8: Chapter 8 Intense Competition

[Collector: Wang Ting]

[Life Rank: Tier 0]

[Monster Points: 22 Points]

[Recorded Monsters: Scarecrow, Rot Soil Hound]

Having continuously reclaimed wasteland for five days, Wang Ting's monster points had already accumulated to 22, and he was still 72 monster points away from exchanging for the next trait, [Photosynthetic Straw].

[Writing this down, I hope readers remember our domain name; to chase Taiwan novels, just go to Chao Tiexin.]

The reclamation of the District 2 farmland had reached about 116 mu, and barbed wire began to be transported to the fields, fixed to the pillars bit by bit, enclosing large areas of farmland piece by piece.

Looking out, the farmland was only partially enclosed at this time; the reason it was not fully enclosed was because the remaining part still needed to be reclaimed.

Meanwhile, the Barns 1-3 team responsible for building the irrigation ditch was already close at hand, and the two teams officially met. Once the ditch cut through the farmland, the reclamation of District 2 Farm would be considered initially complete.

Holding an iron pitchfork, Wang Ting patrolled the edge of the farmland as usual, and a familiar stench of rotting soil drifted to his nostrils.

The muscles on his forearms, resembling cast iron, bulged. Looking to his left, a low roar sounded as a Rot Soil Hound was forming in the mud, preparing to pounce on Pang Hao not far away.

Swish.

The iron pitchfork shot out, instantly piercing the neck of the Rot Soil Hound.

He strode over, stepped heavily on the neck of the Rot Soil Hound, stabbed the pitchfork straight into its head, and twisted his hand with force, directly killing the Rot Soil Hound.

"Thank you."

Pang Hao still felt a lingering fear; the Rot Soil Hound had been quite close to him just now. If he had really been pounced on, there would have been a risk of injury or even death.

In the past few days, it wasn't as if unlucky fellows hadn't died; they had been directly bitten through the thigh arteries by Rot Soil Hounds.

The bleeding simply couldn't be stopped, and they were directly finished off by people from the Guard Team.

"Be careful. The more land that is disturbed, the higher the probability of Rot Soil Hounds appearing."

Wang Ting pulled out the iron pitchfork and walked in other directions. Someone else would handle the mud left by the Rot Soil Hound.

"He killed another one. This guy's skills are getting better and better."

Zhao Hu closely monitored Wang Ting's changes. Although his changes were extremely subtle, several days of contact still allowed Zhao Hu to notice the differences.

Wang Ting managed to hunt 2-3 Rot Soil Hounds every day, sometimes even reaching 5. This was no mere good luck; only reaction capabilities and robust physiques far surpassing ordinary people could achieve this.

"Forget it, we'll know tomorrow. If he can really break the limit, it'll just mean gaining another capable hand."

"Still paying attention to me? But he hasn't actively approached me. Is it because there are already stronger methods within the Guard Team?"

While Zhao Hu watched Wang Ting, Wang Ting was likewise secretly observing the Guard Team's reactions.

His physical fitness was strengthening day by day; it was impossible to completely conceal this.

But even with such physical changes occurring, he hadn't seen Guard Team members display much more reaction other than occasional goodwill, which inevitably gave rise to several speculations in his heart.

Especially since he had also seen some clues over the past few days.

Under the wasteland, there must still be ways to enhance ordinary people's physical fitness.

Two days ago, the cart transporting pillars tipped over, and the logs rolled down.

Zhao Hu happened to be in the path, and with a single kick, he stopped a log weighing over three hundred catties, then hoisted it onto his shoulder and placed it directly back on the cart.

Over three hundred catties was no small weight; even the weightlifting world record in his previous life was only over four hundred kilograms.

Needless to say about the physique of a weightlifting champion, his weight alone could equal three Zhao Hus, and that was just explosive strength.

There was definitely no one as relaxed and casual as Zhao Hu, let alone carrying it while walking.

"Really speaking of strength, my current strength should also be able to carry that log, and the Scarecrow Physique can continue to be developed, leaving room for my strength to increase. Forget it, let's observe a bit more and try not to stick out like a sore thumb."

According to time calculations, it should be about time for them to screen personnel.

Just as Wang Ting thought, when they finished work in the evening and returned to the barn, this time Zhao Hu did not let everyone return to their respective barns to rest.

The people from Barns 1-3 gradually gathered, lining up in their respective formations. The firelight illuminated everyone's faces, and the breathing nearby was clearly audible. Some people already revealed expectant gazes, eager to try like hyenas fighting for food.

"Tomorrow we will select Guard Team members, only ten people in total. A five-kilometer weighted run with 30 kilograms to select 40 people, followed by sparring, and the winners stay."

The rules were simple and brutal. If it were just a five-kilometer weighted run, as long as one went a bit slower, it could eventually be completed, but this was a race; only the top forty could participate in the sparring.

"Dismissed."

People from each barn returned to their respective barns. Fu Xing leaned in and whispered, "Are you in or not? There's no teaming up in one-on-one combat, but during the five kilometers, someone will definitely play dirty."

"They don't care?"

"Care about what? In this goddamn world, only those who survive are human elites. As long as it's not too excessive, who says means aren't methods?"

A sharp glint flashed in Wang Ting's eyes. "How do you want to handle it?"

"I'll cover for you. Whoever comes to squeeze positions and play dirty, we'll hit them back. One blocks the vision while the other acts, as long as it's not too obvious, it's fine. He Chong from Barn 1 and Ding Yu from Barn 2 will exhaust opponents during the five kilometers, and of course, so will we."

