Chapter 151

Chapter 151

The First Joint College Exam Concludes Perfectly!

This statement came from the Hungry Academy. The feedback from the other two colleges was unclear, but when the Hungry Academy invited them for another joint exam, they received very serious and firm rejections.

"Don't push it too far!"

"If I trust you again, I'm a dog!"

Of course, the students were unaware of these matters; they had already entered the final settlement phase.

The top ten prize packages hadn't appeared yet. Ji Xinghai was once again in first place, wearing a golden crown with an expressionless face. However, unlike before, this time the students knew their points in advance.

One could only say that as expected of a joint competition, the points were on par with a joint competition level.

Perhaps to make up for the lack of treasure chests within the scenario, the points awarded to the surviving students were quite generous, almost double what they had received in previous exams.

Ji Xinghai didn't have any regrets about the lack of treasure chests. Since the exam didn't provide them, he took his own way to obtain them.

Self-reliance is the best policy, as our ancestors truly said.

"Boss, I knew the rescue team was called by you, but what was that burning building? It couldn't be the Rubik's Cube Building where we stayed, right?"

"Ji, congratulations. You're still leading in both colleges."

"So how did you actually call for help? This scenario was incredibly difficult. If it hadn't ended, I wouldn't know how much longer I could have held on."

As soon as they entered the top ten settlement space, Ji Xinghai was surrounded by the other nine. Previous exams weren't particularly challenging, so their skill gaps weren't evident. After this scenario, they genuinely admired Ji Xinghai.

Some people score full marks because they can, while others score full marks because that's all there is.

"This exam was definitely not a normal college exam. It might have been a simulation of the college war, otherwise, why would they organize a joint exam between two colleges?"

"I had the same suspicion. And given the high difficulty, it was aimed at the top-tier students, not the ordinary ones."

Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer—these were the seasons they experienced.

The first two days were Autumn, corresponding to lower difficulty resource gathering and hunting.

The next four days were Winter, corresponding to slightly higher difficulty extreme cold natural disasters.

The following four days were Spring, corresponding to further tests of survival skills and combat abilities against insect plagues.

Summer had just begun, showing the dangers of heavy rain and flooding. The real threat, however, was the plague that would come later.

Fortunately, they were rescued and left the Rubik's Cube Building early. Otherwise, the survivors would have been reduced by half.

And these were just the obvious challenges. Survivors of this scenario knew that the hidden challenge was loneliness, numbness to time, and the confusion and despair of possibly missing the rescue.

So it was clear from the difficulty that this scenario wasn't designed for ordinary students. Any slight deficiency in character or ability would mean they couldn't even be considered cannon fodder.

"But it wasn't all bad," one student said.

They were referring to the permanent buff enhancements.

In fact, such enhancements had appeared in previous scenarios. In the road upgrade scenario, the monsters turned into dolls that enhanced the students' physical attributes. In the carnival scenario, special foods strengthened their unique abilities.

But the permanent buff enhancement in this scenario was exceptionally powerful.

Ji Xinghai's money-spending spree increased everyone's resistance to cold, but the few who encountered and awakened magical creatures and learned magic were truly enviable.

Besides these, there was also a buff called 'Danger Premonition,' which made students feel the chill of death seconds before fatal danger. The most noticeable sign was a breeze in enclosed spaces.

The Hungry Academy must have copied from Final Destination.

Ji Xinghai listened quietly to their discussions, realizing there were many interesting resources he hadn't encountered.

Of course, no one's gains matched his. He obtained two of the two beneficial resource spaces, along with the insect nest, the sea scavenging space, the orchard, and the last polluted sea.

If the Rubik's Cube Building hadn't been so heavily tainted that anyone near it would be influenced by its malevolence—leading to depression or suicide—he would have taken it away as well.

What a pity.

Such a good breeding ground, unattainable.

Then destroy it.

"Although the gains were significant, if I had to choose, I'd rather have fewer of these scenarios. The casualties were too severe. I don't even dare to imagine what the outside world looks like after so many abnormal disasters."

The top ten settlement space fell silent.

Dare not think, cannot think, must keep moving forward.

"Wah wah wah, don't worry, we're all fine. Just focus on doing well inside."

Seeing the students still worrying about those outside, the audience nearly cried. Many of their countries had experienced abnormal disasters, some twice, leaving the world in ruins.

But everyone knew this was the darkest hour before dawn, the pain before rebirth, unavoidable and needing to be faced head-on.

Breakthroughs were in sight. Even the most pessimistic countries had changed their attitudes of self-pity and resignation, organizing themselves to fight the abnormal disasters and actively participating in post-disaster reconstruction.

Simultaneously, the policy of large countries helping smaller ones continued, with resources, technology, and personnel flowing generously to these impoverished nations.

