1: The whole class is transported to another world! A hellish start with a death countdown.

The smell of rust crept into his nostrils.

Gu Pingsheng opened his eyes.

What came into view was a mottled grey metal ceiling, with a few exposed wires hanging from it, occasionally sparking with blue electric arcs. The surface beneath him felt cold and hard, digging into his back and causing a sharp pain.

His head felt like it had been stuffed with paste, throbbing with a splitting pain.

"Ah—! Where is this?!"

"Where's my phone? Why is there no signal!"

"Wuwuwu... I want to go home... Mom..."

The shrill screams pierced his eardrums.

Gu Pingsheng pushed himself up from the floor.

It was a narrow, cramped space, probably only fifty square meters in size. The air was foul, filled with a strange stench of engine oil mixed with mold.

The area was packed with people.

All of them were female.

They were wearing skimpy camisole pajamas, T-shirts with cartoon prints, and yoga clothes they hadn't had the chance to change out of...

Those faces, some terrified and others bewildered, were both familiar and strange.

911 University, Art Department, Class 3.

All thirty-nine female students in the class were present, not a single one missing.

Including him, the only male, there were exactly forty people.

Gu Pingsheng did not make a sound. He quickly scanned the surroundings, his body instinctively shrinking back and leaning against the cold bulkhead.

This was definitely not a prank.

Who could secretly transport forty people to a hellhole like this without anyone noticing? And...

He looked toward the center of the cabin.

A huge, translucent screen was floating there, with dense text scrolling frantically across it.

【Regional Chat Channel (No. 9527-10000)】

"Help! Can someone tell me where this is? I was just sleeping in my dorm!"

"Call the police! Hurry, call the police! This is kidnapping!"

"Call the police, my ass! I just took a look through the window, and outside is space! It's all stars!"

"Don't scare people above, what space?"

"It's true... I saw it too... We are in a spaceship..."

"Just now, a guy in my cabin didn't believe it and forced the cabin door open... He exploded instantly! It was a bloody mess, damn it!"

"I saw it too! That person's avatar turned grey immediately!"

"What kind of hellish game is this? Is this the Main God Space?"

"It's over... My cabin is full of sweaty dudes, not a single girl!"

"Be content, you guy above. My cabin is full of gay guys! That bearded man is staring at my ass, help!"

"Does anyone have water? I'm dying of thirst!"

"Stop arguing! Look at the system announcement!"

Gu Pingsheng narrowed his eyes.

A line of blood-red countdown numbers suddenly popped up on his retina.

【23:58:12】

Immediately after, a cold, mechanical voice exploded in everyone's minds, devoid of any emotion, like a judge pronouncing a death sentence.

"Welcome to the Star Sea Survival Game."

"There are no laws here, no morality, only survival."

"Your home planet is a thing of the past; this is the endless void."

"Surviving is your only mission."

As the voice ceased, a light blue personal panel appeared in front of everyone.

Gu Pingsheng tapped on it.

【Current Unit: Blue Planet - Great Xia Kingdom - 911 University - Art Department Class 3】

【Number of People: 40/40】

【Vehicle: Micro Escape Pod (Damage Rate 35%)】

【Rule 1: Resource Acquisition】

【Food, water, energy, blueprints... all resources must be obtained from instances or the void.】

【Rule 2: Death Pursuit】

【Newbie Protection Period: 24 hours.】

【After 24 hours, unknown horrors will begin the pursuit. Initial speed 30km/h. Those who are caught will be devoured along with their spaceship.】

Dead silence.

The previously noisy cabin instantly went quiet, leaving only heavy breathing and stifled sobs.

Death.

This word was too far removed from these proud children of the ivory tower.

But now, it hung right above their heads, manifesting as that bright red, pulsing countdown.

"What... what kind of joke is this..."

A trembling voice broke the silence.

Liu Ruyan.

The department belle of the class, usually surrounded by admirers, was now disheveled, her expensive silk nightgown clinging to her, wrinkled and crumpled. She pinched her nose in disgust, while her other hand frantically brushed the dust off her skirt.

"What kind of shithole is this! It's filthy! I want to go back! My father is a school board member, who dares to kidnap me!"

She screamed into the void, her delicate face filled with hysteria.

No one paid her any attention.

Panic spread like a plague.

"Everyone, calm down!"

Class monitor Zhao Min stepped forward. She pushed up the glasses on the bridge of her nose; although her voice was trembling, she still tried to maintain her composure.

"Panic is useless now. Since the system said it's a survival game, we first need to figure out our current situation."

Zhao Min looked around, trying to find supporters.

"Lin Qinghan, what do you think?"

In the corner, Lin Qinghan was standing against the wall.

She was wearing a simple grey tracksuit, her long hair tied in a ponytail, and her cold, frosty face showed little expression. Hearing Zhao Min's words, she merely lifted her eyelids faintly.

"Look at the panel."

She was a woman of few words.

Zhao Min choked on her words and turned to look at the others.

Su Ruan was huddled in another corner, clutching a dirty rabbit doll tightly in her arms. She buried her face in the doll, her shoulders shaking, like a frightened quail.

