Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 91: Manual

“Ding—”

The second alert sound interrupted the discussion on the other end, as did the eye contact here.

The five companions looked at their arms together. This time, the coordinates received were for 7/23.

“Chongqing.” After a few seconds of thought, Wu Sheng matched the location with the number.

“Hot pot, skewers, hot and sour noodles…” Qian Ai, already smelling the rich aroma, was lost in endless fantasies.

“And the sky train!” Kuang Jinxin had seen videos of the light rail train passing through the high altitudes of the mountain city. It was magical and cool!

“Chongqing…” Captain Xu, who was eager to return to Beijing, felt a bit complicated.

Chi Yingxue looked at Wu Sheng, who instantly determined the location, and the other three, who trusted his judgment without doubt, feeling even more complicated… Had he missed some step of verifying the location with stationery?

As time passed, most of those who wanted to pass the challenge gathered their teams and left the banquet hall. The ones remaining were either those like them, who didn’t need to pass the challenge, or those who couldn’t gather a team or find one.

Kuang Jinxin took some delicious-looking cakes from the dining table and shared them with his friends. When he offered one to Chi Yingxue, he was rejected.

“I hate sweets.” Chi Yingxue’s refusal was simple and direct.

“Oh.” People have their own preferences. Kuang Jinxin respected that and then gave the piece meant for Chi Yingxue to the eager Qian Ai.

Qian Ai devoured the cakes quickly, wiping his mouth afterwards, and educated Kuang Jinxin, “Remember next time, even the best things should be given to those who appreciate them.”

Kuang Jinxin earnestly remembered. “Next time there’s something tasty, I’ll give you double.”

Qian Ai patted his head with satisfaction.

Chi Yingxue, uninterested in watching the deep bond between his teammates, lowered his eyes and started to unwrap the bandage on his arm. His rough movements turned the bandage into a tight knot, increasing his frustration. In a forceful pull, he tore the bandage off, irritating the newly healed skin on his arm, leaving red marks.

In the low atmosphere, a pale-colored small square cake was handed to him.

Chi Yingxue frowned and looked up.

Kuang Jinxin seriously said, “I tried it. It’s not sweet.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

From next door, another mischievous hand reached out.

Annoying.

“Snap—”

Qian Ai’s attempt to steal cake was thwarted, leaving him with a swollen hand from the slap. Holding his struck hand, he looked pained. “Do you need to be so harsh? Are we just playing around as comrades or settling deep-seated hatreds?!”

As if he hadn’t heard, Chi Yingxue took the small square and tossed it into his mouth.

Indeed, it wasn’t sweet. There was just a faint butter taste and a hint of some unknown fruity fragrance.

Licking the cake crumbs off his thumb, Chi Yingxue felt somewhat unsatisfied and wanted to talk more with Kuang Jinxin. But when he looked up, he saw Captain Xu and Advisor Wu’s faces in front of him—one with a bright smile showing a row of white teeth, and the other with a clear, wise gaze, subtly expressing a joy and anticipation of “I think we can sit down and do some research.”

Kuang Jinxin was already taken by Qian Ai to the long dining table, happily lost in a world of cupcakes, donuts, fruit salads, and sandwiches.

Chi Yingxue discreetly shifted his gaze away from the long dining table and raised an inquiring eyebrow to the two. “?”

Captain Xu gently started. “Xiao Xue…”

Chi Yingxue smiled. “Speak. What’s, the, matter?”

Realizing that acting cute wasn’t quite suitable for the new teammate, Captain Xu immediately switched to a more serious demeanor. “I want to talk to you again about the badges.”

Upon hearing this, Chi Yingxue understood and promptly replied, “I currently have five badges. Besides the castle badge, I also have badges from levels 1, 3, 4, and 8. Except for 8/23, if guys want to collect the others, I can lead the way.”

Xu Wang was surprised by his frankness.

Wu Sheng was more concerned about the implied information in the answer. “Does the hidden location of each level’s badge never change?”

Chi Yingxue hadn’t really thought about this question. When asked, his gaze gradually drifted to an unknown place, falling into memories.

After a while.

“Hard to say.” Chi Yingxue shook his head, giving the most truthful information he could. “I only found the badges from levels 3, 4, 6, and 8 once. Only the badge from level 1, I’ve found three times, with different teams. The location was the same for the first and third times, but it changed the second time.”

Captain Xu remarked, “You mentioned earlier that the badges are related to challenges after 13/23…”

“Something I overheard from a badge-seeking team I once followed.” Chi Yingxue half-joked, half-seriously sighed with a bit of regret. “If I knew it would be useful today, I should have listened more carefully.”

