Moral High Ground, Successful Clearance

And at this time...

Gao Linzhi stepped forward and kicked each of them, killing them instantly and sending them to their resurrection.

Those two fools, they don't even consider the situation.

And so, Gao Linzhi hid in the snow, watching as everyone killed each other.

Of course, there were also some people, like Gao Linzhi, who hid in the snow.

They really do live by eating dirt and snow.

They truly extract organic matter from the soil.

You could say they survived by eating feces.

This is the harsh reality.

Famine is not that simple.

Especially now, these players have lost the ability to open their Game Backpack.

They could only survive in this desolate, icy wasteland by relying on the things they carried with them.

Some of them were luckier.

They dug some animal carcasses that had been frozen for a long time out of the soil.

For example, a deer.

That weighs several hundred kilograms.

In Gao Linzhi's view, it was less about them being lucky and more about someone secretly helping them.

Or perhaps one could use some divination skills.

Those who were unlucky but clever and ruthless had long ago begun to use people as food reserves.

And so, time passed day by day.

30 days can feel fast or slow.

People who are going through a period of suffering are naturally slow.

Those who have meat to eat naturally eat faster.

All they do every day is sleep, eat meat, and beat people up.

And so, as time went by, Gao Linzhi witnessed firsthand the number of people visibly decrease from 254.

They first caught the weaker ones and ate them.

Next, it's slightly stronger.

Of course, people aren't stupid; everyone knows to run.

But in this icy wasteland, having lost their supernatural powers, where could they possibly run to?

Moreover, it's a very simple principle: if you're running around without food, how can you possibly outrun your pursuers?

The pursuers eat meat regularly.

In such a vast expanse of snow, many people can only run a few dozen miles before losing their way, or even ending up as prey for hunters.

The hunters simply need to follow the footprints.

The heavy snow was strange; it seemed very heavy, yet it didn't cover human footprints—clearly, it was a man-made cage.

What appears to be a vast world is actually an invisible cage.

You think you can run around freely, but the footprints that can't be covered by the snow become the rope that tethers you.

Even if someone tries to cover the snow with their clothes, it won't work; the footprints will still appear eventually.

This shows that the rules of the game were set by the headmaster.

It's impossible to avoid the competition by running away.

And so, day by day, a week passed, and only a little over 50 people remained.

Gao Linzhi, at that moment, the remaining 50-odd people began to behave politely.

We greet each other normally every morning when we meet.

This is natural; on average, one person shares four corpses.

400 jin of bones, meat, and offal should be enough for a month's needs, no matter what.

And so, everyone began to unite again.

With food secured, temperature became the critical issue.

One can endure being cold for a day or two, but over time, even with plenty of food, the body will develop various problems due to excessive cold.

After all, relying on exercise to prevent cold has a major problem: it causes sweating, and sweating can lead to catching a cold.

In this kind of weather, catching a cold is a sure way to die.

They worked together to dig deeper and bigger pits to shelter from the wind and snow.

The people huddled together for warmth.

Others have developed even more and better tools and facilities.

For example, a stove, or a multi-story icehouse.

After all, it's in cold weather; otherwise, a single night's sleep could freeze someone to death.

Many people have started sleeping during the day.

Actually, there's not much difference between day and night, because it's equally cold.

However, this period of good fortune did not last long.

Just one week later, another fatal problem emerged.

They couldn't find any more wood or other fuel.

Moreover, relying solely on the cellar and sleeping huddled together was no longer enough.

Because the temperature is gradually decreasing.

The insulation effect is getting worse and worse.

It seems something is trying to get in and absorb the precious heat.

Actually, this is due to the vent.

They had made the cellar very small and tightly sealed, with only a few ventilation openings for oxygen exchange.

However, the fact is that this tiny vent has taken away a lot of precious heat.

But we can't do it any other way.

Ordinary people need fresh air; without it, they will die.

Unless they have enough fuel, they still can't hold on.

"We're out of fuel!" the leader said to the group. "As you all know, in this freezing weather, having food but no warmth is still a death sentence."

