Chapter 100

Chapter 100

One, two, three, the victory record of The Black Faction grew at a visible pace.

It wasn't that the White Faction was collectively throwing matches; they just tended to choose competitions that favored The Black Faction's students. After all, most of those who survived the first round were official delegates, and the current events were their former training exercises.

"This is fine. The Hungry Academy wanted to test the students' abilities, especially one particular lively student, but now it's all for naught."

Everyone knew which lively student they were referring to.

Without any prior discussion, they made similar choices. "Our human race has thrived to this day for a reason."

The White Faction's students had initially planned to target the most threatening Ji Xinghai, but now they were queuing up to give him points because they realized this issue.

Even Jie Sen, the Federation student who had the worst relationship with JiuZhou, only chose to compete in a two-kilometer obstacle course and calmly accepted his defeat.

For the collective benefit of humanity, they couldn't risk testing the limits of Ji Xinghai's abilities, even if they wanted to.

"I understand all this, but why isn't The Black Faction compromising?"

The minister picked up his teacup and took a sip of bitter tea: "The victory of the replica is the will of the Hungry Academy, while the victory of the original is the will of humanity. They seem the same, but there is a fundamental difference."

Of course, not everyone could see this layer, so there were indeed some straightforward individuals who simply wanted to compete.

Ji Xinghai encountered such a student who wanted to challenge him to a fishing contest.

Hmm... fishing?

"Fishing?"

The students who spent points to watch were surprised, and there was an uproar outside. What were they thinking? Challenging Ji Xinghai to a fishing contest?

Tian Ping hid in the shadows, chuckling. It didn't dare do much, but the student was unlucky enough to encounter a fool.

In fact, when serving as a judge and exam assistant, it received instructions to block Ji Xinghai and eliminate elite contestants. But looking at its current situation, with inspectors watching closely and students eager for points, it dared not act.

An NPC's life is still a life!

"Can Ji Xinghai fish?"

"Of course he can. Who can't fish? Setting up bait, casting the line, reeling in the catch—it's simple. The question is whether he can actually catch anything."

"Exactly, the question is whether he can catch anything!"

The spectators argued, and Ji Xinghai below couldn't help but scratch his head. He had been busy over the years, always dreaming of finding a place to grow flowers and fish in retirement, but he never got the chance, always being dragged into various incidents even under a pseudonym.

So, while he had the theoretical knowledge, he lacked practical experience.

"They say beginners have luck in fishing. Maybe I'll be lucky?" he thought.

With this hopeful expectation, Ji Xinghai cast his fishing line and began fishing.

He found a spot theoretically rich with fish, set up bait, and waited until bubbles appeared, indicating fish below. Then he cast his baited hook right where he had set up the bait.

Sunlight, trees, a shimmering lake, two people wearing hats fishing—this scene was idyllic—were it not for the life-or-death competition.

"Hey, why no bites yet?"

"The other side already has two fish."

The spectators were jumping with anxiety. Would Ji Xinghai lose in such a trivial contest?

Indeed, the seemingly invincible JiuZhou student faced a setback.

Despite his towering height, handsome face, and all-around skills... none of it mattered. He just couldn't catch any fish. The other contestant's bucket was nearly full, while his remained empty.

The challenger kept glancing over, seeing Ji Xinghai lost in thought, and felt smug. With half the time gone, the outcome was clear. Even the famous champion would fall to him.

"It's not my brother's fault; it's the fish. They don't know a gem when they see one."

The live audience shared the frustration. Ji Xinghai had won over a dozen victories for The Black Faction, and he should have continued to the end. How could he stumble here?

But what could be done?

The rules clearly stated that only fish caught on the hook counted, and even if Ji Xinghai could drain the lake, the fish wouldn't count.

As the thirty-minute limit approached, Ji Xinghai finally moved.

He stood up, stretched, removed his shoes and socks, and dove into the water.

Everyone was shocked. When they looked again, Ji Xinghai was swimming like a fish, quickly approaching a large fish. Amidst swaying aquatic plants, his figure moved like a ghost, and in a flash, he grabbed the fish, rendering it unconscious with a slight squeeze.

He hung the fish on his hook. "..."

Before today, diving to hang a fish on the hook was just a joke. But from today, it would become a meme.

Ji Xinghai's first fish appeared in this dramatic way, and he repeated the process, catching ten fish within the allotted time. Each fish was larger than the last, with the final one measuring over a meter long and weighing more than twenty pounds.

Finally, the thirty-minute match ended.

"You! You cheated!" the challenger exclaimed angrily, feeling humiliated.

Ji Xinghai shrugged, running his dripping hand through his hair: "A live fish on the hook, then reeled in—what's wrong with the process?"

"But this isn't fishing."

He looked at him as if he were watching a sideshow: "That's your problem. Why not set up a real fishing challenge? If you want to show off your skills, you should create a genuine pond, one that doesn't contain only two types of fish."

The challenger was taken aback. To win, he had indeed set up a special pond stocked with only the kinds of fish he was best at catching.