Captain Xu teased, “Was it really an accidental slip of the tongue, or did you intentionally eavesdrop?”

Chi Yingxue laughed, as if recalling something interesting. “I think it’s the former, but the other party firmly believes it’s the latter.”

“……” A team strictly guarding against newcomers and a newcomer who didn’t want to blend in at all, Xu Wang really didn’t know how to comment on this kind of inevitable tragedy.

At this point, the information was clear; the new teammate could only provide “related to after 13/23” and “location information of four badges”, with the latter not necessarily still valid.

Wu Sheng fell into deep thought.

Xu Wang, after pondering for a moment, flexibly switched to Plan B, scanning the entire banquet hall and, sure enough, caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd.

Chi Yingxue had been waiting for Xu Wang to ask a certain question since the beginning of the conversation. Seeing that Xu Wang was about to stand up, he couldn’t restrain himself and took the initiative. “Aren’t you going to ask?”

Xu Wang looked back at him.

[Except for 8/23, if guys want to collect the others, I can lead the way.]

These were the new teammate’s exact words.

The meaning was already clear. Xu Wang thought they had an unspoken understanding, but now it seemed that more communication was needed.

“It wasn’t you who was looking for that badge.” Xu Wang simply stated the facts without much emotional inclination.

This wasn’t the first time Chi Yingxue revealed his split personality to a new team, but this was indeed the first time he met such a calm captain.

Suddenly, he became curious. “If one day I disappear and he comes out, would you kick me out?”

Xu Wang had actually thought about this question. “If you had asked me yesterday, I might have hesitated, as the memories of the amusement park aren’t very pleasant.”

Chi Yingxue’s smile faded, asking lightly, “Changed your mind now?”

“Last night’s badge was obtained by both of you working together,” Xu Wang said softly and sincerely, looking directly into his eyes as if to see through to another soul. “From the moment he took action, he was already a member of this team.”

Chi Yingxue narrowed his eyes, observing for a long while, then understood. “He hasn’t woken up yet. He can’t hear you talking.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Xu Wang complained, glancing at him as if the affectionate captain just now was an illusion.

Chi Yingxue: “……”

This wasn’t the first time he had been honest about his split personality with a new team, but this was the first time he encountered a captain who was so proactive and already trying to connect with the other him…

“You guys continue talking. I’ll be right back.” Seeing the person Xu Wang had locked onto chatting happily with another incomplete team, looking ready to join, Xu Wang couldn’t wait any longer. He left this message and immediately stood up, to prevent the person from disappearing into a new team before he could ask his questions.

Chi Yingxue watched him stride quickly towards the mercenary named Wang Chuming, guessing his intention.

Turning back to Wu Sheng, who was still in front of him, he couldn’t figure out what there was to talk about with him.

Wu Sheng had already sorted out the clues about the badge and could finally close this matter for the time being, opening a second line of questioning. “Are you better at close combat or long-range attacks?”

Chi Yingxue: “Huh?”

Advisor Wu continued on his own. “I notice you don’t like using stationery often. Can you specify your preference for stationery?”

Chi Yingxue: “Preference?”

Wu Sheng: “Do you prefer defense, offense, or illusory stationery? Do you prefer attack or manipulative types?”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

Wu Sheng: “Don’t worry. I won’t devise any complex tactics for you. Understanding your preferences gives you more room to perform.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

“What concerns do you have?” Wu Sheng couldn’t understand the other’s silence. “You did an excellent job with the badge-finding mission last night.” He patted his shoulder, trying to convey a reassuring strength with his determined gaze. “Keep it up. I will fulfill all your fantasies about battle.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

……

Beijing time, Xu Wang finished his secret talk with Wang Chuming and gathered all his teammates in a safe corner to share the intelligence immediately.

“A badge manual?” Everyone, including Chi Yingxue, was hearing about this for the first time.

Xu Wang nodded, looked around to ensure no one was eavesdropping, and then spoke in a low voice. “Yes, this manual has hints for the badge locations of levels 1–13.”

“I knew it.” Qian Ai finally resolved his doubts. “Finding a small badge in such a large challenge, even if it can glow, you need to search for the right place. It’s not that easy to find each one.”

Wu Sheng asked, “How can we get this manual?”

Xu Wang replied, “Buy it.”

Kuang Jinxin, Qian Ai: “Buy?”

Xu Wang: “In any shop in any level in the Owl.”

Qian Ai: “With RMB?”

Xu Wang: “Yes.”

