Chapter 133: Repair Pods
"...We urge all contestants to fight without restraint. This competition is specially equipped with the latest medical repair pods invented by the Spirit Energy Research Institute. No matter the severity of your injuries, simply lying down in one of these pods will allow you to recover from most traumas within just twelve hours. All repair equipment will be available to contestants free of charge throughout this competition!"
After a lengthy and tedious opening speech, the host, while outlining the competition rules and guidelines, delivered this particular announcement with fervent enthusiasm. Instantly, the attention of everyone — from the contestants in the arena to the spectators both present and watching on television — was captivated.
"They've even developed repair pods now. Huaxia has certainly come up with quite a few good things recently." A scientific spy from the United States, watching the live broadcast on television, diligently jotted down notes. "I recall we had similar prototypes on our side that were kept under wraps for clinical testing, never publicized. Could it be that damned researcher again? Still, our civil war is ending soon, and our elites can personally come over to deal with him then."
"If the effects are truly so potent, I wonder if these things will be available for sale or trade externally. It truly is a life-saving artifact." Many ability user mercenaries, accustomed to living by the edge of a blade, pondered this question from the stands.
"So our national scientific research is this impressive!" This was the thought that crossed the minds of many Huaxian citizens watching the live broadcast.
Upon hearing the host's announcement, Hua Changjiang, seated in the center, revealed a confident smile, as if everything was already within his grasp.
"Brother, you knew about these repair pods all along?"
"This was part of a deal we made with Bai Mo."
"Is it classified?"
"It's alright. Anything you can't disclose is a national secret, and that's just part of your duty." Hua Taishan, for his part, had little curiosity for matters unrelated to the martial path.
"...I hereby announce the Global Ability User Tournament is now open!" After another deluge of rules and warnings, the host declared the commencement of the competition amidst a swell of music.
Due to the vast number of participants, the entire competition employed a single-elimination format. However, to mitigate the impact of random draws, seven-eighths of the contestants eliminated after the first three rounds would form a losers' bracket, with one-eighth of them re-entering the main competition through a resurrection round.
Before the competition, numerous prospective seeded contestants had already been unearthed by the pervasive media. Concurrently, many ability users who felt sufficiently powerful and aimed to achieve both fame and fortune through this event were actively cooperating with media reports to build momentum for themselves.
Naturally, reporters weren't fools. Those clearly full of hot air, who spent all day proclaiming, "The strong must defy the heavens!" while themselves being weaklings and delusional chuunibyō youths, were certainly ignored.
To capture more eyeballs, a wave of meme creators and writers penned numerous sensational pieces for these attractive and powerful prospective seeded contestants.
"Contestant number 8,848, codename Black Crow. What profound gaze lay hidden behind the sunglasses he never removed? His dark-gold slicked-back hair symbolized an unyielding defiance against fate. His sharply defined features bore the marks of countless worldly trials. This man from the United States, reborn from the ashes of betrayal and being betrayed!"
"Contestant number 582, codename Swordsman. Born of the sword, dying by the sword, his entire life was but the sword. This man, as sharp and merciless as a blade, vowed to cleave open a clear and boundless heaven with the sword in his hand!"
...
Under the media's relentless promotion, coupled with pre-recorded combat videos, these powerful individuals, blessed with both looks and strength, quickly amassed their own fan bases. Regardless of whether they themselves truly cared about this positive publicity, at the very least, the news media and their agents were quite pleased with their earnings.
Where there is light, there is shadow. While they extensively publicized themselves, quite a few other contestants believed that revealing extensive information about their abilities before the competition was a reckless act. However, whether their concern was genuine or merely stemmed from jealousy remained open to debate.
As it was the first round of battles, many matches, due to the random draws, turned into one-sided instant kills. Consequently, not long after the competition began, a large number of injured contestants were sent to the medical area where Bai Mo was stationed.
Every injured person brought in was arranged to lie down inside a medical pod.
Once they lay inside, a small amount of liquid metal, combined with a large quantity of repair fluid — created by the institute as an imitation of liquid metal but not as effective — flowed out from within the pod. This mixed repair fluid was primarily intended to compensate for the shortage of liquid metal and was generally only effective for external injuries.
And once the repair process began, a large volume of colorless, odorless hypnotic gas would be sprayed inside the pod, while anesthetic would also begin to be injected into the repair fluid.
"We're not injured that severely! Do we really need to go into these pods?" Among the contestants, there were clearly some who were not entirely trusting of the newly introduced repair pods, demanding that their wounds be treated by traditional methods.
"Of course, you can. It's just that, given the extent of your injuries, conventional treatment methods would likely take about half a month for a full recovery. However, over the next few days, winners will need to participate in the next elimination round, and even those who lose can enter the corresponding resurrection round. Are you certain you wish to fight while injured?" The medical personnel nearby advised them with earnest patience.
"I suppose so..." a middle-aged man was the first to speak. "I'd rather go into the medical pod. Lying there for twelve hours is far more worthwhile than spending two weeks outside. Even though I lost my first match, I still want to participate in the resurrection bracket to win prize money. This time, they're rewarding the top five thousand, so winning even one match basically gets you a hundred points in rewards."
With the middle-aged man taking the lead, the others' resistance began to waver. Soon, this group, initially somewhat resistant to new things, relented and walked into the repair pods one after another.
Having completed their persuasion task and sent everyone into their respective pods, the middle-aged man inside one pod exchanged a glance with a nurse outside another.
In the secret chamber housing the manned repair pods, Bai Mo, as per their agreement, was busily conducting detailed body scans and information gathering on the comatose contestants inside the repair pods.
This was the secret agreement between him and Cheng Mu. They needed to conduct a detailed physical information census of a large number of stronger civilian ability users, both inside and outside Huaxia. However, not wishing to provoke intense hostility, they had consequently planned this event together with Bai Mo.
To prevent any loopholes, the medical staff included direct military ability users capable of psychological persuasion, specifically tasked with convincing any skeptical contestants. At the same time, among the competition participants, there were "plants" specifically introduced to initiate the breakthrough and set an example.
"When it comes to manipulating human nature, I still can't compare to those professionals." Using his divine sense to monitor everything, fully aware of all personnel arrangements, and also responsible for any last-minute interventions or even eliminations, Bai Mo took out a surgical knife in the secret chamber and mused.
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