Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Within the examination grounds, Ji Xinghai had begun to inventory his spoils.

The Skinwalker was dead, transformed into a palm-sized plush toy—a puppet draped in hyena skin, with a label reading 'Skinwalker.'

Beside the puppet lay five items, roughly considered the loot dropped by defeating a boss:

A beef burger meal: A beef cheeseburger with fries and a happy drink, complete with ketchup and napkins.

A double-barreled shotgun: Capable of firing two rounds simultaneously or two shots in succession, accompanied by 30 shotgun shells.

One quarter of an Ark ticket: Collect all four pieces for an automatic synthesis into a full ticket.

Intermediate Vehicle Upgrade Card: A comprehensive upgrade for a vehicle.

A Brass Treasure Chest: The one that previously revealed the purification metric.

In addition, his mission watch beeped with a notification.

For defeating a monster, he received an additional 7 points (depending on the monster's level, students could earn different levels of bonus points upon defeating them—3, 7, or 10).

Judging from the score, the Skinwalker represented moderate difficulty.

"The rewards cover various aspects, including bonus points. No wonder those gamers always shout about beating bosses," Ji Xinghai mused. He had spent the day touching boxes without receiving loot as good as what defeating a boss provided.

To think the Skinwalker couldn't keep its cool, transforming upon provocation. Who else would he cut if not it?

Initially, it pretended to be a killer bear, almost deceiving him. This creature didn't exude the scent of a monster, but now, as a puppet, its scent could be detected.

But how does one eat a puppet?

He stared at the monster puppet, seemingly sealed by some rule, drooling but unable to find a place to bite.

"Hey, stop playing dead. The victor wields the knife, the loser becomes the meat. Don't you understand this tacit agreement?" Ji Xinghai tugged at the puppet, twisting its round head, but it remained unresponsive. He was slightly annoyed, his face nearly turning into a bun.

Unable to consume the spoils, half the game's fun was instantly diminished.

Ji Xinghai wasn't the first student to encounter a monster.

As time passed and dusk approached, more monsters appeared. They maintained their disguised appearances, approaching students under various guises, akin to NPCs providing clues, yet they couldn't escape the keen eyes of numerous spectators.

At that time, the audience merely felt something was off about these NPCs, but couldn't pinpoint what.

Now, following the Skinwalker incident, everyone finally understood what was amiss: "Good grief! That gaze isn't how one looks at people; it's how a wolf eyes a plump lamb."

However, apart from the highly vigilant students, most were already bewitched by a day of treasure box exploration. They hadn't noticed anything unusual and attempted to converse with the 'NPCs' to gather clues.

Spectators gnashed their teeth in frustration, wishing they could leap through the screen and bellow, "Monster, release that student!"

"All students, JiuZhou's students can see through that human facade at a glance! They're still trying to extract information and build rapport, almost being ensnared themselves. It's driving me crazy!"

Regarding Ji Xinghai in JiuZhou, defeating a boss and the appearance of a treasure chest attracted many foreign viewers. His live stream's numbers surged again, all awaiting the contents of the Brass Treasure Chest.

"To obtain a Brass Treasure Chest on the first day? JiuZhou is once again secure."

"I heard Ji Xinghai has ancestors with blood ties to my country N."

"Upstairs, please leave voluntarily. Don't force me to showcase my linguistic prowess."

Amidst the audience's clamor, it didn't affect Ji Xinghai's box-opening. He had emerged from the anguish of losing an energy feast, chewing a lollipop to bits before swallowing it down, followed by a large gulp of mineral water to cleanse his palate.

Then, Ji Xinghai pulled out the fragrant beef burger and took a hearty bite.

The substantial beef burger, with melted cheese drizzled over the greasy beef patty, the charred beef patty clearly indicated authentic Angus grain-fed beef, not synthetic gelatinous matter. At the moment of the bite, the audience could see the oil-drenched tomato slices, pickles, and lettuce leaves oozing with juice, resting atop a layer of snow-white fried egg.

Half the world's population was starving, their tears streaming down from the corners of their mouths: "Stop eating, stop eating. Hurry up and open the box."

Ji Xinghai quickly devoured the burger, then licked the black sesame seeds stuck to his fingers, wiped his hands, and opened the chest.

Instantly, golden light radiated.

"You have obtained a high-quality natural pasture. Please select a suitable location for placement."

Simultaneously, a rooster map appeared, offering only four choices, all clustered in the northwest region, one per province.

It seemed stingy, Ji Xinghai's initial reaction, considering previous purifications covered entire provinces. Now, it was just a pasture? However, upon closer inspection of the description, he realized this natural pasture differed from his expectations. It came equipped with its own grass, lakes, complete ecosystem, and abundant cattle and sheep.

"Ahhhhhhh! High-quality natural pasture!" The JiuZhou residents in the live stream, especially those living in the four major natural pastures, went ecstatic upon seeing the reward.

Such rewards occasionally surfaced in the Hunger Games. Wooden treasure chests typically contained acres of forest, lakes, or grasslands, while Brass Treasure Chests elevated a notch, directly covering regions with complete ecosystems—premium forests, lakes, or pastures.

Regions enveloped by such rewards, regardless of their prior pollution levels, instantly transformed into non-polluted areas, fully integrating within 24 hours. Original vegetation, fungi, and various animals would reappear one by one.

