Chapter 296: Memories That Cannot Be Deleted

"You bastards!"

Gui Tong's eyes instantly turned red.

This issue, long buried deep in his heart and rationalized as a unique physiological trait of the Player Clan, finally revealed its answer at this moment.

He could imagine exactly what had happened back then.

The Player Clan wasn't capable of enduring hunger; they damn well had special means to hide food.

On those unbearable nights when they were bruised, swollen, and starving, those bastard Player Clansmen secretly gorged themselves in their rooms, only to torment them again the next day in the same manner.

One must remember, they were so starving back then that they would have gnawed on tree bark.

That sensation remained vivid in his memory no matter how much time passed.

Prolonged fasting had even caused him gastric spasms, with stabbing pains occurring intermittently during training.

Even his saliva had nearly dried up; every time he swallowed, his throat felt like it was being scoured by sandpaper, burning with pain.

Every time he entered the cafeteria, he felt like a wild beast, yet pride compelled him to grit his teeth and endure; no matter how strong the temptation of food, he had to hold firm.

Back then, he held a single obsession.

If those bastards of the Player Clan could do it, why couldn't the trainees of our Four-Eye Clan?

Even if they starved to death, they were unwilling to give up.

It was precisely the belief of refusing to bow in defeat that drove them to persist again and again.

Yet he never expected the truth to be ten thousand times more cruel than the scenarios he had imagined back then.

"You bastards." At this moment, Gui Tong's body trembled uncontrollably.

The other trainees who had come from the first-phase training camp together also wore expressions of fury; they were not stupid, and the moment they saw Li Zheng pull out food, they connected it to the "unsolved mystery" of those years.

The moment they learned the truth, their former silent admiration transformed into raging fury.

Various curses burst forth from their mouths.

Li Zheng, who had already anticipated this outcome, calmly ate his roasted meat, completely ignoring the moment his brothers' defenses collapsed.

The other players of the Liver Emperor Group also took out spiritual food meals from their spatial bags and began to gorge themselves.

Since they had already laid their cards on the table, there was no need to continue living a bitter life.

Naturally, they would enjoy themselves however they pleased.

Li Zheng raised his hand, took out a cup of fruit wine, unscrewed the cap, and took a delightful large gulp:

Li Zheng raised his hand, took out a cup of fruit wine, unscrewed the lid, and took a hearty, satisfying gulp.

Smelling the rich aroma of the wine, even Long Gen, whose willpower was unshakable, could not remain calm.

"This wine is strong enough; it's perfect for my brother Long Gen, who loves to drink... What a pity, my brother Long Gen has firm willpower; during this special training, he certainly wouldn't drink."

"You bastards, just wait until I get back; I'll beat you to death," Long Gen said, clenching his fists.

Hearing these words, Chi Tu nearby curled the corner of his mouth into a cunning smile, reached into his spatial bag, and pulled out a metal pot; after lifting the lid, steaming white mist mixed with an enticing fragrance spread out, instantly filling the space enveloped by the blood-colored barrier.

Inside the pot, the boiling "Earth Scale Soup" bubbled gurgle-gurgle, and each bursting bubble splashed up rich, meaty aromas.

Instantly, the entire scene fell silent.

The gazes of all the trainees focused on Chi Tu, or more accurately, on the large pot before him.

Inside the pot, the thick soup displayed a crimson hue, with semi-transparent Earth Scale crisps floating on the surface, twisting and deforming in the heat, emitting crisp "crackling" sounds as if freshly cooked.

Chi Tu deliberately picked up a slice of Earth Scale meat with his fingers, slowly raised it above his head; the crisp slice, thin as a cicada's wing, drew a long golden thread in the air, while the dripping soup continuously splashed up rich fragrances.

"Phew~ It's a bit hot; need to blow on it."

After blowing on it, Chi Tu moved the meat slice toward his mouth in slow motion, with all the trainees' eyes following the movement.

