Survival Sifting

By the time Zhao Gao got over his grief, several years had passed.

Zhao Gao stopped school and stayed home after his parents passed away. In order to survive, he started reading novels; and later became an author.

He began his habit of reading novels because he felt lonely after his parents passed away. In novels, he could feel the protagonist's sorrow and joy-which would temporarily lift him out of his grief.

As for his name 'Zhao Gao', he had already accepted it.

In life, one's name and appearance were given by one's parents. They should be cherished.

Now, whenever others asked him about the problem with his name, he would only smile and forget about it.

Subconsciously, the following words appeared repeatedly in Zhao Gao's mind:

"Zhao Gao! That greedy minister?"

"Zhao Gao! That…"

This statement would come to mind, every time he met someone new.

"Information has been collected. Extract important information."

"Greed."

"Generate target Talent!"

"Developing Talent!"

"Talent has been generated!"

"Talent: Greed in the blood"

While in a daze, Zhao Gao was pulled back to reality by the system's mechanical voice.

Opening his eyes, Zhao Gao discovered that he was soaking in the white water. He was surprised to find that he could breathe freely underneath the water.

But before he could mull over this new experience, the mechanical sound sounded again.

"Target Talent has been awakened."

"To be sent into the world."

"World screening in progress…"

"Screening complete. Target personnel will enter the world."

"In the process of being sent Into the world…"

As soon as the mechanical voice ceased, Zhao Gao's mind suddenly went blank. He fainted and fell directly into the white water.

However, before he fell in, his body suddenly turned into blue energy cubes that flickered.

His body became smaller and smaller until it eventually disappeared. The 'White Energy World' also returned to silence.

------------

When Zhao Gao regained consciousness, he realized that he was on a large field. This field was the size of a soccer field.

There were three-meter tall wooden spikes surrounding the field.

Surrounding Zhao Gao were crowds of people dressed in modern clothing.

"What is this place? Let me tell you, kidnapping is illegal, you know?"

"Let me go back. I still have to cook for my child! Please!"

"Hahaha, you mortals don't even know Infinite Space?

"If you know then say it!"

"Hahaha, listen up, mortals, tremble under my feet!"

"I don't care if you're finite or infinite. Look at my brother. He's already angry. Do you know that my brother is the leader of the Green Dragon Gang?"

All sorts of speech filled Zhao Gao's ears. Facing this situation, Zhao Gao slowly retreated to a corner.

He quickly thought to himself, "The situation is still unclear. I can't act rashly."

"Moreover, I did not expect so many people to be here at once. Based on estimation, there were about a thousand people."

"These people are talking all at once and their emotions are very unstable. There might be a conflict later. It's better for me to stay in a corner quietly and watch the developments."

With these thoughts, Zhao Gao shrank to the side and tried to make himself inconspicuous.

Before the arguments ceased, a transparent screen appeared in front of everyone.

But when Zhao Gao looked over, he could not see anyone else's screen. He only saw everyone looking directly in front of themselves.

Looking at this situation, Zhao Gao presumed that each screen was only for the eyes of the individual.

Or perhaps it did not have the authority to display its content to others?

Before Zhao Gao could think of anything else, words appeared on the screen again.

"This time round, 10,000 people have entered the arena. The Mission World has officially begun."

"Location: Blackrock City."

"As the first line of defence against the enemy, Blackrock City is now facing the greatest crisis in history."

"The enemy's 100,000-strong army is currently attacking Blackrock City, vowing to take it down within a month."

"The leading General of Blackrock City had immediately sent out scouts to inform Blackrock City's motherland. However, the information he received was…"

"The reinforcements can only arrive in a month."

"Hence the leading General of Blackrock City decided to forcibly recruit people of suitable age within the city."

"After a bit of training, they will be sent to guard the city."

"And you are one of them."

"Mission: Survival sifting."

"Instruction: Try your best to survive for a month."

"Open Character data."

"It has been opened. Please check all information regarding oneself."

Zhao Gao looked at it carefully and went through it repeatedly. There was something wrong with this mission and this Talent Space.

Should not rewards be shown?

Plot point or Survival point?

But before Zhao Gao could think further, the screen suddenly changed, showing his own Character Stats.

"Name: Zhao Gao"

"Gender: Male."

"Level: 0 (Click to check the details)"

"Essence: 1 (Click to check the details)"

"Spirit: 1 (Click to check the details)"

"Magic: 1"

"Talent: Greed in the Blood (expand to see full details)"

"Skills: None"

"Experience required to level up: 0 / 1 (Be Thankful! Be thankful for this final mercy. Considering you are a mortal with suboptimal health, I'll give you a chance to improve your Stats.)"

"(Those Stats with a score less than 1 should be improved.)"

"Evolution Points: 0 (Click to check the details)"

"Freedom Stats: 0"

"Evaluation: The combat power of a goose."

Zhao Gao quickly looked through the instructions from beginning to end after looking at his stats.

First were the 'levels': Every level-up meant that the human body was evolving. In addition, every level-up meant that all Stats would automatically increase a little.

Then, it was the Stats themselves.

Essence: It represents all the conditions of the body, including the strength, power, nerve sensitivity, agility, endurance, and all attributes pertaining to the physical body.

Spirit: It represents the union of the body and spirit. It is the prerequisite for all abilities to be activated.

Magic: It represents the strength of the soul, willpower, and all other attributes related to the mind.

In addition, the remarks at the end stated that all ordinary people had Stats at level 1.

Finally, Zhao Gao opened the segment with a detailed introduction of his Talent.

"Talent: Greed in the blood"

"Effect: All advancement will have an additional 50% increase. (For example: Experience gained, Upgrades, etc.)"

"Evaluation: Eh… this cheat sheet is to make you happy!"

Zhao Gao's face darkened as he saw this information. This effect was unclear and it even served to taunt him.

Zhao Gao hurriedly closed the Talent page and opened the introduction to the Evolution Point.

"Evolution Point: Go beyond the beginner level and develop your own skills set."

After reading the information, Zhao Gao 'closed' the screen in his mind; and the futuristic blue screen disappeared immediately.

Being an 'old bookworm', he knew what these basic settings were.

As for the final Freedom Stats Points, it was obvious what the name meant. There was no need for any introduction.