Qian Ai: “How much?”

Xu Wang: “One hundred thousand.”

Qian Ai: “…Actually, searching the ocean is also good, really.”

“Captain.” Kuang Jinxin remembered another question. “You just asked about such a secretive matter, and Wang Chuming answered?”

“I have to discuss this with you; due to the special circumstances, I used public funds,” Xu Wang said. “Intelligence fee, twenty thousand.”

Qian Ai: “Twenty thousand?!”

Xu Wang: “He hasn’t had business for a while. He’s relying on these two pieces of information for his New Year’s.”

Chi Yingxue: “Two pieces?”

Xu Wang paused, again ensuring there were no eavesdroppers, before slowly revealing the second piece of intelligence. “Thirteen badges are the key to unlocking the challenges after 13/23.”

Kuang Jinxin: “But no team has reached beyond 13/23, right?”

Xu Wang shook his head. “It’s not that no one has, but our current leaderboard only shows levels 1-13.”

Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin were both confused.

Chi Yingxue vaguely understood a bit, but it wasn’t entirely clear.

The always-quiet Wu Sheng spoke up. “High school and university.”

“Right.” Xu Wang knew his advisor would understand immediately. “The first 13 levels and the next 10 are like two completely different schools, and their report cards are independent of each other. Moreover, teams that have passed 13/23 never returned.”

“That explains why there are so many unfamiliar names on the speed rankings.” Wu Sheng finally resolved a long-standing puzzle. “Those teams that broke records might have given up later, but more likely, they’ve advanced to higher challenges.”

“If they never returned,” Qian Ai wondered, “where did Wang Chuming get his information?”

“From the endless sea.” Xu Wang sighed. “I heard it cost a pretty penny to buy.”

Qian Ai: “Definitely not cheap. He already scammed us out of twenty thousand.”

Xu Wang: “He was asking for fifty thousand.”

Qian Ai: “Captain, I knew I was right to trust you.”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

Now that the whole story was clear, Wu Sheng looked at Xu Wang, seeking the key point. “A shop? Payment?”

“Of course, I asked,” Xu Wang assured him with a look that said, “you can trust me with this matter”. “There’s a shop in this challenge, right below the banquet hall, and it accepts cash payments, but there’s an ATM.”

Kuang Jinxin: “We can withdraw money here?”

Xu Wang: “If Wang Chuming wasn’t lying.”

Qian Ai: “If he dares to take so much money and still give false information, I’ll chase him to the ends of the earth…”

Soon, the five of them arrived at the staircase leading to the basement level mentioned by Wang Chuming. It was an inconspicuous little door, which led to a dimly lit staircase extending downwards.

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng led the way, with Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin in the middle and Chi Yingxue at the back.

While descending, Chi Yingxue was still pondering how Xu Wang instantly grasped the whole picture from Wu Sheng’s simple words “A shop? Payment?” It wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred. Apart from carrying a passive-activated [(Illusory) Soul Understanding], Chi Yingxue couldn’t think of any other explanation…

Three minutes later, they reached the bottom of the stairs, where a very simple grocery store awaited them. It resembled a stall commonly seen in a vegetable market, with various items laid out haphazardly. A smiling old lady sat inside, welcoming them with her kind eyes as they appeared at the top of the stairs.

This so-called “basement level” was just a small area, enough for the grocery store and an ATM, leaving barely any room for the five of them.

“What would you like?” the old lady asked kindly. “Sugar? Fruits? Bread?”

Xu Wang stepped forward, saying clearly, “I would like to buy a badge manual.”

The old lady still smiled warmly. “Two hundred thousand. Please pay in cash.”

Xu Wang, Qian Ai: “……Wasn’t it one hundred thousand?!”

The old lady looked confused. “Hmm?”

The teammates unanimously turned to their team captain.

Captain Xu felt immense pressure. “Wang Chuming definitely said it was one hundred thousand, and it was bought in this challenge, but that was half a year ago. It’s possible that prices have soared since then…”

Qian Ai despaired. “Isn’t this price increase a bit too extreme…”

Wu Sheng sighed, asking the most practical question. “How much is left in the public funds?”

Xu Wang sighed even deeper. “I just spent twenty thousand, so there’s only one hundred and forty thousand left.”

They had been busy in the Endless Sea for a month, and this was all they had saved in the public wallet. They thought they were being economical, but now they were in debt overnight.

“Let’s pool our resources,” Qian Ai, heartbroken, suggested. “We need to buy it anyway, better sooner than later.” If they waited and the price increased further, he feared every time he saw the manual, his heart would ache.

