C16 A New World

Watching as the last of the people vanished, Wei Han gave a subtle nod to the surveillance equipment above before turning and entering the gym. Observing the two individuals already sparring and listening to Zhao Lang's loud swearing, a smile crept onto his face. "Looks like it's finally time to pass on the knowledge. This is indeed a rare occasion."

He then sat down on the floor, leaning against the door, soaking in the painful grunts from the ring and the sound of fists meeting flesh. His grin grew wider. "This is really good."

...

With ten minutes to go before the New World quest began, participants were reminded to prepare within the allotted time and to return to the platform for final preparations.

10... 9... 2... 1

Initiating teleportation!

Accompanied by a shrill scream, Lee Kai found himself back in his room within the platform.

Teleportation successful. Three minutes and eleven seconds remained until the New World quest commenced.

Lee Kai, standing in his room, surveyed the barren space before stepping out. After his last training session, he had few War Coins left—less than a thousand. At this point, he was merely clinging to the hope of finding something useful to purchase. If he managed to buy something, great; if not, so be it.

But as he walked past a stall, he paused, struck by a sudden realization. Since returning to the real world, he had felt like he was forgetting something important—it was a weapon. Aside from a pistol, he had no other weapons on him.

"Ah, this won't do. I need to find a weapon fast. How could I have forgotten something so crucial? I must be acting like a fool!" He hurriedly scoured the platform, but his War Coins were indeed less than a thousand.

As the time to stay expired, teleportation commenced.

The system detected that the world was under the jurisdiction of other platforms and initiated an invasion.

The platform invasion was successful, and the world quest was updated to a confrontation between platforms.

Destructive Platform, War versus Peace Platform, Enslave

Entering the world: Hunger Games

World Information: Enslavement, Deception, Law of the Jungle

Destruction Value: 0% (Eliminating a character from the world will increase your destruction value, especially if you take out a main character, significantly boosting your final world rating.)

Main Task: Ensure the survival of Katniss Everdeen until the end of the game.

Task Reward: +5 Attribute Points

Task Failure: Annihilation

Special Reminder: Do not disclose any information about the platform in this world; violators will be executed.

Special Reminder: The main task may change based on your actions. Be prepared.

Special Reminder: Upon entering the world, you will automatically acquire the local language.

Special Reminder: The use of personal backpacks is prohibited.

Special Reminder: The use of personal weapons and equipment is forbidden.

Special Reminder: Activation of Active Skills is restricted.

In the final moments, Lee Kai had yet to find a weapon. However, upon being teleported to the next world, he was taken aback by a pleasant surprise. Although he couldn't use his own gear, everyone else's equipment was also sealed, wasn't it? Relatively speaking, he seemed to have the upper hand.

The shrill scream caused Lee Kai's ears to ring painfully, but it also snapped him to full alertness. His gaze sharpened as he assessed his surroundings.

Side Task: Eliminate members of the hostile platform.

Task Reward: +1 Attribute Point per kill.

Task Failure: None.

With the task before him, Lee Kai realized that the side task was optional, but his priority was to ensure the safety of his charge.

He scanned the area, noting, "Aside from the mark above the protagonist's head, no one else displays any allegiance. So, I must discern friend from foe myself? This could prove challenging."

If the current scenario were symmetrical, including himself, there would be 72 people in the field. It was unclear how many were from the opposing platform and how many were allies. The best strategy was to trust only himself, gain the protagonist's trust, and ensure the completion of the mission without straying from the main character's side.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third Elite Extreme Challenge. This is a battle among Hunger Games champions that occurs only once every 25 years. Let's hear your cheers!" the host announced to the crowd fixated on the large screen. Seeing their excitement, he added, "And to enhance the spectacle of the Hunger Games, in addition to the 24 champions from our 12 districts, we've also introduced 48 rebels. These are the insurgents fighting against the Capitol. Our champions are truly facing peril this time."

As the countdown on the sky-high screen ticked down, Lee Kai's eyes locked onto the pile of supplies ahead. A quick glance was all he needed to know which weapon to grab. Now, the challenge was how to swiftly approach and then make his escape with the protagonist. "The supply pile is about 300 meters away, surrounded by water except for the platform, but there are stone-paved runways on both sides."

