Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Ji Xinghai already had the ability to free himself, but he remained calm and blended in with the group, moving forward step by step.

From the foot of the mountain to the summit, the journey seemed long with lamps illuminating the path. However, it was unclear what method they used to create the illusion of thousands of people with just dozens.

The pace of this group was abnormally slow; it took him half an hour to reach the halfway point, and more unfortunate souls kept joining from behind through opening doors.

Once someone opened a door, they were immediately bewitched—no matter how cautious they were, there was no fairness here.

Ji Xinghai also observed the surroundings. He initially thought the tree-like creatures resembled stick insects, but upon closer inspection, they turned out to be slender bees. About two meters tall, their heads and tails were sharp and thin, with a long syringe trailing behind.

It stared intently at Ji Xinghai, its black compound eyes gleaming coldly.

Compared to this monster, the guiding birds and the cat that pulled people were minor issues.

Each black-robed student was accompanied by one of these monsters. He saw the syringes dragging on the ground in the darkness, resembling old roots or tentacles.

However, Ji Xinghai had no time to study them further. After passing the halfway mark, the path suddenly became narrow and thin, barely wide enough for two feet. When he tried to move outward, he encountered some kind of barrier.

Two invisible barriers were squeezing the black-robed students on the path.

Ji Xinghai had been well-fed recently and no longer looked gaunt. For his slim build, the path was becoming increasingly difficult. His black robe was already deformed from the pressure.

Looking back at the girl behind him, who was originally slim, she was now squeezed into a shape resembling a bamboo stick. Her face twisted in agony, her bloodshot eyes bulging from their sockets.

Ji Xinghai was repulsed by the sight and casually opened a small spatial rift for her. She gasped for air like a dying fish returning to water, drenched in sweat.

"You helped me," she said gratefully. "Thank you."

By creating the space, he not only gave her room to breathe but also freed her from her restraints, allowing her to speak. However, she still couldn't escape the control of the black robes and continued moving forward step by step.

Ji Xinghai didn't deny it: "This is indeed an interesting scenario. It's clear this isn't something the Hungry Academy set up. It's extremely lethal and leaves no way out."

Although the planet had suffered greatly due to the Hungry Academy, the scenarios he had experienced usually offered a way out for higher-level students. Unlike this one, which seemed almost certain death, only someone like Ji Xinghai, with a backup plan, had a chance to survive.

"The academy I'm from," the student sneered, having regained her composure.

"I've gone through five exams, each with over five hundred students. Almost every exam ends with only ten to twenty survivors. The academy's style is to set up deadly traps and toss random unlucky souls into them."

"..." Ji Xinghai recalled the scenarios he had experienced, where hundreds typically survived.

Ji Xinghai didn't know about previous scenarios or that the Hungry Academy had taken a similar approach, leading to several instances where only single-digit survivors remained or even complete annihilation.

He judged based on his own experiences, ignoring the fact that he had single-handedly led all students through the scenarios, declaring the Hungry Academy's scenarios too easy.

"This scenario is the most lenient of all. I guessed the other two academies would have gentler ones. Indeed, I saw many different types of students, their eyes filled with light, hope, and resilience."

She paused before continuing: "Some even seemed too innocent and naive, as if they had been well-protected."

Ji Xinghai was silent.

"Indeed, in these scenarios, everyone is on their own. Who could protect anyone? How did these people survive the first five scenarios?"

The student smiled bitterly, envious despite herself.

Among the three academies, only their academy's students carried the harshness of brutal training.

Listening to her story, Ji Xinghai replied earnestly: "Yes, once you enter here, you should know you must rely on yourself. Which academy's students are so naive and innocent?"

The naive and innocent students must be from another academy.

"Damn! I knew it! This is only the eighth day of the scenario. According to the analysis, the scenarios follow the order of autumn, winter, spring, and summer. We're only halfway through spring, yet the number of survivors is already in the single digits. I never realized the Hungry Academy could be so ruthless, leaving no room for ordinary people. There's an even harsher academy."

"Only ten to twenty survivors out of five hundred. Good grief, is their world okay?"

"Thinking about those worse off than us, it brings some balance."

Previously, civilians from other countries envied JiuZhou's civilians, even feeling jealous. Who knew they were also favored by fate? Nearly five hundred disasters in a game? Unimaginable.

In comparison, the Hungry Academy seemed mild.

The Command Unit, knowing more details, remained silent.

"So, this is why the Hungry Academy has repeatedly failed and continues to fail?" everyone was shocked.

"With such a low survival rate, can anyone from that world make it to the day of the academy battle? Or do they die right after?"

Governments worldwide speculated that the Hungry Academy's repeated failures were due to being too soft, not engaging in the brutal survival-of-the-fittest approach, resulting in weaker winners compared to other academies' champions.

As beneficiaries, they were grateful to be in the Hungry Academy rather than the one that went all out without hesitation.

