Chapter 163

Chapter 163

"Is there actually a civilization that has been working with the Hungry Academy for twenty-seven years? What were they thinking?"

Although the Academy can provide crucial evolutionary directions and products vital to a civilization, thereby shortening their development process, all of this is predicated on the civilization not being severely weakened. But that civilization had already shrunk to one-fifth of its original size, leaving it barely hanging on by a thread, with no room for failure.

"At least our planet maintains a unified stance on this issue."

There were not entirely no dissenting voices, but the leaders of the two largest factions reached an agreement, rendering the smaller factions' voices insignificant.

Thus, the general public largely believes that when disaster strikes, although there may still be local conflicts, the overall direction remains consistent. They do not need to agonize over whom to follow or watch helplessly as their civilization descends into internal strife, affecting ordinary people like them.

"The more I understand, the luckier I feel our civilization is."

Every civilization faces significant challenges at the cusp of evolution, and the Great Pollution is relatively low-risk among these challenges.

At least it doesn't randomly wipe out several countries just for fun.

Moreover, the Hungry Academy is considered relatively mild among the academies. The death of students leads to localized anomalies, but humans have long since discovered methods to mitigate their impact, yet the Academy hasn't increased the difficulty accordingly.

To put it bluntly, the Hungry Academy really acts like a lazy fish that lies flat, occasionally flips over, and then continues lying flat.

Of course, the most fortunate aspect is that in just the fourth year of the game, they produced a student with cheat-level abilities, who is willing to help others, further reducing the losses for the entire civilization.

It can be said that among the thirteen civilizations participating through their respective academies, their civilization has preserved the most strength, the most cultural inheritors, and the greatest potential.

How fortunate indeed?

Inside the instance.

"I'm taking this map and these fire seeds; you can divide the rest among yourselves."

"Sure thing, boss."

Ji Xinghai didn't bother correcting their title anymore; it wouldn't change anyway.

He took the map that refreshes once a day and broke open the spatial artifact of that team, consolidating the fire seeds (the map also belonged to this team).

After combining the fire seeds from over a dozen students, the resulting seed was over half a meter tall. When merged with his own, the fire seed grew to nearly two meters high, forming a beautiful egg shape.

Such a large fire seed exposed to the air would likely be sensed by the natives, who would be on their way.

Seeing that the students had already divided the loot, Ji Xinghai looked towards a certain spot and turned to say:

"You should leave now through this passage, exit from the back of the room, and pretend none of this concerns you. I'll handle things here. Take care of yourselves."

The students understood what he intended to do and knew they couldn't help, so they nodded and followed his instructions.

Once they left, Ji Xinghai immediately had the insects clear any traces and brought out a few that bite particularly hard to wake up the unconscious students on the ground.

Apart from the team that attacked him, which dropped their equipment and logged out, he hadn't touched the others; they were merely knocked out in the snow. He believed in settling scores directly and didn't hold grudges.

When the students woke up in agony, realizing what had happened, the native army, smelling the fire seeds, had already arrived.

They didn't hesitate to jump up and flee in different directions. The arriving natives had to split up to chase them.

Adding to the chaos, the virtual meteor shower finally fell after much anticipation, causing pandemonium in the city.

Ji Xinghai stood on the rooftop watching the beautiful yet harmless meteor shower fall onto the planet, suddenly wishing he could take some home. Memories of his parents taking him hiking to wait for a meteor shower, only to return disappointed, flashed through his mind.

He tapped his head, realizing hunger always triggered vague memories of uncertain authenticity. Now he no longer needed to lie in a corner to reduce energy consumption, but the habit of mental haze remained.

A gentle breeze blew around him, ruffling his hair. A single meteor broke away from the group and landed unnoticed on Ji Xinghai's shoulder. He turned his head to look at the shimmering gem-like meteor, a fairy-tale sight, and smiled slightly.

"If you keep using your authority for personal gain, you might get fired, Inspector." Even if his emotions were unstable, it wouldn't affect his work, "When I get back, I want meat, lots of it."

Ji Xinghai pocketed the gem-like meteor and lightly leaped away.

Below, people chased each other, while above, meteors carried illusory beauty. A shadow flashed under the starlight. He entered a building marked on the map as containing fire seeds. The cracks in the walls were perfect for climbing, and he ascended to the third floor, sensing the 'evil' presence.

How corrupt must a soul be to exude such intense malice?

He hung upside down from the window, looking down, seeing a handsome but cold profile issuing orders to poison everyone captured yesterday.

"They've already been tested with salt; they're all human," a subordinate whispered, hoping he would reconsider.

"Humanity is just a race; if their interests don't align with ours, they are traitors. Show no mercy to traitors."

"Yes," seeing his superior enraged, he dared not speak further.

The subordinate retreated, respectfully closing the door. The room was silent except for the sound of the man writing. Only when he noticed a shadow on the floor did he realize someone had intruded.

But it was too late. A pair of icy hands grabbed his head, cleanly snapping it, and gently placed the body in a chair.

