Chapter 646 - 2: Cave Hyena
"If you have no objections, I’ll share my views on this challenge.
From my personal perspective, I believe that among the 50 groups of challengers, there is only the purest form of competition.
Although the challenge has no time limit, the longer it drags on, the more unfavorable the conditions become for everyone.
The Space-Time Administration Bureau mentioned in the rules that the Ice Age will arrive more quickly here, with extreme cold temperatures dropping to as low as minus 65 degrees Celsius.
Once it drags on to that point, all challengers are basically on a dead-end path. Even if they hide in caves and wait for all external animals to die, cutting off all food sources, it won’t change the outcome.
Besides that, various ferocious beasts, unknown viruses and bacteria, and environmental threats are ever-present.
To become the victor as soon as possible and avoid falling into a predicament of relying on food consumption to hang on, it’s best to take the initiative, find other challengers, kill them or force them to leave the venue."
"But..."
Paul interrupted Chen Zhou.
"But the entire venue covers an area of 600,000 square kilometers. It’s totally unrealistic to find the other 98 people in such vast land. As long as they are cautious and hide proactively, it would take us ten years to find them all."
"Therefore, it’s almost inevitable to rely on the depletion of resources to endure. Even if we eliminate all the challengers we encounter, there will still be ’mice’ that we can’t find hiding in the corners, waiting for the Ice Age to arrive and using their hoarded food to secure victory.
To outlast these ’mice’, we must strive for all resources while minimizing consumption.
I think, since the ’mice’ have chosen to avoid battle, they won’t risk scrambling for airdrop supplies, fearing being caught by the swarming belligerent types.
Each time they avoid battle and give up supplies, the scales of victory tilt slightly towards the adventurers.
If it does come to a dead-end, as long as the group that has received supplies multiple times doesn’t suffer major losses or incur unhealable injuries during the scramble, the ’mice’ won’t be able to outlast them."
Chen Zhou analyzed the situation in Paul’s eyes and finally asked a question.
"Paul, have you ever been through a challenge by the Space-Time Administration Bureau?"
Paul shook his head, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"No, it’s my first time taking part in the ’Rust’ project. The mortality rate of this experiment is very high, with only one or two people in each batch surviving to complete the challenge.
Could it be that you are someone who has completed a challenge before?"
Also in this arena of the Space-Time Administration Bureau, Chen Zhou didn’t hide the fact that it was his second time participating in the challenge.
"Yes.
My analysis comes not only from the rules but also from my understanding of the Space-Time Administration Bureau.
Although I don’t know how your world defines the Space-Time Administration Bureau,
in my view, the passive attitude of avoiding battle will absolutely yield no good results.
Confrontation and conflict are what the Space-Time Administration Bureau wants. If we don’t take the initiative, we might temporarily enjoy some peaceful days, but in the long run, the outcome will be far more tragic than that of the fighters.
Moreover, I guess the rewards of the airdrop supplies must be extraordinary, and perhaps during this challenge, they could play a decisive role.
If we don’t strive with all our might, we will definitely regret it later."
After Chen Zhou admitted to having completed a challenge before, Paul’s gaze on him immediately changed—
In the great Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, even the bravest warriors would find it difficult to decide on continuing to participate in a second challenge after completing one.
They would rather spend the rest of their lives cooperating with scientific research and doing something more meaningful for society, rather than sacrificing their lives prematurely.
The warriors selected for the ’Rust’ project are one in a million.
After training, 5,000 participants enter the ’Rust’ base, and typically only one or two leave, and sometimes none survive.
From the accounts of returning heroes, we know that everyone’s challenges vary; some test observation and logical thinking skills, some test endurance, some test adaptability, and some test knowledge reserves. In short, it’s impossible to cultivate an all-round participant to take on the challenge.
The blue light in the base flickers. To ordinary people, it seems like less than a second of time passing, but for participants, it is long torture lasting years or even decades.
Many people’s lives vanish in the brief flicker, and their fathers, mothers, and wives and children will never see their faces again.
This is such a brutal affair, so brutal that even the most devout high-ranking officials are unwilling to let their children participate. Instead, they offer huge rewards to attract many young people from ordinary families eager to become heroes to accept the challenge.
This is why the spirit of those who dare to participate in a second challenge is so valuable.
Even in the USSR, which has organized a dozen or so ’Rust’ projects, such individuals are no more than a handful, with each one being world-renowned.
Paul grew up bathed in the glory of these heroes, aspiring from a young age to become such a person.
He never expected that his first challenge would allow him to meet such a great person, making his admiration evident in his gaze.
Thinking from a different perspective, if he completed a challenge, he would definitely be unable to muster the courage to participate in a second challenge.
After all, the privileges and rewards that returning heroes receive are so enticing. While steel-like willpower won’t yield to hardship, it might drown irresistibly in a sea of sweetness.
...
Although puzzled by Paul’s little fanboy look in his eyes, Chen Zhou’s narration didn’t stop.