3... 2... 1...

The shimmering plasma barrier encasing his body vanished, and Lee Kai sprang into action. Despite the platform's modest size, he managed to sprint a couple of steps. Those two steps were all it took to put a significant distance between him and the others, some of whom were swimming directly towards the supplies. Lee Kai, on the other hand, took to the runway, fully aware of his advantage: a formidable 13 points in Dexterity.

He understood from his time on the platform that the battle between platforms wouldn't recklessly sacrifice its people. This meant that no one's single attribute could surpass 15 points, and so he needed to leverage his speed advantage.

His arms pumping rapidly, Lee Kai reached the runway in under ten seconds. Wasting no time, he dashed toward the supplies. With agility nearly three times that of an average human, he reached the edge of the supplies like a whirlwind.

He snatched up a long silver spear and hurled it at a newcomer, the steel weapon piercing the opponent's chest with lethal precision. As the notification of defeating a member of the hostile platform sounded, Lee Kai didn't pause. He quickly picked up another steel spear and a set of darts resembling kunai.

He had already scoped out the supplies upon arrival, noting the absence of bladed weapons. With the others closing in, Lee Kai couldn't afford to hesitate. Handing weapons to the protagonist could lead to dangerous misunderstandings, so he grabbed a bow and quiver, tossing them her way, then turned and took out a foe who had just surfaced from the water before sprinting off. As for the protagonist, she would surely keep her distance from the fray now that she was armed—assuming she had any sense.

But after just two steps, Lee Kai halted, brandishing his steel spear to engage in combat with an adversary wielding a long saber.

The clash of metal echoed as they dueled. Lee Kai quickly realized he was outmatched; the opponent's strength and saber skills were superior to his own.

The clanging of metal rang out as Lee Kai quickly realized he was outmatched. His adversary was stronger and wielded a long blade with superior skill. "I can't go toe-to-toe with him!" Lee Kai thought, and in the next instant, he released his steel spear to evade an incoming horizontal slash. With a subtle flick of his fingers, a kunai from his waist traced a half-circle through the air before landing in his grasp.

With a sudden surge forward, Lee Kai caused his opponent to hesitate. The long blade was less effective at close range, and taking advantage of this, Lee Kai drove the kunai, gleaming with a dark sheen, into his foe's foot. Pushing off the ground with both hands, he launched himself up and kicked his adversary into the water.

As he rose to his feet, Lee Kai scanned the surroundings. Before he could fully straighten, a woman at a distance nocked an arrow and aimed for his chest. Given the distance, she opted for a larger target rather than a fatal shot.

Caught off guard, Lee Kai felt the arrow pierce his shoulder. Without a moment to spare, he spun around and plunged into the water behind him. Unseen to him, the woman who had fired the arrow was swiftly dispatched by the protagonist. But Lee Kai's troubles were far from over.

The man he had kicked into the water earlier had not fled. Instead, he seized Lee Kai's leg and dragged him deeper as soon as he hit the water. Hindered by his wounded shoulder, Lee Kai struggled frantically. The man beneath him, nursing an injured foot, had intended to escape but feared Lee Kai was in pursuit. So he had acted preemptively.

Both men endured the watery struggle until exhaustion took over. With no strength left to fight, they both surfaced, scrambling out of the water like men with their tails on fire. Two heads bobbed up, gasping for air.

Now, the disparity in attributes was evident. Lee Kai knew his opponent was stronger, as the man had already started to climb the stony path. Lee Kai couldn't afford to catch his breath; he pushed against the rocks, determined to climb up.

In reality, there was no need for such panic. His opponent had been in his sights from the start and was now weaponless, having dropped the long knife into the water. However, a steel spear lay on the stone path, previously dropped by someone else. If his opponent managed to get hold of that spear, Lee Kai could very well bid farewell to this world.

Physical strength as an attribute truly made its mark at this critical juncture. Despite his efforts, Lee Kai couldn't match the other's speed. Clenching his teeth, he resolved to dive into the water; climbing up was no longer an option.

Just as his opponent's hand neared the steel spear, an arrow whistled through the air from a distance. In the blink of an eye, it pierced the opponent's arm. Hot on the arrow's trail, two men quickly approached.