from the steaming rice drifted out through the chimney as the wind passed through the pine forest, bringing the gentle sound of flowing streams.

The scene was overly mundane, and besides the Jiuzhou audience, others found it boring and went to check out other trainees' live streams.

The randomly selected Federation trainee had already been confirmed dead, turning his live stream black, filled with dark humor.

But fortunately, everyone wasn't particularly surprised. The characteristic of Federation trainees was that they were either high-scoring big shots or the first to die—they never chose the middle path.

However, his death changed the plans of many radical trainees to descend the mountain. Under the threat of long-range thermal weapons, no one dared to step onto that field of death for the time being. They were forced to retreat back up the mountain.

At the same time, those who had originally built temporary shelters on the mountain were moving further into the depths of the forest. If the enemy used guns, the best way to protect oneself was to hide.

Modern people all knew not to get in the way of bullets.

Hundreds of trainees were scattered throughout the mountains, and they would often bump into each other when moving around. Everyone was cautious, either avoiding each other or greeting from a distance before parting ways. So far, no cooperation had been seen.

Perhaps after a few exams, once they had gained some understanding of each other, they would consider working together.

During their movements, some encountered anomalous creatures head-on.

...Most of the time, one of them would end up dead or injured.

Currently, several countries had scheduled anomalous disasters, all involving random trainees.

For ordinary people who hadn't received systematic training or unlocked their talents, surviving in this cruel world was truly difficult. Even if there were no elusive anomalous creatures, the venomous insects, snakes, ants, and wild beasts in the mountains were enough to pose a threat to life.

Compared to these unfortunate souls, the individual thrown into the cellar of the hunter's cabin was incredibly lucky.

This was another overconfident random trainee who could easily meet his end. If not for that Jiuzhou trainee killing the hunter, who knows if he would have already been decapitated or turned into jerky by now.

"For the foolish, doing nothing is the greatest help. Just stay inside peacefully and gnaw on the sweet potatoes on the ground when you're hungry." Their country's viewers only had such expectations—surviving was enough.

Federation viewers had now all shifted to Zhang Ziqing's live stream. Because he was the last one left, everyone reluctantly acknowledged him as a Federation trainee.

Actually, Zhang Ziqing was also the type to take the initiative. This could be seen from the fact that he hadn't built a safe shelter at all. But he was much more cautious than the previous Jessen, merely gazing into the distance from halfway up the mountain instead of recklessly throwing his life away in broad daylight.

Not long ago, he had encountered a wooden skeleton, paying the price of a scratch on his arm to subdue this not-so-smart Tier 1 anomalous creature.

At the same time, he used a blowgun to shoot down a mountain chicken, securing food.

Passing Jiuzhou viewers felt conflicted. If this person hadn't defected, combined with Ji Xinghai, Jiuzhou would have been secure this time. But unfortunately, this person would only be an enemy, not a friend, from now on.

"He'll probably move after dark," said a trainer who had been responsible for training Zhang Ziqing.

"Who? Zhang Ziqing?"

"Mm-hm." He nodded and continued, "And I suspect Ji Xinghai will do the same. His insight is strong; there's no way he can't see that the key to breaking the deadlock lies in descending the mountain. And night is the best opportunity to do so. They're quite close to each other, so they might run into each other."

The Command Unit suddenly fell silent. This was not good news.