238: Chapter 238 Double Inspection-Free Selection of American Squid!

"Squid Game."

These four words landed heavily on the sandy ground.

The wind on the Gobi Desert whipped up yellow sand, and the entire reserve phalanx was deathly silent.

Chu Lingfeng kicked a sand lizard away from his feet and let out a string of authentic Beijing-style profanity.

"Fuck, playing dirty, are we!"

Lei Zhen scratched his buzzcut, his facial muscles bunching up.

"What game? One where you eat seafood?"

Lin Shuyin adjusted her rimless glasses, her fingertips tapping incessantly on a micro-calculator.

"It's a South Korean film IP. The core rule is unrestricted slaughter disguised as children's games, with an extremely high mortality rate."

She pressed the equals key and looked up.

"Considering the venue is on Jeju Island, the probability of other participants ganging up on us in the first round by exploiting the terrain and rule loopholes is 99.8 percent."

Former Middleweight Boxing Champion loosened his neck, his joints cracking audibly.

"Whatever, squid or octopus—if they dare to come near, I'll punch the ink right out of them!"

...

8:00 PM.

The Eastern Nation's Ministry of National Defense Joint Competition Committee started the global live broadcast on schedule.

This was the Oil Hegemony Competition that would determine the national destiny for the next decade, and it was the moment the final five teams of the Eastern Nation's representative team would be revealed.

Less than a minute into the broadcast, the number of online viewers in the livestream room exceeded 80 million.

The backend servers were all in the red, and engineers were frantically scaling up the machines.

The spokesperson, dressed in a crisp Zhongshan suit, stood in front of the blue background board, holding a thin folder in his hand.

"After three months of high-intensity closed-door special training, combined with various physiological, psychological, and tactical indicators, the ten-person roster for the Eastern Nation's representative team has now been confirmed."

The spokesperson opened the first page of the folder.

"Group One."

"Li Li, Jiang Rumu."

ID photos of the two appeared on the big screen.

The comment feed didn't even make a splash; it was so calm it was almost boring.

[No need to announce this, everyone on Earth already knows.]

[In the livestream next door, Dean Li is stewing pig trotters for Queen Jiang to nourish her.]

[Those two are already locked in; next, next.]

The spokesperson turned to the second page.

"Group Two."

"Chu Lingfeng, Former Middleweight Boxing Champion."

The big screen switched.

On the left was Chu Lingfeng with his silver-gray short hair, and on the right was the muscular professional boxing champion Former Middleweight Boxing Champion.

The comments instantly boiled over.

[Holy shit! The physical transcendence combo!]

[This lineup is top-tier! One is invincible at parkour and wall-running, the other is invincible in close combat with heavy-cannon iron fists!]

[I suggest those NATO contestants call an ambulance in advance; Master Huo's fists don't recognize nationalities.]

[This round is secure, definitely the spearhead platoon!]

The spokesperson turned to the third page.

"Group Three."

"Gu Ya, Lu Ye."

On the big screen, skiing champion Gu Ya was wearing a high ponytail, beside the scruffy wilderness survival king Lu Ye.

The comments remained at a peak.

[The all-terrain dominance combo!]

[Gu Ya is invincible at flat-ground racing, Brother Lu is invincible at wilderness survival; put these two together, and even if you throw them into the Sahara Desert, they could survive until the finale!]

[Reasonable! Very reasonable! This formation is brilliant!]

The first three groups were announced, and the entire internet was cheering; morale was at an all-time high.

The spokesperson turned to the fourth page and paused for half a second.

"Group Four."

"Lei Zhen, Lin Shuyin."

The big screen lit up.

The two-meter-tall Lei Zhen occupied most of the frame, his physique massive. Beside him was the 1.6-meter-tall, bespectacled, thin and frail Lin Shuyin.

The livestream comments experienced a brief stagnation.

Immediately after, they exploded.

[??????]

[Am I blind? What kind of hellish pairing is this?]

[I can understand Lei Zhen going, he's a human crane. Why is that squishy mage named Lin Shuyin going? To deliver takeout?]