For civilians, the best aspect was immediate usability without waiting for ecological restoration. The included cattle and sheep could produce milk and meat, while the natural grasses and medicinal plants in the pasture could be harvested.

For officials, the most valuable part of such rewards was the 'complete ecosystem,' leading to the emergence of wild flora and fauna extinct or near extinction due to inability to adapt to polluted environments.

"But with four major pastures, choosing any will disappoint someone."

The current state of JiuZhou's four major natural pastures was dire. The government recognized their significance, annually investing substantial resources and providing ample subsidies to herders, yet the environmental conditions persisted, with no improvement in sight.

They all desperately needed this reward.

The minister smiled. "Any choice is acceptable. With high-quality grass seeds and livestock, other pastures can still be salvaged. We take one bite at a time, tackle things step by step."

"I was mistaken. Look, our audience isn't arguing. No one wishes for the pasture to land in their own backyard, understanding the principle of shared prosperity."

Ji Xinghai's livestream was filled with harmony; the herders didn't voice their hopes for the ranch to land on their own land, knowing that their wishes couldn't sway the outcome and fearing it might come off as threatening others under the guise of public opinion.

Consequently, the most active participants in the chat were viewers from JiuZhou outside the four major pastoral regions.

"Beef jerky! Hand-held meat!" Those who had just been drooling at the sight of the self-brought cattle and sheep could only remember those mouth-watering delicacies, their saliva requiring both hands to catch.

"Will we be able to buy more milk powder in the future?" Viewers with children and elderly family members were more concerned about the high-end nutritional supplies that were notoriously difficult to obtain, such as milk powder.

"...Are the people of JiuZhou living in paradise?" In a distant country, a bar was silent as those confined beyond the walls, left to fend for themselves, watched the livestream on the hall's screen. To them, the JiuZhou residents, who now had quality requirements for their ingredients, seemed to inhabit an entirely different world.

One must be well-fed to have preferences about what they eat; are all the people of JiuZhou well-fed?

Many shared this thought. The livestream attracted a large number of foreigners, not all of whom came from countries that prioritized the welfare of their own citizens. In many places, the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest—still prevailed.

The elites who controlled ninety percent of the production resources before the Great Cataclysm remained in power afterward, while ordinary folks who once lived peaceful lives found themselves struggling to survive.

"If only Ji Xinghai of JiuZhou could win the championship again. If he could secure twelve victories, it would put an end to all this. I wish we could return to how things were."

Ji Xinghai, the focus of everyone's attention, simply clicked on the corner plot—the vast grasslands of Province N.

There was no other reason; it was simply the largest and offered the best value for money.

It was as simple and unadorned as that.

At 4:40 PM in the examination room, which was 12:52 PM in JiuZhou, Province N.

Qiqige, the Flower of the Grassland, held her little lamb close, staring helplessly at the darkened pasture before her. At nine years old and still in primary school, she would still return home during lunch breaks to cut grass and feed the sheep, earning work points.

While many around the world kept a constant eye on the Hungry Academy's livestream, there were also those who led routine lives, working from dawn till dusk.

Qiqige's life revolved around her home, school, and the grassland. She paid no heed to the daily discussions about the livestream among her older siblings, focusing instead on tangible concerns, like the dwindling green grass.

Born into a world marred by pollution, Qiqige yearned for the lush, blue-skied grasslands her elders spoke of fondly. Unfortunately, reality presented her with nothing but foul-smelling, inedible black grass and a gray, overcast sky.

Sigh, finding green grass for the little lamb was becoming increasingly difficult. But her parents were reluctant to sell some of their livestock, always insisting that the government would find a solution. Even her great-grandfather, who was already in his eighties, echoed the same sentiment.

"Our ancestors were once serfs, born to toil like beasts, but when the green-robed saviors arrived, we rose to live as humans. Qiqige, do not fear; there will come a day when light returns."

Her great-grandfather often repeated these words, but when would that day arrive?

Suddenly, a dazzling rainbow-colored light appeared in the gray sky, slowly spreading out like a peacock displaying its magnificent plumage.

Children, adults, and even the grazing cattle and sheep on the grassland lifted their heads, staring dumbfounded at the colorful light expanding across the sky. One might have mistaken it for the neighboring Yunnan Province's rainbow clouds paying a visit.

"Qiqige! Qiqige!" Her mother ran over from a distance, embracing her stunned daughter while gazing at the sky with uncertainty. The woman dared not believe that any good fortune could still befall them in these times, fearing instead another unforeseen calamity.

"Look, Ama!" Qiqige suddenly noticed something strange.

In the wake of the rainbow-colored light, the black, spotted grass leaves transformed into the freshest, most vibrant green she remembered, as if long-thirsty beings finally receiving a drink of rainwater. Within seconds, they grew several inches taller.

A few dusty little animals emerged from the suddenly taller grass, brushing past Qiqige's ankles, leaving a fuzzy sensation behind.

Qiqige's eyes widened in surprise. "Ama, look at all these fat rats."

Her mother was equally stunned. "Prairie rabbits? So many prairie rabbits?"

Amidst the whistling wind, an eagle soared overhead. Not far away, a sharp-nosed fox cautiously peeked out, half its head visible. The grass was green, the water clear, and the sky a pure, gem-like blue.

"Ama, look, the day has dawned."