Everyone could see Chi Tu slowly extend his tongue, curl it around the meat slice, and draw it into his mouth.

The sound of chewing combined with the scent of meat delivered a powerful impact, causing the already starving trainees of various clans to completely lose their composure.

At this moment, Chi Tu continued:

"Oh my, why is this meat so delicious? My stomach, which hasn't eaten for several days, finally gets to taste something good."

"Ouch, why is this meat so delicious? My stomach, which hasn't seen food for days, is finally tasting something good."

In the eyes of the trainees from various clans, Chi Tu's behavior was simply begging for a beating.

Unfortunately, they were all tightly locked in iron chains and could not slam their anger-filled fists onto Chi Tu's punchable Iron Face.

The other players of the Liver Emperor Group were no different; they one by one took out delicious spiritual food meals purchased from the Trading Row and gorged themselves before their starving, exhausted brothers, taking turns performing eating broadcasts and bastardly acts.

Facing the curses, they simply paid no attention.

The spiritual food meals taken from the spatial bags and the Trading Row retained their freshest flavors, making the players of the Liver Emperor Group utterly joyful as they ate.

Especially with a group of starving brothers nearby providing a rising and falling "accompaniment."

They couldn't bear to see their brothers die, but they certainly could bear to see them flustered and exasperated.

After enjoying their feast, they did not forget their brothers; Li Zheng reached into his spatial bag, took out two more bottles of fruit wine, and tossed them to Gui Tong and Long Gen respectively.

"We've enjoyed ourselves; now it's your turn."

Gui Tong, upon receiving the spiritual wine, did not hesitate; he decisively unscrewed the cap and drank deeply, then let out a satisfied exhale.

On the other side, Long Gen appeared extremely hesitant after receiving the spiritual wine.

"Long Gen, you've already drunk the Life Potion; this has already broken the rules of the Shafeng Body-Tempering Training; one more sip makes no difference."

"I've been killed by you guys." Hearing Li Zheng's words, Long Gen's final line of defense collapsed; he unscrewed the cap and downed the spiritual wine in one go.

"Tell me, what types of food do you want to eat?" Li Zheng continued.

Although the various delicacies made by spiritual chefs in the Trading Row could not compare to the standards of the professional spiritual chefs in the Nitchao Training Camp, there were still many spiritual food meals available to choose from.

Since they had already laid their cards on the table, he decided to satisfy his brothers' appetites and give them the chance to order.

"Bring more wine," Long Gen immediately shouted.

Li Zheng did not hesitate; he opened the Trading Row, directly purchased three bottles of the highest intensity "Deep Sea Roar," took them out of his spatial bag, and threw them to Long Gen.

This wine was brewed from a type of crystal found by spiritual chef players on the seabed of the Cang Star Sea Region; during the brewing process, various spiritual substances needed to be added to form conflicting spiritual networks, with dense explosions occurring every minute and second within the invisible interior, giving it a shelf life of less than a day.

It was perfectly suited for Long Gen, who loved strong liquor.

Long Gen, receiving the spiritual wine, looked excited; he unscrewed the cap and drank one bottle immediately.

The wine flowing from the black bottle was dark gold in color, with tiny lightning lights floating on its surface; merely opening the bottle caused rich spiritual energy to overflow.

After swallowing it in one gulp, Long Gen immediately felt his throat as if molten lava were flowing through it, followed by waves of fine, stabbing pain rising in his chest, finally transforming in his stomach into a continuously burning stream of intense warmth.

Swallowing the Long Gen in one go, he immediately felt his throat scalding as if molten lava were flowing through it, followed by waves of fine, stabbing pain surging within his chest cavity, before finally transforming in his stomach into a fiercely burning warm current.

"That's about enough; I'm just afraid the instructor will suddenly return, and if you get drunk by then, we'll be in trouble."

Gui Tong immediately spoke up to advise, then turned his head to look at Li Zheng with an angry expression:

"Ban Ban Zhuan, you kid are truly a bastard; tell me, how much food have you actually hidden, and where exactly is this personal space hidden?"

