Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 64: Flying
The sky was as blue and vast as the sea, yet without the tumultuous waves of the ocean. A gentle breeze brushed against the face, occasionally bringing along a white, soft cloud so close it seemed like one could reach out and touch it.
Xu Wang lay on the railing of the airship, comfortably admiring the beauty of the clouds. Occasionally, when he found it monotonous, he would look down at the sea below. The ship flew high, and from above, the sea surface looked like a piece of light blue crystal glass, shimmering with fine light under the sun.
Half an hour ago, they had boarded the lighthouse on the Flying Island. Learning from previous experiences, they didn’t bring large luggage this time—just a backpack each, traveling light.
What greeted them was a retro and luxurious airship. After entering the coordinates, a fantastical flight journey began.
“Qian Ge, come over here and look. It’s so beautiful that any random shot could be a wallpaper—”
Kuang Jinxin’s admiration came from the other side of the railing.
This classmate had been the happiest for the longest time. Since the airship took off, he had been excited and showed no signs of calming down.
Qian Ai had been watching him take photos for a long time. Hearing Kuang Jinxin’s call, he immediately approached, curiously leaned in, and took the other person’s phone to admire each picture one by one.
“These dozens of photos you took…” Qian Ai hesitated, not wanting to go against his conscience. “Aren’t they all just blue?”
“Look closely. Some are deep blue, some are water blue, some are light blue, some are azure blue…”
“……”
Xu Wang initially wanted to ask Kuang Jinxin to stay away from the railing, fearing his jumping around might accidentally flip him over. But seeing him now gathered with Qian Ai, his attention shifted from outside the airship to the phone, so he didn’t disturb his teammates’ “unity and camaraderie”.
Phones could be brought into the “Owl”, but photos taken inside would disappear without a trace once back in reality and wouldn’t reappear upon re-entering the “Owl”. After trying a few times, they didn’t want to take photos in the “Owl” anymore, as it all seemed futile.
Only Kuang Jinxin remained enthusiastic.
Xu Wang wanted to continue looking at the sky, but when he turned his head back, he inadvertently caught sight of Wu Sheng.
Wu Sheng leaned against a corner of the airship, not looking at the sky or the sea, but just staring into the air, his gaze seemingly flickering with countless formulas.
“What are you doing?” Xu Wang asked out of curiosity as he walked over.
“Combining.” Wu Sheng replied succinctly.
Xu Wang was at a loss. “Explanation, please.”
“We currently have a total of 49 stationeries. Some are of the same quality, while others are incompatible with each other. If we combine some of them, the lethality will increase geometrically compared to using them individually,” Wu Sheng explained. “I was just simulating battles, testing the effects of different combinations.”
Xu Wang: “……”
No drafts, no calculations, no listed combinations—just ‘simulating’ in his mind.
The most powerful brain wasn’t only amazing but also eco-friendly!
[The fourth challenge is a maze. The team that first reaches the end and opens the treasure chest will successfully turn in their papers. The available routes are doors numbered 1-100, but no one can be sure which door leads to a shortcut, a long route, a live route, or a dead end. So, while it’s partly luck, remember three things: one, you must be quick. If you find the wrong path, you can go back and choose another door or just break through it, but don’t waste time; two, don’t hesitate to use your stationeries. If a battle can be solved with five stationeries in one minute, don’t drag it out with just one for five minutes; three, you can confront all teams and NPCs, but the only exception is a little girl in a black cloak—if you encounter her, run immediately.]
This was the advice shared by Captain Yue, whom they escorted to the Flying Island yesterday, covering all the insights for 4/23 and 5/23. The above was the part about 4/23.
What about 6/23? Sorry, Captain Yue, who totaled less than 20 minutes in two entries, didn’t want to talk about it and had nothing to say.
As for the shared insights of 4/23 that could help in preparation, it was mainly about the “stationery battle”. Xu Wang thought it was just about familiarizing everyone with their own stationery, considering when to use which one. But Advisor Wu had already started planning the “overall combination strategy”.
Wu Sheng began to explain his tactical research approach with a glint in his eyes full of confidence and determination. “The effects of all stationeries can only be inferred based on the categories of offense, defense, illusory, and the names of the stationeries. The final lethality might deviate from expectations, but the overall direction should be correct. Once all tests are complete, I will list the optimal combinations. Whether we can fully utilize these combination techniques depends on our timing and coordination.”
Xu Wang nodded. “Alright, once you’ve compiled the combination list, we’ll memorize it completely.”
Wu Sheng frowned slightly. “Why does it sound like cramming for an exam…”
Xu Wang gave him a ‘haven’t you realized it yet?’ look. “Ever since you became our advisor, our team has embarked on a path of scientific research of no return.”
“Fortunately, we met Captain Yue.” Xu Wang sat down next to his advisor. “If it weren’t for his intel, we would have blindly stumbled into the fourth level, and it would have ended disastrously.”
Wu Sheng narrowed his eyes at his team captain, seriously considering this for the first time. “You didn’t decide to escort him to the Flying Island yesterday just to extract information, did you?”
“Of course not,” Captain Xu said righteously. “I did it entirely out of humanitarian concern!”
Wu Sheng: “……”
“Think about it. Did I ask him anything from start to finish?” Captain Xu always persuaded with facts.
Wu Sheng: “…” No. Not only had he not asked, but when Captain Yue turned back at the lighthouse door to offer them intel, their captain politely declined several times, making Captain Yue feel so guilty that he changed from “I can tell you” to “I must tell you no matter what”.
