Chapter 80: Prelude!

City B, Chengcun High School.

Now, the normally tranquil atmosphere of the high school was enveloped in an unnatural aura of grimness.

As a squad of armed military police stormed onto campus, everyone knew what was coming next.

At this moment, high-achieving students remained calm, while low-scoring underperformers clenched their teeth in fear, trembling uncontrollably.

Under the military police’s guidance, a government official in a sharp suit entered the classroom, smiling as he opened his roster: “Is Zhang San here?”

At his words, every student’s gaze snapped backward, revealing a boy in the back row whose face instantly turned ashen.

“Due to your ranking as the lowest in the grade this year and repeated truancy and disciplinary violations, you have been selected for the Carnival Day roster.”

At the official’s words, Zhang San felt his heart squeezed tightly in a palm.

He wanted to argue, to resist, to escape…

But all of it fell silent as a burst of machine-gun fire erupted from the neighboring classroom.

“It seems Li Si in the next room disagrees with our proposal,” the official said coldly, smiling.

Yes, according to regulations, those selected for Carnival Day forfeit basic human rights.

Until Carnival Day ends, they are held in strict custody, confined in cramped, densely packed quarters worse than university dorms—like livestock.

Like slaves forced into a gladiatorial arena, they must win or die!

No resistance. No argument. No escape.

Zhang San obediently extended his hands as the military police clamped handcuffs on him, then led him out through the school gates.

As he passed the neighboring classroom, Zhang San glanced sideways and saw Li Si’s body lying in a pool of blood.

‘At least my family has received enough money,’ Zhang San told himself.

He had willingly chosen to skip class and skip exams.

After all, if one student per grade had to be the worst, why not him?

As long as enough money was offered to sustain life, plenty were willing to sacrifice themselves—many even paid to become the worst student.

Who paid for the life? Naturally, the bottom hundred students in the grade.

Their families were happy to spend money to prevent their golden child from dying.

‘So I must survive,’ Zhang San thought, his eyes hardening.

He would survive Carnival Day, then live the rest of his life with millions in cash.

His confidence came from his physical strength.

Knowing he would enter Carnival Day, he had spent a full year preparing patiently.

He had studied hand-to-hand combat, weapons training, explosives, and firearms before the Great Collapse.

In Lineage Elite, he was among the top hundred players nationwide—he wouldn’t be clueless with firearms the moment he picked one up.

‘Whether it’s quick kills or brutal ones, I’ve got no problem! Anyone standing in my way will be erased!’ thought Zhang San, his hands cuffed.

Yet half an hour later, after being brought to the prison compound, staring at the bald, muscular men covered in tattoos beside him, fear replaced his earlier confidence.

‘So terrifying…’

All his experience, all his knowledge, seemed powerless against real-life thugs who treated human life as nothing.

In front of Zhang San, inside the cramped 15-square-meter concrete cell, men with hostile faces crouched, watching him like prey.

Had the rules not forbidden pre-Carnival killings to make the event more entertaining, he would have been torn apart by these thugs in the next second.

As Zhang San spiraled into dark thoughts, a hand lightly tapped his back, jolting him upright.

He turned to see a bearded middle-aged man, also in handcuffs, walking in.

“Kid, judging by your look, you got picked for being the worst student?” the middle-aged man smiled.

“Yeah, you too, sir?” Zhang San asked, curious—this man didn’t seem like a criminal.

“Sigh, I took the most leave days in the whole company. A month ago, I messed up a project. By the time I realized the problem, it was too late,” the man said helplessly.

‘So he was chosen by one of those big corporations,’ Zhang San thought silently.

As he pondered, a military police officer entered and scanned the room: “Three days until Carnival Day. You’ll have two choices.”

“First: choose killing. We’ll give you a weapon and require you to take at least one life.”

“If you fail, your collar will detonate when Carnival Day ends.”

“Second: hide. No killing required, but your collar will glow if it detects another collar within ten meters.”

“Oh, and if a prisoner kills another prisoner, it still counts.”

The officer smiled as he announced: “Choose killing or hiding—it’s up to you.”

“Next, to ensure Carnival Day runs smoothly, I’ll give you training. Pay close attention. If you die without understanding why, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

With that, the officer clapped his hands. His subordinates immediately wheeled in a screen, which began playing the training material.

Seeing the screen’s content, the prisoners’ faces showed shock—they hadn’t expected to be taught this.

“You trash of human society, struggle hard. See you on Carnival Day.”

The officer laughed loudly and strode out, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving the screen for them.

As the camera shifted, the prisoners began studying the screen with serious expressions.

The video detailed how to use a parachute!

…

At this moment, on the rooftop of a villa, Fang Can stood bare-chested, arms outstretched, maximizing his body’s exposure to sunlight.

As a mind-based martial path, theoretically, absorbing sunlight was no different from absorbing UV rays or fluorescent light.

But sunlight contained richer nutrients, a natural beauty—as if packed with the body’s needed vitamins—making the body more willing to absorb it.

As his body completed one full circulation, Fang Can’s eyes snapped open, a flash of brilliance fleeting within.

“Xuanguan… ninth level,” he said, satisfied as he pulled on his clothes, reflecting on his progress these past days.

“I’ve barely reached the foundation for the next barrier. Now is the time to advance further.”

Fang Can clenched his fist: “So I need women—I need many women to aid my cultivation.”

“Huh?” Jiang Ningan, behind him, tilted her head in confusion: “What are you talking about?”

(End of Chapter)