Chapter 80

After reading the mission description, Ma Le couldn't help but frown, thinking how unlucky he was to encounter inter-city missions twice in a row! And what kind of world was this Hunger Games? A movie? A game? Or a novel? He had never heard of it. However, from the description, it seemed to be a task type similar to a gladiatorial arena, which gave Ma Le some confidence. After all, his strength was there, and he was confident that he could crush through ordinary beginner-level tasks.

The white light disappeared, and Ma Le could move freely again. The girl with glasses beside him had also finished reading the mission description. She looked up at Ma Le, a hint of surprise in her black eyes, and gave him a sly smile before pushing open the door and running outside.

Ma Le was taken aback, thinking how bold this girl was, running around without even understanding the world! But seeing the empty house, he followed her out.

Opening the wooden door, he saw a dilapidated village nestled between a forest and a mine. Most of the houses were old wooden structures, and children often ran by bare-chested. The sun was setting, and it was probably the end of the workday. Young and strong men, wearing dirty and tattered uniforms, were returning from the mine... This was District 12 in post-war North America, where the people were responsible for mining.

Despite the village's dilapidation, life seemed peaceful and tranquil, and Ma Le saw no signs of danger... The girl with glasses had already climbed to a high point, holding a camera steadily and slowly moving the lens. She was not tall, with a slim figure, a clear and slightly childish face, and a pair of full-rimmed red glasses. Her black, shiny hair was tied into two braids that hung in front of her chest. Her youthful appearance and serious expression gave her a unique charm.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ma Le ran below her and shouted up. The girl finished a long shot, put away the camera, and slid down with a giggle. She patted Ma Le's broad shoulder and said proudly, "Of course, I'm filming the scenery. It's rare to come to one of the three deadliest worlds with the lowest survival rates, so how can I not leave a memento?"

Ma Le was taken aback, "Deadly world? Is it that dangerous here?" The girl glanced at him, "More than dangerous, in the beginner-level world death rate rankings, the Hunger Games has always been in the top three... You haven't seen the movie, have you?"

Ma Le shook his head, "No, I haven't!" The girl sighed, ran to an old woman sitting at the door doing needlework, and asked her a few questions. Then she smiled and ran back to Ma Le, saying, "They said the Harvest Festival starts tomorrow. Let's go back to the house first, I'll show you around!" She then pulled Ma Le back to the house they had initially come out of.

The girl with glasses closed the door, locked it, and pulled the curtains shut. She then opened her storage space, took out a laptop and a backup power supply, and started working on it. Ma Le, confused, asked, "Little girl, are you from Miracle City too? What's your name?"

The girl, without looking up, said, "Just call me Lingzhi. What's your name, big guy?" Ma Le plopped down on the old sofa, "Me? Just call me Eater... By the way, you're called 'Lingzhi'? The edible kind?" The girl rolled her eyes, "You really are an eater, always thinking about food! I'm 'Ling' as in 'intelligent' and 'Zhi' as in 'knowledge,' meaning I'm well-informed and know everything!"

Ma Le was skeptical, "That impressive? Do you know who I am?" The girl glanced at Ma Le and said smugly, "A beginner-level adventurer with strength, agility, constitution, precision, and perception all over 15 points, and a rare talent, a super elite among beginners!"

Although most of the girl's self-assured explanation was incorrect, it still made Ma Le look at her differently. These data were clearly obtained using a detection skill, which was very rare in Miracle City. The detection range was usually limited and related to the user's strength. The stronger the user, the more information they could detect. The girl said he had five attributes over 15 points, indicating her attribute detection limit was 15 points. For a beginner-level detection skill, the attribute detection limit was generally around 75% of the user's perception attribute. Her ability to detect 15 points meant her perception attribute was over 20 points, which was quite impressive for a beginner!

Moreover, the girl thought Ma Le had a rare talent, meaning her detection skill could detect rare talents. Such abilities were extremely rare, and those that could detect rare talents were at least A-level skills. The girl was only a beginner, so it was unlikely she had such a powerful skill. Therefore, her talent was probably related to detection... This girl wasn't simple, Ma Le thought.

Lingzhi, not getting a response from Ma Le, was slightly annoyed and asked, "What? Am I wrong?" Ma Le smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he quickly pulled a strand of hair from Lingzhi's head, causing her to flinch in pain. Ma Le chewed the hair in his mouth, "Adventurer number 114321, age 17, strength 6, agility 8, constitution 10, spirit 15, charm 8, with the highest spirit and perception both at 21 points, dual talents in manipulation and perception, a skill to create Shikigami, and a 200-point area attack skill... You're quite impressive too, do you want me to continue?"

