Outside the vehicle, Wang Meng held up his phone, trying to illuminate the surroundings.
But he found the screen pitch-black. No matter how he pressed the power button, there was no response.
"Strange... is it dead?"
Refusing to believe it, he gave it a few pats, then looked at Chen Tong. "Teacher Chen, can your Sports Camera still work?"
Chen Tong fiddled with the Hidden Stone hanging around her neck and shook her head.
"No. It seems completely broken. Even the indicator light won't come on."
"Mine seems to work!"
Yet the cheap little desk lamp Liu Yuqing pulled from her bag still lit up when she flipped its switch.
"I get it."
Watching this scene, Wang Meng pushed up his glasses and analyzed it with a grave expression.
"Phones, cameras, and the bus engine... all those sophisticated, complex electronic devices have been crippled."
"But simple circuit-based devices can still be used."
"That means... this world has certain laws, or some kind of magnetic field, that won't allow us to use Blue Star's high-tech products."
Having said that, he looked toward Jiangnan, who was sitting atop the Corpse Mountain, and asked ingratiatingly, "Big Boss, what do you think?"
Sitting at the highest point, Jiangnan nodded calmly.
Then, under the curious gazes of the three, he pulled a Small Blackboard from his backpack, along with a...
Pink Finger Stick!
It was a tool he had specially prepared to save himself the trouble of speaking.
Jiangnan hung the Small Blackboard beside him and rapidly wrote several large words on it with chalk.
[Agree], [Refuse], [Eat], [Drink], [Sleep], [Toilet].
Then, expressionless, he quickly tapped [Agree] twice.
"..."
"Do all tough guys really have a young girl's heart?"
Watching that cold-faced God of Slaughter wave a little pink stick in his hand, Wang Meng's mouth could not help twitching.
Sure enough, powerful people all marched to the beat of their own drum.
That Contrast Moe was simply unbeatable.
"I never expected Jiangnan to be so amusing~"
Chen Tong found him rather adorable, and her favorable impression of him deepened.
Liu Yuqing, meanwhile, asked worriedly.
"Classmate Jiangnan, are we staying here next?"
"The roof has been smashed to pieces and is about to collapse. And the smell of blood is so strong..."
Jiangnan tapped [Agree] again.
The meaning was obvious: they would stay here until dawn.
He knew full well that although Mutated Crows were bloodthirsty, they were not lacking in intelligence.
That wave of slaughter had already scared the wits out of them. They would definitely not dare come back tonight to throw their lives away.
The most dangerous place was, instead, the safest place.
"Then I'll keep watch."
Chen Tong volunteered, looking at Jiangnan's slightly weary face with concern.
"You should rest for a while. Teacher doesn't know what move you used just now, but it must have been exhausting, right?"
"Yeah, Big Boss, go to sleep. We're here!"
Wang Meng and Liu Yuqing raised their hands as well.
However, Jiangnan merely gave the three of them a cold glance.
The Finger Stick moved to the word [Refuse] and struck it heavily.
Wasn't he tired? Of course he was.
But he was not at the point where he could hand his back and his life over to these three people who could not even bind a crow with their bare hands.
Then, the Finger Stick moved down and landed on [Eat].
The three froze for a moment before catching on, hurriedly rummaging through their backpacks in a flurry.
"Big Boss, here! This is the Vacuum Marinated Beef I hid away!"
"Classmate Jiangnan, eat this. Here's a big chicken drumstick!"
"Jiangnan, this is the Boob Tea Teacher brought. I bought it while traveling!"
The three handed over the best food they had brought.
Jiangnan did not refuse. He accepted everything without ceremony, chewing large mouthfuls of high-calorie meat to replenish what his body had expended.
The three below swallowed hard as they watched, their stomachs growling, but supplies were limited. They could only huddle in a corner and gnaw on dry bread.
Still, seeing Jiangnan eat with such appetite somehow gave them a sense of security.
As long as this great deity was full, they would have a chance to live.
Time passed second by second.
The four sat back-to-back, vigilantly watching all four directions.
At last, the long night passed, and a pale fish-belly white appeared in the east.
Day broke.
The instant the first ray of sunlight pierced through the Purple Jungle, a grand and solemn voice...
Exploded in the minds of every survivor at once.
