Chapter 135: The Firmament
The Black Crow's full-force burst was like brilliant fireworks in the night, immediately drawing the attention of all the event's security personnel.
To maintain order in the arena and ensure the smooth progression of this competition, which gathered a large number of unruly Ability Users, the Huaxia authorities had deployed nearly ten thousand Ability User troops to stand guard around the perimeter, ready to intervene at any moment to prevent this massive powder keg from accidentally igniting.
Although these soldiers were generally no match for the contestants in one-on-one combat, with heavy firepower and team support, military computer simulations showed they could still fight the disorganized contestants to a standstill.
"Who goes there!" Several high-intensity searchlights swiftly aimed at the Black Crow's location, and patrolling soldiers began running towards where the beams pointed, instantly making him the center of attention.
But the Black Crow, pumped up by the fight, paid no mind to the lights shining on him. He continued to swing his fist at the Bai Mo before him with terrifying speed, only to his astonishment, hit nothing but air.
Or perhaps, it wasn't exactly "hitting nothing but air." His punch indeed landed on the enemy's body, but this "Bai Mo" had already transformed into an illusion, and his fist merely shattered the phantom.
"You!" To release the uncomfortable sensation of punching empty air, he bent his legs slightly, lightly jumped, twisted his body, and adjusted the direction of his punch diagonally downwards.
"Boom!!!" Even though most of the force from his punch had actually been dissipated earlier, such a heavy blow still left a twenty-centimeter deep crater in the otherwise flat ground. The immense sound reverberated across the vast arena for several kilometers.
"We'll meet again," Bai Mo's voice appeared in the Black Crow's mind, but the person himself had vanished without a trace.
He gazed up at the entire starry sky, and for some inexplicable reason, a small poem he had read many years ago came to mind: "Do you see the stars? My stars. May I be the firmament—to gaze upon you with countless eyes."
"I hope that one day, I will become the entire sky, seeing everything in this world."
As the competition continued, more and more injured individuals were sent into medical repair pods. The Spirit Hub encyclopedia compiled by Bai Mo grew increasingly voluminous, with the number of Spirit Hubs introduced within it already approaching four digits.
Thanks to his occasionally effective premonition ability, the number of Spirit Pictures he could piece together for synergistic effects had also risen to seven.
Of course, the thousands of contestants who had once entered the repair pods made an indelible contribution to the compilation of this book.
Every day, in the dead of night, escort vehicles secretly transported the Spirit Hub samples collected that day to the experimental site on the outskirts of Tianqing, and then brought back various experimental equipment and materials from the site.
Wherever he went, the material delivery vehicles followed.
On the other hand, government lobbyists tirelessly used various material incentives to persuade and entice some contestants to join the Huaxia Federation's system, becoming well-compensated mercenaries. This was to fill the casualty gaps among their own Ability Users incurred while suppressing small-scale riots across various regions.
Whether it was the Dao Academy, which operated outside the formal structure, or the Ability User legions within the military, although they achieved victories in their various "firefighting" operations, the accumulated personnel losses were considerable, and they urgently needed fresh blood to replenish their ranks.
At this time, a large number of ordinary Ability Users from the Huaxia Federation's civilian population, and even mercenary Ability User soldiers from abroad, were excellent choices.
Two weeks later, as the competition progressed into its middle and late stages, it grew increasingly fierce. Instant-kill situations rarely occurred, combat times greatly increased, and the number of matches that could be held each day significantly decreased. Most fights were inextricably fierce, and it was common for both parties to end up severely wounded.
Bai Mo was naturally happy to see this outcome. Severe injuries meant that, regardless of victory or defeat, both individuals would certainly end up in medical repair pods.
Furthermore, the further into the competition, the relatively stronger the contestants became, and the higher their degree of spirit energy conversion. Naturally, the more parts could be excised from them.
Where there were large competitions, there were naturally gambling rings. These gladiatorial-style matches were even more effective at igniting people's competitive fervor. Every day, those in the arena fought desperately, and those outside also fought desperately. Whether on the streets or online forums, everyone was arguing about the relative strengths of the various contestants. Arguments often escalated into fights, making them no less rowdy than football hooligans.
"Mr. Bai, the higher-ups asked me to inquire about the progress of your plan." Secretary He would call Bai Mo every few days to check on the situation.
"The number of Spirit Hubs needed to produce Xuanhuang Fruits was already sufficient yesterday. Today, during my free time, I created three samples, which can be taken away tonight."
"That's good. The higher-ups are pressing quite urgently for this, which is why I have to bother you so often. My apologies."
"It's fine, the two-month time limit is almost up anyway."
"Is there anything else you need to discuss?"
"Is that Huaxia Federation's first online gambling site being secretly supported by you? I'm getting push notifications on my phone."
"The amount of money involved in the gambling for this competition is indeed quite substantial. It's normal for people to want to earn some profit, so perhaps someone down the line got involved." He was clearly aware of the matter. "If it's bothering you, I can have someone look into it?"
"No need, I was just asking."
Soon, the top twenty contestants emerged one after another. Every single one of them was a true master who had fought their way through a field of tens of thousands; those who relied on the luck of the draw to advance had long since been eliminated.
At this point, to build suspense, the organizers deliberately postponed the final match by a week.
"To heighten the suspense of the competition's outcome, the organizers of the grand tournament have now preemptively distributed the rewards for the top twenty contestants. The matches will resume in one week, let's see if each contestant's strength can further improve during these seven days!"
The organizers, who had deeply grasped the essence of reality TV shows, suddenly released such an announcement online, infuriating betting companies and the vast number of gamblers to no end.
"According to the agreement, each of them will receive one Xuanhuang Fruit in advance, plus ten thousand Contribution Points. Depending on how they each distribute their prizes, the power balance is bound to change significantly, and all odds will have to be recalculated!" The CEOs of the various betting companies involved in setting the odds roared.
"What the hell! They actually redeemed the rewards in advance! The organizers have money, but this isn't how you play! What if the Black Crow's enemy, whom I bet on, uses a Xuanhuang Fruit to manifest a powerful new ability? How will that be accounted for?!"
Many who had placed heavy bets expressed extreme displeasure with the organizers' actions. However, redeeming the prizes in advance presented no issues according to the rules.
They couldn't blame anything, only mutter curses under their breath.
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