[Brain storage]
[High-intensity content ahead. It's hot out, so the viewing experience may be better with your pants off.]
Frost Winter Calendar, Year 32.
The Anomaly World had descended. Dragon Country had lost thirty matches in a row, and its only two victories had been narrow ones.
An endless winter had swallowed three-quarters of its territory. The shadow of national ruin hung over every citizen of Dragon Country like a leaden cloud.
If they lost again, winter would cover all of Dragon Country. By then, anomalous creatures would descend upon the country for good, and the entire nation would be enslaved by beings from the Anomaly World!
At that moment, the atmosphere in Dragon Country's official livestream was frighteningly somber.
"That makes thirty-three... Does our country really still have any hope?"
"Don't kid yourself. Weren't the previous thirty-two Chosen Ones all elites selected from thousands? And what did that get us?"
"The dungeons keep getting harder. This time, it's an SSS-Class dungeon. They're not even giving us a chance to survive!"
Amid the desperate wailing, a beam of light ripped through the gloomy sky and pierced straight through the roof of Room 604 in Nanjiang University's dormitory.
Inside the beam, a young man wore headphones, his eyes fixed intently on his computer screen as his mouse and keyboard clattered like a downpour.
"Push! Push! We can finish this in one go! That's my pentakill!"
Chu He let out an excited growl.
The next second, the light flared.
He vanished from the real world, chair and all.
Cold.
Damp.
Chu He shuddered. The bone-chilling cold snapped him instantly to attention.
His familiar dormitory was gone. In its place stood a Gothic university shrouded beneath a dim sky.
The sky was a bizarre grayish purple, without sun or moon.
The pointed rooftops of every building looked like black fangs stabbing at the heavens. Decaying vines coiled around the classroom buildings like giant serpents, and the air reeked of rust, dust, and rot—a stench that made his stomach churn.
He stood on a cracked athletic field.
Around him stood 191 foreigners, their faces showing a range of expressions.
Some looked wary, their muscles tensed. Others, like him, wore expressions of confusion and terror.
A cold, emotionless announcement rang out in their ears.
[Esteemed Chosen Ones, welcome to the SSS-Class dungeon—Horror University.]
[Please strictly follow the school rules. Otherwise, you will be erased.]
All color drained from Chu He's face.
As a citizen of Dragon Country, he knew exactly what this meant.
He never would have imagined that he would be the Chosen One this time.
It made no sense. He was just an ordinary college student. Aside from his face and his ability to stay up all night gaming, what did he have going for him?
At the same time, the official livestreams of 192 countries around the world lit up.
"Look! Eagle Country's Chosen One is a former SEALs drill instructor. Just look at those muscles—his killing intent practically spills off the screen!"
"Cherry Blossom Country's is even more impressive. He's the greatest swordsman of this generation! That sword has to be a famous masterpiece!"
"The competitor from Bear Country... Why did he bring in a bundle of explosives?!"
The footage switched to Dragon Country's livestream, and viewers around the world fell silent.
On screen, Chu He wore an ordinary T-shirt and jeans. He even looked bewildered, as if he'd only just been pulled out of his game.
Compared to the heavily armed elites from other countries, all bristling with killing intent, he looked completely out of place.
Like a husky tossed into a pack of wolves.
"Unbelievable. Why did the Anomaly World send a squishy college student to die for Dragon Country?"
"That guy looks so soft and delicate. How many minutes do you think he'll last?"
"I bet a pack of spicy strips he won't survive long enough to hear the first school rule announced."
In Dragon Country's livestream, the comments were few and far between. All that remained was helpless self-mockery and despair.
"Forget it... At least our competitor's pretty handsome this time."
"Yeah. At least he'll die looking good."
Just then, a figure appeared without warning in the central plaza.
She was a girl in a pristine school uniform, about 165 centimeters tall.
Her long, silky black hair fell straight to her waist.
Her features were so exquisite they looked like the perfect creation of a god, yet there wasn't a trace of human warmth in them.
Especially her eyes.
Empty and lifeless, like an abyss that could devour every scrap of light.
She merely stood there, yet a terrifying aura that made even the soul tremble swept across the entire field!
The next moment, shrill alarms screamed through every player's mind!
[Warning! Encountered SSS-Class Anomaly—"School Belle" Xia Yao!]
[Erasure rule triggered: Do not look into her eyes for more than three seconds!]
[Violation will result in erasure!]
Before the alarm had even faded, five players on the field suddenly froze in place.
Chu He was among them. He had only just looked up and hadn't even had time to avert his gaze.
An irresistible, terrifying pressure descended from above, pinning him firmly in place!
His blood seemed to freeze. He couldn't even move a fingertip.
Because all five of them had looked into the School Belle Anomaly's eyes for just a moment too long!
The shadow of death had never been so clear.
The global livestreams erupted!
"Holy crap! What a way to start! An SSS-Class Anomaly right off the bat!"
"Is Dragon Country's competitor one of those five unlucky bastards?"
"Hahaha! I said he wouldn't last three minutes! Looks like even three seconds was too generous!"
"Dragon Country's Chosen One is done for! Cause of death: caught looking at you in a crowd!"
In Dragon Country's livestream, the host's eyes were wide and his lips trembled, but not a word came out.
It's over!
The beginning was already the end!
This was the fastest, most frustrating, and most humiliating defeat in the history of Dragon Country's dungeons!
On the field, the School Belle Anomaly moved.
She walked at an unhurried pace toward the nearest competitor.
She made no unnecessary movements.
Her lifeless eyes merely swept over the man's neck.
"Pfft!"
A thin line of blood appeared out of nowhere, and the player's head rolled to the ground. His headless body remained standing.
The second one.
His body turned to ash, and a cold gust of wind scattered it until nothing remained.
The third, the fourth...
Death drew closer to Chu He with every step.
At last, she stopped in front of him.
They stood less than three meters apart.
Those lifeless eyes fixed firmly on Chu He's face.
He could feel the bone-chilling cold radiating from her. An invisible hand gripped his heart, and his breathing stopped completely.
With just half a second left before the power of erasure descended—
"Ding!"
A crisp chime, sweeter than the music of heaven, rang out in the deepest part of his mind!
[Congratulations, host! You have awakened the SSS-Class talent: Kiss of the Bewitching Ghost!]
[Kiss of the Bewitching Ghost: Pucker your lips, and any Anomaly within three meters will be forced to kiss you. It cannot dodge or resist!]
[Effect: Kissing a female Anomaly allows you to form a deep bond with her and obtain her core ability.]
A massive stream of information flashed through Chu He's mind.
His mind had never been clearer.
I'll risk it!
The desire to survive was instinctive.
And right now, puckering his lips was his only key to survival!
Under the disbelieving gazes of viewers around the world,
under the despairing eyes of his fellow citizens in Dragon Country,
facing the cold, devastatingly beautiful face that was about to take his life, Chu He summoned every ounce of strength he had and resolutely closed his eyes.
He leaned forward and puckered his lips.
For a moment, even the wind seemed to stop. Those lifeless eyes, which should have devoured everything, showed the faintest trace of hesitation.
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