Chapter 019: Ranked 194th in Potential

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There were one hundred survival bases on the moon.

Among them, in one particular base where people of all nationalities lived together, a boisterous blond man burst out laughing, drawing several glances his way. “Haha! Our American contestants are still the best. They’re all out hunting, and most of the eliminations come from our country. Look at the contestants from elsewhere, especially those from Huaxia—what’s the use of having so many? They’re all cowards. In the end, the winner will definitely be one of us Americans.”

No one openly contradicted him.

Although the largest proportion of death-hunt contestants came from Huaxia, followed by other populous nations, the number of American participants in the game was also significant.

Moreover, since the game had started, especially after the god had announced the game’s rewards and additional rules, most of the eliminations had indeed come at the hands of Americans.

Scenes like this played out in the halls of survival bases everywhere, and were far from uncommon.

People of different nationalities had divided into small cliques, and some had even set up bets based on their country’s contestants, with simple odds calculated.

After all, those on the moon were, almost without exception, people of status and wealth. They had plenty of amusements back on Earth, but on the moon these were few and far between. Now, the death-hunt game held by the god every ten years on Earth, with its life-and-death struggles among the contestants, had become their most important form of entertainment.

Meanwhile, in one of Huaxia’s survival bases.

This base was made up entirely of Huaxia’s people, most of whom were high-ranking officials.

In a technologically advanced conference room spanning several hundred square meters, dozens of people were gathered—some in military uniforms, others in suits, most over the age of fifty.

At the front of the conference room, a massive screen filled the wall, densely populated with profile photos—all contestants, all from Huaxia, numbering in the hundreds.

A middle-aged officer with a square face stood at the podium to the right of the screen, his expression stern and authoritative.

He began, “At the start of the game, there were 2,150 contestants within our borders. At present, 2,148 remain; two have been eliminated. After preliminary screening, we have identified 257 contestants who have adapted well to the game and show great potential—these are the ones on the screen.”

“Of these, the one with the greatest potential is number 7845, name Huang Feng, from YN Province. He serves in the Southern Military District’s Cobra Special Operations Unit, in the Special Assault Squad, and has completed 58 missions during his tenure…”

The large screen rapidly switched to a close-up photo of a soldier.

He was an unremarkable-looking young man, yet his eyes revealed unyielding determination—this was Huang Feng. Below his image, a detailed résumé and background information were displayed.

The officer introduced Huang Feng in detail, then continued down the list. For the top ten, he spent about five minutes on each, but the introductions grew briefer as he went, although he took extra time when someone particularly notable appeared.

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More than two hours later.

On the screen appeared a photo of a young man gritting his teeth as he did pull-ups in a gym—this was Li Gang.

“Ranked 194th by potential, number 4444, name Li Gang, from HB Province. A recent graduate from an ordinary university, with below-average academic results. Personal development… decent adaptability to the game environment.”

“What sets him apart is that he has yet to use any enhancement boosters. He trains alone in a disciplined routine every day, steadily improving his four core attributes. It’s only a matter of time before he surpasses the average for adult males on Earth. But that alone wouldn’t put him in the top 200. What’s exceptional is that on the tenth day of the game, when the god announced rewards and supplementary rules, he still didn’t use any boosters, but instead increased his training intensity day by day. Since then, his four core stats have improved dramatically, with his physical fitness now exceeding the earth average.”

“He also shows a certain degree of vigilance, has prepared equipment and supplies for sudden departure, and becomes alert whenever anyone comes within fifty kilometers. At the slightest sign of trouble, he flees and avoids all conflict.”

After less than a minute and a half, the screen switched to the next contestant.

When the officer had finished introducing the 200th contestant, an elderly man with white hair interrupted, saying, “That’s enough—we don’t need introductions beyond the 200th place anymore. In future lists, don’t report on anyone ranked below 100, and for those below 50, just pick out a few special cases.”

“Yes, sir,” the officer replied, standing at attention.

The white-haired elder nodded and then said, “Keep a close eye on this soldier, Huang Feng. As I understand it, his abilities would rank him solidly in the global top ten. If anything happens to him, report to us immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

The meeting continued, with another person taking over to report on promising contestants from other countries.

Earth.

In the blink of an eye, another four days passed.

It was now the twenty-second day since the game had begun.

During this time, the total number of contestants worldwide had decreased by more than seventy, with the daily rate of eliminations on the rise.

This filled Li Gang with an intense sense of urgency and mounting pressure, as if danger could descend on him at any moment.

So, when faced with three choices, he ultimately selected a comprehensive healing treatment.

Now, he had six enhancement booster opportunities and two comprehensive healings at his disposal.

Over these four days, the only good news was that the stranger who had once pursued him had left YD County two days prior and had not approached WF County.

Li Gang stood on the rooftop of the gym, gazing into the distance. Just as he was about to check his personal information panel again, Xiaobai’s alert sounded in his mind.

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“Li Gang, there is a stranger entering your fifty-kilometer perimeter. A stranger is entering…”

“Could it be that person from before?”

Li Gang instantly abandoned his plan to open his personal panel, instead activating the tracking function and pulling up the map.

A blue light appeared in the lower right corner.

Li Gang’s pupils contracted in disbelief.

The blue marker was not at the edge as he had expected, but had already penetrated deep into the area.

How could this be? He was shocked.

If he remembered correctly, that direction was a hilly region, and even if there was a road, it would be winding and treacherous.

Suddenly, he seemed to hear a faint rumble from the sky.

“What’s that?”

Li Gang immediately looked up—and froze.

Between the white clouds, a plane was approaching, trailing a long plume behind it. But the aircraft was much smaller than a normal plane.

A realization struck him, and he quickly took out his binoculars.

“That’s a fighter jet, no doubt about it.”

“Someone’s actually flying a fighter jet? How is that possible?”

He murmured in astonishment, eyes wide with disbelief. But the truth was right before him—he had no choice but to accept it.

The jet swiftly streaked past, disappearing over the horizon in moments.

Only a lingering contrail across the blue sky remained as evidence of its passage—it had not been a hallucination.