Chapter 73

Chapter 73

The chief examiner for the final training assessment was Jiang Yuanfen.

This was somewhat unexpected.

Jiang Yuanfen stood on the stage, the amplification system flattening all the inflections in his speech. The transmitted voice sounded like the hum of an old-fashioned machine at work, enough to give anyone a sense of "beast of burden" anxiety.

He delivered a jumbled assortment of remarks related to the assessment, along with some gimmicks about final grades and spots in the multi-school alliance, yet hadn't gotten to the actual rules.

Meng Shijiu wasn't really listening.

The silver-haired Alpha was draped over Yue Xuanli like a limp cat, his feet lightly touching down without a sound, before he lowered his head, acting as meek as a quail.

Meng Shijiu heard Yue Xuanli chuckle softly beside him.

Under the cover of his training uniform, Meng Shijiu used his fingertip to pinch Yue Xuanli's hand hard on the back, hidden beneath his sleeve.

Yue Xuanli seemed to laugh even more soundlessly.

In his mind, Meng Shijiu subjected Yue Xuanli to a thorough mental beatdown of kicks and stomps.

The advance notice previously sent by the base had mentioned some required items and that the assessment would last three days.

Meng Shijiu: ^^

Meng Shijiu decided he would just sleep through the first two days once inside.

The assessment conditions set by Jiang Yuanfen were much more lenient, with almost no restrictions. Any tools could be brought along, sounding almost like an encouragement for students to bend the rules and play tricks.

Meng Shijiu had asked Jiang Yuanfen if he could bring a cat.

Jiang Yuanfen at that time: ?

Later, the students discovered an additional rule had been added to the regulations: No living creatures other than examinees are permitted to enter the examination area.

But See insisted on coming.

See: Three days? Three days!

See: How can I live without you for three days!

After repeated warnings from Meng Shijiu that See was not allowed to speak while he slept, and See's agreement, Meng Shijiu finally consented to bring See along.

Bringing a cat was impossible. Fortunately, his points were sufficient, so Meng Shijiu exchanged them to have See reconnected to his neural interface.

When See's mechanical voice sounded again, Meng Shijiu actually felt a strange sense of familiarity, and a feeling of... things falling back into place after much time had passed.

See: "Host."

Meng Shijiu: "See-achu."

...

The three-day competition was primarily divided into individual matches for the first two days and a faction match on the final day. The individual matches not only prohibited mechas but also employed a brutally inhumane, talent-dependent elimination system.

—Since Jiang Yuanfen hadn't imposed any restrictions on participation, it meant any method could be used to eliminate opponents: using one's intellect, physical strength, pheromones, or even more radical means.

The entire competition would take place within the A3 Obstacle Zone, with the whole process still being live-streamed across the network.

The competition live-stream tag on the Cloud Shadow platform had already topped the popularity charts two days before the final assessment.

On the day itself, after the official account's live stream successfully launched, its popularity surged to a whole new level.

As the live stream screen lit up, displaying the map, comments flooded into the room at high speed.

"Here we go, here we go."

"Looking forward to it."

"On-site viewing of Contestant No. 32."

"No. 32... is that term finally not a banned word anymore? :)"

"LMAO at the comment above."

"These competition rules are a bit odd."

"By the way, isn't there a betting pool for win rates? I wanted to see what the big shots are wagering."

...

The flowing stream of comments had nothing to do with the world inside the map.

Because upon entering the map, all examinees discovered the entire area was signal-jammed. Terminals brought in couldn't send out information, let alone allow cheating by watching the stream. The only link to the outside world was the micro-cameras scattered throughout the map.

When Meng Shijiu emerged from the transfer pod, he was on a platform, with no one else around.

The map of this obstacle zone was actually somewhat similar to the first team training session of the camp—

A technologically advanced city map.

Empty streets resembled intricate circuits, autonomous vehicles silently navigated different spaces within the city, and the lights of the mechanical skyscrapers blended with the dim sky.

