As the message sounded in Jing Yuan’s ear, a Yanjing conference room watched the projection on a giant screen.
Seeing that young face, the old general’s brows furrowed.
His finger tapped the table in a steady beat.
Not only did the Trailblazer hear the rules in the Zone, viewers outside saw them as on-screen text.
As a Dragon Nation general,
Old Zhang focused on the last line:
[Trailblazer deaths are final.]
[The nation suffers an irreversible “National Fate Penalty.”]
They didn’t know what that penalty was, but he had no intention of finding out.
A commander’s job is to prevent harm to his country.
Light or heavy, that penalty must be avoided.
His order was crisp: “I want everything on this kid.
The more detailed, the better.”
“Yes, sir!”
A soldier saluted and hurried out.
When the man had gone, a middle-aged officer at Zhang’s side spoke, uneasy.
“General… the young man doesn’t look very steady.”
As soon as the Zone proved real, the authorities formed a task force under the old general’s lead, responsible for all things Forbidden Zone.
Members came from every field—experts and elites.
Sharp people all.
From Jing Yuan’s hair, expression, and countless little tells, they quickly sketched his temperament.
The messy long hair, the lazy air practically written on his face—it all screamed “unreliable.”
And he was so young…
A plain-looking college kid, at best.
The sort with no social experience who stayed in his dorm and gamed.
Such a person representing Dragon Nation in an unknown, dangerous Zone…
Hard to feel at ease.
The viewers weren’t calm either.
“So our Trailblazer is this handsome kid?”
“Tsk.
He looks decent—kind of cute, even rivals my idol—but I just get an ‘unreliable’ vibe…”
“Anyone know him?
I need more info!”
“Wait… aside from the emergency kit, he brought nothing??”
“Good grief—dressed like that on an icefield?
He’ll freeze to death (heartbreak)…”
[Just checked Eagle Nation’s stream—our guy seems worse than theirs.]
Viewers could switch freely among nations’ feeds.
With that comment, many Dragon Nation viewers clicked over to Eagle Nation’s stream.
Onscreen, a hulking man in tactical camo held an M4, a stuffed tactical pack on his back.
He scanned for threats, then pulled a down jacket from his bag and suited up.
Compared to Jing Yuan, the foreigner was clearly better prepared and more serious.
As they say—comparison kills.
After seeing Eagle Nation’s Trailblazer, some viewers’ impressions of Jing Yuan nosedived.
“It’s over—we’ve lost at the starting line…”
“Haiz, those creators said the Zone was our chance to catch up.
Now look…”
“Does anyone know what the penalty is?
(broken)”
“What can we do?
With 1.4 billion people, you can draw any kind.
Not drawing the worst is already lucky…”
As a global power,
Dragon Nation drew as much attention as Eagle Nation.
Foreigners piled into the national stream.
Seeing a Trailblazer who’d brought almost nothing—and looked half-asleep—they started crowing…
“Hahaha, poor Dragon Nation.
He’ll freeze before the protection ends.”
“You think you can surpass Eagle Nation?
Try a hundred more years!”
“This Trailblazer is worse than ours in the Island Nation.
Too weak.”
“If he meets our Elephant Nation Trailblazer, perhaps he’ll get aid.
As a great nation, we have responsibility—provided he’s lucky enough to meet us (smile).”
Machine-translated taunts made Dragon Nation viewers’ teeth itch.
We can roast our own—but who were these clowns?
And anyway, the Zone had barely begun.
The die wasn’t cast.
Who said their Trailblazer couldn’t work a miracle?
A flame war erupted in the chat…
Seeing the “high mom-content” insults, host Xiao Sa hurried to steer things back.
“Chief, our Trailblazer is in the Zone, but his situation doesn’t look good…”
“As someone from the service, what would you advise?”
Whether he’d noticed the chat’s spiral or worried for Jing Yuan, the Chief’s smile faded.
He nodded, grave.
“Mm… as of now, he is in a poor spot.
“His clothing cannot resist the cold.
That much is certain.
“Top priority: find shelter from the wind or fur warm enough to retain heat.
“Otherwise, on an icefield, body temperature will drop fast—and we all know where hypothermia leads.”
“But from what we’ve seen, there aren’t any usable resources—no flora or fauna.
In that case, what then?” Xiao Sa followed up.
The Chief thought, frowning.
“In the worst case, dig in and bury himself.
It’s not as bad as it sounds.
“I mean carve a cavity big enough to hide in—block the wind and slow heat loss,” he added.
“Like an Antarctic snow cave.”
“I see.”
Xiao Sa nodded, ready to segue into a broader topic— ask the Chief’s take on the Zone.
The Chief pivoted on his own: “But then his progress would slow.
Who knows when he’d leave the area…”
Xiao Sa: “…”
The self-contradiction left him hanging.
Luckily, Bingbing cut in on a cue from her earpiece.
“Sorry to interrupt, Chief.
“We’ve just received background on our Trailblazer.”
Silence fell in the stream.
The flame war slowed.
Everyone wanted to know who was representing them.
Bingbing read it out clearly:
“Name: Jing Yuan.
Male.
Nineteen.
“Graduate of Magic City High…
“Recently registered for Air Force pilot recruitment.
Per the city’s plan, he was due to test shortly—but was chosen for the Zone instead…”
Thank you so much for reading until the end.
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