"Don't ask; it's a hereditary secret of the Player Clan, never to be passed on to outsiders; are you going to eat or not?"

"Eat," Gui Tong said viciously:

"Bring out the big feast."

Having spent over a year together, often dining in the cafeteria, Li Zheng naturally understood Gui Tong's tastes; before long, he took two ice boxes made using the Ice Mist Breath characteristic from his spatial bag and tossed them to Gui Tong.

Gui Tong, receiving the food boxes, did not hesitate; he lifted the lids and began to gorge himself.

His stomach, hungry for many days, finally found satisfaction at this moment.

Li Zheng and the others did not forget the rest of their brothers either; they asked about their needs, purchased the items in the Trading Row, and threw them over using a tossing method.

Outside, the Shafeng winds howled, yet the trainees within the Qi and Blood Barrier were enjoying delicacies.

For the first time, they felt that this hellish special training could actually be so comfortable.

Although it was entirely thanks to those bastards of the Player Clan, the trainees of various clans had already made up their minds about their plans upon returning; they would definitely beat those bastards until they were bruised and swollen to vent their pent-up rage.

After filling their bellies, everyone once again began taking turns releasing their Qi and Blood to form defenses.

Only this time, the sense of urgency was gone.

They knew that even if they exhausted themselves, they had backup energy sources to use.

Although they were curious about where exactly the Player Clan's personal space was located, since the Player Clan trainees did not want to say, they did not ask further.

During this period, Gui Tong decisively asked Li Zheng for his necklace back.

At this, Li Zheng felt reluctant in his heart but still decisively threw it back.

They were brothers who had supported each other all the way to the fifth-phase training camp; how could he possibly be greedy for his treasure?

Gui Tong, having received the necklace, clearly still felt unsatisfied and looked at him again viciously:

"Disgusting; winning by unfair means."

"You kid, just got full and now I'm winning by unfair means, huh? Spit out everything you just ate." "Bastard."

"Four-Eyes, if you curse again, the special training isn't over yet; don't expect to eat the next meal; I'll starve you to death."

"If Four-Eyes dares to curse again, the special training isn't over yet, and you can forget about your next meal; I'll starve you to death."

"You big bastard, you wild bastard..."

Amidst this exchange of beautiful language, the trainees of various clans suddenly felt that this special training session was probably secured.

Just then, Long Gen shouted loudly:

"Since we have no worries behind us, why not continue the special training? While the Shafeng storm is still active, let's withdraw the Qi and Blood Barrier and let our bodies endure the Shafeng invasion, thereby tempering our wills and refining our flesh."

"Since we no longer have any worries behind us, why not continue the special training? While the Sha Qi storm is still raging, let's withdraw our Qi and blood barrier and let our flesh endure the Sha Qi assault, thereby tempering our will and refining our bodies."

Hearing Long Gen's words, all the trainees raised their middle fingers at him.

When it came to putting pressure on his own brothers, Long Gen was always ready to take the lead without hesitation.

If the Player Clan was seen as disgusting bastards in the eyes of other trainees, then Long Gen and his clansmen were bastards devoid of any humanity.

If the player clan is seen by other trainees as disgusting beasts, then Long Gen and its kin are beasts devoid of all humanity.

Even back at the training camp, he was like this, unable to stand seeing his brothers lie flat.

Whenever he had free time, he would ramp up the intensity for his brothers, using various excuses like growth, improvement, and becoming stronger.

He could truly be called a pressure monster.

Naturally, the rest of the trainees strongly opposed his proposal.

The current intensity of the evil qi was extremely high; enduring it directly would be nothing short of torturing oneself.

Only a fool would continue tempering their body with evil qi.

Yet this unusual wave of evil qi assault also left them deeply puzzled, prompting them to discuss the matter.

At this moment, a trainee from the Ghost Wind Clan spoke up:

"As for the origin of the evil wind, I have actually heard elders from my clan speak of it."

