Darkstone Code

Originally, Penny wanted to ask something, but soon she was completely captivated by the content playing on the television.

In this era lacking entertainment, Lynch’s show not only fulfills the longing of the lower classes to achieve the Federation dream, but also brings ample fun for everyone!

Yes, ample fun!

The new season’s competition requires not only a good physique but also the need for contestants to outwit and outmaneuver each other.

Since the entire course’s mechanisms are controlled by other contestants, each contestant has multiple chances to make it through.

If there was only one chance, it would be too unfair. Everyone has at least three chances.

For tracks with more mechanisms, there might be five, six, or even ten opportunities!

Each mechanism, after being triggered, will have a "cool down" period to ensure that contestants off the field can’t keep triggering the mechanisms non-stop, preventing others from passing.

So this is the essence of outwitting and outmaneuvering!

You have to make the contestants off the field think you really want to pass so that they trigger the mechanisms at the wrong time, giving you a chance to dash through!

And this brings a lot of joy to people, especially the scenes of contestants being sent flying by various mechanisms, which have become a source of enjoyment!

The competition is intense, everyone is striving to move forward. After four months of competition, they have finally made it here, just one step away from the million-dollar prize.

No one would give up at this point, they are all fighting hard, and this spirit is exactly what the Federation needs!

In any situation, as long as dreams haven’t extinguished, one should have the courage to strive!

Courage!

This is the keyword for this competition, Federation people need courage to face dreams, reality, and even... war!

The competition proceeded smoothly, with one contestant after another being knocked out by the mechanisms. Until the last moment, no one was able to reach the end of the course.

Since the second season of the competition began, not a single contestant has completed any of the nine courses, which is simply a miracle!

Some in society also believe that the competition’s content is too harsh, with the mechanisms being irregular (because they’re controlled by other contestants), making it too difficult to win.

If it wasn’t decided by who was closest to the finish line to confirm the winner, there probably would have been an uproar long ago!

Even now, there are some causing a stir, and some have taken the TV station to court, like a young eliminated contestant who was sent flying by a mechanism.

He claimed he was terribly injured and hoped the TV station would compensate him three thousand dollars.

But in reality, he’s trying to scam them, and Lynch refuses to compromise, opting to fight the case.

Not only does he want to win, but he also plans to counter sue for extortion, until the guy can’t even afford pants!

On the television screen, a highly regarded contestant just managed to deceive the off-field contestant controlling the switches with a realistic feint.

The other contestants seem to blame him, and he himself is also very unhappy with his own misjudgment.

Every mechanism passed means leading others by a bit more distance, the final victory could depend on just those few meters!

As he approached the next mechanism, he already had some strategies in mind during his run.

Previously, he’d always relied on various feints to deceive those controlling the buttons, causing them to prematurely activate the mechanisms.

But this time, he decided not to make those feints.

Or rather, to make the real actions seem like feints, as long as the person controlling the mechanisms hesitates, even for less than half a second, he could pass another mechanism!

Accelerating, lowering his center of gravity, he made himself look like he was really sprinting!

Of course, he actually was sprinting, seeing the next mechanism right before him, the off-field contestants were extremely nervous as well.

At the moment he saw the on-field contestant approaching the mechanism quickly without slowing down, he instinctively tapped a button.

Sparks flickered between the contacts, and in the next moment, a mechanism resembling a boxing glove suddenly lunged at the contestant, which he didn’t anticipate.

Even if he wanted to slow down, it was too late.

Amidst the gasps and laughter of the crowd, the contestant was knocked back with "a punch"!

His body bounced a few times on the soft course before falling into the water pool.

This is also to protect the contestant’s safety!

When he was scooped up, there was some blood on his face, his nose having taken a solid hit from the fist.

Even though the entire fist was made of sponge and rubber, not very hard, it wasn’t easy to endure such a mechanical hit during his sprint.

The off-field contestants breathed a sigh of relief, whispering to each other, adjusting their strategies.

This scene made every viewer think... it was quite interesting!

Whoever stands on the field is everyone’s enemy. These people will analyze that person, then target his behavior patterns.

Off the field, everyone is a friend.

On the field, everyone is an enemy!

This constant identity shift is intriguing and impresses people with the creators’ design ideas.

