Chapter 80
Ango had two big dark circles under her eyes, and people around her thought she had not recovered from what happened in the past two days. Leni asked her to sit next to her and rest, but Ango quickly waved her hand and said she didn't need it, and then joined the team to analyze the battle situation.
Her mind was working fast, and she was having heated discussions with others, but Ango felt that her soul seemed to be floating in the air, looking down at her body and everything around her from above.
Suddenly, a whistle sounded on the field, bringing Ango's soul back to his body.
"Remember, remember, avoid the big school. As long as there are no casualties, we just need to defend our own position!" Jas was still making his final instructions when the contestants had already set off with their belongings and equipment.
The commentator's voice boomed from the loudspeaker: "With a whistle, our competition officially begins! The rules of this competition allow contestants to bring personal items and props, but there are restrictions on quantity and type. Each contestant may bring one or two weapons, a potion system of up to eight, and other special props, such as space bags, are limited to two. We can see that Sun Town Middle School, participating for the first time, is fully equipped with props. Although their level and strength are lower, they defeated Huiying Middle School in the simulation..."
"Phew—it's up to them now." Jas sat on the bench, elbows resting on his knees, wiping his face. "All we have to do is make player substitutions and select substitutes. We still have three opportunities to proactively contact the players, to convey information and tactics..."
The players cannot keep up with the 24-hour non-stop competition physically and mentally, and there are also situations where players are eliminated, so there will definitely be substitutes.
Renee quickly browsed through the team configurations of each school on her computer. "Hey, Dihua started with Sebastian... Yeah, he really can play a good role in the gathering phase."
After sending the students away, Ango put on his headphones and browsed his laptop without saying a word. Others thought Ango was also paying attention to the situation in other schools and didn't pay much attention.
Ango didn't sleep all night last night. She searched all over the Internet and found the audio and video materials that had long been banned from the entire Internet - the video of MAA's Jiang Can participating in the extraordinary ability survival variety show.
Since MAA reappeared, the videos from that year were also dug out by some interested people. Although they were still deleted as soon as they were put on the shelves, many traces were left behind. Ango followed those things and got the video.
It's a live variety show with a ten-month broadcast cycle. All contestants enter a virtual space through a holographic simulation cabin, completing system-assigned tasks and battling evil spirits. Although the format resembles a virtual game, if someone dies during the competition, they also die in real life. The contestants compete for live broadcast traffic and hundreds of millions in prize money, vying for power, and naturally, suffering heavy casualties.
This simulation cabin was provided by the Interhead Group. At that time, they were just a rising technology company and not yet a monopoly chaebol in the industry. They also became famous through this variety show.
The ten-month competition was broadcast live, and even if Ango played it at several times the speed, he could only get a general idea.
In the show, Jiang Can counterattacked from an ordinary C-level player to an A-level boss and won the championship. After winning the championship, she not only won a huge bonus, but also joined the MAA, which stands for the Mysterious Affairs Management Agency.
Unexpectedly, after so many years, Jiang Can not only continued to live and die with MAA, but also was promoted to S-level together with Jiang Mianyan.
Jiang Mianyan and Dilan also participated in the show, but at the beginning of the competition, no one knew they were affiliated with MAA. If there were one of the most memorable moments in the competition, one of them was when Dilan spoke.
He was just like he is now on the show, unwilling to speak, and only communicated with people through whiteboards, paper, and telepathy. Through his communication with Jiang Can, the audience learned that Dylan was deaf since childhood, but thanks to technological advancements, he received a cochlear implant and learned to speak, but he still doesn't like to talk, a habit he inherited from his childhood.
The few times he spoke on the show were just like the voice he had on the balcony last night - hoarse and dry, with short words and a strange tone.
Ango's eyes never left the screen. She continued to watch, as if she wanted to see clearly what kind of people they were.
There is also a clip when Jiang Mianyan's true identity is revealed. At first, the audience thought he was the son of the boss of the production company behind the show. His father's name is Jiang Cheng.
His family had originally gained both fame and fortune, but unfortunately, MAA got into trouble and the show of this season was canceled. Jiang Cheng's company also broke up with the Interhead Group and disappeared along with MAA, while the Interhead Group grew stronger and stronger.
Lin Shan is Lin Yaoxin's brother and the captain of MAA. He died because of the Interheard Group. MAA was reported and investigated, which is probably related to Interheard and Jiang Cheng's company... Although we don't know what happened exactly that year, there must be a lot of hatred. No wonder Xi Sen said that MAA's goal is very simple, which is to bring down Interheard.
