The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Chapter 209 The Curse of the Awakened
No one was out at night.

Even the most elite elites from all over the world, as formidable as they are, would not risk searching for prey or adversaries at night.

Even if their activity area is only ten square kilometers, this is still the case.

As the campfire died down, the people of Qing City and their captives prepared to rest without any cover as the cold winter approached.

The eerie wailing from the deep forest night sky could be heard from time to time, inevitably giving rise to a sense of awe for nature and the primitive, as well as an unspeakable fear.

Huang Yixing and Jiang Chuan, as the first round of watchmen, sat on the boulder, chatting idly.

"Shouldn't you give me a point tomorrow?"

Jiang Chuan nodded: "You'll be the one to reap the first kill tomorrow."

After his interactions with the people of Qing City that day, Huang Yixing was also envious of the atmosphere among them.

Moreover, he is no longer just interacting with everyone as a "prisoner," but has developed a more familiar relationship with them.

Rather than a prisoner, he was more like the sixth member of the Qing City team.

Of course, there was still a basic level of vigilance, which is why Jiang Chuan kept watch with him at night.

After receiving confirmation from Jiang Chuan, Huang Yixing asked, "What exactly are your abilities? How exactly did you kill Jiang Zhe?"

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "My ability is very special, I can't say."

Huang Yixing glanced at him and scoffed.

He didn't know if Jiang Chuan was telling the truth, but he didn't care. After all, he couldn't possibly fight against such a powerful group of five from Qing City.

But then Huang Yixing said, "I think you guys will definitely get first place."

Jiang Chuan gave a puzzled "Oh," and looked at Huang Yixing, asking, "Why?"

Huang Yixing said, "The only one who can eliminate our Yunnan team is the number one."

"I will help you get first place."

Jiang Chuan smiled, gaining a new understanding of this simple yet resilient man.

He asked, "Is the Gu technique you use the same as that of the Jiuli?"

After pondering for a moment, Huang Yixing said, "It's hard to say whether what has been passed down is truly authentic."

"Even considering the area where the Jiuli tribe, also known as the Chiyou tribe, was located, it's hard to believe that our Yunnan region is the authentic lineage."

"But that's the reality. We don't know exactly what happened in history."

Jiang Chuan nodded.

Huang Yixing continued:

"Now there are only eight teams left."

"Even if a team wants to eliminate other teams, the chances of eliminating two teams at the same time are not high."

"No team can allow their team to be completely eliminated."

"I think... if things continue like this, I don't really need to help you much, and you guys can get first place."

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "You can't say that."

His gaze flickered.

However, he did not give Huang Yixing a reason.

Seeing Jiang Chuan hesitate, Huang Yixing realized something and asked, "You mean other teams will gang up on us?"

Jiang Chuan glanced at Huang Yixing in surprise, then nodded: "That's right."

“We have six people; that’s obvious intelligence.”

"If we kick you out, we'll get 60 points."

"We certainly can't let these 60 points slip away. How you handle it then is up to you."

Huang Yixing opened his mouth as if to say something, but then fell silent.

Although he has stated that he will help the Qing City organization, they are ultimately not the same group of people.

Given the complex situation ahead, other problems are likely to arise.

It seems that this is why Jiang Chuan didn't give a reason just now.

Huang Yixing also understood that it was meaningless for him to say anything or express his opinion; when conflicts arose, his personal choice would be the only outcome.

At this moment, Jiang Chuan spoke again:
"And I have some suspicions..."

"Ten square kilometers is really too large."

Huang Yixing listened to these words but couldn't figure out what Jiang Chuan meant for a moment, and Jiang Chuan didn't explain... which left Huang Yixing somewhat confused.

However, since Jiang Chuan didn't explain, he didn't ask any further questions, but simply changed the subject:
"Speaking of Yanshan..."

"Do you know a legend about the Yanshan Mountains?"

Jiang Chuan: "Oh? Tell me more."

Huang Yixing said, "Legend has it that there is a goddess in Yanshan who lives in the Goddess Palace."

"This goddess fell in love with a mortal man, but the mortal was not allowed to enter the goddess's palace."

"In the end, the goddess chose to return to the Goddess Palace and bid farewell to her lover forever."

“Every year during the Qingming Festival, she will turn into a wisp of smoke and come to the human world to meet that man.”

"..."

Jiang Chuan looked at Huang Yixing: "That's it?"

Huang Yixing hummed in agreement.

Jiang Chuan: "That's it?"

Huang Yixing tilted his head: "What else do you want?"

Jiang Chuan frowned: "Wait, why did the Goddess return to the Goddess Palace? Was someone forcing her?"

Huang Yixing: "How would I know?"

Jiang Chuan said, "This legend sounds like you made it up on the spot."

Huang Yixing: "Why would I make up this stuff? I found it on Baidu. You can search for it yourself after you leave."

Jiang Chuan: "彳亍."

Then, instead of continuing the discussion on that matter, the two of them started chatting about trivial matters that had occurred in their respective organizations.

