Global Collapse

"How pathetic, how pathetic, to show such cowardice in the face of an opportunity that only comes around once in a lifetime. But it's not all bad, is it? At least they've experienced a life they never dared to dream of, providing them with considerable material for their future fantasies."

As he spoke, a look of pity appeared on the teacher's face: "Look, look closely, this is the last time you will ever set foot in such a beautiful place in your lives. You will never have the chance to enter this place again, and even taking a glimpse of it will be a luxury."
"Still dreaming of staying here? Of course, some people will stay in the end, but it certainly won't be a bunch of cowardly trash like you."

At this moment, the large screen behind him switched the display, no longer showing the headshot of the Killer Teacher, but instead displaying a leaderboard.

But this ranking list has no names, only two columns of numbers.

At this moment, Gu Mian had finished fiddling with her ballot box and was now looking at the large screen behind the Killer Teacher.

The large screen displayed two rows of numbers vertically, along with some other decorations, but none of them mattered.

Above the numbers on the left is written "Name".

In fact, what is listed under "Name" is not a name, but rather the code of a contestant from a lower social class.

Mr. Green is 1117, and Gu Mian is 1118.
Gu Mian couldn't find her number on the big screen because the screen area was limited and only the rankings of the top 100 were displayed.

At this moment, the first place was occupied by the lower class, number "0125".

The lower-class people who entered the City of Joy were number 1000 to 1200, and this 0125 was obviously a contestant from the other upper-class residential area.

0125 is followed by his vote count.

"113 votes! We haven't even started yet, and other places have already started voting? No way, this is completely unfair to a variety show." Mr. Green exclaimed softly.

Gu Mian then remembered that he used to make TV shows, but those were safe and harmless word guessing shows. Even the thugs he hired were intimidating-looking but brainless Xiao Hong.

It seems the hosts in other residential areas don't have as many tricks up their sleeves as Teacher Killer. Gu Mian guessed that there were already hosts who were following a set routine, letting the lower-class people take the stage one by one to give speeches.

“Let’s take a look at the current top 100,” Teacher Killer waved his hand and pointed to the screen. “The final participants who will be promoted to the upper class will likely be from these 100 people. As for you, just wait and see. I just hope that some of you won’t regret it later.”

It's clear that Teacher Killer is very anxious.

In other districts, contestants have already performed and received votes from the upper class, but no one in his area has taken the first step yet.

Even though he was anxious, he didn't show it. Instead, he made some sarcastic remarks and offered the enticing reward that "the winner will be transformed into a superior person."

Sure enough, someone took the bait.

If people from lower classes had never seen the lives of the upper class, they would think their own lives were alright.

But the bustling scene of the upper-class residential area was too shocking for them.

Watching the upper class in the audience eat desserts they had never seen before, the lower class couldn't even imagine what those foods tasted like.

It's clean, warm, and smells wonderful here.

I have the opportunity to stay here forever.

If someone can stay here in the end, why can't that person be me? This is my only chance.

Looking at the upper-class residential area that he never dared to dream of before, and listening to the "encouragement" of the killing teacher on the high platform, a contestant suddenly jumped out from behind the ballot box and rushed towards the nearest ladder.

Gu Mian didn't even get a clear look at what the person looked like before he climbed up using both his hands and feet.

"I want to be a superior person! I want to be number one!" he shouted as he climbed, as if trying to motivate himself. Watching the inferior person emerge, the Killing Teacher's face beamed with a smile: "The first warrior has appeared. So, what's his name...?"

At that moment, a camera flew up to the lower class man and captured his expression and the number plate on his chest.

It's the 1099th.

He opened his mouth and eyes wide, tilting his head back and staring straight up.

1099 had already climbed to a height of three or four meters, and the rope ladder was swaying under his weight, but he didn't look down at all, he just kept climbing upwards, like a maggot clinging to a tree trunk.

Humans are naturally afraid of unknown difficulties.

When faced with unknown difficulties, most people are unwilling to be the first to try.

But once the first pioneer appears, others will follow suit.

One by one, the lower classes flocked from all directions to those fragile ladders that led to the sky.

They pushed and shoved each other, and some even fought over the same ladder.

The once quiet central square instantly became chaotic, with dozens of cameras busily moving through the crowd, filming the ugly scenes of the lower classes pushing and shoving each other and even fighting.

Several hot air balloons floated above the glass canopy, and a group of upper-class people were fighting and arguing near the canopy, while the upper-class people in the audience watched the lower-class people's every move with excitement.

"See? They were all so reluctant to come up just now, but now they've shown their true colors and started fighting each other."

Several upper-class people clicked their tongues as they watched the scene not far away—an lower-class person pulled down his companion who had already climbed the ladder, then climbed up himself. His companion fell to the ground, seemingly breaking his leg, and rolled around on the ground, groaning in pain.

Such scenes are not uncommon.

Meanwhile, one of the lower-ranking people who had climbed higher had reached a height of over ten meters. The hot air balloon was about forty or fifty meters above the ground, and he had already climbed about a third of the way. At this moment, three cameras were following him, filming him from all angles. However, this person was not the first 1099 to climb the ladder.

The first person to climb the ladder, number 1099, had probably lost his initial enthusiasm and stopped, shivering while clinging to the rope ladder at a height of about ten meters.

Because he was the first person to climb the ladder, the Killing Teacher gave him preferential treatment. He was always surrounded by a camera filming him. Gu Mian saw tears welling up in his eyes on the screen: "I don't want to climb up anymore, I want to go down, waaaaaah..."

It seems that fear has finally taken hold of him.

He dared not go up, nor dared he go down.

On the ground, a lower-class person was impatiently shaking his ladder, trying to shake him down so he could climb up himself.

There are many people like 1099 who climb to a certain height and then give up, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place.

But many more people are still desperately trying to climb up.

Of course, there was also a small group of people who didn't dare to move behind the ballot box.

"He's still at the ballot box, hasn't moved," 007 whispered to Chu Changge. There were many people around, so the two of them always referred to Gu Mian as "he" when discussing him.

“He was too confident in his luck.” Chu Changge stared at the ladders above the glass canopy. “He believed that as long as he climbed up, the ladders would break.” (End of Chapter)