Maybe I Should Blow All 300 Points, Have Seven Days of Fun, Then Head Back to the Ship
One of them was a small house at the foot of a cliff by the sea. It was the only obvious 'house-type' building he observed. Even though there wasn't anything else the school had prepared inside, having such a house would naturally save him a lot of points that he would need to buy tents.
Another advantage is the panoramic view of the sea. The tower offers a commanding view and convenient observation. If you're lucky, you might even be able to observe the movements of other classes from up there with a telescope.
So, deciding to take it one step at a time, Ryuen Kakeru took Albert with him and began searching for the landmarks in his memory.
He quickly found the 'tower' by following the direction.
Strictly speaking, the tower is located inland, but because the main area involved is the seaside Ryuen Kakeru took it upon himself to classify it as a coastal outpost.
However, as soon as he approached the tower, a strange glint flashed in Ryuen Kakeru's eyes.
Something unexpected happened.
The terminal device, which was expected to be installed on a high tower, was actually embedded in the side of the tower. Moreover, a countdown timer was clearly lit up on the screen of the terminal device.
Undoubtedly, this device indicates whether a stronghold has been captured or not, and the information displayed on the screen indicates that this stronghold has already been captured.
"..."
Someone beat us to it.
"... Class A." Seeing the words "Class A has been occupied" and the countdown of seven hours and fifty minutes, Ryuen Kakeru murmured softly, but couldn't help thinking of that guy.
Asakusa Toru.
Although there was no evidence, his intuition told him that the person who had taken over the stronghold ten minutes earlier was Asakusa Toru.
Was too much time wasted on creating traces of 'expulsion' for Kaneda and Ishizaki? Or was too much time spent initially figuring out the rules and consulting the guidebook?
No, both of these things require time, and he can't know the rules in advance. Only by carefully reading the rules word by word can he find a loophole.
The time spent beating up Kaneda and Ishizaki was also necessary; if they didn't go a little too far, the other classes wouldn't easily believe and accept them.
The reason they were beaten to it was simply because Asakusa Toru arrived too quickly.
Did they spot the same location as me while circling the island?
"Albert, let's go." After some thought, Ryuen Kakeru decided to head to the next stronghold.
A cottage by the sea.
Although he knew that the area was most likely occupied as well, he still had to go.
Obviously, the result was as expected.
The screen at the entrance of the cabin still displayed 'Class A' and a countdown of more than seven hours.
Furthermore, judging from the time, that guy arrived here first and then went to the tower.
"Walk."
Looking through the window at the fishing gear inside the hut, Ryuen Kakeru said coldly.
The door was locked; perhaps only the class that occupied it could use a keycard to open it and access the fishing gear inside.
"Walk."
A very ordinary rocky outpost on the shore has been occupied.
"Walk."
The outpost with its sunshade built on the edge of the forest has been occupied.
"Walk."
Even the seaside outposts that existed merely to make up the numbers were occupied.
As he circled the island's beach repeatedly, repeating the same words to Albert beside him, Ryuen Kakeru's initially calm expression grew increasingly grim.
... Damn it, this guy has taken over all the outposts by the sea!!!
Chapter 201 Why not just spend all 300 points, have fun for seven days, and then go back to the ship?
Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Ryuen Kakeru's face turned red as he stared at the last captured stronghold before circling back to its starting point.
He uttered the last word in utter utter humiliation.
"Walk."
A full half hour was wasted.
He hasn't even found a base yet, let alone made any other preparations.
The tents need to be pitched, and the fire needs to be lit. Although we had lunch with everyone, we still need to prepare dinner.
The few compressed biscuits in my pocket won't last seven days.
Quite helplessly, Ryuen Kakeru abandoned his plan to hold out for eight hours to retake the occupied stronghold and instead chose an ordinary stronghold found in the forest by the people who had been sent out to explore.
There were no special supplies, just an open space under the shade of trees, which was relatively crowded and narrow.
But the advantage is that the dense bushes can serve as a natural barrier, and as long as they cover themselves with free absorbent tarpaulins, they don't even need to buy tents!
"Brother Ryuen, the things we brought down..." Komiya whispered, leaning closer for instructions. "The boys' things have all been taken out and put in your bag, Brother Ryuen."
"As for the girls... I didn't dare to ask."
Looking at the package of odds and ends that Komiya handed him, which still seemed somewhat warm, Ryuen Kakeru remained silent for a moment, then nodded gently.
"Okay, I understand."
This is a standard item distributed to each student by the school: a 'comfort backpack'.
One for each person.
After briefly weighing the backpack in his hand, Ryuen Kakeru opened it expressionlessly.
Due to limited carrying space and the fact that some students were unable to bring some of their belongings through security, they didn't actually bring much with them.
Aside from the supplies for the girl, the following items are currently in his bag.
Several still-warm lighters, a few slightly crushed compressed biscuits, a packet of MSG and a packet of salt, a small knife taken from Albert's pocket, a compass, a wad of not-so-thick rope, several sheets of tin foil, a box of razor blades, a roll of tape, and a row of water purification tablets.
He stiffly reached out and took out a warm lighter.
Why is it still warm?
This is an excellent question, but Ryuen Kakeru decided not to dwell on it.
Now, he was going to use this lighter to light the campfire they needed.