Time flies when you're chatting like this.

They continued until footsteps sounded behind them.

Li Yi looked at Jiang Chuan and said, "Jiang Chuan, take a rest."

Jiang Chuan stood up, looked at Li Yi and Tian Tian who was rubbing her eyes, and nodded.

……

After nightfall.

Although the contestants were asleep, the field team members responsible for monitoring them could not sleep.

In addition to the teachers accompanying each group who entered Yanshan, there were also ten other people assigned to the field support team.

Cao Zhigang was chatting with a member of the fourth field team named Xie Tianyu.

Xie Tianyu began to speak:
"Brother Cao, the kids from Qing City are really great."

"I never expected that Jiang Zhe would be defeated so easily by your Jiang Chuan."

Cao Zhigang chuckled: "Don't they know who their teacher is?!"

Listen, Xie Tianyu tapped his ear: "Keep your voice down, when are you going to get rid of this habit?"

Cao Zhigang felt somewhat ashamed, then lowered his voice: "Our Jiangchuan is no ordinary place."

"This is just a small test."

Cao Zhigang was certainly aware of the spatial capabilities that Jiang Chuan was currently developing, and as one of the main forces of the battle-hardened field operations team, he understood what spatial capabilities meant.

Upon hearing Cao Zhigang's words, Xie Tianyu smiled and said, "Then you'd better keep a close eye on this kid."

"Don't let it die young."

These words made Cao Zhigang frown.

However, he also knew that the other party did not mean any harm.

After all, since the awakening of memories, quite a few new stars have emerged, but only a handful have survived and grown up.

He nodded, then sighed, "Who knows what the future holds?"

"That little monk from Sichuan is quite good too."

"I wonder which of them will make it to the end."

Xie Tianyu said, "Speaking of which, there's been a lot of discussion about that lately."

Has no one asked you?

Cao Zhigang was taken aback, somewhat puzzled: "You mean the matter of factions?"

Xie Tianyu nodded: "The strange beasts in each mountain range are going berserk... Many colleagues who just took a break have been transferred out."

"We'll probably have to go into the mountains in three days."

"It seems that those of you who went to vocational education will also be transferred back to the group."

Cao Zhigang said, "What does this have to do with the faction?"

Xie Tianyu thought for a moment, then said, "This topic has recently come up at headquarters, and 99% of our field staff have been sent out."

"If someone wants to make a move, it will most likely be at this time."

Cao Zhigang frowned in thought for a moment, then immediately shook his head: "Mr. Zhou is in charge of the headquarters, that's top-tier."

"Who's so blind?"

"Will not."

"Especially since it's impossible for them to cause trouble in Yanjing."

Xie Tianyu frowned. He nodded, acknowledging that Cao Zhigang was right, but then immediately shook his head: "I still feel something is wrong."

He said this, but couldn't provide any evidence, and then changed the subject: "Boss Cao, if it really comes down to swords and spears, would you lay a hand on your colleagues?" This question made Cao Zhigang pause for a moment.

But after only a moment of silence, he spoke again: "What's wrong with not taking action?"

"If it really comes to bloodshed, I won't just stand there and wait for someone to kill me."

"What kind of question is this?"

"The answer is too simple."

Despite Cao Zhigang's relaxed answer, Xie Tianyu quickly looked at Cao Zhigang and said:
"But you still hesitated, didn't you?"

"The chaos and conflict that are bound to arise are inevitable. We don't even know the source of our enemy, yet we are already causing our own people to fall first."

"..."

"It's practically a curse on us awakened ones."

Cao Zhigang said, "Worrying about these things is useless."

"all will be good."

"Isn't it because Mr. Song and Mr. Zhou are taking care of things? We lowly soldiers don't need to worry so much."

Xie Tianyu nodded, then stood up: "I'll go check the situation."

"You should rest first."

These guardians knew the location of the contestants, but they did not know the exact location of the strange beasts.

Although the possibility of problems is relatively low, they bear the responsibility of guardianship and naturally cannot slack off in this matter.

Moreover, they weren't worried about being discovered by the students. Although these kids were indeed highly skilled, that was only in comparison. Compared to these seasoned field veterans, they were still far behind.

Xie Tianyu left quickly, while Cao Zhigang closed his eyes to rest.

……

The first night of the fourth phase passed quickly.

The first night was uneventful, with no incidents.

24 hours have passed since the start of the match.

Currently, Qingdao's institutions still hold a commanding lead in points, with 177 points.

Following closely behind is the Black Dragon organization, with 49 points.

Then, the third place changed, with the Shu region's score rising to 40 points. The Shu team did not completely defeat the Qilu team, and the Confucian scholar Qi Shucheng successfully escaped and went into hiding alone.

Next is the fourth-ranked Yanjing Institute, with 18 points.

