2: Chapter 2: Is the Person Who Determines the Nation a College Student Born in the 2000s?

The Dragon Country itself is a populous nation, with over a billion people to support.

No matter how wealthy the national treasury once was, it could not sustain years of deficits under extreme resource scarcity.

At this critical juncture, the sudden appearance of the [Wilderness National Fortune Game] was undoubtedly a life-saving straw.

In just a few minutes, all forums and media outlets exploded with activity.

"Our Divine Land truly has the protection of the heavens! Haha!"

"At this critical moment, the arrival of the [Wilderness National Fortune Game] will undoubtedly help our Great Dragon Country overcome its difficulties."

"That being said, don't celebrate too early. Don't forget that while this mysterious game can bring rewards, it also brings punishments."

"Yeah! If the representative fails, we'll all lose five years of our lifespan."

"..."

The key topics on forums and media soon focused on one point: who would be chosen as the representative for the Dragon Country?

One must realize that the chosen representative would not be acting alone.

Instead, they would carry the hopes of the entire Dragon Country's people on their shoulders.

Bearing the national fortune of the entire Dragon Country's future!!

If the chosen representative were old, weak, sick, or disabled, it would be a case of dying before the battle even began.

In the forums, many people hoped to be chosen by this game and become heroes who bring glory to the country.

There were also many who hoped they wouldn't be chosen by the National Fortune Game.

However, even more people hoped that the chosen representative would be a special forces soldier, a top explorer, or a master of survival!

As the saying goes, every profession has its specialists; even if a formidable expert or the richest man were chosen, it would be useless if they didn't know how to survive in the wild.

While the citizens across the nation were desperate for an answer, the Great Dragon Country High Command was equally anxious.

However, those in high positions thought more deeply.

Since the selection was random and beyond their control, they had to assist the chosen representative as much as possible.

Don't forget, each country can send a 100-character message to their representative every week.

Every word in that message would undoubtedly determine the future course of the Dragon Country's national fortune.

Inside a simple yet majestic conference room.

The Dragon Country's highest authority, Elder Li, said word by word:

"Immediately summon the country's top explorers and survival masters..."

Not just experts in these two fields, but medical experts, resource experts, weapons experts...

All experts who could be useful in the wild were summoned one by one to participate in this supreme conference of the Dragon Country.

Across the entire nation, the winds of change were surging!

Finally, Elder Li walked to the window.

His aged yet still clear eyes gazed at the firmament.

The sky today was a murky grey.

Ever since Japan committed that insane act against the ocean decades ago, the Earth had fallen ill.

"Where to gaze upon the Divine Land? The scenery fills the eyes at Beigu Pavilion. How many events of rise and fall throughout the ages?"

"Endless and eternal, the Yangtze River rolls on forever."

Elder Li prayed, hoping that a capable person would be chosen.

While official vehicles were constantly on the move and experts from various fields were being drafted,

On An Ke's side, he saw a countdown appearing before his retinas.

"Huh?"

"I've been chosen?"

To verify, An Ke looked around at the reactions of the passersby.

As it turned out, aside from the shock brought about by just hearing about the National Fortune Game,

their expressions had already returned to normal.

He finally concluded that only he could see this countdown.

"I really have been chosen!"

"Heh! Bearing the national fortune of the entire Dragon Country?"

Such a heavy responsibility was enough to make anyone feel suffocated.

Yet An Ke remained calm, with a smile on his face.

"I was worried before that my Suffering System had no place to be used, but isn't this the perfect opportunity?"

In an instant, An Ke straightened his back, radiating high spirits.

"By the way, that damn game just now seemed to say that no items are allowed."

"What about clothes?"

Thinking of this, An Ke felt a bit of a headache.

If even clothes couldn't be brought along, wouldn't that be terrible?

This is a worldwide live stream!!

But An Ke soon relaxed, only hoping that the other male compatriots wouldn't feel inferior when the time came.

Pushing aside his stray thoughts, An Ke quickly stood up from the poolside and hurried home.

Since he had been selected as a representative, he had to make preparations in advance.

About twenty minutes later,

inside a room filled with an e-sports vibe.

An Ke stood before a full-length mirror; in the reflection, his body looked bloated, packed with layers of clothing.

Windbreakers, cotton-padded jackets, short sleeves... he was wearing clothes for all four seasons,

and even had a veil wrapped around his head.

In the wild, clothing is vital; it provides warmth and prevents excessive evaporation of moisture.

An Ke was also taking a gamble, betting that the clothes on his back could be brought into the game.

Anyone proficient in survival would have done the same as An Ke.

Once finished, An Ke looked at the countdown in front of him.

The countdown quickly jumped to 00:01:00.

Then it became "59"!

"The time to enter the game is almost here!"

An Ke was full of energy, brimming with anticipation for the upcoming wilderness game.

The outside world!

People throughout the Dragon Country, and indeed the entire world, were tensing up.

"Less than a minute left!"

"Who will represent the Dragon Country in the competition?"

"Please, please! It has to be a special forces soldier!"

"Let it be a top wilderness survival expert!"

"..."

Across the country, many people were praying; some even burned incense and bowed to Buddha, using local customs to pray for good luck for the Dragon Country.

In other nations, the holy land of Jerusalem was also filled with believers making devout prayers!

The countdown soon hit zero!

A brilliant light suddenly erupted from An Ke's body.

The light grew brighter and brighter until it completely enveloped him.

When the light faded, An Ke found that the surrounding walls had vanished, replaced by yellow sand.

He immediately looked down at his body and then gave a helpless smile: "Well then! The loophole has been closed!"

The layers of clothing he had been wearing had all vanished into thin air.

He was left with only a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Meanwhile, as the representatives entered one by one, the live streams of them began.

In the real world, the entire population of the Dragon Country immediately flooded into the live broadcast room, including the Dragon Country High Command.

When they looked on with anticipation and saw a young face in the stream, their hearts finally sank in despair.

"Damn! No way? He's actually a student?"

"Judging by his looks, he's most likely a student!"

"He's handsome, sure, but this is a wilderness competition. Good looks won't put food on the table!"

"..."

Humans are visual creatures, and youth often gives the first impression of being unsettled, inexperienced, and unreliable.

Upon seeing how young An Ke was, the vast majority of the public was very disappointed.

However, humans also have the ability to self-adjust; otherwise, after experiencing disaster after disaster, humanity would have long since perished.

Looking on the bright side, at least he wasn't old, weak, sick, or disabled. Youth means energy and vibrant vitality—what if he creates a miracle?

However, other countries would not miss this perfect opportunity to kick them while they were down.

People of Kimchi Country: "Yo! The Dragon Country's luck is really bad; their representative is just a little kid who hasn't even grown hair yet."

"Our Great Kimchi Country's selection is a special forces Oppa!"

People of Lighthouse Country: "Hahaha! It's all fate ordained by the heavens. The Dragon Country's national fortune is at its end!"

Many hostile countries that previously couldn't stand to see the Dragon Country doing well jumped at the chance.

They mocked An Ke for being so young and surely knowing nothing, believing that the Dragon Country was doomed.

For a moment, the Dragon Country was filled with public indignation, telling the Foreigners to get out of the Dragon Country Live Stream Room.

Over at the newly established Dragon Country Supreme Command Center.

The moment An Ke appeared, the high command immediately investigated his identity.

Looking at the information shown in the files: Post-00s, college student...

The high command all showed expressions of distress.