Upon hearing this, all the trainees turned their gaze toward the Ghost Wind Clan trainee.

"I only heard it as a story; the specific truth remains unknown to me."

"Spit it out already, you're so long-winded," Chi Tu said, glaring with wide eyes.

"Ahem, it is said that in its early days, Split Throat Valley was not as dead and silent as it is now, nor did it have howling evil winds; back then, it was called Fate Valley, a region ruled by the arriving faction known as the Fate Clan after the Catastrophe War ended."

Speaking to this point, the Ghost Wind Clan trainee paused, then added an explanation:

"As you know, the Counter-Black Tide Legion had not yet been established at that time; our clans were scattered across various regions of the Pale Continent, in a very precarious situation, and among the arriving factions, there were many with immense power, the Fate Clan being one of them."

"The Fate Clan of that era was the hegemon of this region; they possessed a rule called 'Equivalence,' said to acquire growth energy through equivalent gaming; every member of the Fate Clan was an equivalence merchant, using Fate Valley as their starting point to roam the Pale Continent, seeking outsiders everywhere for gaming and trade."

"The Monster World provided this clan with vast nutrients for growth; the development speed of the Fate Clan was incredibly rapid, already possessing the potential to vie for hegemony over the Pale Continent region."

"You can probably guess the rest of the story: the Counter-Black Tide God gathered the local clans and established the Counter-Black Tide Legion with the goal of reclaiming our homeland, so naturally, the Fate Clan became a thorn in our eye."

"However, the Counter-Black Tide God at that time chose not to suppress the Fate Clan by force; He knew the newly formed Counter-Black Tide Legion was still in its most critical development stage, and the next offensive of the Black Black Tide could arrive at any moment, so He proposed a transactional gaming challenge to the then-leader of the Fate Clan."

"This request was agreed to by the leader of the Fate Clan."

"No one knows the specific contents of that transactional gaming; the final result was that the Fate Clan lost the game, and the entire clan voluntarily sealed themselves underground in this canyon, while the surging evil qi erupting from Split Throat Valley is actually the breathing of the Fate Clan members buried deep beneath the earth, which is why the evil wind shows signs of ebbing and flowing, just like inhaling and exhaling during breath."

After hearing this story, Li Zheng wore an expression of disdain:

"You just made that up, right? If the evil wind is breathing, then what about those sudden, fierce gusts? Did the Fate Clan members have a seizure underground?"

Upon hearing this, the Ghost Wind Clan trainee grinned and laughed:

"I already said this is just a story; so many years have passed, who can know what is true or false? I don't even know where my elder heard it; he might have just made it up out of boredom."

"There's another possibility: when your elder was undergoing the evil qi body-tempering assessment at the Phase Five Training Camp, he heard a fellow trainee making this stuff up right here, just like you are doing now," Chi Tu said, resting his chin on his hand and analyzing with a serious expression.

"Hahaha."

Hearing Chi Tu's explanation, the group of trainees couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

"After surviving two years on the front lines, according to regulations, we must return to serve as combat instructors for a period; when that time comes, I will continue to pass down this story of your elder, fooling the next batch of reserve trainees; after enough generations of inheritance, the fake will become real."

Gui Tong's remarks once again drew laughter from the crowd.

With no more worries weighing on them, the oppressive atmosphere at the scene vanished instantly; everyone joked, told stories, and discussed their future prospects.

During this period, a lavish meal every two days was indispensable.

The expenses for this were all paid in sacrificial power, but Li Zheng and the players of the Grind Emperor Group didn't care.

Their core purpose in playing games in the past, besides having fun, was also financial gain.

This was also the origin of Li Zheng's game name, "Game Brick-Moving Party."

But in the Monster World, they also gained a friendship that was incredibly precious; compared to these brothers, money was not worth mentioning.

This bond carried more weight than any material possession.

Over more than a year in the training camp, they had already developed a tacit understanding that required no words.