After all the contestants finished their challenges, the final evaluations began, and everyone was so nervous their hearts were about to leap out of their throats!

Penny, lying on the bed, rubbed her eyes. Watching over three hours of competition in one go was indeed a bit... tiring.

She leaned on Lynch’s chest, "Who won in the end?"

"I don’t know either."

And then there was a brief silence.

In the end, the winner of the competition was a sprinter who led all the contestants with a slim six-meter advantage, thus securing the season’s million-dollar prize!

The other contestants forced themselves to endure various discomforts to congratulate him, a sight that always leaves a lasting impression.

Lynch also let out a deep sigh.

He turned around and opened the bedside cabinet, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

The girl changed her position, lying down with some envy, "Getting a million just like that, this guy’s luck is really good."

Lynch couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this. Almost everyone believed it was a post-tax million; these people didn’t consider how high the tax rate is currently. How could it possibly be a post-tax million?

When Penny learned from Lynch that the actual prize was pre-tax one million, she couldn’t help but laugh too.

During wartime, the Federation Government increased the tax rate, so a million-dollar prize ends up being only around three hundred thousand in hand.

This perhaps better proves that there is always an unreachable chasm between dreams and reality!

Watching the champion cheering with raised arms, Lynch suddenly became very curious about what kind of new expression he would show when he knows he still has choices to face.

The first day of the new year, before dawn.

A group of people suddenly appeared outside the Federation’s largest oil field.

All of them were hooded, with only their eyes exposed.

The weather in the North was minus tens of degrees, and very few people were working outdoors. The huge mechanical arms at the oil field were still slowly lifting.

Each pull would allow crude oil to enter the tanks through the pipeline.

This is one of the lifelines of the Duncan Clan’s cash flow. The oil produced daily here allows them to do many things, and these people appeared here to temporarily halt operations.

These people didn’t talk much, acted very quickly, soon resolving some patrol teams, and began sabotaging the mechanical arms.

Trying to damage the oil mine itself is not easy; the only assured way is to destroy the mechanical arms, then damage the pipelines and tanks.

Repairing these things is not something that can be done in three or five days but requires a lot of time and manpower.

It was winter, transportation was inconvenient, and once the oil field stops operation, repair would have to wait at least until April or May.

With a four or five-month gap, even the Duncan Clan would be severely affected.

The more this situation continues, the more expenses the Duncan Clan incurs.

Everyone knows they are facing big trouble now, and those who are still thinking of helping them are either not doing it for their support and influence, or they are doing it for money!

And money alone isn’t enough; there must be a lot of money to make it happen.

Just like the official at the FBI Headquarters who tipped them off, he dared to do so for the benefits!

He might face three to five years in prison, but in an overseas account that nobody knows about, tens of thousands might have already been wired!

This is money he might not earn in three to five years or even thirty to fifty years!

The further it goes, the more severe the Duncan Clan’s situation becomes, and the more demands for money they face!

Around seven in the morning, explosions occurred on machines numbers one and four, and other machines showed various problems, being damaged.

The oil storage tanks experienced leaks, and pipeline pressure detection showed major changes, suspected interruptions...

Building these things takes a long time, but destroying them doesn’t require much time!

In winter, at seven, the sky is just starting to brighten when the butler knocks on Mr. Jeruno’s bedroom door.

A few minutes later, Mr. Jeruno, wearing pajamas and a coat, opened the door.

"What’s the matter?"

He asked.

Mr. Jeruno no longer looked as spirited as he did at the United Development Company’s shareholders’ meeting years ago, now full of exhaustion and aging.

The butler’s expression was very serious, "The oil field has been sabotaged, and the specific loss is not clear, but in the short term, we might not be able to extract any oil..."

With war imminent, oil is a strategic resource, and at this time, as long as you have crude oil, no one will care who you are, where the oil comes from, or why you are selling it.

As long as you have these things, they are willing to buy it.

This is also the main economic source supporting the Duncan Clan’s negotiation with the Federation Government. Although the Duncan Clan is large, they have many expenses, and their liquid funds are not as ample as imagined.

This bad news made the winter morning even colder. Mr. Jeruno’s expression was slightly painful, and he coughed, purely instinctively.

"Let me get dressed..."