[So what if she's a Tsinghua genius? This is a life-or-death survival competition! She probably can't even carry a 30-kilogram backpack!]

[This isn't carrying a girl to rank up; this is dragging an urn around while running!]

[Protest! With that kind of physical fitness, she's definitely going to be a drag!]

The netizens hadn't finished cursing when the spokesperson turned to the final page.

"Group Five."

"Yin Ruoying, Gu Zeyan."

The big screen refreshed again.

Yin Ruoying wore bright red lipstick, her chin slightly raised. Gu Zeyan had a Korean-style shaggy haircut, showing his standard professional eight-tooth smile.

In that instant, the entire internet's servers crashed for three seconds.

After it recovered, the screen was full of comments that were illegible, just dense exclamation marks and asterisks.

[Fuck! Capitalists putting their people into the national destiny competition?!]

[Two actors from the entertainment industry! Going to participate in a life-or-death battle?!]

[Are they crazy?! I accept Li Li going, at least he got the August 1st Medal! Jiang Rumu going was because she was forced by foreigners! Why should these two vases go?!]

[That greasy guy Gu Zeyan, he can't even unscrew a bottle cap on a normal day; is he going to the battlefield to sing, dance, and rap for the enemies?]

[Yin Ruoying is just a short-drama actress, is she going to play the vicious female antagonist for the Americans?]

[Darkscreen! Definitely a darkscreen! Using the country's future to promote these two pieces of trash, I'm the first to object!]

[Withdraw! Change the roster! Send in special forces!]

The abuse and questioning almost blew the roof off the press conference through the internet cables.

In the channels broadcasting simultaneously on the foreign internet, foreign netizens had already started popping champagne in advance.

[The Eastern Nation has no one left! They actually sent two idol stars to compete!]

[Hahahaha, our Navy SEAL contestant could crush that hair-gelled pretty boy with one finger!]

[These five groups, except for that boxer, are all lambs waiting to be slaughtered.]

At the press conference.

The spokesperson watched the frantically scrolling comments.

When the rage in the comments burned the brightest, he raised his hand and tapped his fingers on the desk in front of him.

"Tap, tap."

Two light sounds, transmitted through the microphone across the venue.

"I know everyone has many questions."

The spokesperson turned around and pressed the remote in his hand.

The photos on the big screen disappeared, replaced by dense data radar charts and physical fitness test score sheets.

"First, regarding the questions about contestant Gu Zeyan."

A score sheet was enlarged on the screen.

Red bold text.

[Men's Comprehensive Physical Fitness Test Ranking: Second Place.]

[Second only to Former Middleweight Boxing Champion.]

The entire internet's comments stalled.

The spokesperson pointed to the data.

"During the three months of closed-door special training, contestant Gu Zeyan reached ultra-high levels in four indicators: weighted cross-country, close-quarters combat, firearm disassembly, and extreme stress resistance. His muscle density and explosive power far exceed that of an ordinary person."

"Don't be fooled by his disguise in front of the camera."

"He is an absolute overachiever."

In the training base dormitory.

Gu Zeyan was fixing his bangs in front of the mirror, watching the livestream on his phone, and pouted.

"They just had to reveal my trump card; I wanted to play the pig to eat the tiger."

In the livestream, the voices of doubt were forcefully stifled.

[Holy crap... this greasy guy is this fierce in private?]

[No wonder his standing posture is always so upright, it turns out he's a trained martial artist!]

The spokesperson pressed the remote again.

"Secondly, regarding contestant Yin Ruoying."

A special test report popped up on the screen.

[Pain Tolerance: S-Class.]

[Psychological Stress Threshold: Does not collapse under extreme danger limits.]

"Contestant Yin Ruoying was the only reserve member who lasted the full 72 hours without suffering a mental breakdown during simulated prisoner-of-war interrogations and extreme claustrophobia tests."

The spokesperson stated flatly.

"In desperate situations, she is a tough nut to crack."

In the corner of the cafeteria.