"We'll freeze to death in just one night."

"What should we do?"

"If we dig again, will we still be able to dig it out?"

"We can't dig any further; the ground is frozen solid."

"The snow used to be thick but relatively soft, but now it's getting harder and harder."

"Damn it, we can't solve this fuel problem by burning people."

"Yes, how many hours can you sustain someone by burning them?" The group looked at each other, but there wasn't much panic among them.

This is visible to the naked eye; all 50 people were burned, and the body will only last for two days at most.

That's simply not enough.

Therefore, we must find a way to completely solve this fuel problem.

"What should we do now?"

Someone said anxiously.

The group looked at each other, huddled together in the cold cellar, seeking a little warmth.

Some people were trying their best to move their hands and feet, hoping to generate heat through friction.

However, these measures are all insufficient.

They cannot solve the real problem.

The group looked at each other in dismay. They never expected that after solving their hunger, they would still have to overcome the cold.

"Damn it, if only I still had my skills," someone couldn't help but say. "I could just throw a small fireball and that would be enough for everyone."

"Yes, one Fireball Spell is enough to provide everyone with a month's worth of calories."

"Looking at it this way, it's actually quite easy to meet basic needs in this extraordinary world."

"That's right, otherwise why would we say that the offline world's United Association needs to strengthen its control over those extraordinary individuals?"

"Damn it."

"Wait a minute," someone suddenly asked, "Can you still open your Game Backpack?"

"Nonsense, of course it can't be opened. If it could be opened, it would have been opened long ago. Why would we need to eat people?" someone else said disdainfully.

"If we had any personal storage space equipment, things wouldn't have turned out like this."

"It's so cold, I feel so cold, I think I'm about to get a fever."

"Great, I'll help you cool down."

"If we had known this would happen, we should have dealt with that headmaster much more severely."

"How do we take drastic measures?"

"If we wipe them out completely and seize their technology and knowledge, we won't have to endure this test!"

"That's right! Once I get out of here, I'll definitely kill all those bastards!"

"In that case, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

"We are so pitiful."

After saying their piece, the group huddled together in the cellar, trembling with fear.

Are we truly out of options now?

They suddenly understood.

Now is the time to truly test and examine wisdom and virtue.

"Is continuing to dig the earth the only option?"

Everyone was completely baffled.

Suddenly someone said, "That's right, let's keep digging while we still have the energy."

"If they dig deep enough, they might survive."

Someone countered, "We can't dig any deeper."

"If we keep digging deeper, no oxygen will get in, and we'll all suffocate."

"Is it better to suffocate or freeze to death?"

"I feel like freezing to death would be better."

No sooner had everyone finished speaking than someone suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a minute, have you noticed? This area doesn't include everyone right now."

"That's right, I remember there are still a few independent cultivators alive. I saw them earlier."

"Yes, they don't seem to be afraid of the cold."

"I saw a guy who was acting very relaxed. He was probably a player, but his ID wasn't showing above his head, so I didn't know his identity."

"You're mistaken; they're probably local indigenous people."

"No, I'm sure he's a player," the man insisted. "I can't see his ID; he's probably hiding it."

"IDs have a hiding function, but they can still be seen using certain methods. Moreover, Corporate Players generally don't hide their IDs, since companies need to advertise."

"Damn it, it seems the answer lies with this person."

So they used the last of their strength to crawl out of the cellar and quickly found Gao Linzhi's location.

After all, Gao Linzhi's footprints were also left in the ice and snow.

Some of them are very intelligent.

If you see a few lonely footprints, you can find Gao Linzhi by following them.

Gao Linzhi saw those people walking towards his cellar from afar.

He couldn't help but shake his head.

It's truly a case of "the tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease."

He thought about it carefully now and realized that to get through this hurdle, he had to deal with them.

At this moment, a group of dozens of people surrounded Gao Linzhi's cellar.

Gao Linzhi climbed out of the cellar.