While watching the program, Ango collected information from that year. All the clues were like pieces of a puzzle, gradually revealing the true face of the incident.
"The intelligence Mori provided is very accurate. Sangria cares deeply about those children. Our plan is going smoothly. Sangria is beginning to trust us. As soon as the time comes, we can act immediately."
Dylan's words from last night were still ringing in Ango's ears. She glanced inadvertently at the first row of the audience seats on the side. Dylan was wearing a mask and watching what was happening on their side as usual.
She couldn't fathom what Dylan meant by that. Did she care about those students enough to trust them? What were they planning? Did Xi Sen know about their plans? What was their relationship with Xi Sen like? Were they comrades in arms, completely trusting of each other, or did they each have their own agenda?
On the big screen in the gymnasium, the Silver Bee robot broadcast thousands of images. Teams from different schools entered different islands and headed towards their reserved bases.
"Now, a news interruption: Due to a malfunction in the ceilings of areas C, D, and E of the gymnasium, the backstage areas of these three areas have been cordoned off. Please avoid them."
The host's voice came from the radio again, and the students on the screen dispersed into different areas. The distance between teams became farther and farther. Only a few teams were moving in the same direction. I'm afraid a fierce battle is inevitable.
However, Taiyang Town Middle School had relatively good luck because the stronghold they chose was relatively unpopular and no team had yet encountered them. If nothing unexpected happened, the first half hour of the game should be very smooth.
Seeing this, Jas picked up the thermos on the table, drank some water slowly, and chatted and laughed with Renee next to him.
"I'm going to the bathroom first and will be back soon. Remember to contact me if anything happens." Jas stood up and instructed.
"The door here is sealed. You have to go around the next two areas." Leni pointed to the tightly closed door at the back. There was an artificial ability user standing in front of the door guarding it. It was obvious that this way was blocked.
"Okay." Jas had no choice but to go around other schools.
Just as Jas stood up and left, another commentator came on the radio, reporting the situation on the scene: "Some teams have already collected the quest items on their way to the base... Ouch, what's going on? Some students got caught up in the chaos and started attacking their own people?"
Ango looked up and saw a group of students holding a bunch of red crystal fragments in their arms. However, they seemed to be crazy and threw those things at their companions. The sharp fragments cut wounds on their skin, and their companions hurriedly dodged.
"Next, let's invite the commentator to introduce the current situation to us."
Another voice rang out, "We must be extremely careful when handling the Zealite fragments. Many of you may have heard of the Zealite Flower... This flower can make one's five senses exceptionally sharp, but it can also make one intoxicated by the information, like being drunk. However, the effects of pure Zealite fragments are significantly more intense... If we're careless, this could happen."
The fanatical flowers were the bouquet that Tang Yu gave to Ango in Morino City. Ace got drunk on the spot because he kept getting close to smell them. It was Shen Xingchen who told them the reason.
However, after that, out of curiosity about the truth, Tang Yu and Lin Yaoxin went to look for relevant information, so they were quite familiar with the characteristics of the fanatical crystal fragments, and their attention was not distracted while searching for a stronghold.
"How can we block the influence of quest items?" Tang Yu asked this question as soon as he heard about quest items.
Jas, who was more familiar with the game, said at the time, "If you're required to collect quest items like this, then they'll definitely hide the corresponding props to help you shield yourself from the impact. I'm guessing these props are likely hidden in the major strongholds. Their rules also require you to occupy the strongholds first, then collect the items."
Like Tang Yu and his team, the teams that were not distracted by the items were quickly heading towards the stronghold they wanted to go to.
Except for Dihua, it can be seen on the screen that each of their teammates is equipped with a silver-gray helmet. They quickly harvest mission items along the way and advance towards the stronghold like a bulldozer.
"Dihua prepared a shielding helmet!" Renee exclaimed, clicking her tongue twice. "They're really well prepared."
"But it doesn't matter." Renee continued to talk to Ango, "Our progress is not slow. Although the location of Point A on Island 4 is not that good, fortunately no one ran into us."
Ango nodded in agreement, "Jas's plan worked."
The commentator on the radio continued to describe the battle situation: "Wow, a chaotic battle broke out at Point C on Island 4. Three teams met here, each vying for the best location on the island. Unfortunately, only one team can stay there. The winner has been declared—Huiying Middle School. The losing team will probably have to find another place... Hey, where do you think the losing team might go?"
"There are currently six teams and four strongholds on the four islands. The two losing teams will most likely retreat and visit the various strongholds along their retreat routes... So... they might try their luck at A or B again."
The corner of Renee's eye twitched. "It's over...it's coming for us."
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