"When I'm Sad, Someone Dies."

After a dizzying spin, Zhou Zhe found himself in a deep blue cube, three meters long, wide, and high, filled with a sci-fi aura.

The six walls flickered with fluorescence, not only functioning as ordinary walls but also intelligently displaying information, except...

Zhou Zhe couldn't control them.

These walls continuously cycled through various advertisements.

The barrage of information made Zhou Zhe somewhat annoyed.

"Dao" did not appear, but its voice suddenly boomed in his ears: "This gladiatorial match officially begins."

"There is no time limit; gladiators may act freely."

Zhou Zhe looked around, his eyebrows slightly raised.

His initial assessment was that this was likely a future sci-fi world.

The so-called "acting freely" probably meant leveraging local powers.

Gathering intelligence, integrating into society, reaching cooperation with high-level rulers...

A series of operational steps instantly appeared in Zhou Zhe's mind.

"It's better not to be too rigid with plans; adapt and overcome!"

"However... intelligence gathering is still essential!"

Thinking this, Zhou Zhe walked to what looked like a doorway.

The door panel automatically retracted into the wall.

Outside the door was not an open world, nor even a corridor. He could only see a cold, pure black elevator packed with people.

This elevator contained men, women, old, and young. Their appearance was very similar to Earth humans.

However, their skin was a dull gray, and they were completely bald, without a single hair on their bodies.

Their heights were very uniform, all around 1.5 meters.

Each of them held something like a tablet computer, doing who knew what. Their expressions were indifferent, seemingly unconcerned with their surroundings.

"A world of brilliant minds..."

For some reason, the moment Zhou Zhe saw these people, a scene from a silly novel he'd read years ago flashed through his mind – "The protagonist angrily grabbed the bald man's hair and threw him forcefully."

He shook his head, clearing his scattered thoughts.

His mind had been prone to wandering for some time now, ever since Zhou Zhe activated the "Self-Configuration" for "Triple Focus."

Long-term, overloaded use of his brain, under sufficient nutrition and energy, did indeed benefit his mental power, but it also came with some side effects.

His mind easily drifting off was the most prominent one.

There was no other way.

Currently, Zhou Zhe lacked any true mental cultivation methods.

To be precise...

On the entire Earth, there were only two extraordinary mental secret arts: the "Mystic Meditation Method" from the European Union's Secret Master Association, and "Pure White Prayer" from America's Holy Hall.

"After I go back this time, I need to find a way to get my hands on the 'Mystic Meditation Method'."

Zhou Zhe wasn't interested in "Pure White Prayer," so his target naturally locked onto the "Mystic Meditation Method."

While he was collecting his thoughts, a male native in the elevator grew angry: "Damn it! Get in quickly! You're wasting our time!"

"Wait! This person... he doesn't belong to the 'Kindling'!"

Fear gradually appeared on the native's face: "He's an alien!"

Zhou Zhe stepped forward, entering the elevator, and smiled gently, "That's right, I am indeed not from your world."

"I am a Cosmic Gladiator."

As he spoke, Zhou Zhe extended his right hand. Within his palm, wind, thunder, light, and flames swirled incessantly, crackling with sound: "Next, I need to get some information from you."

"Please do not attempt to deceive me."

"If I feel I've been deceived, I will be very sad."

Saying this, Zhou Zhe activated his Aura Field, and his gentle smile was tinged with a hint of bloodlust: "When I'm sad, people die."

Inside the elevator, the group of small, bald indigenous people trembled. Several of them had even wet themselves out of fear.

No one doubted the truth of his words.

His 3 points of Authority, combined with his Aura Field, had directly shattered all their courage and will to resist!

They all transformed into partridges, trying to curl up in the corners of the elevator, wishing they could hide where Zhou Zhe couldn't see them.

"Alright, let's start with you."

Zhou Zhe casually pointed at the first native who had spoken – the male who had gotten angry because Zhou Zhe wasted two seconds of his time.

The Grumpy Old Man bowed subserviently, like an ultimate slave, a smile plastered on his face: "Great Cosmic Gladiator sir! What do you wish to know? I will tell you everything I know, without holding back! My name is..."

Zhou Zhe interrupted him: "I don't need to know your name. I'll call you 'Old Man'."

It was clear that the Grumpy Old Man wasn't that old, but perhaps because he often threw tantrums, his face was quite wrinkled. Zhou Zhe had thus given him a nickname.

The Grumpy Old Man dared not show anger or speak, merely presenting a fawning smile with his face puffed out.

"First, tell me about this world's general situation. What does 'Kindling' mean? What's the total population here?"

Zhou Zhe asked three questions in a row: "Also, judging by your reactions, you seem quite familiar with Cosmic Gladiators?"

Upon hearing this question, the Grumpy Old Man, now labeled "Little Old Man," immediately replied, "Esteemed sir! The so-called 'Kindling' refers to the world we inhabit!"

"Our original planet was completely destroyed due to environmental pollution and natural disasters. This world is constructed from countless artificial cubes!"

"The external meteorite capture department collects resources annually to add more living cubes to Kindling. The population here has also been continuously growing. Like me, a Level 2 citizen, I'm not qualified to know the total population of Kindling."

"However! I am very useful! Don't kill me! I can lead the way for you!"

"Cosmic Gladiators... Right! In the Kindling world, people are occasionally chosen to become Cosmic Gladiators."

"Moreover, gladiators from other worlds frequently descend upon the Kindling world."

Seeing his eagerness, it was as if he feared that a moment's delay in his answer would lead to immediate physical destruction.

The other natives also mostly adopted a fearful and cowering posture.

Cosmic Gladiators frequently descend...

This meant that from the day the first Cosmic Gladiator was chosen, Kindling had failed to produce a Silver Gladiator within three years, and thus had been directly designated as a gladiatorial arena.

What would Cosmic Gladiators, who didn't know how long they would live and possessed powerful destructive capabilities, do?

This was not a question that required deep thought.

In the eyes of the Dao, the inhabitants of the Kindling world had transitioned from "potential players" to "NPCs."

The Dao didn't care how many NPCs died.

Seeing Zhou Zhe fall silent, the Grumpy Old Man was covered in sweat, his heart pounding, and his breathing becoming heavy.

He immediately knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and choked out, "Sir, I can help you find your opponent as quickly as possible! Saving you a lot of time!"

"Please, don't kill me!"

Requesting recommendation tickets!

Single combat matches generally won't exceed 5 chapters. The world-building will be roughly sketched to avoid readers feeling like I'm padding the word count. For matches with "more complex situations," I'll write a bit more detailed~

See you tomorrow at 12:20 PM! Hehehehe