Chapter 134: Hades' Trial Part II

The cameras in each room were faithfully recording everything.

The fluorescent lights shone onto Hades' helmet, reflecting faint white light off the smooth, hard surface.

He watched the giant screen silently, divided into countless small sections displaying scenes where human nature wrestled with bestiality.

Some rooms had already descended into bloodshed. Hades sighed soundlessly, silently tagging those rooms as "tentative fail".

He had not informed them of the duration for the second screening.

Moreover, the rooms completely isolated from the outside had no devices for keeping time either.

Additionally, the food in each room was precisely calculated to barely sustain everyone at a minimum standard to get through this ordeal.

In the face of death slowly yet steadily approaching, who could stand their ground?

Hades observed it all.

Antai stood behind Eyo, several small knives gripped in his hands.

Blood seeped from gashes on his arms, but clearly, he had won.

Both he and Eyo held knives, Antai even hugging a lot of food.

Across from them, the rest of the boys huddled in different corners, holding more or less food each.

"Everyone, I have an idea," Eyo spoke up. Antai noticed his voice trembling slightly.

"I think I might have guessed the purpose of this screening."

There was some slight commotion among the group opposite them, distrustful and questioning looks shot their way.

Eyo exhaled.

"I don't think they would set up two screenings to test for the same qualities."

"If they were screening for toughness and physical fitness, the first trial has already achieved that."

"So this trial is not to filter for resilience or physique."

Eyo paused briefly before continuing,

"What's different this time is we've been split into small groups and locked into enclosed spaces."

"So I thought at first, could this be requiring us to fight and compete for the winner?"

"Also..."

Eyo held up the knives in his hands.

"These knives seem to confirm my guess."

"But—"

Eyo let go. With a clang, the knives fell neatly to the floor.

"I don't think that's the case."

"The knives are just a red herring, a misdirection."

Antai blinked ambiguously. He felt like he realized what Eyo was about to say next.

"Based on the hints from the person in charge, he did not mention anything related to fighting or competing."

"On the contrary, his first hint was 'humanity'."

"And in the second sentence, there were words about fighting together."

"Yes, if we are to become comrades-in-arms in the future, they would not make us kill each other now."

"So I reckon the purpose of this stage is to screen for subjects who can spontaneously choose to cooperate and unite when in dire straits."

On the opposite side, the crowd started buzzing in discussion. Some were clearly reconsidering.

"Then why did you guys still fight for the knives?"

A child's shrill voice rang out. Antai recognized him as the boy who had competed with him for the knives earlier.

Upon losing out to Antai, that boy had decisively given up and started scrambling for food instead.

Just as Eyo was about to retort, Antai grabbed his shoulder from behind and took a step forward. He knew what he had to say now:

"I can return the knives to you all."

"Or we can put all the cutlery in a communal area."

"But I think Eyo is right."

"If he wanted us to fight, the person in charge wouldn't have given hints at all."

Antai paused briefly but soon squatted down, arranging the knives he held back onto the floor one by one.

He also put the rations he was carrying onto the floor.

Antai knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he felt Eyo made sense.

Those words from the person in charge were a clue hinting them along.

But what if that wasn't the case? What if this really was making them kill one another and the rations were only enough to sustain a few? What would he do then?

But Antai decided to trust his own judgment.

"We should redistribute the food," he said.

"Everyone, please put the food back and I'll go first."

But after Antai, still no one came forth.

"That guy's still holding knives. You're trying to keep all the food for yourselves, right?"

Eyo was taken aback. He had not intended for Antai to do this, but he gritted his teeth and put the rest of the knives in his hands onto the floor too.

Antai blinked. He tried his best to steady himself and seem more reliable.

"Everyone, please put the food back."

"I was the one who climbed to the peak. I hope everyone can believe me this once."

Saying that made Antai's face burn. He was not used to speaking of his own matters in front of others. It felt like boasting somehow, which always made him feel odd.

At first no one moved, but after a while, someone stepped forward to return their food before turning to leave.

So a portion of the group started shifting as well.

But some still clung onto their food, unwilling to compromise one bit.

"Hey friends!"

"Thirsty?"

Lerna's loud voice rang out from the corner.

Only then did the children who had been focused on the food pile in the middle of the room realize something was amiss.

The water source they had ignored this whole time was already occupied!

"Go put down the food quickly," Lerna pointed at the mound in front of Eyo and Antai.

"Or no one's getting water."

Lerna grinned, staring straight at those still hugging their food.

But some did not choose to put their food down. Instead, they walked over, seemingly wanting to wrestle Lerna and Bast's spot from them.

"Don't come over!" Bast stood out, lowering his head in a fighting stance but keeping the approaching boys fixed in his peripheral vision.

"I climbed the peak too!"

Luckily, most still kept their wariness of "peak scalers". Perhaps they were not a match for such people.

So despite their reluctance, the rest still came to return their food.

Watched by all, Eyo and Antai redistributed the rations evenly again.

"Thanks everyone for believing us," Antai said.

"I volunteer to drink last. The water can go to those who need it more urgently first."

Whispers spread, but the tense atmosphere seemed to have eased slightly this time.

While everyone discussed, Eyo moved the cutlery to the door.

Holding the same amount of food each, the boys began conversing and deliberating with one another. But the most discussed topic was still how to get through this stage.

"Not bad, this group," Mortarion's voice came from behind them as both observed the children.

"Indeed," Hades concurred, beyond his expectations.

Though many rooms had devolved into bloodshed instantly, some had just taken food and split up separately.

But quite a proportion of the children chose to redistribute.

Some took over the water source most ignored early on, then used that to coerce everyone into redistribution.

Some snatched the knives first, then relied on force to make people redistribute.

Of course, the majority used control of water and blades to make others hand over rations to them.

Only those who perhaps understood Hades' hint would opt to have everyone reallocate resources.

The set up of water and blades was intended for the few able to seize control of speech.

Firstly, those children had to be smart enough to grasp Hades' clue, then be strong enough to seize at least one resource advantageous to them.

In comparison, though still important, food was completely secondary to water and blades.

But there were exceptions. In one room, a kid straight up knocked everyone out before redistributing equal shares of food to them.

In another, one child took nothing. He gave a speech that directly made people start redistributing of their own accord.

In summary, all sorts of methods were employed. But indeed quite a number of candidates stood out, calling for people to not scramble for resources.

And the group Mortarion just mentioned...

Hades glanced over. Starting by teaming up early, then splitting up to occupy two key assets before leveraging their identities to coordinate everything.

Very good, truly outstanding even. It could be considered the optimal solution.

Hades memorized the names and profiles of those four children.

"But the crux still lies ahead," he said.

The stellar early performance was due to resources still being plentiful then, with survival impulse not stimulated yet.

But if they entered the late stage... Hades eyed those rooms that had completed redistribution.

Would they still be able to uphold themselves then?