Especially after battle formation training, a single glance could convey each other's thoughts, and a single gesture could reveal the other's decision.

The instructors often said that once on the battlefield, comrades-in-arms were a force more reliable than weapons and equipment.

Li Zheng, as a player, had never found this statement laughable.

Entrusting his back to them brought a sense of security, putting him more at ease than the sturdiest armor.

This feeling was completely different from his past gaming experiences.

In the past, the Grind Emperor Group took the pursuit of virtual wealth as its core philosophy, measuring the significance of every dungeon and adventure in game gold coins.

But in this world, they felt they had found something more precious than any equipment; the figures that walked side by side through wind and rain would become memories they could never forget in their lifetimes.

In the past, they were willing to repeatedly grind tedious dungeons for gold coins in the game.

But now, he was willing to exchange all his sacrificial power just to let these brothers live one more day.

This was a bond that data could not measure, nor a connection that transactions could buy.

Throughout more than a year of arduous struggle, although they were not blood brothers, this deep connection surpassed that of biological kin.

How could the fluctuating numbers of sacrificial power flowing in their personal space inventory ever compare to these brothers?

Just as Family Share had said: "When I'm old and can no longer play the Monster World, I will definitely still recall those days in the training camp when we burned with hot blood alongside those bastards; this is a save file in my memory that cannot be deleted."

The special training continued, but they turned those agonizing days into a carefree vacation.

Rotating shield-bearing, time passed day by day amidst the assault of the evil wind, and the intensity gradually returned to stability.

Roughly calculating the days, the end of the special training was not far off.

For safety's sake, they decided to stop eating and drinking for the next few days while simultaneously dispelling the blood shield barriers released in rotation.

When the blood qi barrier dissipated, the evil wind immediately swept in.

Except for Long Gen, who let out a joyful cheer, the rest of the trainees emitted wails akin to pigs being slaughtered.

Seeing the miserable state of their brothers, Li Zheng and the brothers of the Grind Emperor Group secretly activated Life Link and the Dissipation trait again, transferring their own pain to the wailing brothers.

Instantly, the screams became even more piercing.

Li Zheng and the brothers of the Grind Emperor Group also joined in the wailing, their shouts louder than all the other trainees present.

On this day, the air suddenly trembled, and the evil wind in the distance retreated on its own, yielding a path as if in fear.

"Shut up!" Gui Tong, whose four eyes rotated simultaneously upon seeing this scene, decisively shouted.

Hearing the warning, members of all clans instantly realized something, decisively suppressing the screams rising in their throats, and all looked up.

They saw a towering figure approaching with heavy steps.

Instructor Mo Dun had arrived.

With every step he took, the ground cracked with spiderweb-like fissures; this was not done intentionally, but purely the result of his body's immense weight.

Instructor Mo Dun's massive body was clad in black profound armor, and every breath he took carried a low, rumbling boom of blood qi.

Before his form even arrived, a heavy pressure had already struck.

An invisible "aura" continued to diffuse with Instructor Mo Dun at its center; he walked straight to the cliff Iron Face, and the two points of scarlet light beneath his helmet swept over everyone present; in that instant, all the trainees felt completely seen through, from their bone density to their blood qi flow rate, even to the most hidden thoughts in their hearts.

Just as the trainees wondered why Mo Dun had not announced the end of the special training.

At this moment, Mo Dun's heart was also filled with immense confusion.

He had jumped consecutively across multiple regions, and the state of every training sub-group was utterly miserable.

There were even two regions this time that experienced abnormal evil winds; the trainees there had nearly been wiped out, with not a single intact spot on their bodies, and had already been urgently sent to the training camp for rescue.

But these guys, on the contrary.

Every one of them looked radiant and full of blood qi; where was the slightest sign of having been tempered by evil winds?

Those few scratches caused by the evil wind on their bodies, compared to trainees from other regions, simply could not be called: injuries.

Could it be that the evil wind in this region had abnormally weakened?

This question, Mo Dun could not solve.

(End of Chapter)