Ji Xinghai's live stream gained several hundred million more viewers over these days. Where did they come from? They were from relatively impoverished countries that had just received video devices.

The harsh environment couldn't be changed immediately, but at least they could light a spark in the hearts that had grown cold—this was why those countries encouraged their citizens to watch Ji Xinghai from JiuZhou instead of their own students.

Only absolute strength could give confidence to those trapped in darkness.

The settlement began as the student spoke, and a larger-than-usual gift package appeared before Ji Xinghai, along with the usual replica token and an exemption from abnormal natural disasters.

Up to this point, he had collected six replica tokens; two more would allow him to submit an application.

Ji Xinghai opened the large gift package.

Ribbon, petals, and a cheerful voice saying, "What a wonderful day today is:"

"Due to the outstanding performance of the student in this exam, the country has won a chance for a comprehensive deep purification. Would you like to use this purification opportunity immediately?"

"..." Could he say no?

"Use it."

Thinking that this was the grand prize, he was surprised when, after the petals disappeared, another small light emerged.

"You have received a custom-made robot. This robot can accompany you into the exam under assistance conditions. Please choose a type: housekeeping robot, nursing robot, childcare robot, guard robot..."

Another special reward. There had been robot blueprints before, but never a custom-made robot...

Ji Xinghai thought about it and realized this might be a hint from the Hungry Academy, adding an extra layer of protection. This could refer to the next replica or the future academy battle.

However, he didn't need it.

He was used to being alone after all these years, and having someone else around would only add complications, even if it wasn't a person.

"Can the custom-made robot only be bound to me? Can it be bound to someone else?" The emotionless voice paused for two seconds and said, "Yes."

"Bind it to my mother, and make it a guard robot."

He remembered his mother's job was very dangerous and prone to attracting enemies, which led to them moving twice. Later, they decided frequent moves were bad for children, so they settled down.

A guard robot would be perfect for his mother.

If there's another slot, he'd give one to his father—a housekeeping robot, to help him out.

Other students also opened their gift packages. The Hungry Academy was unusually generous this time, giving out evolution indicators freely. This indirectly indicated the Hungry Academy's current stance—it aimed to solve the biggest problem on their planet, the great pollution, ensuring stability at home.

This way, the students would surely repay the favor by striving hard, bringing back honor for the Hungry Academy.

Ji Xinghai: ... Not sure what to say, better not say anything.

After the top ten settlements came the individual points settlement.

Ji Xinghai originally had 473 points remaining. This time, he gained over a thousand points, reaching 1030, making a total of 1503 points.

Not to brag, but he could now buy anything on the menu blindfolded.

Which one should he choose?

In the real world.

Layers of colorful halos converged and wrapped like petals. Under the flowing light, black and gray substances coalesced into black monsters, seemingly roaring at the sky, struck by golden lightning.

People of JiuZhou hid in their homes, watching the suddenly darkened sky through windows.

The colorful halos, golden lightning, and black waves seemed to be subtly opposing each other.

"What is that? Is it the source of the pollution?"

They didn't know what was happening, but they knew something significant was about to occur.

"Will it be restored? Will it return to its best state?"

They watched anxiously, expecting a major battle, but the colorful halos suddenly bloomed, covering the heavens and earth of JiuZhou. The black monsters had no fighting power and vanished instantly.

"Is it daylight?"

Fine mist fell, making the world hazy.

They stretched out their hands, and crystal-clear droplets landed in their palms, reflecting a world of unprecedented purity.

"Has it been restored?"

Comprehensive deep purification of JiuZhou—this was such a powerful gift that it would serve as the ultimate trump card in a novel, fitting its value and significance.

Yet, they hadn't reached the end, and the greatest luck had already befallen ordinary people?

Was this real?

Air, land, water, and creatures struggling in polluted areas—all within JiuZhou's range, even a dying ant poisoned by toxins was saved.

Dressed in thick protective suits, inspectors jumped off planes to the most severely polluted, uninhabited regions. They needed to bring back samples as quickly as possible.

The boss said, "Every minute counts. The sooner we know, the sooner the underground city residents can come out."

"Q Province, 0 pollution. T Province, 0 pollution..." Data flowed in, but ordinary people couldn't wait. They stepped out of their homes into the drizzle, taking a deep breath.

"It's the first time I've felt rain so beautiful."

"What clean air! Looks like we won't need to buy 'clean air bottles' anymore, ha ha ha."

People from other countries waited on forums for news from JiuZhou.

This could be the world's first fully purified country, but certainly not the last. They eagerly awaited good news, tinged with bittersweet feelings.

"News is here! Check JiuZhou's official channel."

They hurried to JiuZhou's official website, where a headline dominated the front page.

"Ten days later, all the dungeons will be closed. Everyone, we can go home."