Chapter 87

Chapter 87

This was no empty promise. He alone accounted for over 30% of the total exploration, which was 40%, indicating that the others hadn't even reached the starting line, let alone competed for the final victory.

Moreover, he had already found the closest thing to 'freedom' in this instance.

"How about it?" Ji Xinghai asked again.

Regaining freedom was the excellent standard for this instance.

These words came from the previous champion, and the nine students had no more doubts: "Alright."

Then let's give it a shot!

The nine students agreed, and the spectators from their respective countries cheered: This one is in the bag!

They knew that the JiuZhou students had made a batch of powerful explosives. When he talked about a fireworks show lighting up the sky, it would undoubtedly be the most spectacular moment of this instance.

"What's there to be happy about? It's not real ability."

"Envious? Jealous? Choice is more important than effort!"

"OMG!" Spectators from other countries were also screaming, but not because of the ten people on the rooftop.

More than just the rules refreshed at six o'clock.

"How could this happen?"

Dozens of students died yesterday, but they also gained a lot.

For Ji Xinghai and his group, the game had entered its final sprint stage. But for some other students, especially those who had been leisurely staying on the shelves, the game had never truly begun.

However, the situation had changed now.

It turned out that after losing their toys, the dolls would refresh with new ones.

And so, when six o'clock arrived on the second day, the students on the shelves faced their nightmare.

In the dimly lit shelves, mechanical hands would suddenly reach out and randomly grab new toys. The next moment, these chosen students would fall from the sky onto the dolls' bedside—ignoring their relationship, it seemed almost romantic?

Watching their companions being plucked away by the claw machines, the students themselves: ...

Romantic my foot.

This batch of students had worse mental fortitude than the first batch. Suddenly selected and transported to an unfamiliar place, facing giant doll heads with malicious eyes, they froze in fear.

Fortunately, only their bodies froze, not their minds. They didn't break down crying or run away, which would have led to immediate death—though there were still some who did, but they were the minority.

The spectators who thought the students on the shelves were safe and could wait for the game to end were also shocked: What happened to the promised special treatment for random students?

They were thinking too much.

There was no special treatment; catch the big fish first, then the small fish, aiming for a complete sweep.

"We shouldn't have had any unrealistic expectations of the Hungry Academy!" Everyone lamented, no longer secretly gloating, instead praying that the taken students could hold on longer and not give the game another chance to refresh.

It would be best if the JiuZhou students could successfully counterattack and even end the game.

"Damn, how many more?"

The ten students on the rooftop cleared wave after wave of NPCs and robots emerging from the thick fog, but as soon as they killed one batch, another appeared, endless.

Even with the dense fog and poison gas, which had already thinned the numbers.

"Who cares, let's fight first." The student speaking glanced at Ji Xinghai nearby.

Ji Xinghai held a mini weapon, firing continuously, with sparks flying from the muzzle. Except for reloading, his posture remained unchanged for an hour, incredibly steady.

Everyone had heard that soldiers from the JiuZhou army were exceptionally resilient, but maintaining perfect accuracy for an hour was impressive.

After all, the customized mini weapons provided by the students had the same recoil as the originals.

The others also observed Ji Xinghai, intentionally or not. They were all elites, and even if there was a gap, it shouldn't be that significant. Seeing Ji Xinghai maintain such accuracy for an hour, they couldn't afford to admit defeat even if they were tired.

Sore back and legs? Hold on!

The main building of the school was cylindrical but shaped like a spring bamboo shoot, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. At the center of the rooftop was a massive red glass pipe, resembling a tree trunk, with branches spreading across the sky, creating its own world.

Now, around the huge tree trunk, colorful glass jars were stacked, one atop another, surrounding the red glass pipe, looking like a Christmas tree adorned with lights from afar.

But beneath the Christmas tree were not gifts but miniature thermal weapons crafted by a student who was grinding away, his temples throbbing with pain but refusing to rest.