Xu Wang: “That’s the only option.”

Fortunately, not all the cash from the Endless Sea’s treasure chest had been confiscated; some went to those who opened the chest.

Given the circumstances, they had to contribute as much as they could.

Xu Wang prepared to withdraw the public account funds from the ATM, inserting the card.

Just as he was about to insert the card, a hand suddenly appeared, blocking the slot.

Xu Wang followed the arm to its owner, Chi Yingxue. “What’s wrong?”

Chi Yingxue’s eyes held a faint question. “Public wallet?”

Xu Wang had only discussed emotions with the new teammate, planning to talk about money once their relationship was stable. Otherwise, if they disbanded tomorrow after paying today, it would be awkward to discuss refunds.

But since the new teammate brought it up, he took the opportunity to explain. “Yes, we set up a team public account for all team expenses on an AA* basis.”

*It’s a term basically meaning going Dutch (where everyone pays for their own expenses).

Chi Yingxue thought for a moment, then confirmed again. “There’s only one hundred and forty thousand left in the account?”

“Yes.” Now that they were on the topic, Xu Wang had nothing to hide.

Chi Yingxue pulled out a wallet from his pocket, inserted a card into the ATM. “I benefited from the intelligence. I’ll pay my share for the manual. It’s only fair that I contribute.”

Xu Wang was surprised by how swiftly he took action. Before he could say anything, Chi Yingxue was already entering his PIN.

The other four teammates instinctively turned away to avoid seeing the PIN.

For the next few minutes, they just heard the machine counting and dispensing money.

Finally, when everything quieted down, they turned back to see Chi Yingxue holding a stack of cash, which was quite a spectacle.

“Is that… forty thousand?” Qian Ai blinked hard, feeling his perception of money’s volume a bit blurred.

“One hundred thousand,” Chi Yingxue replied.

Xu Wang held his forehead, worried about his new teammate’s math skills. “Even adding the previous twenty thousand, the public wallet only has one hundred and sixty thousand. Each person should contribute forty thousand. Why are you taking out one hundred thousand?”

Chi Yingxue explained, “Forty thousand for tuition, sixty thousand as a transfer sponsorship fee.”

Kuang Jinxin: “Transfer?”

Qian Ai: “Sponsorship?”

Xu Wang looked at his new teammate with mixed feelings. “I just want to ask one question. How did such a shiny classmate like you end up with no school willing to take you in?”

Chi Yingxue slightly curled his lips. “Perhaps they still think that money is less important than life.”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Is this some kind of midnight horror story?!

“Alright, now that you’ve joined our team, even if you’re rich, you have to follow our rules,” Xu Wang said. “The cost of the badge manual will be split equally among us.”

The captain’s word was final—no objections allowed.

Under the supervision of his teammates, Chi Yingxue redeposited the extra money. While listening to the machine count the cash, he wondered if he was the first customer to use the machine’s “deposit” feature.

They handed over two hundred thousand in cash to the old lady, who counted it carefully. After she counted the last bill, all the money suddenly vanished.

At the same time, all five of them heard a “ding——”

Inside their [Stationery Box], in the hidden item compartment for storing badges, a new icon appeared in the bottom right corner. [Small Booklet].

Upon opening it, the hints for the hidden badges from levels 1–13 were revealed—

Bear’s Paw.

Land of Rampant Desire.

Waxing Crescent Moon.

Ghost in the Wall.

Water Lily.

Wu Sheng: “The hints for 4/23 and 6/23 don’t match the methods and locations where we found the badges.”

Xu Wang: “Wang Chuming said these hints change periodically as the corresponding badges are found.”

Qian Ai: “Can I apply to permanently skip the fifth level…”

Kuang Jinxin: “Qian Ge, don’t you love horror movies? Whether they’re Chinese, American, Japanese, Korean, Indian, or Thai.”

Qian Ai: “Just because I like watching them doesn’t mean I like digging into walls to find ghosts…”

“Did everyone receive the manual?” From behind the miscellaneous goods, the old lady’s caring voice came.

Xu Wang returned a painful but polite smile to the old lady. “Yes, we received it.”

Forty thousand per person!

“Good to hear.” The old lady was relieved, then reached out to an old-fashioned European-style cast iron bell next to her. “Now for the free gift.”

The teammates: “……Free gift?”

“Ding ding ding~~~”

As the bell rang out with an antique sound, the five friends felt a darkness before their eyes and their bodies lightened.

When they opened their eyes again, they were standing in front of a familiar European-style manor.