Hungry Academy: ...

Wasn't it trying to go all out?

Wasn't it trying to foster competition?

After twelve consecutive losses, it hadn't rolled itself into a bigger failure, but the scenario difficulty had already aligned with the average.

What good did it do when the opponents were cheating?

The student, thinking she was doomed, unexpectedly found a glimmer of hope and vented her frustrations.

After releasing her pent-up anger, she noticed that her savior was walking backwards, facing her. Surprised, she looked closely and realized he wasn't walking backwards; every second she looked, he was always half a meter away, not moving his feet.

"Space ability?" Such a rare ability, even in her world, was exceptional. Given how skillfully he used it, he must be a formidable figure in his own academy.

"Why did you save me?"

Ji Xinghai thought to himself that he couldn't say her expression had spiced him up, so he gave another excuse: "Can you tell me about your civilization?"

The student was taken aback: "Where should I start?"

"Anywhere." There was still some distance to the mountaintop, and listening to stories would pass the time.

"Then let's start with the meteor thirteen years ago that changed our world..."

The audience outside listened along with Ji Xinghai as they heard about a prosperous civilization entering a historical cold winter due to a disaster caused by a massive meteor carrying mysterious powers. Tsunamis, unknown viruses, intelligent beings evolving into monsters, and other races vying for dominance...

In just a few sentences, the rich imaginations of screenwriters could already envision several TV series and epic movies.

A few people also noticed the black-robed figures squeezed into thin sticks by an invisible barrier ahead and behind them.

There were students from the Hungry Academy in this instance, two of whom had bad luck and were already there before Ji Xinghai arrived. The audience watched as they were squeezed out of their stomach contents and excretions, their blood vessels bursting, eyes popping out, followed by their internal organs...

Seeing familiar organs being squeezed out through mouths and excretions, even tearing the corners of mouths, almost made the audience vomit.

Yet the students were still alive, carried unknowingly by their black robes, continuing up the mountain with deformed faces hanging limply, their eye sockets empty, holding lanterns.

It was bone-chilling.

Seven students from their own civilization entered this space; two escaped by their innate abilities, two in front of Ji Xinghai were now in a half-dead state.

Two more were behind Ji Xinghai, advancing in terror and uncontrollably.

The last one was Ji Xinghai.

"This space is appearing for the first time. I've listed all previous spaces, and there's no mistake."

Since it was the first appearance of this space, the audience didn't know what would happen next, but they had already seen its terrifying aspects.

If another academy experienced instances of this level, the high mortality rate would be understandable.

From halfway up the mountain to the summit, it took only about thirty minutes. The student had briefly recounted her civilization's experiences. She looked up and saw that everyone except her and Ji Xinghai had been compressed into thin shapes, each entering a building with gaping mouths, the light swallowing the shadows of their black robes.

The bee-like monsters on either side seemed indifferent to whether they were thin or normal; they only cared if the students entered the house, becoming more excited as they approached the building.

Witnessing everything, the student's teeth chattered, her body trembling slightly. She was about to enter the house.

A few seconds later, she followed Ji Xinghai through the narrow door. The blinding light left her world blank until her eyes adjusted.

"Oh my God," she covered her mouth.

The building looked pointed from the outside, but inside, it was spherical. Apart from the small area where they entered, the rest was raised white, semi-transparent bulbous shapes, like unopened flower buds layered upon each other.

Some of these buds had opened, with students stuffed inside, leaving only their heads visible after being consumed.

She also noticed some glowing transparent substances on the consumed students, unsure if they were mucus or something else.

The black-robed student in front of Ji Xinghai stood there, the light from his lantern pulsing like breath. Suddenly, an unopened bud responded, slowly opening a corner.

The student holding the lantern was wrapped by a thin vine and inserted into the newly opened bud, along with the lantern.

But it wasn't over yet. As soon as the student was inserted into the bud, several wriggling worms appeared in the gaps. They were glowing and transparent, quite beautiful.

These beautiful creatures wriggled towards the unfortunate student, inserting their heads directly into the black-robed body, wriggling their way inside.

One, two, three, the parasites surrounded the poor student like a hazy light.

She observed closely, her pupils shrinking in fear.

'She will die, she will die in this terrible way.'

This student looked at the black-robed figure's empty eye sockets, unsure if the person was still conscious. If death came in this horrific manner while unconscious, it might be a blessing.

Thinking about experiencing this while fully aware, the student began to feel nauseous and vomited.

"Did you eat something bad?" a clear, cold voice drifted over.

Right! There was this person!

The student looked at him with intense eyes. Normally, she would never show such weakness, as no one would save others in life-or-death instances. Yet for some reason... she sensed hope in this unfamiliar student, something that made her want to trust him.

"You..."

"Hush," Ji Xinghai placed his finger on his lips, "it's coming."