Only One Option: Fight for My Life

The next day, he heard a group of Radiation Users fighting in the training field first thing in the morning.

The sounds of their fierce battle were unbearably noisy, naturally waking up all the newcomers.

Everyone gathered around the railing, watching the black hands train outside, completely engrossed.

It was nearly noon when the group finally stopped. Then, a large group of Wa people entered from outside.

At the head was Fúshé. Rou Si was there too, along with several others they did not recognize who also looked like cadre members.

Their distinctive appearances were obvious at a glance—their clothing and weapons were all highly unusual.

One of them even had an ape on a leash.

The ape was extremely strong, no weaker than a gorilla. Its fur was glossy black, and its eyes were full of spirit.

But it wore a metal collar around its neck, linked to a heavy chain.

The Wa person holding the ape wore a black leather jacket. His face bore six scars, as if they had been made by some kind of claw.

"Lord Fúshé, you have to assign more newcomers to our Prey Group this time. We're almost out of stock." The Six Scars man laughed excitedly.

Fúshé shot him a sidelong glance. "Kimura, the quality of the newcomers has been poor lately."

Six Scars made the ape lie down, then sat down on its back. "That's exactly why you should send them to me. I'm not picky!"

At that moment, a stern, upright man walked over. He immediately sank into a horse stance, as though sitting in midair.

His voice rang out. "You've already given them all to him. What about my Redemption Squad?"

Six Scars laughed. "Ono Shinsyo, these Glass Persons will be useless to you anyway. Rather than sending them into the Redemption Game to die for nothing, you might as well give me a few more Radiation Beasts to raise."

"The babies back home are all starving and crying."

Ono Shinsyo frowned. "How could they be useless? Would sending them to your place mean they wouldn't die? It has always been the people the Redemption Squad doesn't want who end up with your Prey Group."

Six Scars shrugged. "Every time you pick a bunch of Glass Persons of all kinds and send them over there, every one of them boasts before going. How many survive after they arrive? In the end, isn't the survival rate still higher for those with greater strength?"

"In my opinion, forget talent and education. Just test their strength. You take the Superior Glass Persons, and give the rest to me."

Ono Shinsyo glared at him. "Lord Fúshé decides the assignments. Who are you to call the shots?"

While they argued, Fúshé merely smiled faintly. Instead, he turned to a shirtless black hand and asked, "Hirao, does your Laborer Group lack people?"

Before he could answer, Six Scars cut in. "How could Mizusawa Hirao possibly lack people? His Laborer Group has the most people of all. If you ask me, he should send some useless trash over to my side."

Mizusawa Hirao looked at him coldly, then respectfully said to Fúshé, "My lord, the Laborer Group is not short-handed. If needed, we will accept transfers at any time."

Fúshé neither agreed nor disagreed. He asked with concern, "How is Tianshe?"

Mizusawa Hirao replied, "Much better. He was going to come over today, but I stopped him."

"Mm. Let him rest properly. I'll preside over things personally this time." After saying that, Fúshé gave Sasaki a look.

The latter immediately trotted over with a group of people and brought everyone from the newcomers' fenced area to the center of the training field.

"You! Come up here!"

Sasaki pointed at the person in front. His legs went weak, and he did not know why he had been singled out. Trembling, he stepped forward.

But then he remembered that Fúshé had said the day before that he liked brave people. He forcibly calmed himself, stood straight, and looked as if he were awaiting inspection by his master.

"Name!"

"Zhou Fangjiang..."

Sasaki tore off his prisoner identification tag and tossed it onto the table of a recorder.

"Crime."

Zhou Fangjiang lowered his voice. "Murder... accidental... accidental manslaughter."

Sasaki did not ask why he had killed anyone. He simply asked, "Work experience."

Zhou Fangjiang stared blankly. "I've never worked..."

Sasaki asked again, "Then what skills do you have? What are you good at?"

By now, everyone knew what this was about: they were finding out what use they had.

If they were useless, their fate would naturally be terrible. This was the moment that would decide their destinies.

Zhou Fangjiang hurriedly said, "I can make desserts! The things I make are delicious. All my neighbors say so!"

"Baka!" Sasaki slapped him and shouted, "Substandard Glass Person. Next."

Zhou Fangjiang was dumbfounded. Didn't cooking count as a skill? Didn't all those households in the village need someone to cook? Weren't there restaurants too?

The moment they heard "Substandard Glass Person," they knew his fate would be bad.

"My signature desserts really are delicious! They really are!" A Wa person dragged him away. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he continued pleading.

Fúshé spoke up. "Test their physical attributes. This time, assign the five grades of Glass Persons according to strength alone... Go and bring the machines."

The many black hands were all stunned. Was he really listening to Kimura, Six Scars?

Six Scars clapped and cheered. "Lord Fúshé is wise."

