Chapter 173

Chapter 173

"Get ready, start!"

The giant screen, standing a hundred meters high on a metal frame, lit up with white light.

In the most barren desert regions and on the farthest islands, wherever people could reach, such large screens were erected. Those working and studying all paused to take a glance.

In fact, there was nothing on the screen—it was blank—but seeing it still brought a sense of comfort.

This comfort came not only from the spread of technological products but also from the man who was about to appear.

The former indicated that civilization was reviving and peace was returning, while the latter was the guarantee, the brightest light in the darkest times.

They watched a barefoot child running on the grass, followed by a little field mouse that had gained sentience.

This field mouse no longer looked drab like its kind; it had turned milk-tea green, plump, and when eating grass, its ears would twitch, and the fluffy milk-tea green ball on its tail would occasionally tap the ground.

The adults watching the child and the little field mouse all wore gentle smiles.

"I heard that Wanda's bull has mutated and can now plow ten acres with just a stomp. When will such luck come my way? But he deserves it; even during the hardest times, he wouldn't give up on that cow."

"I'm just waiting for my dog Black Fist to mutate and support me."

"Dreaming again? Get back to work."

Those rebuilding their homes smiled, almost forgetting the despair of a few months ago.

Regions with less advanced technology had more mutated animals and plants, while technologically advanced areas had more evolved humans. Everyone had their advantages.

What everyone yearned for most was JiuZhou, where there were many psychics, mutated animals and plants, and the environment was particularly good. It was said that a tourism route had recently opened, and wealthy people from around the world were preparing to visit JiuZhou.

"What will our world become?"

Game time, 5:55 PM.

Ji Xinghai sat inside an open glass pod.

Outside was a huge spherical space filled with these glass pods in which he lay. The glass pods resembled coffins, but they looked high-tech, with a silver glass jar nearby, the contents of which were unknown.

Metal spiders crawled on the spherical walls outside the glass pods, extending long probes through tiny holes to check on the trainees inside. For those who had opened their pod doors like Ji Xinghai, they would kindly remind them that the "holographic game" was about to begin and to lie down quickly.

Holographic game.

It had been fifteen minutes since he woke up. Fifteen minutes ago, he went out, climbed the smooth walls like the metal spiders, and encountered other trainees—some from his own academy and some from other academies.

He hurriedly greeted them, while the metal spiders chased him from behind.

Only after he quickly circled back to the glass pod did the metal spiders stop and resume their tasks.

Other trainees also tried to climb out but were returned by the metal spiders due to their insufficient speed. These technological creations seemed to have no ill intent towards the trainees; their task was to ensure everything was normal before the game began.

Ah, holographic game, it sounds truly amazing...

"The neighbor next door, I'm Eva, a trainee from the Gold Academy. Hello."

It wasn't surprising that someone who could walk swiftly on such a smooth wall and make so many metal spiders chase after them had potential for cooperation.

But Ji Xinghai focused on the words "Gold Academy."

Oh, the organizer of this joint academy competition, the wealthy academy that even the Hungry Academy flatters.

"Hello, Eva. I'm Ji Xinghai, a trainee from the Hungry Academy." After greeting his neighbor, he lay down and closed the glass pod door.

Silver gas was slowly released, relaxing his body.

He closed his eyes and recalled the mission details on his task watch.

Trainee: Ji Xinghai

Credits: 84

Theme of this exam: Regardless of right or wrong, at any cost, plunder wealth, and reach the top.

Content of this exam: Climb to the top of the personal wealth rankings in the game world.

Exam start time: August 1st, 6 AM.

Number of participants: 279/279

Passing standard: Reach the top of the personal wealth rankings, score 60 points.

Excellence standard: Enter the top hundred of the personal wealth rankings.

Bonus points: Not triggered.

Carriable items: None

This is a special instance; no items can be carried. The game officially begins upon entering the holographic world.

The in-game time ratio to real-world time is 10:1.

All trainees will undergo random physical attribute matching upon entering the game world, unrelated to reality. Each trainee will also receive one innate ability related to reality.

For survival considerations, each trainee will receive a random gift pack containing possible equipment, skill books, pets, and free attribute points.

Each person has three revival chances; the fourth death marks the failure of the game, and all data resets.

Once again, we thank the organizer of this joint seven-academy competition, the provider of venues and prizes, and the planner of the exam content—the wealthiest Gold Academy—for its generosity.

Considering the uniqueness of this exam, each academy has designated one 'guide NPC,' and students have one opportunity to seek help from outside the game. Note: This is limited to information inquiries only.

This concludes the full content of the current mission.

From the mission details to the flamboyant description of the Hungry Academy, it all serves to highlight the immense wealth of this institution.

And this is just on the surface. They had already analyzed that the rewards for successfully advancing civilization far outweigh those for failure. Therefore, the Gold Academy, with its vast wealth, must have sponsored numerous civilization advancements, making it a formidable academy in itself.