Ye Hongyu was irritably kicking the bulkhead, her high heels striking the metal with a loud "clang-clang" sound.

"Stop kicking! It's so noisy!" someone shouted.

"None of your business!" Ye Hongyu retorted angrily, "I'm about to die, what's wrong with kicking a few times!"

The scene became chaotic again.

Gu Pingsheng ignored all of this.

He tapped on the 【Storage】 option on the panel.

Since it was survival, supplies were key.

【Public Storage】

【Moldy Black Bread x1 box (50 pieces)】

【Turbid Drinking Water x5 barrels (5L/barrel)】

【Rusty Iron Rod x10】

Gu Pingsheng frowned slightly.

Forty people. Fifty pieces of bread. Five barrels of water.

This amount of supplies would only last for a day, even if they rationed it.

And... he looked at the small text: 【Moldy】, 【Turbid】.

Could this stuff even be eaten?

"Ah! That's food!"

A scream. Someone had discovered the supply crate in the corner.

A few girls rushed over like mad and lifted the lid.

A sour, foul smell hit them in the face.

"Ugh—"

Liu Ruyan, who had rushed to the front, immediately gagged, covering her mouth and retreating repeatedly.

"What is this! Is this for pigs?!"

In the box, the black bread was as hard as stone, covered in green mold. In the water buckets next to it, the water was yellowish, and one could even see sediment at the bottom.

"This... how can we eat this..."

Su Ruan looked up, her eyes red, her voice laced with tears.

"If you don't eat, you'll starve to death."

Lin Qinghan walked over.

She reached out, picked up a piece of black bread, expressionlessly broke off a small piece, and put it in her mouth.

Her brows furrowed imperceptibly, but she still swallowed it.

"It's edible."

She provided the conclusion.

Everyone looked at each other. Although Lin Qinghan had taken the lead, most people still couldn't bring themselves to eat, looking at the disgusting food.

"I'm not eating it! Not even if you kill me will I eat this trash!" Liu Ruyan screamed and hid far away.

Gu Pingsheng remained sitting in the corner.

He didn't scramble for the bread, nor did he participate in the argument.

He was watching the chat channel. The information there was far more useful than the screaming of these women.

【Regional Chat Channel】

"It's over, it's over! I just ate that bread, and now my stomach hurts like hell! And I lost 2 points of HP!"

"Are you an idiot? You have to toast that bread before eating it!"

"Where would we get fire? Drill wood to make fire?"

"A guy on my ship awakened an F-rank talent 【Lighter】 and can breathe fire! Hahahaha, we have cooked food to eat!"

"Holy shit? Talent? How do you awaken it?"

"Didn't the system just say? Talents will be awakened randomly during the newbie protection period!"

"I awakened! D-rank talent 【Hercules】! Strength +10! I just punched a dent in the cabin door!"

"I'm crying with envy... I awakened an E-rank 【Night Vision】, what the hell is the use of this!"

"Hahaha! I am B-rank 【Wind Blade】! Whoever dares to disobey me, I'll chop them to death!"

Talent.

Gu Pingsheng's heart stirred.

This was the key to breaking the situation.

In this world where order has collapsed, power is everything.

If he could awaken a powerful talent, even a C-rank or B-rank, he could occupy absolute dominance on this spaceship full of women.

Conversely... if it was a trash talent, or if he didn't awaken anything at all, the outcome could be imagined.

"Ding—"

Just then, everyone's panels vibrated at the same time.

That cold, mechanical voice rang out again, this time with a hint of eerie temptation.

【Talent Awakening Program Initiated.】

【Scanning individual potential...】

【Awakening probability: 0.1%.】

【Good luck to you all.】

The cabin went quiet instantly.

Everyone was holding their breath, staring fixedly at their panels.

Liu Ruyan clasped her hands together, chanting: "Bless me to awaken an S-rank... bless me to awaken an S-rank..."

Zhao Min clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Lin Qinghan kept her cold face, but there was a hint of fluctuation in her eyes.

Gu Pingsheng looked at his panel.

A circular progress bar was rotating slowly.

【Scanning... 10%... 30%... 50%...】

Suddenly.

The chat channel exploded.

"Holy shit! Someone awakened an A-rank talent!"

"Who? Which sector?"

"It's in our sector! The ID is 'Long Aotian'! A-rank 【Flame Storm】! That's so badass!"

"It's over, we have to walk around this guy from now on."

"I awakened too! F-rank 【Cleaning Spell】... damn it, am I supposed to be a cleaner?"

A commotion began to stir in the cabin as well.

"I... I think I awakened!"

A short-haired girl shouted in surprise, a weak water ball suddenly appearing in her hand.

"E-rank talent 【Water Ball】! I have water!"

The surrounding girls immediately crowded around, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy.

"Give me a sip of that water! Please!"

"I want some too! I want some too!"

The short-haired girl was stunned for a moment, then a look of smugness appeared on her face. She, who had previously had no presence in the class, had now become the center of attention.

"Line up! One by one! Call me 'sis' and I'll give you some!"

The taste of power.

Even just controlling a tiny bit of water resources could make someone instantly swell with arrogance.

Gu Pingsheng withdrew his gaze.

His progress bar had reached 99%.