[Good morning, warriors! And all you lucky ones!] [Congratulations on successfully surviving your first night in the Barbaric Realm!] [From this moment onward, you will have the opportunity to put down roots and establish yourselves in this world! As well as the qualification to return to Blue Star!]
The instant the voice fell silent, a strange fruit appeared out of thin air in the hands of every living person, no matter where they were.
[Awakening Fruit: After consumption, there is a chance of gaining a random superpower! From F-class to S-class, or even mysterious powers that transcend the sequence!]
Before anyone could recover from the joy of obtaining the fruit, the voice continued its announcement.
[Furthermore, in recognition of newly risen warriors who performed exceptionally on the first day!] [We will reveal the "First Day Kill Ranking"! The top one hundred will receive extraordinarily generous additional rewards!] [Now... the list will be announced.]
"Buzz!"
A massive golden curtain of light stretched across the heavens, appearing in every human's field of vision.
At the same time, Novice Zone 101, China Second Base.
Located on the Central Continent of the Barbaric Realm, this was a towering Steel City.
On the lofty walls, soldiers armed to the teeth stood ready in strict formation, their gun barrels aimed at the wilderness outside the city.
Atop the battlements, an elderly man with graying temples leaned on a cane as a middle-aged officer supported him up to look into the distance.
His name was Wan Changzheng. He was this base's highest commander, and one of Huaxia Country's pillars that steadied the sea in this world.
The middle-aged man beside him was the Chief of Staff, Zhao Yan.
Watching the enormous light screen that filled the sky and covered his entire vision, a trace of reminiscence flashed through Wan Changzheng's clouded eyes.
"Xiao Zhao, this spectacle... is far grander than when we came here as the first batch of Summoned Ones."
"Yes, Chief."
Zhao Yan sighed. "Back then, we only had a dry, lifeless voice notifying us. How could there have been anything like this Holographic Projection?"
"But as more and more people arrived later, the scale of this 'system' grew larger too."
"Especially this time..."
Zhao Yan's voice sank. "Everyone on Blue Star has come."
Wan Changzheng tightened his grip on his cane, pain filling his expression.
"Yes, everyone came... and more and more people have died."
"In the past, there was one batch a year, one thousand people per batch. We could still barely receive them."
"But this time, several billion people descended at once... this is a disaster."
"This damned Barbaric Realm destroyed all modern firearms and vehicles on the very first day!"
"It even threw people into all kinds of Deadly Places!"
Wan Changzheng pointed outside the city.
"Our Zone 101, Canglan Continent, lies in the central interior. Its danger rating is B-class, so it is considered relatively 'mild.'"
"But even so, on the first day after arriving in this world..."
"The Reconnaissance Company was ambushed by a pack of werewolves. Half the brothers died before they managed to escape alive..."
As he spoke, the old general's eyes reddened.
Zhao Yan sighed and pulled a wrinkled Parchment Map from his chest, spreading it open.
"Chief, compared to other places, we are indeed fortunate."
He pointed to several regions on the map.
"Zones 1 through 50 are located in the western Twilight Forest, with a D-class danger rating."
"There are only ordinary beasts there, and the mortality rate is just 8.1%. That is a true blessed land."
"Zones 51 through 100 are in the southern Tropical Rainforest, with a C-class danger rating."
"Venomous insects cover the ground, and the mortality rate shoots up to 23.3%."
"Then there is our location, Zones 101 through 150, Canglan Continent, with a B-class danger rating."
"Though there are natives and Mutated Beasts, major countries have established bases here in recent years, keeping the mortality rate at around 19.1%."
Zhao Yan's finger continued upward, stopping over a deathly white region in the north.
"Zones 151 through 175, the Polar Icefield, with an A-Class danger rating."
"They say genuine dragonkin can be found there."
"And... most people freeze to death in temperatures below minus twenty degrees the moment they land. The mortality rate is as high as 61.8%."
Finally, Zhao Yan's trembling finger pointed to the isolated island at the far eastern edge of the map, marked in red.
"As for the last area... Zone 176 and onward, located on Weird Island east of Canglan Continent."
"S-class danger rating!"
"They say it is filled with Unspeakable Bizarre Creatures, and its rules are chaotic."
"To this day... no newcomer has ever come out of it."