Yin Ruoying was twirling a military dagger with her fingertips, her red nails clicking against the blade.

She didn't speak, but everyone knew she had experienced life and death at the Mandarin Oriental, an experience no one else had.

At the press conference, the spokesperson continued.

"Next is contestant Lin Shuyin."

On the big screen, Lin Shuyin's physical fitness data was miserable, all Ds and Es.

But at the very top, one data point was glowing deep red.

[Battle Simulation and Computational Power Test: Perfect Score.]

"Contestant Lin Shuyin's physical fitness is indeed the lowest in the team," the spokesperson said without hesitation, "but the competition rules allow for internal resource allocation within the squad. Contestant Lei Zhen will carry all of her supply load."

"And contestant Lin Shuyin, in three simulated combat confrontations, relied on her analysis of rule loopholes and probability calculations to lead the squad in achieving the feat of wiping out the enemy with zero casualties."

"She is not going there to deliver takeout."

"She is the tactical brain of the Eastern Nation's representative team."

The comments completely reversed.

[I'm sorry, Goddess Lin! I spoke too loudly!]

[An IQ domination match! This is a human-shaped walking cheat code!]

[Lei Zhen is responsible for bulldozing, Lin Shuyin is responsible for navigation; this combo is a perfect match!]

The spokesperson pressed the remote one last time.

On the big screen, Jiang Rumu's data chart appeared.

The entire internet held its breath again.

Everyone thought Jiang Rumu was forced to participate and that her physical fitness must be a mess.

However, the numbers on the screen blinded everyone.

[Women's Comprehensive Physical Fitness Test Ranking: First Place.]

[30-Kilogram Weighted Mountain Cross-Country: Broke the base's female soldier historical record.]

[Extreme Hunger Tolerance: S-Class.]

The spokesperson looked at the camera.

"Contestant Jiang Rumu, without receiving official systematic special training, relied on her personal perseverance to complete a transformation that surpassed her limits."

"She is the well-deserved number one among women."

The back mountain of Mount Qingcheng.

Jiang Rumu had just finished running ten kilometers.

She unbuckled the straps and slammed the 30-kilogram backpack onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

She looked down at the livestream on her phone, wiped the sweat from her chin, and raised a middle finger at the camera.

"Who said I'm going to be a drag?"

The sentiment in the livestream had completely changed.

The screen was flooded with [I'm sorry] and [Eastern Nation is awesome] spamming the feed.

Just at this blood-boiling moment.

A comment floated by slowly.

[Wait, did you guys forget someone? Where is Li Li's data?]

Once this comment appeared, the entire livestream suddenly fell into a joyful atmosphere.

Netizens started to mess around.

[To the user above, have you been disconnected from the internet for three months?]

[Does Li Li need data? He didn't even participate in the physical fitness test, okay!]

[He's still stir-frying at Mount Qingcheng right now!]

[Official: Li Li's data is suspected to be highly classified and cannot be displayed.]

[What classified! The top brass of the Americans and Israel are his quality inspectors!]

[Yes, yes, yes! US-Israel dual certification! Strictly selected product! Inspection-free, directly guaranteed entry!]

[Americans: This guy stole two of our fighter jets and killed dozens of terrorists; why is your Eastern Nation still testing him?! Hurry up and give him a spatula so he can go make soup!]

[Dean Li: I'm just a mediocre cook at the Welfare Institute; don't talk nonsense.]

Just when the netizens were crazily making memes.

The big screen suddenly cut to the real-time surveillance footage of the Mount Qingcheng Welfare Institute.

Li Li was wearing that yellowed white tank top, holding a large cattail fan, and was squatting by the stove fanning the flames.

Chicken soup was bubbling in the pot, and white steam was rising straight up.

He looked up at the camera mounted on the wall.

His left canine tooth was exposed.

He picked up the towel around his neck to wipe the dust off his hands, raised his right hand, curled his index and middle fingers together, and stuck up his thumb.

The muzzle was aimed at the camera.

The thumb pressed down heavily.

"Bang."