Fu Xing grinned, completely unconcerned about these low-handed tactics. "We all have remaining energy blocks, and Huang Han does too. Let each of us take out two blocks, making a total of six. Tomorrow, whoever can help us block positions will get them."

Hearing that energy blocks were needed, Wang Ting immediately shook his head. "None. Tomorrow I won't make a move against you, but if you want things, there are none."

"You..."

Fu Xing opened his mouth, wanting to curse, but remembering that tomorrow was the selection, he couldn't afford to offend another person unnecessarily.

"You can't even finish eating them all anyway. Forget it, just count it on my share."

After finishing negotiations with Wang Ting, Fu Xing went to negotiate with Huang Han and a few others who had a chance of entering the top ten.

People who ran in the top ten every day, counting the extra energy blocks obtained from contribution points during work, had around 3-4 blocks. Even if they could eat 3 blocks a day, they could still save a portion.

Wang Ting was the person who obtained the most energy blocks; everyone kept track of this. How stuffed would he have to be to eat them all?

However, what they didn't know was that in order to develop the Scarecrow Physique, Wang Ting truly hadn't left a single energy block behind.

"As long as I'm not affected, it's fine."

...

Early the next morning, all the people from Barns 1-3 gathered in the open space of District 1 Farm.

There were 174 people in total, and everyone stood neatly in formations.

There were Guard Team members on every watchtower. The entire Guard Team had about three hundred people in total, with half of their forces outside the Floor World, taking turns guarding Scarecrow Town.

As for the other remaining half, some were exploring and developing the Scarecrow Farm Floor World in here, while others were executing missions outside.

Right now, there were about 40 Guard Team members inside the venue.

"One log block per person, a distance of five kilometers, run around the farm, start!"

Without any nonsense, they collected their log blocks, hoisted them onto their shoulders, and over a hundred people began running in circles.

Just as Wang Ting started off, he was suddenly bumped by someone—a tall and sturdy man whose provocative gaze immediately swept over.

He Chong from Barn 1.

As soon as they started, people from various barns began employing their own tactics, blindly crashing into a tangled mass. There were Fu Xing's people, as well as people from Barns 1 and 2 like He Chong and Ding Yu.

Once the team fell into chaos, only the few people who had prepared beforehand rushed to the front to block positions; Fu Xing, He Chong, Ding Yu, Huang Han, and others were among them.

Although Wang Ting was bumped and fell slightly behind, he was still in the front ranks.

It's just that two trailing tails followed closely behind him.

"Sorry, brother. Boss He said you're strong, so we'll hold you back this time."

The two of them clamped down in a pincer movement from left and right, running with all their might without holding back at all, clearly not intending to finish the entire course.

"The people from Barn 1 certainly won't have the chance to know too much about his situation."

Zhao Hu narrowed his eyes and looked toward another watchtower. Sure enough, Wei Dong was watching the show with a cheerful smile.

He frowned; this fellow felt things weren't chaotic enough.

"You chose this path yourselves."

Wang Ting was neither hurried nor upset, and a steady, powerful voice came out amidst his even breathing.

Zhang Dachong and Li Ben hadn't reacted yet when Wang Ting's figure slowed down slightly, and the two of them had already fallen right in front of him.

He strode forward and stepped directly on their ankles with his large feet.

With a cracking sound, the two of them rolled onto the ground, and their log blocks hit the ground heavily.

Wails rang out. The chaotic crowd looked at the two rolling on the ground, feeling a shock in their hearts and terror on their faces.

Their ankles were bruised and purple, and it was impossible to tell whether they were broken or sprained. If they were broken, then...

This was the doomsday; waiting for a broken leg to heal meant death probably wasn't far off.

"Such a ruthless fellow."

Gazing at Wang Ting's retreating figure, everyone instantly shuddered. The others from the barns dared not target him anymore; they just blocked the people behind them to continue consuming their stamina.

Wang Ting strode forward to catch up with the first echelon. He Chong sensed Wang Ting approaching from behind, and his expression changed drastically.

Not good!

He hurriedly sped up, and as luck would have it, he managed to avoid being stepped on the ankle by Wang Ting.

Wang Ting took the opportunity to crash into him, and He Chong only felt as if he had been hit by a stone pier, sending his entire body rolling to the ground.

"You have good luck."

Out of the corner of his eye, Wang Ting saw Fan Da frown slightly, knowing that the initial chaos had passed and it wouldn't be easy to deal ruthless blows now.

Striding forward, the thirty-kilogram log block on his shoulder seemed as if it were made of paper, light and without weight.

Within a few breaths, he pulled away a huge distance from the rest of the crowd.

"Damn it, no wonder he didn't team up. How does he have such great stamina?"

Fu Xing:?

Fu Xing felt like he had been played. Wang Ting's physique looked sturdy, but it was just sturdy, and didn't seem related to great strength.

But how could things be like this now?

Watching Wang Ting's figure continuously move away along the way, let alone catching up to him, in a moment he would probably lap their group from behind.

"His strength, endurance, and speed have all surpassed everyone else."

Fan Da looked at Wang Ting, nodded, and then said, "Has his physical fitness been getting stronger these past few days?"

Zhao Hu said, "Yes, his progress is much faster than anyone else's."

"If he wins, transfer him into your squad."