Chapter 43

Chapter 43

BONG! The students' internal channel exploded.

The massive influx of information was so shocking that one student, in his excitement, slammed on the accelerator and crashed into a telephone pole. Ignoring the mangled hood of his car and the blood trickling down his forehead, he leaned closer to scrutinize the internal channel: "Is this real? F*ck, I just sold two bottles of water. Ah, scoundrel!!!"

"Damn!" At the same moment, another student who had been preparing to make a splash by revealing some critical information also jumped up.

He stared at the message he had meticulously revised three times to ensure it was tantalizingly vague yet eye-catching, gritted his teeth, and deleted it character by character. In the end, even his ID 'First Lucky in the Universe' was erased.

His information wasn't as abundant or detailed as others', and it was laced with deliberate misdirection. Releasing it would only invite ridicule.

"Ji Xinghai..."

What kind of student was he? Was he insane to do something so self-sacrificing?

The command units of various countries were equally stunned. They had recently concluded that many ordinary students would perish in this exam, eliminating those who hadn't been weeded out in the first scenario due to their limited individual abilities. Officially dispatched students would monopolize resources without divulging much information, becoming the game's big winners, while ordinary students would be mere stepping stones—a typical scenario.

Now...

Their faces stung from the slap of reality.

"Sob sob sob, Brother Hai is truly someone with a grand perspective. When no one was willing to share intelligence, he provided them with so many clues. He risked his life for these."

This was an exaggeration; Ji Xinghai's previous actions had little to do with risking his life. However, it was true that he had collected, organized, analyzed, and summarized all the information.

Regardless, the audience was deeply moved. While people from JiuZhou might still feel a twinge of being taken advantage of, viewers from other countries were filled with joy and gratitude.

Who understood the agony of wanting to send brain supplements to their own students every day?

Who understood?!

Certainly not the people of JiuZhou.

"Our country's two foolish students didn't notice any traps in this scenario. They were even selling water before. Now they're finally scared. Work harder, you fools, don't waste the clues Ji gave you!"

"I never expected Ji to reveal all this. Truly worthy of coming from a great nation like JiuZhou. He's the fastest progressing person in the entire scenario. If he kept quiet, he could maintain this advantage, but he chose to speak up to increase the survival rate of all students. May the Almighty bless him with smooth sailing."

At this moment, the students' internal channel was like an electrified fishpond, with many who usually lurked now surfacing.

Ji Xinghai's sudden dump of crucial intelligence left those holding onto information to sell or planning to exploit the information gap to climb the high score board dumbfounded.

—Was there such a selfless saint in this scenario?

—Damn, my information is stuck in my hands now.

Most remained silent, harboring resentment. Especially those who had barely survived monster encounters last night felt bitter: Why should information they nearly died for be so easily shared?

But a few, after a moment's thought, contributed their own intelligence to supplement the pool.

This was a public performance, and whether the students liked it or not, they had to consider their national stance, especially since most were officially dispatched students whose actions influenced international opinion.

Since they couldn't profit from this information, they might as well use it to earn some goodwill and perhaps scrape by after Ji Xinghai.

The first to act was 'First Lucky in the Universe,' the one Ji Xinghai had beaten by a second.

This person was decisive. Despite his fury, he quickly adjusted his emotions and devised the best course of action.

Ultimately, he sought attention. If he couldn't be the first, he'd settle for second.

First Lucky in the Universe: Monsters don't just appear at night. Perhaps we've encountered them during the day, but they're skilled at disguise and only attack after dark. Conversely, when they're in disguise, it's our best chance to strike.

Nighttime Impersonator: Don't stay in free 'discount rooms,' don't pick up wallets or dolls off the ground, don't eat free lunches. Also, don't accept invitations from strangers or invite strangers into your vehicle.

Poison Research Lab: Sharing the drawing of Solomon's amulet, which can repel demons. Personally tested, effective.

Fruit Hard Candy: Well, since everyone's sharing, I'll contribute one piece of intelligence. To determine if the place you encounter is a monster trigger point or an irrelevant background, try getting out of the car to check the interior. If it's rich in detail, it's definitely a monster trigger point. But be warned, triggering the location may anger the monster. Be cautious, remember.

With various intentions, the students actively shared intelligence, transforming the chat room into a surprisingly harmonious space.

Each seemingly insignificant piece of information was a small puzzle piece, gradually filling in the true picture of this scenario world.