When Ji Xinghai left the glass chamber earlier, he had an ulterior motive that was not entirely just.

He was testing whether there was a chance to eliminate some students from other academies before the game began.

There were probably around five thousand people in this spherical room, with seven academies represented. The Hungry Academy's three hundred or so members were clearly at a disadvantage. Ji Xinghai had considered taking out a batch early to negate their numbers.

However, the metal spiders were too relentless in pursuit.

Moreover, he suspected that if he started killing, he would lose his eligibility to participate, deemed as having forfeited the game.

After much deliberation, he decided against it, merely circling around to observe the state of the other academy students.

To his surprise, none of the five thousand people present were ordinary individuals—everyone was a psychic, and most had several years of cultivation under their belts. Various energy frequencies intertwined, creating an undercurrent within the space.

This was his third time participating in a simulation, but he had never seen such a scene. It felt like an elite competition with entry barriers; if not for the Hungry Academy's luck in awakening all its members in the previous mission, they might not even have qualified.

Feeling the varying energy fluctuations, Ji Xinghai thought that the Hungry Academy was overreaching by entering such a joint competition. Among the five thousand participants, they were the weakest, with half of them being newly awakened psychics at level 1. Meanwhile, the other academies likely had members at least at level 3.

In such an elite joint competition, peace was unlikely. He wondered what type of virtual reality game awaited them.

The significant difference in time flow suggested it might be a game requiring extended playtime.

What did "randomly assigned physical attributes" mean?

Ji Xinghai pondered vaguely when he heard a 'click' as the cabin door locked. Immediately, his body felt weightless, his spirit drifting almost as if about to fly away.

In the dark spiritual realm, he seemed to see a deep blue planet...

"Has it begun?"

"It has, it has."

On the first day of the live broadcast, the number of viewers was always the highest. Due to the global benefits from the previous mission's champion package, many chose to watch the JiuZhou students' live stream instead of their own country's participants. Different languages flew across the screen.

It was already six o'clock, and the white screen gradually turned colorful. A man dressed in tight black combat gear appeared at the center of the screen. He slightly lowered his head to check his wristwatch, and the audience observed both him and the background behind him.

"Huh? Is this a modern setting?"

The camera suddenly pulled back, revealing towering skyscrapers adorned with dazzling lights in the night. Fashionably dressed men and women walked along the bustling commercial street, occasionally glancing back at the black figure standing by the roadside.

"Is this cosplay? Could it be the real Special Operations Group?"

"He looks quite young. Can he handle such responsibility?"

"What is this? Have they entered a modern-themed mission world and become psychics within it? Why does Brother Hai have a 'Level: 0' and health bar above his head?"

"Could he have transformed into a game character?"

"Tight combat gear and level bars are standard for all students. I think they've entered a materialized game world."

Mission World.

"So, we really became game characters." Ji Xinghai stretched out his hand and then retracted it.

It looked exactly like his hand, even with the ring of authority, but this was not his body, perhaps not even his soul, more like a projection controlled by his sleeping consciousness.

Thus, it made sense that his physical attributes had reverted to that of an ordinary person.

This was good, leveling the playing field for all students, allowing them to compete based on knowledge, perception, courage, and luck. In this game environment, the Hungry Academy's students stood on equal footing with those from other academies.

Though it's unclear if the Hungry Academy knew this when they entered, the outcome is highly cost-effective.

The task watch on his left wrist also changed appearance, displaying a projection that read:

Player ID: 101 (Random)

Strength: 7

Agility: 6

Intelligence: 12

Skills: None

Equipment: Basic Light Gun

Pets: None

Level: 0 (Not on Leaderboard)

Contribution Points: 0 (Not on Leaderboard)

Talent Ability: Devour. All those I defeat will become the source of my strength.

Below these stats, there was a message:

Congratulations on becoming a Special Operations Group intern. Please independently kill or subdue a D-level monster within three days to officially join the Special Operations Group.

Special Operations Group interns can teleport to a monster spawning point once per day. Full members can teleport three times per day.

Participate in killing monsters, and you will receive varying amounts of regular currency and contribution points based on your contribution. Contribution points can be used to exchange for any resources that Special Operations Group members need, and they serve as a means of trade.

Exchanges must be made at the local branch of the Special Operations Group.

(Regular currency can be used for daily life within the game and to purchase energy potions, which sustain the vitality of players outside the game. Each game day, a player needs one energy potion.)

We have prepared a random gift pack for every new member, which can be obtained by clicking the icon.

In addition, Special Operations Group interns can enjoy free meals and accommodations at restaurants, inns, hotels, and stores with the Special Operations Group logo.

The higher the rank of a Special Operations Group member, the better the treatment they receive.

Below this text is a world map with many flickering dots. The bright dots represent high-level monsters, while the dim dots represent low-level monsters.

His finger pointed at one of the dots, and an immediate dialogue box popped up: "Do you want to teleport to this location?!"