The nine students, including Ji Xinghai, were scattered, each guarding a corner, holding machine guns, ensuring no enemy survived the thick fog for an hour.

"I don't believe we can't finish them off!"

"It's about time," Ji Xinghai suddenly said. He finally stopped, taking a surprise chocolate and letting it melt slowly in his mouth: There was still a tough battle ahead.

Over an hour had passed, and he heard the sound of buses—the day shift children must have arrived.

From seven-thirty to eight o'clock was the shift change time for the dolls, when everyone was present.

Ji Xinghai didn't know that the toys formed by the students were given to the day shift students and that night shift students weren't part of the selection. He simply chose a time when the number of participants would be maximized based on his judgment.

If they were going to play, they might as well go all out, making it worth the effort of the Hungry Academy's elaborate design.

The Hungry Academy had planned well, guiding the students step by step to explore, solve puzzles, and see the results at the final moment.

But he was impatient.

Ji Xinghai hated being taught how to play games the most. Someone once said that if a toy requires 'learning' how to play with it rather than being intuitive, it's a failed toy.

Games are the same.

Shouldn't playing games be up to the players?

Just don’t know what the other trainees are like. Please don’t get in the way; otherwise, we'll all blow up together.

Trainees on the bus: ...

Pain, frustration, as if wrapped tightly in silicone suits, feeling like they were about to explode—this was their current sensation.

If dolls usually felt this way, it would be completely... understandable! No, not at all!

Why can't I control my body after becoming a doll?

What time to wake up, what to eat, which bus to take—it’s all set on a fixed program. Even getting on the bus doesn’t allow a moment to breathe.

But it’s okay; they still have their eyes and indomitable willpower!

Deep breaths, deep breaths, stay calm.

The trainees who turned into dolls feel this way, but even those who remain as toys aren’t doing much better.

The toy trainees who arrived at the battlefield yesterday almost all had injuries. They pondered how to escape or kill the dolls while watching the continuously advancing 'main quest exploration value,' feeling immense pressure.

All of us are human; why are these big shots so impressive? While we’re still facing life-threatening situations, they’ve already progressed over fifty percent. Did they raid the boss’s lair?

At this rate, won’t the instance end in just two days?

Leave some soup for us!

They were both sad and happy.

If they had known staying near the dolls would lead to such a dilemma, they should have taken the risk to leave and explore earlier. They could have roamed around like those unknown companions,

tasting the freedom.

Those who arrived yesterday felt this way, but the toy trainees who started today were even more terrified.

Today is worse than yesterday, with another rule restricting the toys, while the first batch of trainees is almost done with the main storyline.

Are they going to fall further behind?

Fortunately, they weren’t the slowest.

Trainees with various thoughts arrived at the school one after another. They were first frightened by the fully armed NPC team, then by the fog-covered rooftop.

The daytime student group was somewhat disorganized; they were wilder than the nighttime group. Therefore, the NPC teachers spent extra effort organizing them.

"When will this be over?"

"I don’t know."

"Huh? Look, what’s in the pipes?"

A few NPC teachers gathered to chat, sitting on the ground and looking up. The sky seemed far away, but the red glass pipes were close enough to see the stumbling colorful pollutants inside.

"...Report it?"

"Forget it, do they not have eyes?"

No one wanted to stand up to notify their superiors; the NPC teachers remained seated uncomfortably. Their bodies were modified with steel structures, making it difficult to sit or stand on flat ground.

They were all frustrated anyway.

An NPC teacher wearing a hood was among them, unsure how much of the current scene was due to its own 'effort.' That small toy, with its tiny frame, did it want to break through the sky?

The sky?

It looked up and found the sky strangely unfamiliar.

Too busy working, it had almost forgotten how long it had been since it last looked up at the sky.

At the edge of its memory, the sky seemed blue, with white clouds and colorful skies.

When did it turn into this gray, dull appearance?