“I didn’t even want to listen,” Captain Xu added, somewhat aggrieved. “He insisted on telling me!”
Wu Sheng: “……”
In high school, Xu Wang always rushed into things, and Wu Sheng always advised him to be more strategic.
Now, Wu Sheng apologized for his past ignorance—when it came to being “strategic”, Xu Wang’s talent was like a lush tree adorned with colorful lights.
The coordinates for 4/23 were in Huainan, Anhui Province. From Hebei to Anhui, it would normally take nearly two hours by plane.
But the airship leisurely floated and descended after just an hour.
Simultaneously, the four companions received a notification “Ding—”
[Cheat Sheet]: Welcome to the [Flying VIP Lounge].
The four of them disembarked from the airship to see an English-style manor in front of them.
The towering manor gates opened slowly, revealing a vast front lawn with playfully trimmed patterns and a central fountain with dancing water, accompanied by the melodious sound of a harp coming from somewhere.
Behind the fountain stood a retro English-style building, about three stories high, with an additional two-story tower in the middle, like a watchtower.
Despite its retro style, the building had no sense of age or decay. Its exterior was clean stone white, the windows were bright, and the fountain and lawn added a touch of freshness and vitality.
“Is this… the lounge?” Qian Ai stood at the entrance, hesitant to enter.
Kuang Jinxin felt the same. “Too luxurious for a lounge…”
Then, he dashed into the lawn like the wind, taking a selfie with the fountain.
With one classmate taking the lead, the other three followed suit.
Once all four entered the manor, the [Cheat Sheet] updated again: Welcome dear guest. I am the butler, Xiao Feidao! I will guide you around and ensure you are fully recharged before midnight comes again~~
Qian Ai: “A lounge on the Flying Island, so it’s called Xiao Feidao… Could they be any more perfunctory*?”
*Clarity: His name translates to Little Flying Island.
Xu Wang: “That drag at the end gave him away.”
Kuang Jinxin: “Is Xiao Feidao also part of the ‘Owl’?”
Wu Sheng: “Before the next midnight?”
Xu, Qian, Kuang: “……”
Why was their advisor always so outstanding in his focus?
At 04:12 Beijing time, the airship landed, and the four entered the [Flying VIP Lounge], each getting a low-key luxurious king-sized bedroom, allowing them to sleep soundly.
At 14:00 Beijing time, Xiao Feidao automatically announced the time, waking the guests to head to the dining room for a luxurious afternoon tea.
From 16:00 to 21:00, they had free time and were reminded that they could discuss their examination strategies. Of course, they didn’t waste it, memorizing the tactical list Wu Sheng wrote during afternoon tea, quizzing, and reciting it to each other, creating a fervent learning atmosphere.
At 21:00, Xiao Feidao announced the time again, inviting the guests to the dining room for an even more luxurious and romantic candlelit dinner.
At 22:30, they bathed in a jacuzzi tub and then sprayed some lucky cologne.
At 23:50, all four gathered in the hall, each with a cup of English red tea, waiting for midnight.
At first, the four companions felt awkward, but now, three of them didn’t want to leave—
Qian Ai: “Can we always take the Flying Island to the coordinates in the future…”
Xu Wang: “Maybe this is a one-time benefit for new users, and we won’t get such good treatment next time.”
Kuang Jinxin: “But how do we know if we don’t try again?”
Xu Wang: “Good point.”
The three companions reached a soulful understanding amidst their smiles and then simultaneously turned to Wu Sheng.
Advisor Wu was holding his black tea as he stared into his cup, lost in thought. After a while, he finally looked up and gave his teammates a “V” sign.
Xu Wang was the first to react, immediately responding with the same gesture. “Victory!”
Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai, a bit slower on the uptake, followed suit. “Yeah!”
Wu Sheng: “…I meant, don’t forget those two points!”
Xu Wang’s team, whose tacit understanding had been eroded by the extravagant preparations for war, finally reached unity of thought at the last moment before midnight.
Two key points—speed and the little girl in a black cloak.
The grandfather clock completed the last minute before midnight—its hour and minute hands aligned, and the pendulum sounded a loud chime.
There was no owl hoot.
The four companions felt a flash of bright light before their eyes, and when they opened them again, they were in a moonlit forest.
In the quiet of the night, unidentified insects chirped as if it had just rained, with dewdrops still clinging to the grass tips.
But the four companions had no time to appreciate these details, as appearing with them were nine other teams.
One team was almost shoulder-to-shoulder with them.
The other eight were scattered under trees not far away, each team maintaining some distance from the others, occasionally exchanging glances but without any team initiating conversation.
However, these teams carried an enticing… late-night snack aroma.
Especially the team right next to them, consisting of four people: two holding disposable plastic beer cups and two holding unfinished skewers.
Team Xu Wang observed them, and they were also sizing up their “neighbors”. Unable to resist the fragrance of red tea and cologne, they finally spoke first—
“Isn’t it a bit too pretentious for all of you to be holding a cup of tea…”
The real-world coordinates for 4/23 were a night market food street.
There were nine teams waiting for midnight. Eight were enduring the temptation of various street foods like meat skewers, Huainan beef soup, tornado potato, and grilled squid, carrying the scent of late-night snacks they had resisted.
Only the team next to Xu Wang’s indulged in the food from one end of the street to the other, as joyfully as four worker bees gathering honey.
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