Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 124: The Bath

As soon as they came in, the male travelers who started changing clothes had already entered the bathing area one after another, leaving fewer and fewer people in the changing room.

Xu Wang opened the medical kit and treated Wu Sheng’s wound. On the side, Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin, and Chi Yingxue, unable to help, began to change their clothes themselves.

Qian Ai really enjoyed the leisure activity of bathing. Before he was sucked into the Owl, he used to visit the bath center near his residence every few days. It wasn’t an expensive place; a combined ticket would allow a comfortable soak for just ten or twenty yuan.

He always thought about splurging one day on a high-end, luxurious bathhouse. Today, his wish was fulfilled with this bath center inside the owl, certainly luxurious enough, but Qian Ai couldn’t feel any joy.

Bathing was supposed to be relaxing, but his mind was on the verge of collapse now, constantly fearing that what would come out of the shower head next might be steel needles!

In a state of despair, Qian Ai finished changing and wrapped a bath towel around his waist. When he looked up, he saw that Chi Yingxue and Kuang Jinxin were also in a similar state.

As the team captain and advisor were still not done, the three of them waited on the spot, the atmosphere cold and silent.

Qian Ai’s mind was already filled with “a hundred ways to die while bathing”, so to divert his attention, he decided to strike up a conversation with his two companions.

“Xiao Xue, I didn’t realize you had some muscles,” he commented. It wasn’t really small talk; Chi Yingxue’s physique, surprisingly muscular once he took off his clothes, was quite unexpected for Qian Ai. He was typically slim when clothed but revealed a well-toned body underneath.

After his rare compliment for Chi Yingxue, Qian Ai turned to Kuang Jinxin and immediately frowned, pulling him over, patting his shoulder blades and chest, and growing more concerned. “Xiao Kuang, you’re too thin!”

Kuang Jinxin, a bit embarrassed, quickly retorted, “I’m young and still growing!”

Qian Ai laughed, pinching his face. “Come on. You’re already twenty-three. You’re just drinking too much tea. I’ve told you so many times, you can’t drink it like water; it’s diuretic and doesn’t help you absorb nutrients!”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

As Qian Ai was about to continue his lecture, Chi Yingxue suddenly pulled the person under his arm away.

Chi Yingxue didn’t pat or hit like Qian Ai did, but just calmly observed Kuang Jinxin from head to toe, and then, in turn, pinched his face. “You’re fine as you are. No need to develop further.” Glancing at Qian Ai, he added lightly, “If you become like him, it wouldn’t be cute.”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Qian Ai, not pleased, retorted, “Don’t twist Xiao Kuang’s healthy aesthetic of masculinity.”

Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow and asked Kuang Jinxin, “Do you like his physique?”

Qian Ai answered quickly, “Of course, what else? Yours?”

Chi Yingxue ignored Qian Ai and kept his gaze on Kuang Jinxin, waiting for his response.

Qian Ai also turned his expectant gaze to Kuang Jinxin.

Kuang Jinxin, silent the whole way, now felt immense pressure.

Two seconds later.

“Captain, I think Sheng Ge can use a disposable shower cap to waterproof his foot…” Kuang Jinxin turned left and headed towards the leaders without hesitation.

Qian Ai glanced at Chi Yingxue disapprovingly. “Mixing with you every day, he’s learning bad habits.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

When the five of them truly entered the bathing area, Xu Wang’s floating stationery had reached its limit. The short-lived joy of floating, indeed, was very fleeting. He initially wanted to use new stationery to make Wu Sheng “float”, but Wu Sheng stopped him.

Because the wooden Finnish bathhouse, colored in a light yellow hue, was clearly visible.

“From now on, we must be 100% focused. Any slightest distraction is unacceptable,” Wu Sheng said. “Don’t waste your mental energy on manipulating stationery on me.”

The Finnish bathhouse at the end of the bathing area, a cozy wooden cabin, now looked like a monster’s mouth from afar.

Wu Sheng surveyed the surroundings; excluding them, there were sixteen survivors left, eight men and eight women. In the men’s bath, the leader and four male travelers were soaking in the pool, while the other three were nowhere to be seen.

He looked over the floor tiles under his feet, the ceiling above, and the visible pipeline routing of the entire bathing area. After memorizing everything, he then walked towards the Finnish bath cabin.

His steps were steady, showing no sign of injury, if one ignored the plastic shower cap on his foot.

His four companions followed closely, and in a blink, they were in front of the Finnish bath cabin.

The Finnish bath didn’t have the dense steam of a sauna. Through the glass on the door, the inside of the cabin was clearly visible—the three missing male travelers were all sitting inside, steaming in uniform postures, leaning back, heads tilted back, with wet towels covering their faces.

The wet towels make the inhaled air cooler and more comfortable. Qian Ai used to do this, but at this moment, the sight made him uneasy. “They are still… alive, right?”

Chi Yingxue said, “Dead people don’t breathe.”

Qian Ai observed closely and confirmed that the chests of the three friends inside were moving regularly, finally heaving a sigh of relief.

Xu Wang: “……”

Fortunately, they were separated by the door; otherwise, those three travelers might come over and beat them.

After confirming there were no abnormalities around, Xu Wang and Wu Sheng jointly opened the door of the cabin, one holding the handle tightly and the other bracing the edge of the door to keep it half-open. Then, they stood still by the side of the door.

Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin, and Chi Yingxue, following the previously arranged plan, entered the Finnish bath cabin one after the other.

The task of finding the badge seemed most dangerous for those entering the cabin, but it was precisely for this reason that those waiting outside were even more crucial. They had already divided their roles tactically before entering the bath center.

The entry of the three people into the cabin caused quite a stir. The three travelers, resting under towels inside, lifted their heads as Qian Ai approached the hot stone and poured a ladle of water over it. The water instantly evaporated due to the extreme heat, abruptly raising the cabin’s temperature. The intense heat was palpable, but the half-open door allowed cool air to seep in, creating a sudden temperature contrast.

Unable to bear the fluctuating temperatures, the three travelers soon left the cabin.

Now, only the three remained inside the Finnish bath cabin. Sweat beaded on their heads and bodies from the heat, but none of them paid it any attention. Their six eyes were busy searching every wooden plank, every crack, and every hidden corner inside the cabin.

Suddenly, Kuang Jinxin, who had been looking up, exclaimed with surprise, “Qian Ge, Xiao Xue, look up there!”

Following his direction, they saw a small light flickering steadily near the central light on the ceiling.

Qian Ai stretched his arms upward and jumped, but his fingertips were still a few centimeters away from the ceiling, even after several attempts.

Helplessly, he turned to Kuang Jinxin. “Climb on my neck.”

Kuang Jinxin nodded and promptly stepped forward without hesitation. Badges were the priority at that moment.

As Qian Ai bent his knees to lower himself, Kuang Jinxin was about to climb on his back when a voice announced in their ears—

[Owl: Congratulations on finding the 8/23 Death Badge!]

Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin froze and turned around to see Chi Yingxue still in the posture of taking down the badge, raising an eyebrow at Qian Ai. “I’m taller than you.”

Qian Ai, at 1.9 meters, looked at his 1.87-meter-tall teammate and said with frustration, “You’re making me feel bad, aren’t you?”

Chi Yingxue replied, “Jump higher.”

Qian Ai: “…You win.”

“Bang——”

The door of the cabin suddenly closed behind them, coinciding with Qian Ai’s words.

Qian Ai’s breath hitched as he swiftly turned around to see the wooden door tightly shut, with only Wu Sheng outside, trying to pull it open. After two unsuccessful attempts, he gave up.

Gave up?!

Qian Ai panicked, rushed over, and kicked the door with all his might, but it didn’t budge.

The sauna bath doors, not equipped with locks during construction, were now tightly closed as if an evil force was preventing them from opening. The air inside became hotter, the temperature rising at an abnormally fast rate.

“Wu Sheng!” Qian Ai shouted through the glass in the door, trying to appeal to his conscience.

Wu Sheng finally looked up, giving him a reassuring look, and then silently retreated.

Qian Ai: “……”

Was there a discrepancy between what he saw in Wu Sheng’s eyes and what Wu Sheng intended?

Breathing became difficult; every inhale scorched their nostrils.

“Qian Ge.” Kuang Jinxin’s firm voice came from beside him. “Leave it to me.”

Before Qian Ai could see his teammate’s face, the entire cabin began to shake violently!

The intense shaking lasted less than three seconds, and the Finnish bath cabin disintegrated, collapsing entirely!

Strangely, each steamy wooden plank seemed to avoid them deliberately, leaving the cabin a pile of scattered wood.

The three stood amidst the rubble, unharmed.

Wu Sheng, outside the wreckage, smiled approvingly at Kuang Jinxin.

Qian Ai looked back at his teammate.

Kuang Jinxin, without waiting to be asked, said, “[(Offense) House Collapse].”

Qian Ai: “You controlled the direction of each plank’s fall?!”

Kuang Jinxin: “With a strong enough connection to the stationery, more detailed control is possible.”

Qian Ai: “……”

Are they even using the same stationery system?

Kuang Jinxin stepped out of the wooden debris, panting and looking admiringly at the advisor. “Sheng Ge, you’re awesome.”

Wu Sheng modestly shook his head. “Just a high probability.”

Qian Ai, piecing together the events, started to understand, yet found it hard to believe. Could Wu Sheng have accurately predicted the crisis and instructed Xiao Kuang on which stationery to use? That would make him almost godlike!

“Fortunately, it was only closing the door and increasing the temperature,” Kuang Jinxin added. “If there were other factors, it would have been more difficult.”

Qian Ai was confused. “Other factors?”

“Yes.” Kuang Jinxin explained, “Sheng Ge predicted a chain of accidents. The door getting locked and the heating stones increasing in temperature was just the beginning.”

Qian Ai: “What about the intermediate and advanced levels?”

Kuang Jinxin: “Electrical leakage from the lights, wooden planks burning, uncontrollable flying hot stones… Basically, the more layers of accidents, the more difficult it gets.”

Qian Ai turned to Wu Sheng, completely convinced. “God.”

Advisor Wu modestly smiled. “Just a high probability.”

Qian Ai: “……”

“Done with the admiration? If so, hurry up to the lounge. The team leader has already taken everyone there.” A voice came from above.

Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin, and Chi Yingxue looked up to see their team captain sitting cross-legged in the air, supported by [(Defense) Flying Trapeze Artist], seemingly overseeing everything for quite some time.

Wu Sheng asked, “Did you lock on the target?”

Xu Wang narrowed his eyes. “Definitely.”

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