Chapter 135

Chapter 135

"Brother Hai really did..."

At the peak of the snowy mountain, every member of the Hungry Academy had gathered, not a single one missing.

This was a winter carnival for all the survivors of the Hungry Academy. There were hot springs, various barbecues, pine needle tea brewed with melted snow, and the joy of gathering in a foreign land.

Today, the emotions of the spectators were particularly intense, especially when they saw Ji Xinghai holding a cup of pine needle tea under a tree, his eyes filled with a gentle smile, seemingly blending into the world yet also detached from it. They couldn't help but be moved.

"He truly shares the benefits."

In such extreme weather, what Ji Xinghai provided wasn’t just benefits; it was life, the lives of countless people on this planet.

As if stimulated by the students, the International Alliance also released the latest news, officially announcing a one-to-two assistance policy.

This meant that a strong country would assist two weaker countries to better survive the abnormal natural disasters arriving within 24 hours and eliminate the aftermath of previous disasters.

Half the planet was either experiencing or preparing for these abnormal natural disasters. Without the support of major countries, smaller nations truly had no chance of survival.

"Hope is right in front of us. Everyone, please hold on a little longer!"

"Please believe in our students. They are working hard inside for us. How can we easily give up?"

"The international rescue has arrived! Everything will be fine!"

In less than three days, over 160 students had died, resulting in more than 160 abnormal natural disasters.

Without this kind of altruistic assistance, many civilizations might not survive the darkness before dawn, which would be detrimental to their entry into the interstellar civilization hall. Therefore, whether for the collective good or for themselves, the major countries took action, sparing no effort in providing technology, supplies, and personnel for post-disaster reconstruction and pre-disaster preparations in other countries.

JiuZhou acted the fastest because they already had experience in post-disaster reconstruction and infrastructure capabilities.

Amidst their busy schedules, JiuZhou citizens abroad would open the live stream, watching their own students relax. Their hearts seemed to lighten as well.

People from other countries couldn't help but praise the JiuZhou students and the harmonious atmosphere among them. Seeing them made them feel hopeful about the future.

They could see the survivors of the Hungry Academy sitting in the pristine snowy world, enjoying the free sunshine, chatting, and savoring food with their companions. The students' expressions were so relaxed and carefree.

It was as if their tense souls had found temporary liberation, leaving behind the cruel land and returning to their homeland, a world full of warmth and happiness.

"Hey, have you finished soaking yet?"

A fire was set up on the shore, and students preparing to roast wild chickens and rabbits called out to those still soaking in the sky pool.

The sleepy student, almost dozing off on a nearby rock, rubbed his eyes. "Not yet, why are you in such a hurry? Have you set up the temporary changing room? Can you handle it?"

"Stop talking nonsense, come help set it up."

Over a hundred students occupied only a corner of the large sky pool.

The first batch of students who had finished soaking were now energetically hunting and chopping wood. Those with lesser abilities could set traps or collect dry branches.

Their primary targets were century-old trees and meaty live prey.

"How can we give dead animals to Ji? Watch me." Professionally trained official students darted through the forest like monkeys, quickly catching live deer and wild goats.

Some missed their targets, so the dead animals were immediately skinned, cleaned, cut into pieces, and seasoned before being placed on the grill. The seasoning was also provided by Ji Xinghai.

Those collecting dry branches, skewering meat, and lighting fires worked together without distinction. Happiness was all that mattered.

"Get some more prey and chop down a few more trees. Later, everyone should take one away."

Besides the hot springs, the snowy space offered much more—trees and prey. One could upgrade rooms, while the other provided food, both essential for the students.

"Okay, leave the heavy lifting to us."

"When you return, there will be food. I found a nest of wild honey. Oh, and there are snakes in hibernation."

"Pity, if it were autumn, we could find wild fruits and mushrooms."

The official students were experts in wilderness survival, and even the randomly selected students had honed their skills. Now, there were over a dozen barbecue pits and prepared prey on the ground, with felled trees stacked like a small mountain, and a temporary changing room set up nearby.

Two students carried pots, which they contributed—one for brewing pine needle tea and the other for boiling water.

Students who had finished soaking entered the temporary changing room. They had worn close-fitting underwear when entering the water, and now they removed and wrung out these clothes before putting on their outerwear.

With the enhancements, they could now tolerate the outside temperature. Even those who had been huddled like bear cubs could walk calmly on the snow.

"This isn't the coldest time yet. When the snow melts, it's a wet-cold magical attack." An experienced student added dry branches to the fire while sighing.

Many of them didn't even have winter clothing, let alone go out for supplies; they couldn't leave the fire pit at all. Without Ji Xinghai's miraculous intervention, freezing to death was inevitable.

So, they were willing to give him anything, even their treasures.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't accept them.

Unless it was an exchange, Ji Xinghai refused any additional gifts.

To be honest, most of them hadn't even opened their basements or balconies and were barely managing two meals a day. There was no need to force additional gifts in this unknown duration of the scenario.

Moreover, taking advantage of NPCs was far more enjoyable than exploiting students.

The former were the real wealthy patrons.

