Chapter 81

Late at night, near the square in District 12.

This might be the only brightly lit place in District 12, one of the poorest and most barren areas of the Panem kingdom. The square is large, surrounded by various shops, and is the wealthy area of District 12. Usually, many people from poor areas and the Seam also come here. They don't have extra money to shop, but they often appear as sellers. The wealthy gentlemen also enjoy exotic game, but these wild animals and fruits are only found in the forbidden forest. The rich wouldn't risk being shot to enter the restricted area, so they often buy these delicacies from the poor who take the risk.

But this is still District 12, one of the most barren regions of the Panem kingdom, with no entertainment venues or exciting programs. Even the wealthy here don't go out at night without reason. On the dark and empty square, there was no one except the armed Peacekeepers on patrol.

Suddenly, two figures, one large and one small, flashed at the edge of the originally quiet square. These two figures moved extremely fast and at tricky angles, even the crisscrossing Peacekeepers didn't notice them. The two figures quickly bypassed the bakery and the accessory shop, and finally arrived at the Town Hall.

These two figures were Ma Le and Ling Zhi. They came to the Town Hall to modify the household registration information.

Since they were exiled to District 12 by Miracle City, Ma Le and Ling Zhi also had legal identities. However, Miracle City wasn't considerate enough; it assigned them identities based on their real situations, such as age. Ma Le's recorded age was 25, which didn't meet the eligibility for the Hunger Games.

Since one of the main tasks was to join the Hunger Games, this issue clearly needed to be resolved by the adventurers themselves. Ma Le was doing it for the main task, and Ling Zhi was doing it to keep this powerful helper. So, the two sneaked to the Town Hall in the dark, intending to modify the official records.

There were two Peacekeepers standing guard at the entrance of the Town Hall. These Peacekeepers wore bulletproof helmets and thick chest armor, holding peculiar guns, looking quite intimidating. The two were hiding in the bushes opposite the entrance. Ling Zhi patted Ma Le, pointed to herself, then to the right Peacekeeper, and then to Ma Le, and to the left one. Ma Le nodded to show he understood. Ling Zhi made a countdown with her hands, and when the last finger was retracted, the two rushed out simultaneously.

Although the Peacekeepers were well-equipped, their basic qualities were still those of ordinary people. Facing the agile Ling Zhi, the one on the right didn't even react before his rifle was taken away. The Peacekeeper opened his mouth to shout but was choked by Ling Zhi, unable to make a sound. In a panic, he tried to fight back with his fists, but he was no match for Ling Zhi and was quickly knocked out. It must be said that Ling Zhi's combat skills were superb, not just in hand-to-hand combat but also in movement and positioning. The Peacekeeper never saw the attacker's face clearly.

After dealing with the Peacekeeper, Ling Zhi casually brushed her hands and confidently looked back at Ma Le's progress, only to find the big guy already using a thin wire to pick the lock of the Town Hall.

"How is this possible?" Ling Zhi muttered to herself. She looked around but found no sign of the Peacekeeper, not even any signs of a struggle or blood. She tilted her head, puzzled, at Ma Le's sneaky back as he picked the lock. How did this glutton manage to do it?

Dealing with such ordinary police, Ma Le could absorb them silently with just a touch, leaving no trace. As for the undecomposable armor and weapons, he had already stored them in his inventory.

A few quick jabs opened the old lock on the main door, and the two quietly entered, sneaking into the records room. They quickly found the household registration records and, after some manipulation, changed Ma Le's age to 18. The modified record was placed in the 12-18 age group for verification the next day. Although the Hunger Games participants are chosen by lottery, the organizers actually welcome volunteers. As long as Ma Le volunteered and the records matched, he could successfully join.

After completing everything, Ma Le and Ling Zhi quietly left the records room. Just as they were about to exit the Town Hall, a strong beam of light shone from outside, followed by a loud warning from a megaphone: "Attention, criminals inside, you are surrounded. Surrender now and you will receive the most lenient death sentence..."