“Ding—”

[Cheat Sheet]: Welcome to the [Flying Island VIP Lounge].

“Ding—”

[Cheat Sheet]: Dear guests, I am the butler of this place, Xiao Feidao! I will guide you from now on, ensuring you are fully recharged before the next midnight arrives.

“Captain!” Kuang Jinxin looked at Xu Wang excitedly. “This is the Flying Island’s VIP Lounge!”

Qian Ai couldn’t help but pat their captain on the back. “We just saved on airfare! Haha!”

Wu Sheng was also satisfied. “Now we can focus on planning our tactics.”

Chi Yingxue was indifferent to food and accommodation, but resting comfortably was certainly better than being on the road.

Among all the teammates, only Captain Xu looked up at the sky in silence.

He wanted to return to Beijing!

This “accidental” transport to a faraway place like Chongqing—what kind of devil’s gift was this?!

……

Twenty-two hours later, the rare extended rest in Beijing time left the teammates more spirited than ever. Even the sulky Captain Xu, after a long sleep, had come to terms with it. After all, having waited ten years, another day and a half didn’t make much difference.

Regarding the challenge of 7/23, Chi Yingxue provided clear and simple information: it was a board game.

There was no map, no new world, no quest line—just each team selecting a representative to play a board game in a room with only one round table.

As for the content of the board game and whether there would be any other storylines or tasks interrupting the game, Chi Yingxue knew nothing. The only time he entered 7/23, just as he saw his team’s representative enter the game room, his body switched to his other self.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 90: Treatment

7 a.m., Anyang City, a luxury suite in a hotel.

This was a spacious suite, large enough to host a small party. Seven hours earlier, Wang Duanran’s team of five was leisurely chatting here, discussing whether to help another team submit their task after obtaining the Castle Badge, to end the challenge early and come back for a rest.

At that time, none of the five could have imagined that they would welcome the sunrise in a state of physical and mental exhaustion.

The first to be hit by the sunlight was Jiang Dachuan, lying on the sofa near the window. He irritably covered his eyes, and after a while, feeling the heat, he slapped the sofa and sat up abruptly, finally erupting, “If we had given our all from the start, we could have definitely won!”

Kong Lizhe, lying on a nearby recliner and playing with a spare phone, didn’t take his eyes off it. “Being able to make others underestimate you is also a kind of strength.”

Jiang Dachuan was frustrated. If making the opponent underestimate them was a tactic, then the bizarre appearance of [Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea] was definitely crucial…

No, he felt uncomfortable just thinking about it. He wanted to report it!

Gu Nian closed the detective novel he had been unable to get into and looked up. He rarely had things he couldn’t understand, but this morning, the confusion lingering on his face was evident. “How exactly did they break the [Meng Po Soup]…”

At the same time, Anyang City, a standard double room in an ordinary hotel.

Chi Yingxue finally fell asleep after Kuang Jinxin experimentally gave him a second pillow.

Even though he was about the same height as Wu Sheng, around 187 or 188 cm, curled up, he didn’t take up much space. Lying there with a pillow under his head and hugging another, his expression was relaxed and even a bit lazy from exhaustion, but his body was tense, as if trying to curl into an invisible point.

The contrast between his defenseless sleeping face and his extremely guarded sleeping posture was stark and strange.

The four teammates squatting by the bed looked at each other, communicating silently through their eyes—

Xu Wang nodded slightly—He should be really asleep this time.

Kuang Jinxin let out a slight sigh of relief—Mm.

Wu Sheng curiously raised an eyebrow—How did you think to give him another pillow?

Kuang Jinxin tilted his head, hands cupped beneath his chin—Holding something while sleeping feels secure.

Qian Ai widened his eyes—What are you all even talking about?!

Ever since coming out from the Owl, Chi Yingxue had been in a state of confused consciousness. He was mumbling incoherently, not fully asleep, yet not fully awake. The four teammates, not knowing where he stayed the previous night, had to carry him back to their hotel.

Advisor Wu analyzed for the teammates the cause of this situation—memory loss from [Meng Po Soup] affecting a single personality, leading to the switch to a second personality, and the restoration of the first personality after breaking the [Meng Po Soup] spell, leading to a competition between the two personalities.

The teammates listened carefully and silently digested this for half a minute.

From the time they returned to the hotel, the four had been by the bed, not moving an inch, worrying about Chi Yingxue’s restlessness. Now, they could finally relax a bit and take a breather.

They were unaware of when the day had broken. Looking outside now, it was already bright and sunny.

“Buzz—”

The vibrating sound of a phone rang out in the quiet room.