Ji Xinghai stepped softly on the plush carpet, hearing the breaths of the two guards outside, unaware that the person they were protecting was already dead.

He guessed this was the city lord. Such a person was born to be a tyrant, with clear goals and ruthless means.

No interrogation was necessary, as it would yield no useful information.

However, based on his understanding, such individuals often keep important things close at hand.

Additionally, a fire seed significant enough to appear on the map would be sizable, especially with a box to isolate its aura, making it heavier.

With these premises, finding the item was straightforward. Ji Xinghai quickly located a large box under a table, containing a sharp-edged, half-spherical fire seed.

"Split in two?" he thought, recalling the other seed shown on the map.

Alongside the fire seed was an ancient-looking parchment book, the first time he saw something placed with a fire seed, indicating its importance.

He didn't linger, gathering his things and retreating to find the other half of the fire seed.

The escaped students and natives clashed in the streets, drawing the enemy's attention, which allowed Ji Xinghai to slip in and search for the fire seed. Soon, he obtained the other half.

Ji Xinghai returned to the courtyard, pretending as if he had never left.

But by then, the fighting outside had escalated, even affecting the students in the courtyard.

The students' desperate resistance brought them significant trouble. To avoid further losses, the city's ruler decisively ordered the evacuation of the courtyard's occupants, including their luggage.

The students stood at the gate, staring at each other as the city gates closed behind them.

It was a smart move; at least the entire city remained under human control. Ji Xinghai guessed they had discovered the mayor's death but kept it secret, allowing the second-in-command to take over.

The students at the city gate grumbled, refusing to leave and unable to accept reality. They hadn't accomplished anything and were now being thrown out? What about the fire seed?

Yet some, like Ji Xinghai, chose to leave.

There were six cities and one capital, each containing fire seeds. Why stay and exhaust themselves in this city?

Ji Xinghai and the others drove until they reached an open wilderness before stopping.

"The conflict between the squid people and humans is now out in the open. Anyone living in the cities and trading with them will be implicated. Be prepared."

"Don't worry, boss. We'll make it to the end." The students weren't incompetent; they just lacked experience and the will forged in dire situations. Winning might be impossible, but self-preservation wasn't.

"I'm leaving."

He was used to traveling alone and didn't want partners. The students understood this. So he left them with plenty of salt and drove away.

They didn't say much, waving goodbye as they went their separate ways.

Even if the city's ruler hadn't forced them out, Ji Xinghai would have wanted to leave. He already had the fire seed, and nothing else here could attract him.

The harmless squid people were like wild boar meat cooked without preparation—foul and hard to chew. The malicious humans, on the other hand, were like delicately prepared protected animals—no matter how tempting, eating them would break the rules, causing cracks in the spiritual world he had built.

In a desolate area, he stopped the car, opened the box containing the small fire seed, and found it glowing evenly, seemingly not particularly attracted to its counterpart.

People's hearts had scattered, and the mayors of other cities had learned to hide their treasures.

He looked up at the sky; it was already evening, and he needed a place to spend the night.

Ji Xinghai circled the area twice and found signs of human activity in a forest. Expecting students, he instead saw a tiny stone house emitting smoke, its owner looking at him in fear.

"Salt, cloth, pottery jars—want any?" He lifted the fur covering his goods.

Their expressions immediately improved, and their eyes turned to an elderly woman for her opinion.

The old woman, with drooping eyelids and gray-white braids hanging from either side, wore a thick robe embroidered with bright patterns. She looked at the visitor with slightly gray eyes.

"Since you're a guest, please come in and sit down."

With that, she walked into one of the houses. After a moment's thought, Ji Xinghai followed with his cart, while the others watched him warily, especially a particularly strong young man who kept a close eye on him, holding a metal knife.

He parked the cart temporarily at the door and entered the windowless, low-ceilinged house. Inside was a stove with a clay pot simmering soup, and a chimney leading outside.

"You carry the scent of the fire seed," the old woman said, sitting on a leather cushion, starting their conversation.

Ji Xinghai also sensed the aura of a "nature communicator" from her, known in the West as a witch—a person who could build a spiritual bridge with the earth beneath their feet.

"Have you been living here for the past three years?" Ji Xinghai asked, not answering the witch's question. He preferred not to follow others' leads.

The witch chuckled hoarsely, tossing a pinch of black salt into a clay pot: "As long as the trees can live, we can live too."

This indirectly answered Ji Xinghai's question—yes, they had survived here.

"You can see all this not because you chose this place, but because this place chose you, young man." The witch's gray eyes twinkled warmly.

Not everyone could find this place; there were conditions.

"The land beneath our feet told me a guest has arrived." After observing him for a few minutes, the witch suddenly picked up a stick and opened a nondescript box in the corner, revealing a nearly golden fire seed inside.

Ji Xinghai's fire seed was already quite large, almost the size of the house, but it burned deep red, unlike this one, which glowed brightly yet not blindingly golden.

But there was no greed in his eyes, only a hint of confusion: "Are you showing me this because you want to trade?"

The witch burst into loud, sharp laughter, closing the box: "Do you know where fire seeds come from?"