Although the school provides two boxes of matches as a basic fire source, matches are never as convenient and easy to use as a lighter.
Lighters are a symbol of civilization.
At 3 PM, First-Year Class C lit a bonfire.
Classes A, B, and C are all using the absorbent cloths provided by the school like crazy, but Class D... still hasn't decided on a leader.
"So that's what I'm saying! What if Hirata becomes the leader and it gets figured out?!"
"Hirata doesn't take the leadership role, who can? Who would want to?! Are you suggesting we let Horikita take it?!"
The arguing continued, but Horikita Suzune, mentioned in the conversation, showed no reaction whatsoever.
"..."
"Horikita- san, are you alright?" With great concern, Kushida leaned close to the ashen-faced Horikita Suzune, waving her hands up and down, and then Angel, taking advantage of the distance, whispered:
"Hey, what's wrong with you? If you're not feeling well, just go back to the ship. It's really uncomfortable to watch you here."
"Anyway, Koenji has already gone back. At worst, we can all just walk out of the exam."
Not long after the exam began, Koenji Rokusuke left the group without permission and disappeared. By the time they realized what was happening, Koenji had already returned to the cruise ship.
Their Class D was immediately seated at the same table as Class B, and they were deducted thirty points from the start.
This marked the beginning of the controversy.
Everyone's emotions were very off; even something as small as choosing a leader caused them to argue and refuse to stop.
It started with a disagreement over the makeshift toilets provided by the school, which then escalated into a conflict between the hedonists and the hardship-endurance faction. Boys who wanted to endure it to the limit and then suddenly increase their living expenses by over ten thousand yuan clashed with girls who couldn't accept the makeshift toilets at all.
Even though they hadn't captured the stronghold or elected a leader, they couldn't stop arguing for most of the day.
It was she Hirata Yosuke who acted as peacemakers for half a day before finally backing down, relying on the previous agreement to make the boy accept that a certain degree of point consumption was necessary.
After all, they can't possibly endure hardship to save up 300 points only to have Class A take away 150 of their gains in a flash.
Ideally, we would get 219 points in this exam and bring the Class Points down to the extreme range of 299 points.
In other words, they can spend at least 81 points.
In that case, buying a toilet wouldn't be a big deal.
I thought the conflict was over, but soon they started arguing again because of the leader.
"If you don't want to leave, it's about time you stepped forward and reminded them that they can change leaders," Kushida Kikyo said.
As for why she doesn't say it herself.
Of course, it's because she doesn't want to stand out too much. Her public image has been established over the past three months, and there's no need for her to put herself in the spotlight just to gain some attention.
If everyone actually thinks she's really that capable, wouldn't she end up leading Class D?
She doesn't want to.
That kind of thing is the most disgusting.
Ideally, she would find a way to get Horikita Suzune up and get to work.
Although Horikita Suzune is a bit simple-minded and a bit slow-witted, she might be the most suitable person to be the leader of Class D.
She has Diary provides her with all sorts of random information every day, whether it's useful or not, and she also has the awareness that she must become a leader and take the lead as the class leader.
It was precisely because she wanted to achieve something that she chose to save money and even borrow money to prepare supplies.
... Although she didn't bring any of those things with her.
Yes, it's sad and despairing to be disappointed, but it shouldn't be this bad.
Kushida Kikyo sighed softly.
Finally, as if she had regained her composure, Horikita Suzune patted her cheeks.
"I'll be the leader." She stood up first, interrupting the class's argument, and then, before refusing, revealed the 'well-known' information. "Don't worry about my identity being exposed; I'll leave before the exam ends."
"Spending just thirty points to avoid being guessed is a great deal, isn't it?"
One setback does not mean total failure.
There are six days left until the end of the Uninhabited Island Exam.
As the controversial conversation subsided, the keycard for Class D was handed to her after being engraved with Horikita Suzune's name.
"... So, have you found a suitable base?" Gripping the key card tightly, Horikita Suzune looked up at Kanji Ike and his group, who had returned early under the guise of an exploration team, and asked softly.
"We found it, but..." Kanji Ike looked troubled.
"But what?"
"They've all been taken over by other classes!" he couldn't help but curse aloud. "Every time I see the terminal for a stronghold, it always displays the words 'under capture.' How do those guys manage to do it so fast?!"
The thought of it makes him angry.
After wandering around for ages, we finally found a stronghold, only to discover that it was mostly marked with a countdown timer indicating that Class A was taking it over.
They were incredibly lucky to find a base by a river that looked exceptionally clean. This time, it wasn't taken over by the guys from Class A, but those arrogant guys from Class B had already surrounded it early on.
Arguing about trivial matters wastes too much time!
At this rate, forget about getting 219 points. Considering Koenji's departure, and Horikita Suzune's eventual departure and the change of leadership, they'd be lucky to get 100 points!
Unless they can guess the identities of the leaders of the other classes.
But how could that be possible!
Let alone the tactic of changing leaders, even if other classes don't know, they're not stupid; they wouldn't let others guess!
They thought that arriving on this Uninhabited Island would finally give them room to shine, but little did they expect that Class D would suffer a crushing defeat before they even had a chance to perform!
"Why don't we just spend all 300 points, have fun for seven days, and then go back to the ship?" Someone suddenly said.