The four teammates were startled, looking at each other with innocent faces, searching for the source of the sound, only to find it under the blanket on the bed, from the new teammate’s phone.

The recently asleep Chi Yingxue became restless again, seemingly annoyed by the sound, frowning and hugging the pillow tighter.

The vibration finally stopped.

But before the teammates could relax, the “buzzing” started again, relentless.

“Nn—” Chi Yingxue groaned uncomfortably, eyes still closed, but one hand, as if with its own consciousness, released the pillow, fumbled for the phone, digging it out of his trouser pocket, and threw it away.

The four teammates by the bed were completely unprepared for this action, instinctively dodging to avoid being hit in the face by the flying phone.

The poor phone landed onto the carpet with a thud, still vibrating.

The teammates: “……”

Wastefulness is the deadliest thing!

Chi Yingxue, now comfortable, turned over and continued sleeping.

On the other side, Xu Wang quickly picked up the innocent phone, noticing that although it landed on the carpet, the corner of the screen was still cracked.

Two missed calls on the phone—from Chi Zhuolin.

“Buzz—”

Great, the third call was coming in.

Xu Wang hesitated between answering and muting it, but on the bed, Chi Yingxue suddenly opened his eyes, clear and alert, devoid of any confusion or fatigue—a stark contrast to the pillow-loving person a second ago.

The three teammates by the bed were caught off guard, unsure how to greet him.

Chi Yingxue sat up, glanced at the bed, then at Xu Wang and the familiar phone in his hand, understanding the situation.

“You guys must have had a hard time because of me,” he said apologetically and calmly, with warmth. “I’m back.”

Those simple words carried a declaration of sovereignty.

When he was previously restless, the teammates even discussed that if the awakened personality was a different one, whether they would have to “welcome” him again or bring up the “grudges of the amusement park” and the “achievement of obtaining the badge”. Now, it seemed that none of those were necessary.

The awakened Chi Yingxue was the same as when they first met, distinct from the Chi Yingxue who was dressed in beach holiday style in the cold at the amusement park, making it hard to mistake him for anyone else.

Xu Wang quickly handed him the phone, wanting to explain that the screen was cracked by his own doing, but the fourth vibration came.

Chi Yingxue took the phone, not even looking at the cracked screen corner, pressed to answer, and got out of bed.

“Did you break your phone again—”

As soon as the call connected, this sentence sprang from the earpiece, carrying the impatience of the previous unanswered calls and an almost divinatory guess at the situation.

“Chi Zhuolin, it’s me.” Chi Yingxue pressed the phone to his ear, making the voice from the earpiece indistinct.

“Yes…”

“Henan…”

“Pretty good…”

“Who knows…”

As Chi Yingxue entered the bathroom and closed the door, the call was completely cut off.

From start to finish, the teammates only heard one sentence from the other end of the phone, but Chi Yingxue’s five sentences left them completely baffled.

“Chi Zhuolin?” Wu Sheng repeated the name just heard.

“Yes, Zhuo as in ‘outstanding’, Lin as in ‘to arrive’*.” Xu Wang was the only one who had seen how those few characters were written.

*Clarity: [Zhuo] (卓) from [zhuoyue] (卓越). [Lin] (临) from [Jianglin] (降临).

Kuang Jinxin asked, “Both are surnamed Chi. Is it a family member?”

Qian Ai frowned. “The way he’s calling non-stop, it sounds more like a debt collector.”

The gossip was brief, as Chi Yingxue ended the call and came out of the bathroom.

Before his teammates could ask, he explained directly. “Chi Zhuolin,” pausing for a moment before adding, “is my brother.”

The four teammates: “…Oh.”

Guessing he was a relative, and with the teammate being upfront about it, there seemed little else to respond with other than nodding.

“It’s nothing. I’m always running around outside every day, so it’s just a routine check-in.” Chi Yingxue put his phone back in his pocket.

This further explanation dispelled any doubts the four might have had. It was a private matter, after all, and basic communication sufficed.

“Where are you staying?” Xu Wang asked. “Are you going back to rest, or are you checking out and moving over to join us?”

Chi Yingxue pondered for a moment, sensing the implication of victory in the question, and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You submitted the papers?”

“Yes.” Xu Wang was about to ask if he still had amnesia, but then realized that at the moment of obtaining the badge, it wasn’t the Chi Yingxue in front of him and hurriedly corrected himself. “Both the badge and the submission were successfully completed.”

Having a teammate with dual personalities was useful, but it could be exhausting…

Chi Yingxue tilted his head slightly, looking over his four teammates with a bit of surprise. “Those few with good strength, not bad.”