Outside, global audiences watched this unusual information frenzy with wide eyes, while inside, ordinary students, like chicks, hungrily absorbed the information.

Perhaps they couldn't yet match the composure of officially dispatched students, but the more they knew, the less fear they felt, and the stronger their confidence grew.

There was one student whose expression was peculiar.

It was Zhang Ziqing, staring at those three familiar square characters: "Descendant of JiuZhou? Or a JiuZhou student?"

Among a sea of aliases, 'Ji Xinghai' stood out. People from other countries might mistake it, but Zhang Ziqing wouldn't. It was a name. And someone confident enough to release such a large amount of information didn't seem like they would deliberately choose a similar alias to mislead others.

Logically, he shouldn't suspect this was a JiuZhou student. He had entered using an officially dispatched student's slot, leaving the other to be a random student. From the information Ji Xinghai possessed, it didn't seem like he was a random student lacking systematic training.

Yet for some reason, Zhang Ziqing had an unsettling feeling.

He hadn't found the killer yet, his mental state was low, and now uncontrollable factors were piling up...

"It's probably my imagination. This must be a student from Y continent, hence the JiuZhou-style name."

In overseas forums in the real world, there were countless sentiments. On the international stage, JiuZhou had always portrayed itself as a cooperative big brother. They hadn't expected their students to choose this path as well.

Perhaps this was the confidence and broad-mindedness brought about by five thousand years of cultural heritage?

Ji Xinghai's move was akin to throwing a catfish into a school of sardines, stirring the entire pond to life. More students might survive as a result.

For smaller countries with less robust national power, having their students live to the end was the greatest victory. The high score board was a race for major nations; they lacked the strength.

Thus, many countries' command units sent congratulatory messages to JiuZhou's Black Tower, not only to congratulate them on having such an outstanding student but also to discuss potential alliances in the future.

The aspirations of these nations were simple; they didn't necessarily aim to secure a significant number of treasure chests or gain an overwhelming advantage. They merely hoped that through cooperation, they could find opportunities to survive.

It wasn't just about the survival of the students, but the very existence of their entire countries.

In truth, the JiuZhou Command Unit was quite surprised. Based on their understanding of Ji Xinghai, he and JiuZhou were still in a phase of mutual probing. He had no particular likes or dislikes towards other students, nor did he seem particularly interested in them. Moreover, he was someone who didn't impose moral constraints on himself. So why was he doing this?

Had he suddenly awakened a sense of responsibility as one of the 'top students'? There seemed to be no reason for it.

"I think," a young man raised his hand, "he might be bored."

"Bored?" The minister turned his head and adjusted his glasses. "How so?"

"Cough, I believe he's really playing this game, with the mindset of... a pure online gamer."

The essence of gaming lies in the act of 'playing'.

As is widely known, players = troublemakers. In their two-hundred-pound bodies, one hundred and ninety-nine pounds consist of rebellious bones. And because they don't feel pain or face death, players are especially enthusiastic about exploring the limits of games, commonly referred to as courting death.

Whatever the game tells them to do, they deliberately don't do it. Whatever the game forbids, they insist on doing it. They love showcasing the lower bounds of human operation.

This is an extremely uncontrollable group that excels at causing chaos.

Otherwise, how could players become known as the 'Fourth Calamity'?

When it came to areas he didn't fully understand, the minister's face showed a momentary confusion: "So?"

"Everything up until now has been within the Hungry Academy's plans. Whether it's the students' reactions or everyone's progress. This means 'no surprises', 'following the routine', and 'lacking any sense of achievement'. To a player purely enjoying the fun of the game, this would be too rigid. So perhaps Ji Xinghai isn't doing all this for the sake of 'collective benefit', but simply because he's bored, rebelling, seeking some excitement."

"..."

Inside the examination hall.

"Hmm?" Ji Xinghai couldn't help but rub his itchy nose as he admired the effects of his fish pond bombing.

Several students who encountered monsters last night had already appeared in the channel. They briefly recounted the process of triggering the monsters and provided their own solutions, such as salt, crosses, Solomon amulets, etc.

These were solutions that didn't require high combat values, testing instead the students' ability to remain calm under pressure and adapt to unexpected situations.

In short, you needed a certain amount of knowledge reserve, and you also had to stay calm.

Finally, close your eyes and charge forward.

The Hunger Game wouldn't set up a scenario where death was inevitable. Therefore, as long as one observed carefully and prepared accordingly, even if they couldn't kill the monster, they could drive it away or escape.

