Chapter 77: Ellie

“Still not here.

…Could something have happened?

The sun was setting, and there were less than ten hours left before the end of the first phase of the assessment.

Yun Ruoxi sat on the blanket, wrapped tightly in it, gazing into the distant jungle.

The last time an examinee arrived at the finish line was six hours ago.

Although Yun Ruoxi didn’t want to assume the worst, things were already heading toward the most unfortunate outcome.

As time passed, her heart slowly sank.

‘Looks like the experiment is doomed to fail after all…no matter how dazzling a character without a main role might be for a brief moment, their fate in the script can never be changed…’

She pressed her lips together, her eyes growing dim.

Time slipped by, and dusk deepened.

Three hours before the end of the assessment, another group of examinees reached the finish line.

Yun Ruoxi abruptly stood up and searched the crowd, but still didn’t see that familiar figure.

Just as she was about to sit back down in disappointment—

From afar, a swaying figure stumbled into view.

Her hair was golden.

Under the sunlight it shone brilliantly, but here and there blood was clotted in it, making it a disheveled mess.

Her clothes were in tatters, but it couldn’t be called revealing, as the skin exposed was covered in scars.

She leaned on a silver-white spear as a crutch, limping forward slowly, each step taken with great difficulty.

Her gaze drifted and scattered, yet it was filled with an intense determination that kept her broken body moving onward.

Yun Ruoxi’s breath caught in her throat; she immediately threw caution to the wind and rushed over at full speed, pulling her into a tight embrace.

But the golden-haired girl gently broke free from that warm hug and continued, step by step, moving forward.

“Xiao Ai, you…”

Yun Ruoxi stood to the side, puzzled, and watched as the blonde girl kept advancing, climbing the steps, stepping onto the platform, and with trembling hands, pulled out four blood-stained ears from her chest and placed them on the ground.

Then, standing at the highest point, she slowly turned, looked at Yun Ruoxi, and revealed a broken smile more dazzling than the Sunset:

“Elder sister, I promised you, and I did it.”

After she finished speaking, the last breath sustaining her faded away.

She closed her eyes and fell from the edge of the platform.

A figure flashed by like lightning, and caught her ever so gently before she hit the ground.

Yun Ruoxi looked down at the scar-covered girl in her arms, her gaze soft as melting snow.

Aili had done it; she had not only conquered herself but had also overcome her predetermined fate.

So now, it’s my turn.

Yun Ruoxi untangled the clotted hair on the girl’s head and carried her onto the transport platform.

“Xiao Ai is amazing too.”

“Xiao Xi was so cool just now.”

“What a reliable loli onee-san~”

“After the first phase ends, there should be medical treatment arranged, so Xiao Ai will be fine.”

Lin Zhen and the others came over.

He offered a comforting word and helped settle Aili in a warm spot near the engine.

Yun Ruoxi carefully covered her with a beast hide blanket, her face blossoming into a smile as she nodded vigorously.

“Yes, she’ll definitely be fine!”

Contrary to Yun Ruoxi’s expectations—

In the final hour before the end of the assessment, several more examinees rushed to the finish line at the last minute.

The first one she’d ever met, Number 9996, was among them.

He actually looked in much better shape than Xiao Ai.

He strode up onto the platform, spotted Yun Ruoxi in the crowd, and suddenly walked straight over.

“Thank you.” He threaded through the crowd and spoke.

“Why are you thanking me?” Yun Ruoxi tilted her head, looking puzzled.

“Because you gave me courage—twice.”

9996 smiled wryly, “Otherwise, I’m afraid I would’ve fallen in the jungle.”

Twice… gave him courage?

Yun Ruoxi could only think of the time with the raw meat and the first assessment; although this man hadn’t won popularity or a main role, under her influence, his fate had changed.

At that thought, she couldn’t help but lift the corners of her lips, her heart growing lighter.

“Time’s up, assessment over.”

The Sunset had just dipped below the horizon when a cold notification sounded from their collars.

“Number 3819, 4722…

9998 failed to reach the finish line on time and is eliminated!”

Before the words even faded, hundreds of beams of light shot up from the forest, turning the night as bright as day.

A commotion rippled through the Misty Forest, predator howls echoing through the trees.

“Look! There are people inside those light columns!” someone with sharp eyes suddenly cried out.

Only then did everyone notice—each beam of light imprisoned an examinee.

Suspended in weightlessness, they struggled in vain, like insects trapped in amber, slowly being carried into the clouds by the beams.

Lin Zhen was awed by the sight and murmured, “What kind of technology is this…?”

“That’s a Directional Gravity Restraint Trap,” Yun Ruoxi replied softly.

“Xiao Xi, how do you know that?” Lin Zhen turned, surprised.

Yun Ruoxi let out a soft sigh. “I’ve seen it before.”

Not just seen—it used to be in her home.

This was the pinnacle of gravity-based technology, once classified as Third-grade Technology in the Empire.

Once targeted, escape was nearly impossible.

These were typically installed on massive battleships, used to capture targets at fixed points outside the atmosphere.

“I see…” Lin Zhen nodded, finally understanding—Yun Ruoxi definitely knew more than she was letting on.

He’d long realized her background was unusual, but wisely chose not to ask.

As those examinees were captured and lifted into the sky, the AI voice sounded again from the collars.

“Number 6988, 6993…

That roll-call, as if the King of Hell was checking his register, left a portion of the crowd ashen-faced and trembling.

Only those who had truly done wrong knew what mistake they’d made.

They had failed to complete their hunting targets, but with wishful thinking, still reached the finish line, mingling among those who had succeeded, hoping the battle camp would let them off.

But it was just wishful thinking.

If they’d been bolder—attacking other examinees at or near the finish line, stealing criminals’ ears—perhaps the battle camp wouldn’t have judged them as failures.

But instead, they tried to cover their ears while stealing a bell. That was the act Behemoth despised the most.

“9421, did not complete the assigned hunting target. Assessment failed!”

As soon as the words fell—

Blue light flashed in the crowd, the sound of crackling electricity filled the air.

One by one, students who’d ranked among the best in physical ability collapsed twitching under the shocks, their bodies scorched black.

“It’s over,” Lin Zhen said after a brief silence.

“Yeah, only now is the first phase assessment truly over.” Kaios nodded in agreement.

Buzz!

The engines around the platform suddenly began to vibrate, spurting out deep blue flames below.

The powerful thrust immediately knocked the standing examinees to the ground, leaving them unable to move, and they could only watch helplessly as the clouds rushed toward them at a terrifying speed.

Shua!

The transport platform shot through the clouds and came to a steady halt beside the base plaza.

Behemoth and the other instructors stood in the plaza, looking at them coldly, as if they had been waiting for some time.