The challenger wanted to win, so he prepared content he was skilled in but unfamiliar to others. Ji Xinghai also wanted to win, so when traditional methods failed, he took another path.

After putting in effort, one should accept whatever result comes.

This kind of impotent rage is annoying to watch.

The challenger fell into an unconscious stupor out of frustration, and Ji Xinghai kicked him aside: "Next."

Those who hadn't been watching didn't understand why this unconscious person was kicked away while others were carried to safety.

Those who had been watching thought: He really doesn't hide his likes and dislikes.

As soon as Ji Xinghai finished, students from the White Faction who had been waiting eagerly surrounded him.

"Me! Me first."

"I was here first. You wait for the next round."

In the end, a student who looked young pushed her way through. She adjusted her glasses and stared at him intently: "Dear Ji, do you have any favorite things?"

Ji Xinghai thought for a moment: "Food."

"Any food? I heard JiuZhou has many delicacies. I love dumplings." The student clenched her fists excitedly, "If you like it, how about a food tasting competition? Oh, right, a big-eater contest!"

"Cough," Ji Xinghai nodded, "Perhaps we could be more creative. How about using anomalous creatures as ingredients?" "Whoa."

Food made from anomalous creatures? They recalled the dark cuisine that drove people mad after eating it.

That's not something you should eat!

They knew that JiuZhou students had the special ability to devour anomalous creatures, but even now, they still sought to increase their strength?

No wonder they're so strong; they're always striving to improve!

Ji Xinghai and the student disappeared on either side of the stone table. The unchallenged "Ji Xinghai" looked down at his watch. Five and a half hours had passed since the 24-hour period began, and The Black Faction's score had finally turned positive.

The number of students around him decreased, while the number of unconscious ones lying there increased.

"Hey, Ji, I'm leaving." A nearby student was finally challenged and was eager to go, "I'll give that guy an unforgettable match."

"Coming back?" "Ji Xinghai" asked him.

"Not coming back."

They would strive for victory to the best of their abilities, but in the end, they would personally shatter the crown of victory. The former was for themselves, the latter for the benefit of humanity.

After the first major competition, the White Faction still had 181 members, while The Black Faction needed at least 173 victories to turn their negative 73 points into a positive 100, which meant eliminating 181 people.

And during this period, no more losses could be incurred.

This seemed almost impossible, yet the replicants aimed to make it the only possibility.

Reality, in a special residential area in JiuZhou.

"Aren't they afraid of being eliminated after 24 hours due to unexpected incidents?"

"They are, but this is the best method. No one knows what will happen after the replicants replace the originals. They prefer to bet that the scenario will end within 24 hours rather than risk trying Hunger Academy's traps themselves."

"These kids have it tough."

"Yes."

On a sofa sat a middle-aged couple with speckled hair. The wife, with a heroic demeanor typical of the North, and the husband, with a gentle manner typical of the South, both hid unspeakable sorrow in their eyes, even their smiles seemed forced.

From the time their child had an accident, to accepting it, arranging for the future, and then another incident, nine years had passed, but it felt like nine lifetimes.

The wife was once a detective who solved major cases, and the husband was once a teacher who nurtured countless talents. But after that incident, both chose to resign.

They suspected that their busy lives had prevented them from noticing the anomalies in their daily lives, leading to their only child suddenly falling into a coma without knowing the cause. Now they ran a small shop, enough to cover living expenses and care for their family.

But even while caring for their family, they lost them.

This was the first time they watched the live stream this year. Nine projections covered the wall, the largest showing their child. This familiar face bore an unfamiliar expression, no longer static but dynamic, full of life.

They gazed greedily, reluctant to blink, yet feeling guilty for looking too much.

"A-Cheng," the wife spoke first, grabbing her husband's arm, "Look at this child. He loves food just like our son."

Her husband looked up at the screen, where the child was devouring fried fish chunks made from unknown fish, golden and oily. Though it was to enhance his own strength, he ate with relish. This was the expression of someone who truly loved food, with a charm that made others want to taste it too.

"Do you think our child, if still here, could grow up to be this outstanding?" the wife asked, bewildered.

Her husband looked up: "Probably. But our little Xing was a bit spoiled, afraid of pain, darkness, heat, cold, and even monsters in cartoons."

"Well, that's because you pampered him too much. Actually, he doesn't need to be too exceptional. With us watching over him, he could grow up happily."

Such a lovely child, sweet and clingy in his younger days, growing up a bit, declaring himself a man, still sweet, and especially fond of sweets, smiling with a tiny dimple.

How did they lose him?

Silence followed for a long time, the cold light casting a white frost on their backs.

On the screen, the handsome young man continued to devour various deadly anomalous delicacies with wild abandon. Another contestant seemed to be there merely to cheer him on.

"A-Cheng, do you think our child might also be like him, just starting anew in another world? When someone leaves, someone else arrives, right?"

The husband, usually clear-headed and rational, was now unwilling to shatter his wife's beautiful dream.

"Yes," they snuggled together, drawing what little warmth they could, "our child must still be alive, living happily in some world."