Metal and glass were everywhere.

Yet it was beautiful.

Aesthetic appeal is such a domineering thing.

Meng Shijiu: "See."

See: "Here."

So it was still here after all. The bench on the platform was dust-free. Meng Shijiu sat down on it.

The sky had already settled into dusk, the twilight gentle and vast, staining layers of rosy clouds. On the ginkgo tree beside the platform, wind chimes rang again and again.

This tree was artificial, made of some special material indistinguishable to the eye. Meng Shijiu, his hand resting on the bench, still lazily looked up in his drowsiness, which was being scattered by the evening breeze—

Layer upon layer of fan-shaped leaves were tinged with a glorious gold at their edges. Amidst the shimmering light, the wind chimes hanging from the branches resembled a black-feathered, white-bellied magpie perched on a treetop.

The wind stirred the silver-haired Alpha's long hair, the billowing strands kissing his cheeks, lips, and pale neck like a lover's intimate whispers.

Light poured down, falling upon him like a layer of fine, thin snow or gauze, setting off that breathtakingly beautiful, seemingly unattainable face.

A service robot wheeled over persistently, stubbornly offering Meng Shijiu a single stem of flowers.

Meng Shijiu gazed at the wind chimes for a while. Seeing the robot still hadn't left, he finally reached out and took it.

See watched the retreating figure of the fellow AI: ...

See: Is AI competition really this fierce now?

See: Humans don't have to worry about AIs replacing them anymore, because AIs are already caught up in internal strife. 🙂

Meng Shijiu lowered his gaze, idly spinning the flower branch in his hand.

"...What's going on?"

"So... romantic vibes."

"Among all the tense, thrilling clips of the other examinees, you're still so unique, babe. [dog emoji]"

"Never mind, I'm taking a screenshot first."

"Beauty, I'm drooling over you."

"Can only say, as expected of No. 32, huh? Still enjoying a peaceful moment, I see."

"In the previous shot, two examinees' pheromones destroyed an entire street; in the next shot, No. 32's stunning beauty wowed an entire street. I'm speechless..."

"What kind of flower is that? Link, please. I want to order ten thousand of them."

...

It was a pure white, cloud-like plum blossom. Its branches were sparse as bones, elegant and light.

Naturally, it was a fake plastic flower. Almost all the atmosphere it carried was given by Meng Shijiu.

—It was just an ordinary, not particularly refined, rough fake flower, but it was held in the hands of someone as pure and beautiful as snow.

"Ding—"

A clear electronic tone rippled through the dusk, like a star falling into the silent street.

On the tracks, a tram pulled into the station. The windows reflected flowing cloud shadows, and it slowly came to a stop before Meng Shijiu.

The door silently opened in front of the silver-haired Alpha, warm yellow light spilling out like an invitation.

Meng Shijiu, holding the flower, boarded the tram.

The door hadn't closed yet.

—In an instant.

Inside the carriage, a fierce surge of pheromones suddenly spread out, ruthlessly bearing down on Meng Shijiu.

The door closed. Meng Shijiu, who had just entered the carriage and turned his face: ...

The silver-haired Alpha locked eyes with the two others inside the carriage.

These two had clearly been in a standoff already, sitting far apart. Sensing an outsider about to enter the compartment, they both unleashed their pheromones without mercy.

Meng Shijiu clicked his tongue and glanced at his wrist.

On his wrist, the bracelet indicating whether an examinee still had exam eligibility flickered repeatedly under the threat of the pheromones.

The tram carriage was left with only the fresh scent from the air purifier.

...It was unclear who withdrew their pheromones first.

Jing Shu: "Shi Jiu."

Pei Ruji sat by the window with his arms crossed, his silent gaze lingering for a moment on the flower branch in Meng Shijiu's hand before slowly shifting to Meng Shijiu's face.

The air seemed to freeze for an instant.