Ono Shinsyo and the others were dumbfounded. Could it be that because of their heavy losses this time, coupled with the fact that no high-quality newcomers had joined for several consecutive rounds, Fúshé really intended to reform the composition of Glass Persons in the Redemption Squad?

Mizusawa Hirao stared fixedly at Six Scars. This man who had arrived out of nowhere showed Lord Fúshé such disrespect, yet Fúshé was not angry. Instead, he actually accepted his suggestion?

Whatever they thought, the newcomers who heard this were all stunned.

Gaoxin in particular stared blankly as a group of Wa people carried over all kinds of machines.

"Test... strength?" Gaoxin felt his scalp go numb.

He had spent more than three thousand points maxing out his intelligence, only for them to test strength alone?

This sudden change from Fúshé completely disrupted all his plans.

Before this, they had clearly evaluated abilities from every angle.

Meimei had only worked in law, yet Fúshé had agreed to send her into the Redemption Squad. Luo Yan had merely said that he had graduated from a technical school and read many books, yet even though he had the looks of a courtesan, Fúshé had still sent him to the Redemption Squad.

Gaoxin had already asked Liu Xu about it in detail. Physical attributes might be one factor, but abilities in other areas could also earn extra points. That was how every previous round had worked.

Yet when it came to him, they changed the rules?

Luo Yan also knew this was terribly bad, especially since he knew exactly what kind of place the Prey Group was. Sule, Meimei, and the others all turned deathly pale.

If their strength was insufficient, would they be sent to become food?

Luo Yan glanced at Gaoxin, and Gaoxin glanced back at him. Both felt overwhelmed by despair.

Plans could never keep up with changes...

"What do we do?" Luo Yan asked in a low voice.

Gaoxin said bitterly, "You strengthened your strength. You can still give it a try."

Then he looked at Meimei. "Fúshé promised you yesterday. If he doesn't want to break his word, you still have a chance too."

Luo Yan clenched his fist. "What about you?"

Gaoxin gave a tragic smile, a hint of madness flickering in his eyes.

Luo Yan said solemnly, "We have to find a way to make them change their minds. After all, it only takes one word from Fúshé."

Gaoxin shook his head. "There's no way. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea from Fúshé."

"That Six Scars fellow's origins are unknown. He calls Fúshé 'my lord,' but he doesn't act like a subordinate at all."

"He speaks with such disrespect, yet Fúshé accepted his suggestion so naturally."

"Heh heh heh... I'm afraid this is something we couldn't change even if we argued until the sky fell."

By then, Sasaki had already had someone carry over a pile of machines. Zhou Fangjiang looked on blankly. He did not know what most of them were for, recognizing only the one that measured height and weight.

He was first assigned to have his weight measured, followed by tests of his lifting strength, punching power, and the like.

In the end, Sasaki said disdainfully, "Your strength isn't even twice your body weight. You're completely useless!"

He had also seen that Zhou Fangjiang could not lift something equal to his own weight. After punching the machine with all his strength, he even grimaced and rubbed his wrist.

Sasaki shook his head repeatedly. "Substandard Glass Person."

This time, regardless of his cries, Fúshé did not speak. Zhou Fangjiang was dragged directly to the side.

As for where he would be sent afterward, no one said!

However, Gaoxin and the others wore miserable expressions. They knew perfectly well that this man would be sent to become food.

The other newcomers might not know and were still guessing that he might be sent to harvest salt, do hard labor, or some even worse line of work.

But the unknown bred fear. Having witnessed an operation where a slave was casually killed to replace someone's heart, many of them scared themselves half to death with their own imaginations.

Everyone became extremely uneasy. However one looked at it, being labeled a Substandard Glass Person could not lead to anything good. They had to fight desperately for a higher evaluation.

"Next!"

The newcomers' examinations proceeded one after another.

At first, everyone was still confused, but those at the back soon understood.

Here, Glass Persons were divided into five grades: Superior, Good, Mediocre, Inferior, and Substandard.

Anyone whose lifting strength was less than one times their body weight was a Substandard Glass Person.

Anyone whose strength reached one times their body weight or more was an Inferior Glass Person.

Those who reached one and a half times their body weight were Mediocre Glass Persons.

Those who could lift more than twice their body weight were Good Glass Persons.

Only those whose strength reached more than two and a half times their body weight would be Superior Glass Persons!

In the past, people with other combat experience, specialized technical skills, or education could receive extra points at the examiner's discretion.

But the skills had to be genuinely useful and applicable in the Redemption Game. Things like cooking and singing would not be valued here at all.

However, that was in the past...

Now, with a single word from Fúshé, all extra points had been abolished! Only strength mattered!

"W-what do we do?" Sule murmured. It was almost his turn.

Gaoxin had been thinking so hard that his brain was nearly splitting apart. Yet because he was clear-headed enough, he also understood that the testing method had been decided and could not be changed. No matter how much they argued, it would be useless.

