Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Entering the Maze

A little after 9:00 AM.

Pale golden morning light spilled between the tall buildings and streets.

A silver hover-bus departed from the Hero Association.

Several military-green armored Hovercars followed close behind, providing an escort.

Wang Xi sat in a window seat in the middle of the bus.

His gaze fell upon the scenery outside, admiring the passing streets. The bus traveled north from the Central District, seemingly planning to leave through Valley City’s north gate and head for the Wilderness.

Aside from some blurry childhood memories, Wang Xi felt as if he had never left Valley City.

His knowledge of the world outside the city was limited to school textbooks. He only knew that the Wilderness was a dilapidated and desolate environment where, in the dozen or so years since humanity’s disappearance, massive amounts of vegetation had grown wildly, taking over the places they once occupied.

Vast swaths of ruins, abandoned fields, and residential areas had become like primeval forests.

Buildings and steel structures were severely weathered and rusted.

Furthermore, due to the influence of an intangible "reality distortion," some areas were home to bizarre and dangerous supernatural phenomena.

Today was what Wang Xi considered his first time leaving the city.

A trace of anticipation welled up inside him.

"Mr. Wang... Xi?"

Just as he was lost in thought, a pleasant female voice with a slight accent suddenly sounded by his ear.

He turned his head to see Nagata An, the "seed" girl from the Sky Dome Conglomerate, standing in the aisle. On her lovely face, her watery eyes were smiling at him.

"Miss Xing, what is it?"

Wang Xi asked politely.

Nagata An took out her phone and smiled.

"Can I add you as a friend?"

From the corner of his eye, Wang Xi noticed that on the seats at the front of the bus, the other eight candidates were all secretly looking their way.

Jiang Tianjie wasn’t even trying to be subtle; he stood up, turned around, and leaned over the back of his seat, a look of pure shock on his face.

’So dramatic,’ Wang Xi thought to himself.

’This is just how it is when you’re handsome.’

’You’re not, so you wouldn’t understand.’

He had actually noticed the others’ stares long ago but had ignored them. Ever since Yu Jiali had put a little makeup on him, his looks and aura had risen to a whole new level, and this batch of fellow examinees had been sizing him up the entire trip.

Especially the young women.

In this new era, dating and marriage weren’t easy.

Living in settlements under the constant threat of disaster, young women’s choice of partners tended to lean toward men who were powerful and had a strong sense of responsibility.

Looks, height, and personality were secondary.

Because in the face of disaster, survival was paramount. So, "power" here naturally included martial prowess, financial capability, and social status.

But if a young man had sufficient power or potential, and also possessed outstanding looks and a powerful sense of responsibility, one could only imagine how popular he would be.

Whether in the new era or the old.

A man like that was extremely attractive.

"Of course, no problem."

Wang Xi said with a smile.

He took out his phone, and he and Nagata An exchanged contact information and added each other on their messaging apps.

But just as the beautiful, long-haired woman left, the round-faced girl with glasses, Ge Tian, and the girl with the high ponytail, Zhong Shuang, also mustered their courage, came over, and shyly added him as a friend.

This was just how the new era was.

You had to fight for a good man.

Besides, there was no harm in trying.

Among this group of examinees, aside from Lin Xin’Er, who remained in the frontmost seat staring blankly at the scenery outside, all the other girls had added Wang Xi as a friend.

The hover-bus traveled through the Wilderness.

Wang Xi’s phone buzzed incessantly. Jiang Tianjie was practically tearing his hair out, his eyes feeling dry and itchy, as if he were coming down with a case of the green-eyed monster.

’Huh?’

’Why him?’

’Am I that bad?’

’Why aren’t any cute girls asking for *my* contact info?!’

Wang Xi juggled conversations with several girls, whiling away the boring travel time. But soon, the phantom blare of a horn and the screech of brakes echoed in his mind, and that bone-deep, unforgettable phantom pain washed over him like a tide.

He snapped to his senses, instantly on high alert.

’Wang Xi, oh, Wang Xi! How could you be so depraved! Have you forgotten the self-improvement plan you set for yourself?’

’As Confucius said, "I reflect upon myself three times a day."’

’I can’t go on like this!’

BEEP—

"Nagata An: After the assessment, do you want to go to the Sky Dome Conglomerate’s ’Qingliu Pavilion’? My treat."

Wang Xi looked at his phone, recalling that he had heard of the famous "Qingliu Pavilion." It was one of the most high-end restaurants in Valley City, with an average cost of over 6,000 Credit Points per person.

His face was expressionless as his fingers tapped out a reply:

"I’m not convinced. Send me 50 to show me you’re serious."

"Nagata An: ..."

...

...

「North of Valley City, at a deserted town 20 kilometers away.」

The hover-bus and armored Hovercars stopped in front of a single-story building. The asphalt road here was cracked, with weeds sprouting from the fissures, already knee-high.

Wang Xi and the others got off the bus.

He noticed this place seemed to be an abandoned gas station. It lay across the Wilderness like a desiccated corpse.

The rusted metal canopy had half-collapsed, revealing a menacing steel skeleton. A few gas pumps stood crookedly in place like twisted fingers.

A handwritten note was stuck to one of the digital displays, and on it, the final pre-cataclysm gas price was faintly discernible:

92-octane had risen to 7.92.

The Examiners, dressed in suits, walked over.

