[An F-rank treasure chest! I can't wait to see what comes out of it!]
[Forget the chest, isn't Lin herself the biggest surprise? She actually summoned such a powerful Heroic Spirit!]
[Yeah! I'm looking forward to seeing even more from Lin now!]
Lin Xiaoran knew nothing of the discussions outside. She went straight to the treasure chest and opened it.
[Congratulations to challenger Lin Xiaoran for obtaining thirty jin of F-rank ferocious beast savage bull meat (cooked)!]
[F-rank ferocious beast savage bull meat (cooked): consuming it increases constitution by 3 points.]
[Ten-thousandfold resource return: ten thousand portions of thirty jin of savage bull meat (cooked) have been randomly distributed among all residents of Country L!]
[It's ferocious beast meat! And eating it can increase your constitution?!]
[Aaah! Am I one of those ten thousand people?! I want some too!]
[Haha! I hit the jackpot! I was watching the livestream when a box dropped right in front of me!]
[Those of us who didn't get any are dying of envy!]
[Thank you, Lin Xiaoran! Thank you, Uncle Issho!]
[Thank you!]
Country R: [Hmph! It's just ferocious beast meat. Look how excited you all are!]
Country E: [Exactly! It's not like we've never eaten any!]
The U.S.: [Mere F-rank ferocious beast meat. It only tastes average.]
Country L: [Heh, keep stewing in your sour grapes. You might not even get anything like this in this round!]
Country L: [Oh dear, how strange. Why have some people gone quiet? Haven't you had any yet?]
The viewers from Country R: [...]
In the livestream of Country R's challenger, Tanaka Ning, some returning viewers could not help feeling displeased when they saw their Master cautiously exploring the fog, stopping every three steps.
[What's wrong with Tanaka Ning? Kuchisake-onna is a monster from urban legends! Why be so cautious?]
[There's no way such a powerful monster can't even kill an F-rank ferocious beast, right? And yet Country L got the first kill!]
Fortunately, Tanaka Ning did not know what these people were saying. Otherwise, Tanaka Ning would probably have felt wronged to death. This was the extremely dangerous National Fortune Survival Game! Without a little care and caution, what if Tanaka Ning died?!
It really was easy to talk standing up when your own back didn't ache!
Country L's National Fortune Bureau, whose full name was the [National Fortune Survival Game Analysis, Defense, and Countermeasures Bureau], was a department established after the National Fortune Game appeared, specifically responsible for intelligence analysis.
"How does it look? What are Lin's chances of winning?"
At that moment, hundreds of people in a large conference room were watching and studying the livestreams of the two hundred challengers who had entered the game instance.
Two hundred people were responsible for watching, while over two hundred more behind them diligently recorded and analyzed the Heroic Spirits summoned by the Masters.
Jiang Jiayou, the head of the National Fortune Bureau, was also carefully watching Lin Xiaoran's livestream.
He felt that winning this round was not necessarily beyond Lin Xiaoran!
After all, the gravity manipulation ability of Lin Xiaoran's Heroic Spirit, Fujitora Issho, was incredibly powerful!
With just one strike, he had crushed the ground into an enormous, bottomless pit. He was simply inhuman!
If even that could not secure a victory, there would be no justice under heaven!
Of course, the data still had to speak. What if there really were Heroic Spirits even stronger than Fujitora Issho?
Director Che Yisi, the head of the Analysis Department, held a document listing every challenger's name and their corresponding Heroic Spirit, and said:
"At present, there are four main opponents. The first is the winner of the previous round, Andrei from Country E. His Heroic Spirit is the Barbarian King, whose strength is certain to surpass that of the previous bear-headed man.
"The second is Julian Reik from the U.S. His Heroic Spirit is a man who can control lightning.
"The third is Tanaka Ning from Country R. The Heroic Spirit is Kuchisake-onna, who comes from urban legends and should also possess some kind of supernatural ability.
"The fourth, whom I believe is also the opponent we need to watch most closely, is Park Bu from Country H. His Heroic Spirit is a general. Although he is only at the level of an ordinary person, he can summon thousands of soldiers and horses, giving him an overwhelming advantage in numbers!"
At the last point, Jiang Jiayou's brows knitted tightly. "Summon thousands of soldiers and horses? And that still counts as an ordinary Heroic Spirit?!"
Han Wenju, the director of the Intelligence Department, said, "Because in terms of physical capabilities, both this Heroic Spirit and the thousands of soldiers and horses he summons are no different from ordinary people. There's nothing special about them. The only trouble is that they can form military formations and charge, turning into a battlefield meat grinder. One-on-one, they have no advantage at all."
That was precisely what worried them.
Judging by the attacks of Lin Xiaoran's Heroic Spirit, Issho, so far, his range was clearly limited. Compared with the battlefield of a great army, the difference was far too large.
People said that no matter how powerful a martial arts master was, when two armies clashed, they could still wear him down to death. This was exactly why.
After all, you might defeat a hundred, five hundred, or a thousand, but could you defeat ten thousand, or a hundred thousand?!
Jiang Jiayou pondered. "The game has only just begun. Lin Xiaoran's Heroic Spirit probably still has many abilities he hasn't shown. We still have a chance!"
Che Yisi nodded, then said with some concern, "We still need to watch. If any other challengers have extremely powerful Heroic Spirits, the situation will become even harder to predict."
Every challenger was tied to their nation's fortune. They shared glory and loss alike, and no one wanted to lose.
Inside the game instance.
Lin Xiaoran and Issho continued onward as they ate the ferocious beast meat.
"Uncle Issho, how does it taste?"
Issho answered without stopping his chewing. "Delicious! It's tastier than anything I've ever eaten!"
Lin Xiaoran smiled. "Of course it is. This came from the game."
"Mm-hmm!" Issho did not even have time to speak.
[Is it really that delicious?]
[I've tried it. It really is delicious! And after eating it, my whole body warmed up!]
[This is good stuff that increases your constitution by 3 points when you eat it!]
[Watching Uncle Issho enjoy it so much is making my mouth water.]
The street shrouded in thick fog was quiet and desolate. From the area she had explored by moving around, Lin Xiaoran could tell that this was probably some sort of post-apocalyptic city.
Damaged cars stood haphazardly in the middle of the street.
The shops on either side were a mess, their shattered display windows scattered across the ground.
Lin Xiaoran thought that staying alone in this deserted city would surely be very lonely.
Oh, not necessarily. There are ferocious beasts here too.
The two stopped walking. Issho wiped his mouth and asked, "What do you intend to do, Master? Wait for them to come over?"
Lin Xiaoran shook her head. "No need. Uncle Issho, don't worry about me. As long as a ferocious beast comes within your attack range, feel free to strike."
Wait for them to come over? What a joke. There were ten F-rank ferocious beasts in the fog-shrouded street ahead of Lin Xiaoran!
There was absolutely no need to put herself in danger by letting them approach!
Fortunately, Fujitora Issho was by her side, and fortunately, Lin Xiaoran had drawn Issho's Advanced Observation Haki, allowing her to sense her surroundings clearly. Otherwise, if another Master had come here, with the road blocked and the situation unknown, it would have been like sending a lamb straight into a tiger's jaws!
Certain death!