"We're all ordinary people. There are simply too many things in this world where you fight with everything you have, only to fail in the end. Someone else might destroy all your efforts with a single thought or a single word. What can you do about it?"

"It's like how Gene Protectant used to be dirt cheap, and even given away for free long ago. Yet by our generation, it costs a million coins."

"The rules that have always existed were changed with a single word from him. What can you do about it?"

He racked his brain for a countermeasure, but his brain was only at the peak of an ordinary person's ability. He was no superhuman.

At that moment, Sasaki pointed at Sule. "Next!"

Sule stood there blankly.

Gaoxin immediately said from behind him, "Fight! Your strength is great. You might have a chance. If you can lift more than twice your weight, I'll step forward and persuade Fúshé to include Good Glass Persons in the Redemption Squad."

He had no confidence that he could actually persuade Fúshé.

But Sule's confidence rose after hearing this. "Mm!"

He stepped forward, handed over his identification tag, and stated his crime. "Intentional assault. Ten-year sentence."

What kind of person had he injured to receive a ten-year sentence for intentional assault?

But Sasaki did not care. He had Sule stand in front of the machine, and the testing quickly began.

His weight was measured first: eighty kilograms.

Then Sule shouted and lifted a full two hundred kilograms.

He gritted his teeth, pushed it over his head, and struggled to hold it there.

Afterward, Sule released the weight and widened his eyes. He had not expected to succeed. Then he went on to the next test.

After everything had been measured, Sasaki nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. A Superior Glass Person has finally appeared."

For a moment, everyone looked at Sule enviously.

Gaoxin and Luo Yan were stunned. They had not expected Sule to lift something so heavy.

He... had been a Superior Glass Person all along!

Luo Yan murmured, "You couldn't tell at all. He's that strong?"

Gaoxin knew that Sule was very strong. In the game, he had beaten Gaoxin several times. He just had not expected him to be this strong.

Luo Yan tilted his head. "Then I should be able to do it too, right?"

Gaoxin looked at Luo Yan again, his heart filling with bitterness.

Luo Yan exercised regularly, as was obvious from his appearance on the beach. He had also strengthened his strength last night. If the Wa people lowered the standard because he was missing an arm, he might really be able to do it.

But what about Gaoxin?

Gaoxin assessed himself inwardly.

"Superior Glass Persons need strength equal to two and a half times their body weight. I weigh seventy kilograms, so I need to lift 175 kilograms..."

Gaoxin made his assessment, feeling deeply ashamed. It was far too heavy—absolutely impossible. The gap between him and the Superior grade was enormous.

He then calculated the requirement for twice his body weight and realized he could not manage that either. He had seen a 140-kilogram motorcycle before, and even pushing it had been difficult. How could he possibly lift it?

What about a Mediocre Glass Person? For him, that meant lifting 105 kilograms.

"Two hundred and ten pounds. Isn't that the weight of my fat neighbor?"

Gaoxin's expression turned ugly. Recalling that fat man's build, he realized that even carrying him had been difficult. Lifting him... heh.

"So I'm only an Inferior Glass Person here... Even if I use every ounce of strength I have and fight with everything I've got, I can at most reach the level of an average person."

Gaoxin looked tragic. Although he was determined to escape this place, he still had to face reality.

There was no doubt that this evaluation was extremely important. It would determine his fate.

"I'll have to fight for my life. I didn't expect to be gambling with my life again just one day later..."

Gaoxin's gaze hardened. Although he was only an ordinary person, he absolutely did not want to scrape by miserably until he died.

If he barely survived one day, what about the second? The third?

That was why, in the game, he had never aimed merely to survive from the beginning. He had to win everything.

He had thought that obtaining more than three thousand points and strengthening his brain would change his circumstances. He had not expected things to become even worse! He would have been better off putting the points into strength...

But no one could see the future. At this moment, there was only one option left.

"Next, you!" Sasaki pointed at Gaoxin.

Gaoxin stepped forward. Sasaki asked, "Name."

"Gaoxin." He took off his identification tag and handed it over.

Sasaki tossed it aside without even looking up. "Crime..."

Gaoxin lowered his head and looked at his hands. "Murder."

Luo Yan and Meimei were startled when they heard this from behind him. Gaoxin had always said that he had been framed and was innocent. They had not expected him not to say that this time.

Was it because he had really killed someone?

Sasaki did not care about that. He simply recorded it.

"Test me."

Gaoxin said coldly, "I have a special talent."

Sasaki frowned. They had already said they would not ask about those things. He went straight to testing Gaoxin's constitution.

"Enough nonsense. Get on the machine!"

Gaoxin flatly refused. "With my special talent, there's no need to test me."

Sasaki was puzzled. "What special talent?"

Gaoxin took a deep breath, his voice clear and resolute.

"I'm really good at fighting!"

Fúshé suddenly raised his head, and many people turned to look in astonishment.

P.S.:

Sorry.