Random students might lack the necessary combat skills, mentality, or knowledge reserves to kill the monsters. But by learning from the valuable experiences left by their predecessors, they stood a chance of surviving.

What they and their countries sought was nothing more than survival.

The monsters' lethality stemmed from human fear, which in turn originated from the unknown.

Now that they knew about the existence of the monsters and understood that students like themselves had successfully driven away or counter-killed these monsters through effort, the barrier of 'the unknown' had been broken. Unless the monsters' levels were suddenly and significantly increased tonight, students with mental preparation wouldn't be killed so easily.

It seemed that the Hungry Academy's goal of eliminating half of the students was unlikely to be achieved.

What a pity.

Ji Xinghai sat alone in the car, propping his face in his hands, his smile charmingly mischievous.

He heard that the Hungry Academy couldn't interfere with ongoing instances. Was it now experiencing surprise and shock?

Whether the Hungry Academy was surprised or not was unknown, but the heartbeats of a certain individual who had been quietly lurking by his side trembled like strings on a harp, emitting music as clear and soothing as moonlight, as if someone was smiling gently with lowered brows.

Ji Xinghai thought of that person's serious, unsmiling face, his eyelashes slightly drooping.

'Does he understand my loneliness, or does he comprehend my joy?'

Suddenly, images of various people he had encountered across different worlds flashed before his eyes. Some had accompanied him for decades, yet they still didn't understand him, didn't understand his laughter, his depression, or what he was seeking.

Amidst a gathering of people dressed in snow-white attire, there wasn't a single soul who truly knew him.

Forget it, why ponder over these things? To this world, he was still just a passerby.

Ji Xinghai's heart was like an ancient well, unruffled. A leaf had fallen into it, creating ripples, but soon everything returned to calmness. Leaning against the window, he sipped water as if it were fine wine, his eyes half awake and half dazed.

JiuZhou, Black Tower.

"As the information about the instance world continues to be refined, other students are desperately snatching roadside resource boxes under the threat of death. Yet, he's driving his car under the shade of a tree to cool off and take a nap. Indeed, it's a gamer's mentality."

"While others are forced to follow the rhythm of the Hunger Game, trembling in fear just to survive, he's enjoying himself." The minister couldn't quite determine whether this attitude was good or bad. They hadn't seen a student like this before.

The Federation had sent similarly crazy students in the past, but they were too extreme, acting without regard for consequences, causing trouble for themselves and others.

JiuZhou's students, on the other hand, had always been cautious, but perhaps overly so. Only last year's frail-looking female student had shone brightly, dancing within her chains.

The deputy minister seemed to understand the minister's melancholy. He came over and patted his shoulder. "Most geniuses have some madness that ordinary people can't comprehend. Ji Xinghai can afford to behave this way because he has sufficient abilities."

However, the minister sighed. "I'm not worried that he won't be able to control himself. I'm afraid that he'll be targeted by the Hungry Academy. One pair of fists can't fight against four, let alone when this is the Hungry Academy's territory, where it sets the rules."

"Forget other things, the instance has been going on for a day now. Have you seen any anomalous creatures related to food ingredients? Even taking a step back, in the previous instance, the demon sword could still be 'consumed'. However, after the monsters in this instance 'die', they turn into stuffed toys.

"There's no doubt that it's guarding against Ji Xinghai's special talent.

"The road ahead for Ji Xinghai will only get harder."

The deputy minister, however, had more confidence. "Only those who pose a threat to the Hungry Academy are targeted. Look at how other countries sourly say that their students wouldn't be as rash as Ji Xinghai.

"Do they not want to be?

"They can't."

How could the Minister not know? He just couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.

Everyone else assumed he was a secret weapon trained by JiuZhou, his excellence bolstered by the material and human resources invested by JiuZhou, so part of his achievements belonged to JiuZhou as well. But deep down, the Minister knew that Ji Xinghai might be a visitor from another world.

The land of JiuZhou had never nurtured him or favored him, yet now it was placing the honor and interests of an entire nation on his shoulders.

The hardships were his to bear, while the gains belonged to JiuZhou.

No matter how much JiuZhou did, it could never repay this debt of gratitude.

"Sigh, if only we could turn one of them against their own, even just one."

The Minister knew it was wishful thinking. One was human, the other an anomalous creature; their stances were entirely different. How could there be any chance of turning them?

"I must be losing my mind."