A leader stepped forward and asked directly, "I've noticed that you seem unaffected by the cold and snow."

"I suppose you must have a way."

"One cannot only think of oneself."

"Yes, you have to consider everyone's perspective; you should share good ideas."

"That's right, the headmaster said that one must have virtue."

Gao Linzhi immediately smiled.

"Of course I have a way to get through this, but why should I tell you?"

In reality, Gao Linzhi's body was a Substitute Puppet at this time.

Even if he can't open the Game Backpack, he actually can't open it.

However, the puppet was carrying a lot of supplies.

The puppet is incredibly strong, and most importantly, most of its internal organs are empty.

It can be used as a backpack.

He was carrying some special fuel.

A lamp that can burn continuously for several years.

But then again, why would he give it to these ogres?

If these people were truly virtuous, why would they resort to cannibalism?

Generally, virtuous people are willing to sacrifice their own lives for the benefit of others, rather than expecting others to benefit them.

Moreover, they are all his competitors.

Gao Linzhi then said, "This has nothing to do with you. If you want to pass, figure it out yourselves."

"I'm only giving you one chance to leave."

Clearly, these people won't leave.

On the contrary, they determined that Gao Linzhi possessed the method to pass the test.

"Damn it, he definitely has something that will get him through!"

"It might be one of those mysterious magical artifacts, the kind that can generate heat for a long time!"

"That's right, this game wouldn't give us missions we can't complete!"

"That's right."

"We used those idiots before, now we'll use him to get through this!"

Did these people even consider whether it was immoral to do such a thing when they were eating people?

But then I thought about it again, and realized that their ancestors survived by eating people.

In every major famine, those with moral boundaries and principles starved to death, leaving behind only those without such boundaries.

This is why morality has declined with each passing day.

This is the reason for natural selection and natural evolution.

Then, these dozens of people immediately launched an attack on Gao Linzhi.

In their view, since no one can use supernatural powers, then it comes down to the offline system: the one with more people and better organization will defeat the one with fewer people.

This is a universal rule.

Unless there is a technological gap.

However, they never expected that Gao Linzhi was now technologically ahead of them.

Substitute Puppet, no matter what, is still a mysterious creation, with power far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Just like a person can't compete with a car in a marathon.

Humans can no longer compete with AI in chess.

Gao Linzhi's puppet did not lose its power.

And so a massacre ensued.

Gao Linzhi defeated them all with a single kick, one after another.

Not only that, he also planned to crush them all to death.

"You people have killed countless people, and you even eat people."

"Your morality is already in the negative!"

"If I kill you all, my morality will be much higher."

And at this time...

Another person, on the verge of death, knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Don't kill us, we are innocent."

"Whether you're innocent or not, only your stomachs will tell."

And at this time...

The mountain chief and a few others were watching from a distance on the icy plain.

Suddenly, an old man said, "Chief, it seems the fellow you brought is going to win."

"Well, he's so-so."

"Hehe, in all my years of experience, I've seen countless heroes and great men. To receive such a casual evaluation from you, this person is truly not to be underestimated."

"Let it be this way," the headmaster said calmly.

Gao Linzhi saw these people begging for mercy, but naturally he did not spare them.

He won't let anyone who dares to lay a hand on him get away with it.

In the end, only five people remained.

Those people, too, were hidden deep underground.

They secretly survived by eating random, unhealthy things.

Of these five people, apart from Gao Linzhi and one player, the other three are indigenous.

Because they weren't players, they were using some of the most basic Turtle Breathing Technique.

Like a tortoise, it can hibernate in the cold and survive.

This is the advantage of reptiles.

For example, snakes often get frozen stiff, but they will revive once warmed up.

Once a person is frozen stiff, they are generally dead and will not be able to wake up.

So these indigenous people survived.

In that light, it's not surprising that those players didn't survive.

They are accustomed to relying on various gaming skills.

Currently, game skills and the Game Backpack are unusable.

Then they would lose most of their skills, and naturally they would fail in such icy and snowy conditions.