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Chapter 67 Entering the Maze for the First Time
A little after 9 a.m.

The pale golden morning light spilled between the high-rise buildings and streets.

A silver hoverbus drove away from the association.

Several military green armored hovercraft followed closely behind, escorting them all the way.

Wang Xi sat in the middle section of the bus by the window.

His gaze fell on the street scene outside the window, admiring the view. The bus headed north from the city center, seemingly intending to leave through the north gate of Gucheng and head towards the countryside.

Putting aside his hazy childhood memories, Wang Xi felt as if he had never left Gucheng.

His knowledge of the area outside the city was limited to what he learned from school textbooks. He only knew that the suburban environment was full of desolation and ruin, with large amounts of vegetation growing wildly in the decade or so since humans disappeared, taking over their original locations.

Vast stretches of ruins, barren fields, and dwellings have become like primeval forests.

Buildings and steel products are severely weathered and corroded.

Furthermore, due to the influence of the invisible distortion of reality, some areas are plagued by supernatural phenomena, which are bizarre and dangerous.

Today marks Wang Xi's first time leaving the city.

A sense of anticipation welled up in my heart.

"Lord Wang... Xi?"

Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a pleasant female voice with a slight accent in his ear.

Turning my head, I saw that the seed girl of the Sky Dome Foundation, Nagata Anzu, was standing in the corridor, her beautiful face and her watery eyes looking at me with a smile.

"Miss Xing, what's wrong?"

Wang Xi asked politely.

Anzu Nagata took out her phone and smiled:
Can we be friends?

Wang Xi glanced out of the corner of his eye and noticed that the other eight people in the front seats of the bus were secretly casting their gazes at him.

Jiang Tianjie didn't even bother acting; he simply stood up, turned around, and leaned against the backrest, looking utterly astonished.

Wang Xi thought to himself, "What's all the fuss about?"

This is what it means to be handsome.

You are not handsome, you don’t understand.

He had actually noticed the other people's gazes long ago, but ignored them. Ever since Yu Jiali did some makeup for him, his appearance and temperament had improved to another level, and the group of examinees who were with him began to look him up and down.

Especially those young girls.

In this new era, dating and marriage are not easy.

Living in disaster-stricken communities, young women tend to prefer men who are strong and responsible when choosing a partner.

Appearance, height, and personality are secondary.

In the face of disaster, survival is paramount. Therefore, strength here naturally includes military power, economic capability, and social status.

However, if a young man has sufficient ability or potential, and also possesses outstanding appearance and a strong sense of responsibility, then his popularity is self-evident.

Whether it is a new era or an old era.

Men like that are extremely attractive.

"No problem at all."

Wang Xi smiled.

He took out his phone, exchanged contact information with Anzu Nagata, and added her as a friend on a messaging app.

But as soon as the beautiful woman with long, straight black hair left, Ge Tian, ​​a round-faced girl with glasses, and Zhong Shuang, a girl with a single ponytail, mustered up their courage and came over, adding each other as friends with a little embarrassment.

This is what the new era is like.

Good men should be pursued.

There's no harm in giving it a try.

Of the examinees, apart from Lin Xin'er who was still sitting in the front seat, gazing out the window in a daze, all the other girls had added Wang Xi as a friend.

The hoverbus traveled through the wilderness.

Wang Xi's phone kept beeping, and Jiang Tianjie was scratching his head, feeling that his eyes were dry and itchy, as if he was about to get conjunctivitis.

Ok?
Why?
Am I really that bad?
Why don't any cute girls ever ask me for their contact information?!
Wang Xi was simultaneously dealing with several girls, passing the time during his boring journey. But soon, it seemed as if the roar of horns and the screech of brakes echoed in his mind, and a piercing, unforgettable phantom pain surged up like a tide.

He suddenly awoke with a start, becoming fully alert.

Wang Xi, oh Wang Xi! How could you have fallen so low! Have you forgotten the renovation plan we made before?

Confucius said, “I examine myself three times a day.”

It can't go on like this!

drop--

“Nagata An: After the assessment, would you like to go to the ‘Seiryu-tei’ of the Tenkyu Foundation? It’s on me.”

Wang Xi looked at his phone and remembered hearing about the famous "Qingliuting" restaurant. It was one of the most upscale restaurants in Gucheng, with an average cost of over 6000 credits per person.

He remained expressionless, his fingers meticulously typing:

"I don't believe it. Feed me 50 first and let me see your strength."

“Nagata Anzu: …”

...

...

Abandoned town 20 kilometers north of Gucheng.

The hoverbus and hover armored vehicle stopped in front of a bungalow. The asphalt road there was cracked, and weeds, as tall as knees, sprouted from the cracks.

Wang Xi and the others got off the bus.

He noticed that it appeared to be an abandoned gas station, lying like a dried-up corpse in the wilderness.

Half of the rusted metal roof had collapsed, revealing a jagged steel frame. Several gas pumps stood askew, like twisted fingers.

Handwritten notes were pasted on digital displays, vaguely revealing the last oil price before the disaster:

The price of #92 has risen to 7.92 yuan.

The examiners, dressed in suits, stepped forward.