Daytime and nighttime students crowded on the flat ground below the school. This experience was novel; even the most well-disciplined nighttime students couldn’t help but look around, and the daytime students were particularly animated.

Amidst the chaos, a few trainees turned into dolls made eye contact.

It was easy to recognize each other; even without speaking, their eyes and expressions were full of intense longing for freedom and defiance. It was hard for trainees to feign the numbness brought on by the environment.

"What’s going on here?"

"Don’t know, I just got here."

"So did I."

"..."

"..."

Well, ineffective communication.

It's time, everyone here?

Ji Xinghai glanced at his watch; it was about what he had estimated. The increasingly noisy sounds beneath the thick fog also confirmed the bustling activity below.

"Gu Li, plug this gap over here."

"OK, leave it to me, Ji." The cotton doll quickly stood at the intersection of two areas and placed the heavy machine gun on the ground, causing bullet casings to scatter everywhere.

Ji Xinghai ran swiftly to the center: "Good work, get ready to retreat."

"N-no trouble at all." The student who had been crafting weapons was flattered and ate another chocolate bar.

He was a walking arsenal, and while his ability seemed cool, in practice, it was a mess. Not only were there time and power limitations on the handcrafted weapons, but the consumption was truly...

In any case, without these few pieces of instant energy-boosting chocolate bars, he really couldn't craft so many weapons.

The others had been watching Ji Xinghai closely and noticed immediately when he placed something on the topmost layer of the colored glass jars.

The students were both nervous and excited. Among these nine, none were the favorites to win this year. They were considered the second tier among the official trainees, capable of potentially scraping into the top ten with some effort, but otherwise would only receive consolation prizes.

But now, an opportunity for the top ten was right in front of them, within reach.

Ji Xinghai quickly set up the small plastic bottle and created a simple mechanism using alcohol-soaked string and an alcohol lamp. He struck a match, and the flame illuminated his eyes.

"Retreat!"

The signal was immediately received by the other nine students. They promptly threw a mini grenade into the fog and then rushed toward the direction of the cotton doll, abandoning their weapons without hesitation.

The fog was blown apart, creating gaps through which the students slid directly into the golden light circle.

The cotton doll was the last one. She looked at Ji Xinghai, who was still some distance away, and then at the enemies approaching from the fog. With a determined bite, she jumped into the light circle—this was what they had agreed upon earlier. Ji Xinghai would find his own way out.

Orange flames quickly crawled along the string, reaching the mechanism almost instantly, about to ignite the tied-up plastic bottle.

"Ahhh!!!"

Ji Xinghai shot out like a bullet, spreading his arms and launching himself off the edge of the rooftop.

Bong!

Accompanied by a sharp, siren-like wail, the volcano erupted, spewing lava. An invisible wave of air instantly dispersed the fog surrounding the rooftop, shattering glass and deforming metal. The robots, as if crushed by a giant hand, turned into lumps of iron, rolling onto the ground.

The golden light, like the sun, burned the sky and earth, forcing everyone waiting downstairs to close their eyes, tears streaming from their stinging eyes.

Red liquid and golden light blossomed far away on the horizon, forming a thorny flower.

The earth trembled, as if in fear of this overwhelming force that surpassed nature. Tiny lives, like specks of dust, instinctively bowed down, lowering their proud heads in reverence.

They were all afraid, whether the restrained students or the once-arrogant leaders.

Only one person spread their limbs and flew through the air. The air wave carried him forward, the wind kissing and enveloping him, lifting him up.

With a heavily painted face that looked comical yet serious, he wore a big, pure smile.

No fear, no worry.

Amidst the wind and clouds, he glided through the flying shards of iron, strolled through the red rain and colorful light points, as if becoming one with them. Those on the ground bowed their heads, while the one in the air raised his head defiantly. Between life and death lay great terror and great wonder.

The meteor finally fell into a colorful dream, scattering the colorful light points into stars, which chased after him, drawing a rainbow trail.