See: "Does this scene feel a bit familiar?"

Meng Shijiu: "How would you know? You weren't there last time."

See: "^^"

Meng Shijiu walked over and sat down beside Jing Shu. Pei Ruji's gaze watched him openly.

Those blood-red eyes held an inscrutable expression, seeming not to question his choice, yet never looking away.

Those warning words from last time, "Who are you teamed up with?" seemed to echo in his ears again. Meng Shijiu lightly yawned.

"Hmm?"

"This atmosphere is a bit strange..."

"That was a pheromone attack just now, right? No. 32's bracelet lit up."

"And then it disappeared immediately? So calm? Three Alphas, after all..."

"Speaking of which... Captain Jing and No. 32 seem really close, huh? He called him so affectionately, and No. 32 just went and sat right next to him."

"I want to call him Shi Jiu too."

"Then call him."

"...I mean, to his face."

"No ambition. Who would just call him Shi Jiu to his face? [dog emoji]"

"That red-eyed Alpha looks really upset."

"I think he looks fine, can't really tell. Besides, when No. 19 got on, he didn't greet him either. Probably not very familiar..."

"Looking upset could also be because Captain Jing and the big shot aren't on the same team. After all, both No. 19 and the red-eyed Alpha are wearing St. Maria training uniforms, yet they didn't even exchange greetings."

"...It's an individual competition, why bring this up?"

"Can I ship this? Captain Jing and No. 32... They really seem to have a good relationship. No. 19 just showed Captain Jing his bracelet interface..."

"Sorry, not shipping. The beauty belongs to everyone."

...

Everyone's bracelet interface data started out pretty similar. Moreover, having smoothly met up with a reliable ally right after entering the exam venue, Meng Shijiu had no psychological burden opening his interface in front of Jing Shu:

"Examinee Information as follows —

Examinee Name: Meng Shijiu

Examinee Team: Red Team [St. Maria]

Current HP: 80/100 (Normal. Drains 8 points per hour)

Current Stamina: 80/100 (Normal. Drains 8 points per hour)

Current Sanity (SAN): 99/100 (Normal. Changes based on intensity of attacks received)

Current Points: 10

Current Faction Points: *** (Classified, unlocks in Phase Two)

Ways to restore HP: Only through proper eating

Ways to restore Stamina: Only through proper sleep

Ways to gain points: Eliminate other candidates

You are eliminated immediately if SAN, HP, or Stamina reaches zero

The definitions of "proper eating" and "proper sleep" weren't specified, let alone the point-gain mechanism. Meng Shijiu glanced at it and dismissed the panel, losing interest.

The tram's destination was unknown. Meng Shijiu just felt like riding, and only now was he in the mood to look at the station names.

The station he was at was called Ginkgo Station.

See: "Host, are you sleepy?"

Meng Shijiu: "Yeah."

See: "Want to rest for a bit?"

Meng Shijiu: "Hmm?"

See decided to join the AI grind: "I offer a bedtime service, you know."

Meng Shijiu laughed: "Do you remember what you promised me?"

—He wasn't allowed to talk while Meng Shijiu was sleeping.

Meng Shijiu nudged Jing Shu: "Wake me when we get to the station, okay?"

Jing Shu leaned in and lowered his voice: "Aren't we opponents?"

Jing Shu, who had been solo-killed twice, had a glint of amusement in his eyes.

Meng Shijiu: "...You really hold a grudge, friend."

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow: "Are we friends?"

Meng Shijiu: "We're friends."

Meng Shijiu added with mock ferocity: "But I'm still going to solo-kill you in the end."

Jing Shu's smile deepened: "...Sleep."

"...Who is this???"

"Captain Jing, you've changed..."

"I always thought you had a poker face. What, is it cured now?"

"Ah, then let's wish Captain Jing a happy recovery."

"Happy recovery."

"Happy discharge."

"Happy convalescence."

"This year's netizens are too savage..."