Seeing Lingzhi's shocked expression, Ma Le felt a great sense of satisfaction. As the saying goes, it's impolite not to reciprocate. Last time, he encountered a very arrogant kid, and this time, he couldn't let a junior lead him around by the nose. Sometimes, being too reserved isn't always good; when it's time to show your strength, you shouldn't hold back, especially when dealing with a self-important brat like her!

However, to his surprise, the first thing the twin-tailed girl with glasses, Lingzhi, said after a long pause wasn't admiration or praise, but, "Oh my god, your ability is to eat people's hair?! That's so disgusting, don't come near me, ah ah ah ah..." Her face was full of disgust and contempt, and she even moved the laptop she was operating to the side. Ma Le felt a deep sense of frustration, thinking that even when he tried to show off, it backfired, destined to be alone forever...

Lingzhi opened the computer, and the hard drive was filled with hundreds of movies, videos, and novels, including the Hunger Games world they were in. Ma Le was surprised, "You didn't bring all the original mission worlds, did you?" Lingzhi rolled her eyes, "Of course not! I only brought the 100 most difficult worlds. Some are movies, some are TV series, and some are detailed walkthroughs of games. If I enter a world I don't know, I can use this to catch up quickly!"

"Most difficult?" Ma Le asked curiously, "How do you know which worlds are the most difficult? You haven't tried them all!" Lingzhi huffed and threw a small booklet at Ma Le with a look of disdain. Ma Le caught it and saw the cover read "Beginner-Level Mission World Death Rate Rankings." Opening the booklet, he saw a list of 100 mission worlds ranked by adventurer death rates, each with a brief description and images, very detailed. On the first page, three deadly worlds were highlighted in blood-red, with the Hunger Games prominently listed, followed by a note: "The true terror of this world is not from the strong characters in the plot, but from the brutal and cruel game rules!"

Ma Le flipped through the booklet, impressed, "There's such a convenient thing, who compiled it?" Lingzhi huffed, her disdainful look intensifying, "It's sold in the vending machine, 20 points each!"

Ma Le's face turned red, and Lingzhi beckoned him with her finger, "Come on, let's start. We'll watch this movie a few times, don't miss any details!"

After the two-hour movie ended, it was completely dark outside. Now Ma Le fully understood the terrifying nature of this world. Despite the lack of terrifying monsters or dangerous weapons, the ironclad game rules dictated that out of 48 participants, only two could survive at most, and these final survivors might not even be adventurers. This was a world with a survival rate of less than 8.4%!

The rules of the Hunger Games: failure means death!

After watching the movie, Ma Le crossed his arms and sighed, "So, we're in District 12 with the main characters. Should we go and build some rapport with them now?"

Lingzhi adjusted her glasses, "No need. According to the plot, if we're chosen, we'll have more than ten days to build rapport during the preparation period. What we really need to worry about are the adventurers from other cities!"

Ma Le shrugged, "I'm not too worried. Your strength is also top-notch among beginners, so together we'll be invincible!"

Lingzhi huffed, "Don't get too cocky. I admit you're strong, but don't be too arrogant. The most famous thing about the Hunger Games world isn't the high death rate. This world has a unique characteristic: the selection of adventurers!"

"Selection? What does that mean?" Ma Le asked curiously. Lingzhi explained, "For most mission worlds, Miracle City randomly assigns adventurers, and sometimes even higher-level adventurers. But here, the adventurers sent to the Hunger Games are always beginners, and they are always the best in their city-states! In other words, the Hunger Games is a bloody stage for the new talents of the city-states!"

Ma Le gasped, "You mean our enemies are all independent geniuses and elites?" Lingzhi nodded, "So, those kids under 18 don't need much attention; the gap in strength is too large!"

Ma Le laughed, "You still have the nerve to call them kids, but you're... oh no!" He suddenly shouted, then stared straight at the angry Lingzhi, "Do I look like a 16-year-old teenager?" Lingzhi pouted, "You should wake up, old man!"

Ma Le slumped onto the sofa, muttering, "What am I going to do..."

The rules of the Hunger Games: participants must be 12 to 18 years old!

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