The two instantly hid behind the door. The broadcast continued outside. Ma Le peeked out and exaggeratedly mouthed to Ling Zhi on the other side of the door, "It's the Peacekeeper who reported, didn't you kill him?" Ling Zhi frowned and shook her head. Ma Le sighed, pointed to himself, then to outside, and mouthed, "I'll go out and take the hit, you run!" He ignored the girl's shaking head, counted down with his fingers, and then rushed out.

As he rushed out, Ma Le transformed into Anderson's appearance under the cover of the strong light. Although his original form was the strongest, it couldn't be seen by the Peacekeepers and was best saved for the Hunger Games. As for the bullets, although they had an average power of 50, they only caused single-digit damage to Ma Le. He charged through the gunfire, knocked down two Peacekeepers, and then ran towards the forest at a speed far exceeding that of a normal person.

Between the forest and the residential area was a fence to prevent wild animals, which was electrified for one to two hours every night. Whether due to Ma Le's bad luck or the Peacekeepers' deliberate action, he was hit by a strong current when he touched the fence, instantly paralyzing his muscles.

This was unexpected by Ma Le. If he was caught here, there would be no hope. Although this was an entry-level world, it was in the context of the Hunger Games. Essentially, this world belonged to a sci-fi setting, with some technologies far ahead of reality. Who knew what other powerful weapons they had! Although Ma Le was strong, he was far from enough to fight against such a future-armed force.

Without hesitation, the Peacekeepers caught up. Ma Le, seeing the urgency, activated the Nine Yang Divine Skill to resist the current, then used his strength to tear a small hole in the fence. He then transformed into Zhao Renfan's appearance, becoming much shorter, and squeezed through the hole, stumbling into the forest. The tall, heavily equipped Peacekeepers could only watch the small, sparking hole and dared not approach.

Ma Le was still afraid of being followed and wandered in the forest for hours until dawn, when he returned to the small wooden house where he had been teleported, meeting Ling Zhi, who had already returned.

Seeing Ma Le, Ling Zhi, who was usually arrogant, asked with some concern, "Are you okay? I saw you get hit by several bullets..." Ma Le, who had already recovered from the minor injuries, smiled and waved, "My talent is defensive; a few bullets won't kill me. Did anyone search the house last night?"

Ling Zhi nodded, "The Peacekeepers came soon after I returned, checking the household registration records house by house..." Seeing Ma Le's tense expression, the girl adjusted her glasses and smiled, "Don't worry, I used a shikigami to transform into your appearance and fooled them!"

Ma Le sighed in relief, lying down, "That's good... The Harvest Festival starts in the afternoon, so I need to rest now..." He closed his eyes, seemingly sleeping, but secretly began to practice the Nine Yang Divine Skill. Last night, when he used his inner strength to resist the electric shock, he had a strange feeling, as if he was on the verge of a breakthrough. The Nine Yang Divine Skill is essentially a skill to strengthen the body and protect it. When subjected to strong external energy, it often stimulates the body's potential. Ma Le carefully recalled the way he used his inner strength last night, trying to recapture that feeling...

Leaving Ma Le aside, at the edge of the forest, a red-haired girl was aiming her bow at a deer. This girl is the most important character in the Hunger Games world, the first female protagonist, Katniss! Compared to the slightly chubby face in the movie, the Katniss in the mission world is leaner, shorter, and more realistic. She is a girl who grew up in the Seam, facing the threat of hunger almost every moment. Long-term malnutrition made her very slender, with no extra fat, and her hands, which were used to pull the bow, were full of calluses. The bow was left to her by her father, a brave and skilled man who passed away a few years ago, leaving behind a family of three. Since then, the young Katniss took on the responsibility of supporting her family, growing up quickly due to labor and hunger, but also becoming somewhat quiet and unlikable, despite being a pretty girl when cleaned up.

By now, at sixteen, Katniss has become a skilled hunter, often trading animal skins and meat for food to support her mother and sister.

In the barren District 12, children like Katniss are everywhere, struggling for food every day, constantly facing the threat of starvation. Yet, even so, they are still alive, living under the oppressive rule of the wealthy and luxurious Capitol.

Just as Katniss was about to shoot, a man's voice came from the hill, "What do you plan to do after you kill it?" The deer, startled, leaped into the dense forest. In a panic, Katniss fired another arrow, but it was in vain.

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