How Do We Play If This Boss Isn't Nerfed?

Chapter 181 - 126: The Selection Begins, Racial Advancement

On the plane earlier, Lin Ye had already taken in a panoramic view of the terrain below.

In the center of the entire fallen zone was a vast, ghostly-blue lake that emitted an eerie glow.

To the north, an enormous, bottomless rift stretched from east to west like a hideous scar on the land.

To the west lay a black forest that looked incredibly bizarre, even when viewed from high in the sky.

The only direction that felt even slightly familiar to Lin Ye was the east.

There, he could faintly make out the silhouettes of dilapidated city buildings, like the skeletons of colossal beasts sprawled across the earth.

The military outpost was situated due south of the fallen zone.

When Lin Ye arrived, over thirty figures were already standing in formation in the central plaza of the outpost, waiting in silence.

Potent fluctuations of Qi and Blood emanated from every one of them.

’These people must be the ones from the other—’

"37, fall in!"

At the head of the formation, an officer with a colonel’s insignia on his shoulder and a cold, stern expression fixed his blade-like gaze on Lin Ye.

Lin Ye instantly understood they were calling him "37."

It was his number.

Without a word, he walked to the end of the line and took his place.

The officer waited until Lin Ye was in formation, then his icy gaze swept over everyone. His voice was devoid of any emotion.

"My name is Wang Lingchuan, and I am the overall commander for this fallen zone selection."

"You will remember my name, but I will not remember yours."

"Here, I don’t care what your names are, and I don’t care which great family you come from."

"Right now, in my eyes, you’re just a bunch of greenhorns who’ve never seen real combat."

As he said this, Wang Lingchuan flicked the list in his hand.

"I’ve assigned each of you a number based on the order your names appeared on this list."

"Remember your own number."

"And you’d be wise to remember everyone else’s, too."

At this, the corner of Wang Lingchuan’s mouth curled into a smirk.

"Because, at this stage, that number is basically a measure of your strength."

The words had barely left his mouth when Lin Ye distinctly felt several hostile gazes land on him.

Full of contempt, scrutiny, and undisguised greed.

It was as if they were looking at a piece of prey that had already been marked for the kill.

There were thirty-seven participants in the selection. He was the last one, number thirty-seven.

Without a doubt, in everyone’s eyes, he was the weakest one—the easiest target.

"This outpost provides food, water, and a completely safe place to rest."

"But you’ll need to exchange points for all of it."

As Wang Lingchuan spoke, his subordinates began distributing wristbands to everyone.

They were black metal wristbands, each branded with a number in red.

"These are your personal wristbands. They have two main functions: tracking your points and sending a distress signal."

"If at any point you can’t take it anymore, send for help! Your points will instantly be wiped, and you will be considered eliminated, but at least you’ll keep your life. We will come rescue you immediately!"

"There are four ways to earn points."

"First, for every day you survive inside the fallen zone, you’ll earn a base of 100 points."

"Second, by killing the mutated beasts in the fallen zone. The wristband has a built-in scanner. Obtain a vital part, like the head or heart of a mutated beast, scan it with the wristband, and you’ll receive the corresponding points."

"Third, by killing the remaining members of the Celestial Abyss Race within the fallen zone."

The officer’s tone suddenly grew heavy.

"Let me remind you, these aliens are not the weak and infirm. They might not even be stragglers! If you encounter them, your survival rate will plummet. However, if you manage to hunt one down, the points you gain will be far beyond your imagination."

"I will reiterate: the documents you signed included a risk advisory and a death liability waiver. If you die here, no organization or individual will be held responsible for you!"

"One last thing. Fighting amongst yourselves is strictly prohibited within the designated safe zones."

"That covers everything. Ask any questions you have now. If there are none, you will be transported to random locations within the fallen zone, and the selection will officially begin."

The officer’s cold gaze once again swept across the crowd.

Amidst the dead silence, a young man standing in the middle of the formation suddenly raised his hand.

"Reporting, sir! You said there were four ways to earn points, but you only listed three."

The moment he asked, before the officer could even answer, a wave of suppressed chuckles rippled through the formation, filled with ridicule for the questioner.

The officer glared at him as if he were an idiot and said coldly, "I will not be answering that question."

Lin Ye sneered inwardly.

’What other way could there be?’

’Wang Lingchuan only said fighting was prohibited "within the safe zones."’

’The implication was clear: in the vast expanse of the fallen zone, out in the wilds, anything was possible.’

’The final way to earn points, of course, was to plunder them from each other!’

’That was the bloodiest, and truest, aspect of this selection.’

Seeing no further questions, Wang Lingchuan gave a sharp wave of his hand.

With a roar of engines, four or five heavily armored military transport trucks rolled up in front of the group.

A captain disembarked from each of the four trucks.

Holding lists, they began to call out numbers at random.

"37!"

The first one called was Lin Ye.

Without the slightest hesitation, he boarded the truck, weapon in hand.

The truck bed was semi-enclosed. After Lin Ye, another seven or eight people were called onto the same vehicle.

The doors closed, plunging the truck bed into dim light. The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.

No one spoke.

Everyone leaned against the walls of the truck, eyeing each other warily.

The truck pulled slowly out of the outpost, then suddenly accelerated, barreling wildly into the depths of the fallen zone.

「About twenty minutes later.」

"You, get out!"

The captain who had been calling out the numbers suddenly pointed at a young man and ordered coldly.

The young man was clearly stunned and hadn’t yet reacted.

The next second, the captain lashed out with a kick, unceremoniously booting him right out of the speeding truck.

The young man cried out in alarm, tumbling several times across the ground before scrambling to his feet. He stared, still shaken, at the receding truck.

With this first example, everyone else in the truck understood.

This was what they meant by "random deployment"—crude and direct.

As time went on, the truck’s route became increasingly erratic, turning constantly in the wilderness until it was impossible to get one’s bearings.

Gradually, everyone learned their lesson.

As soon as their number was called, they would jump from the truck without needing to be told.

Lin Ye understood perfectly. The goal was to separate the participants as much as possible and prevent them from grouping up early in the selection.

"You. Get out."

The cold voice was finally directed at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye leaped without hesitation.

The wind howled past his ears as he landed steadily on both feet.

With his current physique, the impact was almost negligible.

The moment he landed, a series of cold system prompts sounded in his mind.

[You have left the greenhouse and now face the wilderness.]

[The weak Goblin has left the starter village and entered a much wider world. Will you become a powerful boss, or will you become food for others?]

[Host has reached the required level and is facing a new challenge. Race Advancement Quest issued!]

[Quest Objective: Take first place in the current selection!]

[Quest Reward: 50,000 EXP, 5 Skill Points, Race Template advanced to—Orc Warrior!]

[Orc Warrior: Increased growth coefficient for All Attributes. Unlock a brand-new Phase 2 skill: Horizontal Slash!]