Yesterday, the Yanjing organization encountered a relatively weak team, the Ganshi team. They eliminated one player, earning ten points, and hunted two exotic beasts worth four points each. It's worth noting that Qin Qing consistently tried to cooperate with other teams, wanting to unite their forces against the Shu region and the Qingshi organization, but the Ganshi team completely ignored his calls.

He left quickly, only saying, "Who are you trying to fool?"

Besides these four teams, the Chang'an team, which was highly anticipated, only had 6 points at this time, ranking fifth.

Of the other three teams that have not yet been eliminated, only Qi Shucheng of the Qilu team managed to score three points before his teammates were eliminated. The other two teams, Gansu and Suzhou, did not score any points.

The next day, at 8 a.m., there were 48 hours left in the fourth stage final.

A few people have already started watching the game in the virtual reality environment.

"I didn't expect Chang'an to only have 6 points now..."

"The score of the group from Qing City is far ahead. It seems to be 177 points, but it is actually 237 points. Their prisoner can be eliminated at any time."

"But there are still two days left, it's hard to say who will emerge victorious..."

But at this moment...

New words appeared on the large screen in this virtual reality environment.

[Day Two Begins.]

The barrier will shrink.

[All teams, please move towards the center as soon as possible.]

We will begin to shrink the barrier within 30 minutes.

[Caution: Do not attempt to touch or break the barrier, as this will cause unexpected harm.]

Many people were surprised after seeing this message.

The barrier has shrunk?
"The circle has shrunk?"

Is this forcing them to meet?

"Damn, it seems like the Chang'an team has a chance now. This is the moment they've been waiting for?"

……

Within the Yanshan Barrier.

Jiang Chuan and the others naturally heard the news as well.

Huang Yixing: "..."

Jiang Chuan smiled, patted Huang Yixing on the shoulder and said, "Looks like you won't get your score for a while."

"Let's go inside first."

Huang Yixing's face darkened as he thought about what they had discussed last night: "Could we be eliminated before we even get any points?"

Jiang Chuan patted his chest: "Don't worry, leave it to me."

Archer Huang Yixing suddenly remembered what Jiang Chuan had said during their casual chat last night.

He said ten square kilometers was too big...

Is this what he was guessing?

……

Zhang Beishan of the Black Dragon team frowned after receiving this information.

He had just learned the direction of a lone person through shamanic magic, but now he had no choice but to head towards the center.

One of the team members spoke up and asked, "Brother Zhang, what do you say? Are we going to let this kid go?"

Zhang Beishan shook his head: "How can we let a lone wolf go?"

"He also wants to move inwards; we can simply wait and see."

"He can't run away."

……

Qi Shucheng from the Qilu organization felt somewhat helpless upon hearing this news.

I overexerted myself yesterday, and I couldn't replenish my energy by myself at night. I'm only about 70-80% of my peak condition now.

"I wonder how that monk is doing."

"..."

“His teammates are all by his side, so he should be in much better condition than I am.”

"It's difficult..."

That's what he thought, but he still decided to head towards the core area.

But Qi Shucheng was unaware that the Black Dragon team was waiting for him ahead.

……

A slight smile appeared on Meng Cheng's lips as he looked at the Chang'an organization team:
"Sure enough, just as I expected."

"This core area is where the giant tiger is located, and it is the place of the final battle."

"We have a clear understanding of the terrain around here..."

"We will have the advantage of terrain, which is the key to victory."

"Even though our team only has three points right now, the outcome is still uncertain!"

……

In the Shenzhen team, a young Taoist priest wearing a Taoist robe and with his hair in a bun chuckled, spat out the weeds in his mouth, and sat up from the tree trunk.

Sun Yuan called to his teammates and said:

"Let's go. I told you killing those monsters was pointless."

"Isn't it still a matter of who can stand until the end?"

……

Boom! !

The sound of bells reverberated once more throughout the Yanshan Mountains, and the massive barrier began to converge towards its center.

The scene was like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

In the virtual reality, 30,000 people watched this scene with great excitement.

They all knew that the smooth sailing of the first day would be completely shattered as a result.

"No team can avoid the battle this time!"

"Yesterday, only Qing City, Qilu, and Shu regions had clashes; the other teams were hunting exotic beasts..."

"What hunting? Isn't that mostly about finding exotic beasts?"

"...In any case, there will definitely be many teams facing off starting today!"

"That's true, I've been wanting to see Sun Yuan make a move for a long time!"

"Indeed! Sun Yuan of Taoism, Shi Shan of Buddhism, and Qi Shucheng of Confucianism! If they were to clash, it would be a rare and spectacular contest between the three schools of thought!"

"Yes, yes, and Meng Cheng from Chang'an is also a master strategist! The Chang'an organization is only at the third level so far, they must be planning something big!"

"And there are experts from Qing City! Jiang Chuan and Lin Ci! It would be really interesting if they fought!"

Such discussions arose everywhere in the virtual reality world, creating a lively atmosphere.

In the panoramic view, the dots representing each team are rapidly approaching the inner circle of the barrier on the map!

(End of this chapter)