"A few years ago, Eagle Country's most elite Seal Commando entered fully armed. In the end, only one person returned."
"He went insane, babbling nonsense, and within two days he swallowed a gun and killed himself."
"That place is a true forbidden zone. Its mortality rate... is 99.9%!"
The two fell silent.
And these were only the explored regions. Half of the Barbaric Realm was still covered in mist, where humanity had yet to set foot.
"We can only hope not many ordinary people landed on Weird Island this time."
Wan Changzheng let out a long sigh.
Just then, the light screen in the sky suddenly blazed with golden radiance. The Rankings refreshed!
[Newcomer First Day Kill List (Global)]
Wan Changzheng and Zhao Yan immediately looked up.
The moment they did, neither of their expressions looked very good.
The top twenty spots were almost completely dominated by names from Eagle Country and Cherry Blossom Country!
[Rank 20: Kerry Rob (Eagle Country)] [Location: Weird Island (S-class)] [Record: Killed Wandering Corpse (E-class) x 1] [Points: 100]
[Rank 3: Muraguchi Nissuu (Cherry Blossom Country)] [Location: Weird Island (S-class)] [Record: Killed Corpse Wolf (E-class) x 6] [Points: 600]
[Rank 2: Aurelia Alice (Eagle Country)] [Location: Weird Island (S-class)] [Record: Killed Wandering Corpse (E-class) x 12] [Points: 1200]
"Weird Island?!"
Zhao Yan's pupils contracted. "How is that possible?"
"More than half of this year's top twenty are actually on Weird Island? And they survived?"
"Killing just one monster in an S-class region is worth 100 points. In previous years, that score could have made the top five!"
"Only twentieth place this year?"
Wan Changzheng's face darkened. "Something's not right."
"Eagle Country and Cherry Blossom Country must have used some special method!"
"Or perhaps they got wind of it in advance and had their elites descend upon Weird Island together!"
"Look—the types they killed are extremely uniform. That means it was an organized hunt with coordination!"
He anxiously searched for Huaxia Country's name.
Yet only two had made it into the top ten.
[No. 9: Huaxia First Deep Affection (Huaxia Country)]
[No. 10: Stocking Bandit (Huaxia Country)]
They were also on Weird Island, yet they had only a pitiful 300 points.
"The gap is far too great..."
Wan Changzheng looked at the Rankings glowing red, and a wave of sorrow surged through his heart.
One step slow, every step slow.
If the first-day rewards were swept up by other countries, Huaxia Country's situation in this New World would become even more difficult.
"Forget it. Help me down so I can rest."
Wan Changzheng waved his hand. Unable to bear looking any longer, he turned and prepared to leave the city wall.
Yet at the very instant he turned around.
Zhao Yan beside him suddenly began trembling all over, pointing at the very top of the light screen.
"Com... Commander!!"
"Wait! Look, quickly!!"
"Look at what? It'll only make me angry."
Wan Changzheng frowned.
"No! First place! First place is one of ours!!!"
Zhao Yan let out a shriek so sharp his voice cracked.
"What?!"
Wan Changzheng whipped around. Forgetting all about his cane, he staggered toward the railing and looked up.
At the very top of the enormous light screen, a golden name radiated a glorious light that crushed everything beneath it!
It made every name below it seem utterly dim and colorless!
[No. 1: Needless to Say (Huaxia Country)]
[Location: Weird Island (S-class)]
[Record: Killed Mutated Corrosive Crow (E-class) x 333]
[Points: 33300]
Dead silence.
The entire city wall, and even the entire Base 101, fell into a deathly silence that lasted a full ten seconds.
Wan Changzheng rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again.
"Ones... tens... hundreds... ten-thousands..."
The old general's hands trembled, and his cane fell to the ground.
"Th... thirty thousand points?!"
Compared to second place's 1,200 points, this was a crushing gap like a fault line!
It could even be said that adding together the points of the ninety-nine people below still would not be enough to carry first place's shoes!
"Th... how is that possible?!"
Zhao Yan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets:
"Mutated Crows in an S-class area... those are monsters that live in flocks!"
"Alone, he killed the equivalent of an entire regiment?!"
"Needless to Say... just who is this person?!"
"Just what kind of divine being is he?!!"
Before you continue