He knew he was capable of obtaining the badge, even if it required the other him to step in, but he didn’t expect the remaining four to also complete the submission.

The new teammate’s recognition left the team in an awkward silence.

After a while.

Wu Sheng patted their team captain on the shoulder. “Let it be.”

Xu Wang nodded. “Building a sense of team belonging takes time.”

Qian Ai brainwashed himself. “Just focus on combat ability, yes, combat ability.”

Kuang Jinxin shook his head in resignation, then turned to look at Chi Yingxue’s arm, which was slightly stained red through the bandage. “You should change that dressing.”

“……” Chi Yingxue felt like their words all translated to the same thing—there will be time in the future. I don’t have the same opinion as you now.

In the end, Chi Yingxue didn’t change the dressing and went back to his own hotel. Fortunately, he had a bit of team spirit left and said he would pack up his stuff and check out to join them in the evening for the “Owl”.

Watching Chi Yingxue get into a taxi, Qian Ai couldn’t help but mutter, “Does he not know what pain is?”

No one spoke.

That question could only be answered by Chi Yingxue himself.

Back in their room, the four teammates each took a nap. Wu Sheng fell asleep almost as soon as he lay down. The battles of the night had been as exhausting as three nights combined, and now he didn’t want to move even a finger, letting both his body and mind recharge.

Xu Wang was also tired and lay on the bed, but he couldn’t fall asleep.

He had been worried about Chi Yingxue before and hadn’t had time to think about anything else. Now that he was alone with his thoughts, the letters that had been lurking at the bottom of his heart started to stir, making him restless.

His biggest regret now was not bringing those letters with him.

How heavy could a few pieces of paper be? Could they earn interest hidden at home?!

If he could use a stationery item, he would immediately use an [(Illusory) Out-of-Body Experience] to rush back to Beijing. But reality was that his teammates were looking forward to the next day’s rewards and the day after’s new challenges. He couldn’t just suddenly say he wanted to go back to Beijing, could he?

Of course, if there was a valid reason, he believed his teammates wouldn’t mind accompanying him back once. But could he tell them? Could he say, “I think there might be an unsolved code from ten years ago, and now I want to go back and take another look, to study it”?

…Why did he have to like Wu Sheng so much! If he liked a simple and sweet person, he might already be in the seven-year itch phase by now!

Wu Sheng woke up in the afternoon. Opening his eyes, he saw his team captain sleeping on the other bed, turned towards him, with furrowed brows and a tight grip on the blanket, looking angry as if fighting someone in his dreams.

He thought the other must be dreaming about the challenge. After watching quietly for a while, he couldn’t resist reaching over to gently smooth the furrow on his team captain’s brow.

Only when Xu Wang’s brow relaxed did Wu Sheng get up satisfied, refreshed, and went to the bathroom to start a new day!

In the evening, the fully reunited team of five had their first meal together in full force at a hotel nearby.

During the meal, Xu Wang, on behalf of the whole team, extended a warm and friendly welcome to the new teammate, Classmate Chi. The latter seemed not quite used to such a team-building atmosphere and was initially a bit uncomfortable. However, when Qian Ai started live streaming, the other members naturally dispersed, leaving the camera to the host for a solo shot. Amidst phrases like “Thanks to Brother XX for the yacht” and “What? It’s a sister, haha,” he continued to eat and drink with ease. After this, Chi Yingxue didn’t have any more issues adapting…

Like the “[Mirage] plan” from the night before, it was better not to overthink it and just go with the flow.

Another midnight arrived, and the small team, no longer needing to complete challenges, refreshed in the banquet hall.

As soon as they stood still, they received the reward notification—

Xu Wang’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Slipping Hands], [(Offense) Voodoo Doll], [(Illusory) Don’t Want to Grow Up].

Wu Sheng’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Poison Immunity], [(Offense) Travel Hammer], [(Illusory) I’m Really Scared].

Qian Ai’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Cloak of Invisibility, [(Offense) Gemini Jumping Machine], [(Illusory) Ah, Dropped Money]

Kuang Jinxin’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Lost in a Five-Mile Fog], [(Offense) Whose Hand is Brushing Your Black Hair, Whose Hand], [(Illusory) Reincarnate of Hua Tuo*].

*Hua Tao was a Chinese physician famous for his medical skills, so this stationery is basically saying someone as skilled (in medicine) as Hua Tao (thus his reincarnation).