Behind and above them hovered seven or eight military-green camera drones.

"Those are Gear Conglomerate’s ’War Correspondent’ series drones. They have camouflage and stealth functions..."

Yu Jiali glanced at them and said softly.

Jiang Tianjie seemed to know a lot about them, sighing that the conglomerates were certainly rich.

"The entrance to the Maze for the third round’s combat assessment is inside this abandoned gas station. All examinees, please prepare and wait for a moment."

Examiner Shi Bo led his team forward and spoke.

As Wang Xi and the others gathered at the gas station entrance, they saw a group of staff in blue protective suits run over and quickly set up a circle of temporary tents.

In less than twenty minutes.

Things like tables, chairs, computers, supply crates, and some strange floor-lamp-like devices were all arranged in an orderly fashion.

The time was now 9:55 AM.

With a CLICK.

The only female reporter on site, a work badge from the Shanshan Conglomerate hanging on her chest, smiled at the camera and began her opening spiel with astonishing speed but perfect diction.

At that moment, a female Examiner with her hair in a bun strode over, handing each examinee an electronic watch.

After a brief introduction, they were told it was a "Monitoring Wristwatch." Not only could it monitor an individual’s health status, displaying it in real-time on the examiners’ terminal, but it could also effectively monitor the reality distortion levels inside the Maze.

With a SNAP, Wang Xi fastened the watch to his left wrist.

The female Examiner glanced at him a few more times and said with a grin:

"Mr. Wang Xi, you look exceptionally handsome today. I’m sure it will be great for the livestream... Good luck with the assessment. I look forward to your performance."

"Thank you," Wang Xi replied with a polite smile.

The female Examiner nodded and moved on to the others.

Jiang Tianjie’s expression turned serious. He straightened his clothes and stood ramrod straight, anticipating some encouragement from the female Examiner... but after she gave him the watch, she left without a second glance.

The buzz-cut young man’s mouth twitched.

BEEP BEEP.

Wang Xi pressed the button on the side of the Monitoring Wristwatch. It flashed with a red light, and then small text appeared on the screen:

"Surrounding Reality Distortion: 23.3%"

He vaguely recalled what he’d been taught in school about this.

Once reality distortion reaches 10% or higher, it becomes harmful to the human body. Ordinary people cannot remain for long.

At 30% or higher, regional supernatural phenomena will appear, which is extremely dangerous.

Once it breaks 50%, there is a chance a disaster will manifest in the vicinity, and the location of its appearance is unpredictable.

If it were to reach 100%...

...there would be a high probability of a "Major Incident (Yellow)" level disaster, and even a small probability of a "Sudden Cataclysm (Orange)" level disaster, with extremely severe consequences.

The city’s fall and the death of its people was no joke.

’This place is close to the Maze entrance, so the reality distortion is higher than in other areas. Inside the Maze itself, I’m afraid it will be even higher.’

Wang Xi thought to himself.

These examinees and the Examiners were not ordinary people, so they could traverse the Wilderness without protective suits.

After waiting a little longer.

Shi Bo and the other Examiners checked several large-screen computers, and after confirming that the examinees’ data was syncing in real-time, they nodded.

He strode over and announced the start of the assessment.

"Will all examinees please follow the staff inside. After entering the Maze, your primary objective is to eliminate the monsters and the Demon King to lower the reality distortion at its source. This will also be the key factor in the examiners’ final evaluation of you."

"Military drones will be following you the entire time, but you don’t need to pay them any mind. Your own safety is the top priority. If the situation becomes untenable, the Association permits you to forfeit and retreat in a timely manner."

The group of examinees nodded in agreement, indicating they understood.

At that moment, three military drones flew over, filming the group from different angles.

In the Shanshan Conglomerate’s exclusive livestream, the real-time viewership had already reached a staggering 1.6 million and was still rising rapidly. At this rate, it seemed it would indeed break 2 million, just as Yu Jiali had said.

"It’s finally starting!"

"So these are Valley City’s ten best Professional Warriors this year? They’re all so handsome and beautiful!"

"Except for the one with the buzz cut. He looks like some street punk on a cheap moped."

"Waku waku! Six Gods is so handsome today!"

"Miss Lin Xin’Er is so elegant, but I prefer Miss Nagata An. She looks like a caring big sister type."

"Huh? Six Gods is the dark horse? Why wasn’t he on the promotional posters...?"

「Valley City Central District, top floor of the Hero Association Building.」

The silver-haired girl sitting in the main seat stared blankly at the screen, a trace of confusion flashing in her light blue eyes.

Wang Xi’s appearance today surprised her.

But in her memory, he never wore makeup.

"You can tell it’s Yu Jiali’s handiwork at a glance."

Beside her, Police Superintendent Yu Zizi chuckled.

"She loves to put heavy emphasis on the corners of the eyes."

"..."

Chu Nai lowered her gaze, her thoughts unreadable.

「Back at the assessment site.」

Wang Xi and the others followed two staff members in protective suits through the entrance of the abandoned gas station.

They passed through a dim and messy lobby and arrived at a side hall.

The group stopped in their tracks, their expressions priceless.

Before them, a deep purple vortex floated at the entrance to a passageway, constantly twisting and turning.

But on the walls to either side were signs:

"Men’s Restroom; Women’s Restroom."

This Maze entrance was attached to the restrooms.

This was destined to be a... flavorful adventure...

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