Even without additional items, just one tree or one prey per person could fill his room to the brim, leaving no gaps.

"After upgrading the second floor, should I upgrade the balcony or the basement next?" He pondered today.

The students, unaware of Ji Xinghai's luxurious dilemma, sat together laughing and sharing information.

One resource gate per day for four days equals twelve gates in three days, and there are one hundred and six people here. Even if half of them are duplicates, there are still hundreds of resource gates' worth of information.

Information equals opportunity, and opportunity equals resources.

The students cherished the time they had to exchange information, knowing that such a gathering of a hundred people would likely not happen again.

"What? You can get planting soil through the farm space and turn one part of your room into a planting area? Is this about growing vegetables? Will we have enough time?"

"We do have enough time. I planted a tomato plant, and it bore fruit on the second day and was ripe on the third. The most important thing is that plants can regulate temperature; one plant can adjust by one degree. Imagine having ten or twenty plants..."

The third person, who had been listening for a while, couldn't help but pour some cold water: "It's a good idea, but finding seeds and seedlings to plant is difficult. I tried, and neither the mature plants from the resource areas nor the seeds from fruits can be planted. Additionally, the planting area loses fertility, so you need to replenish it with fertilizer."

"That's easy. Old leaves and leftover bones can be used as fertilizer. What I want to know is how everyone plans to get drinking water without a water purifier. For these three days, I've been relying on raw lettuce leaves."

"It's simple. Find a large wooden bucket, drill a small hole at the bottom, then layer fine cloth, charcoal, sand, and pebbles..."

This person taught everyone on the spot how to make a simple filter.

Many students listened intently; not everyone could find a filter, and the drinking water issue was a common problem.

"Besides drinking water, don't you have... other difficulties?"

"Oh—"

"This is indeed a problem. Don't laugh; it's a serious matter."

This was a rather pungent comment, yet many agreed?

Students who hadn't consumed any fruits, vegetables, or fats for three days were already feeling the effects of constipation, and their health levels were dangerously low due to this.

The setting was designed to be so unforgiving.

"An unbalanced diet leads to health crises. Protein, fat, starch, and vitamins are all essential."

"Don't mention it," said a burly student with a bitter smile. "In real life, my physical condition is excellent, but because of the lack of food these past few days, I was warned this morning that due to malnutrition and poor hygiene, my resistance was low, causing me to fall ill. My health level dropped by one point every hour. It scared me to death, but thankfully, Leader Ji summoned me. After a bath and plenty of meat, and even some vitamin-rich pine needles, I felt much better."

"Did everyone start off so poorly? On the first day, I opened an island space with coconut trees and coconut crabs, and there were fish and seaweed underwater. Since the space had no restrictions, both food and drinking water were solved." An extremely lucky student spoke up.

"You're really lucky. I only found a few fruit-bearing baobab trees, and I've almost eaten myself sick with them over these three days. Who said that roasted baobab fruit is sweet and fluffy?"

"You're all so lucky. I've been getting either pirate ships or deserts, being chased by pirates or desert lizards. When I finally found a relatively peaceful place, I was robbed and chased by someone from another academy. F***!"

"Condolences, sister."

"Thanks for the comfort, but fortunately, I managed to steal a chest of jewels from the pirates and found antiques in the desert. I also killed that bastard and got quite a haul. I've already stored enough food to fill a warehouse."

"...Am I the clown?"

Ji Xinghai listened in. This simulation had all sorts of spaces, and he was particularly interested in the "buffet space" that one student had opened on the first day. It was a huge space where everything was kept at the perfect serving temperature, and there was an abundance of food and drink.

He couldn't help but rub his chin. There was no drool, but he was certainly longing for it.

This gold-bought holiday continued until nightfall. As darkness set in, they sat around the campfire, eating the last skewers, drinking pine needle tea, and gazing up at the star-studded dark blue sky.

"How beautiful."

"It's eight o'clock. We have to leave now."

It was time to depart.

Ji Xinghai wasn't there.

Everyone else could return with a mere thought, but he had to go back the same way he came and find the door home. So he left an hour ago.

Initially, the students wanted to help carry the collected items down the mountain, but Ji Xinghai used his wealth.

"Hello, can you help deliver these to my room? One kilogram of gold, let's be friends?"

Snow Mountain Space: ...

"I'd be delighted, my dear friend."

He offered far too much.

After finishing the last skewer, they buried the campfire with snow and stood up.

"Brothers and sisters, I'm leaving." One hand held a cut tree, the other a rabbit's ear, and a bag of pine needles was stuffed in their clothes. This student disappeared.

They would return to their rooms, upgrade them, and process their game.

"I should go too. Hopefully, we'll meet again after the exam."

"Goodbye, everyone. Stay alive, don't waste the buffs Leader Ji gave us."

"Leaving now, see you next time."

"Be careful of the other academies. Don't die at their hands, or I'll mock you."

"Take care of yourself, you lucky devil."

One by one, the students left the Snow Mountain Space. It felt like a dream, but the game and the trees reminded them it was real.

"Too tired, will deal with it tomorrow."

The students slept, and the audience watching the screens couldn't help yawning.

It was late, and they should sleep too.