Behind them and overhead, seven or eight military-green photography drones were also hovering.

“It’s a drone from the Gear Corporation’s ‘War Correspondent’ series, which has camouflage and stealth capabilities…” Yu Jiali glanced at it and said softly.

Jiang Tianjie seemed to have done quite a bit of research on this, and exclaimed that conglomerates are indeed very wealthy.

"The entrance to the maze for the third round of practical assessment is inside this abandoned gas station. All examinees, please prepare yourselves and wait a moment."

Examiner Spears led the group forward and began to speak.

When Wang Xi and the others gathered at the entrance of the gas station, they saw a group of staff members in blue protective suits running over and quickly setting up a temporary tent around the area.

In less than twenty minutes.

Tables, chairs, computers, supply boxes, and some strange floor lamp-shaped devices were all neatly arranged.

The time came to 9:55.

With a click.

The only female reporter on site, wearing a work badge belonging to the Shining Foundation, smiled and began a series of fast-paced but clearly articulated opening remarks for the camera.

At this moment, a female examiner with her hair in a bun strode over and handed each examinee an electronic watch.

After a brief introduction, this is the "monitoring wristwatch." It can not only monitor an individual's health status and display it in real time on the examiners' terminals, but also effectively monitor the reality distortion within the maze.

Wang Xi snapped the watch onto his left wrist.

The female examiner glanced at him a few more times, then said with a smile:
"Mr. Wang Xi looks exceptionally handsome today, the live stream is sure to be a great success... Good luck with the assessment, we look forward to your performance."

"Thank you," Wang Xi said with a polite smile.

The female examiner nodded and then walked over to the other people.

Jiang Tianjie straightened his posture, straightened his clothes, and stood up straight, expecting encouragement from the female examiner... but after handing out the watches, she left without even glancing at him.

The young man with the buzz cut twitched at the corner of his mouth.

drip.

Wang Xi pressed the button on the side of the monitoring watch, which flashed red, and then small text appeared on the screen:

"Surrounding reality distortion: 23.3%"

He vaguely remembered the relevant knowledge taught at school.

A reality distortion level of 10% or higher will cause harm to the human body. Ordinary people cannot stay there for long.

If the percentage reaches 30% or higher, regional supernatural phenomena will occur, which is extremely dangerous.

Once the probability exceeds 50%, there is a chance that a disaster will occur in the surrounding area, and the location of the disaster is unpredictable.

If it reaches 100%...

There is a high probability of a "major change (yellow)" level disaster, and even a small probability of a "sudden disaster (orange)" level disaster, with very serious consequences.

The fall of the city and the loss of its inhabitants were no joke.

'This area is close to the maze entrance, so the reality distortion is higher than in other areas. And inside the maze, it's likely even higher.'

Wang Xi said secretly.

These examiners and assessors are not ordinary people, so they can walk in the wilderness without protective clothing.

Wait a while longer.

After checking the data on several large-screen computers and confirming that the examinees' data was synchronized in real time, the examiners nodded.

He strode over and announced the start of the assessment.

"Please follow the staff inside. Once inside the maze, the primary objective is to eliminate the monsters and the Demon King to reduce the distortion of reality at its source. This is also a key factor for the examiners to conduct their final evaluation of you."

"Military drones will follow you throughout, but you need not pay attention to them. Your safety is the top priority. If things become unbearable, the association allows you to abstain and withdraw immediately."

The examiners nodded in agreement, indicating that they understood.

At this moment, three military drones flew in and filmed the group from different angles.

In the exclusive live stream room of the Shining Group, the actual number of viewers has reached a staggering 160 million and is rapidly increasing. Judging from this trend, it will indeed break through 200 million, just as Yu Jiali predicted.

"It finally begins!"

"Are these the ten best professional warriors in Gucheng this year? They're all handsome men and beautiful women!"

"Except for the one with the buzz cut, he looks like a street urchin driving a ghost firecracker."

"Wow, so cool! Liu Shen looks so handsome today!"

"Miss Lin Xin'er has a great temperament, but I prefer Miss Nagata An. She looks like a caring older sister."

"Huh? Liushen is that dark horse? I didn't see him on the promotional posters..."

Top floor of the Hero Association building in the central district of Gucheng.

The silver-haired girl sitting in the main seat stared at the screen, slightly dazed, a hint of doubt flashing in her light blue eyes.

Wang Xi's appearance today surprised her.

But in her memory, the other person never wore makeup.

"It's obviously Yu Jiali's work."

Beside him, Police Inspector Yu Zizi chuckled.

"She likes to wear heavy makeup around her eyes."

"..."

Chu Nai lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

The assessment site.

Wang Xi and others followed two staff members in protective suits through the gate of the abandoned gas station.

After passing through the dimly lit and dirty lobby, we arrived at the side hall.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, their expressions quite interesting.

All that could be seen at the entrance to the passage was a deep purple vortex that was constantly twisting.

However, signs were posted on both sides of the wall:
"Men's restroom; Women's restroom."

The entrance to this maze is attached to the toilet.

It's destined to be an adventure with a unique flavor...

(End of this chapter)