Chi Yingxue’s [Stationery Box]: Received [(Defense) Mr. Thirteen of the Middle Ring], [(Offense) Romantic Afternoon Tea], [(Illusory) I Advise You to Be Kind].

The five teammates found a secluded corner to check the rewards and naturally shared with each other.

Xu Wang: “Lao Qian, your illusory stationery [Ah, Dropped Money] won’t backfire on the teammates, right?”

Qian Ai: “As the team captain, shouldn’t you be more concerned about the user, me?!”

Kuang Jinxin: “Sheng Ge, what does your illusory stationery [I’m Really Scared] mean?”

Wu Sheng: “I’ll tell you once I’ve figured it out.”

Qian Ai: “Hey, Xiao Xue, I’m familiar with [Mr. Thirteen of the Middle Ring]!”

Chi Yingxue: “Xiao… Xue?”

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Reincarnate of Huo Tuo] on you~~]

Chi Yingxue’s dangerous gaze, brewing due to the new nickname, dissipated cleanly amidst the sudden prompt sound.

The nail injury under the arm bandage and various bruises from the physical fight with Jiang Dachuan were all healed in an instant, as good as new.

Those pains he didn’t care about, but were real, disappeared without a trace.

Only he could hear this prompt; Wu Sheng, Xu Wang, and Qian Ai were still discussing the uses of the new stationery, leaving Kuang Jinxin, who was staring at him, as if waiting for the effect.

Their eyes met, and the user asked uncertainly. “Is it okay now?”

Chi Yingxue nodded lightly. “Yes, full status.”

Kuang Jinxin sighed in relief; his expression seemed to say, That’s good.

Chi Yingxue smiled faintly. “Actually, it wasn’t necessary.”

Kuang Jinxin asked, “Does he also not fear pain?”

Chi Yingxue paused, and after a while, he realized who was being asked about and laughed. “Being overly sentimental” was a very novel experience for him—uncomfortable, but interesting.

“He does. He fears pain terribly.” His tone rose, carrying pleasure and schadenfreude.

Kuang Jinxin slightly frowned, feeling that the answer had a bit of intentional provocation.

“Hey.” Chi Yingxue suddenly leaned in close with a smile on his lips, but his eyes were cold. “Is this illusory stationery for me, or for him?”

Kuang Jinxin didn’t dodge, looking straight into his eyes. “For my teammate.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 89: Victory

In mid-air, the cloud, finally neutralized by stationery from the effect of [Rising From the Ground], descended back to its original height.

A few meters away, the egrets were lined up in a row.

Xu Wang and his team didn’t dare to move rashly. Attacking from above wasn’t a winning strategy and going down to support Chi Yingxue risked being ambushed from behind by the cloud freed from [Rising From the Ground].

So, they firmly stuck to the original plan, one “dragging” and one “blocking”—dragging out time for Chi Yingxue to fight and blocking the cloud from the periphery.

However, they still couldn’t prevent what happened next. Kuang Jinxin, responsible for monitoring Chi Yingxue, was the first to report: “Captain, something’s wrong with him!”

All four looked down and saw Jiang Dachuan climbing up, with Chi Yingxue below, holding his foot but clearly enduring immense pain!

It was at this moment that the cloud descended to the same height as the egrets.

Chen Guan shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “It’s clear you’re determined to keep us away from the tree, so we won’t insist. But don’t be naive enough to think that we can’t attack just because we’re not close.

“Chi Yingxue—” Xu Wang didn’t bother with this provocation and directly asked his teammate below. “What’s the name of the stationery—”

There was no response.

Their newly frenzied teammate had blocked out everything around him. In his world, there was only Jiang Dachuan—he wouldn’t stop until Jiang Dachuan died!

Xu Wang felt conflicted; dealing with a teammate who went berserk at a moment’s notice was tough!

Without knowing the name of the stationery, the four of them couldn’t even begin to help from a distance!

“It looks like his heart is being stabbed,” Qian Ai offered his assistance. “I’ve experienced it. Everyone looks like this after being pierced!”

Xu Wang: “……”

[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Heart of Steel*] on you~~]

*A man’s heart is as firm as steel/iron.

The stabbing pain in Chi Yingxue’s heart slowly faded away with the notification sound.

He took a light breath and smiled faintly at Jiang Dachuan above.

Jiang Dachuan, with one foot in his opponent’s hand, had been watching closely the whole time, and this smile sent chills down his spine.

He was going to lose.

Jiang Dachuan had a clear premonition.

He had faced many opponents and fought countless close-combat battles, but this was the first time he felt “fear” from an opponent.

This fear wasn’t about the opponent’s incredible combat strength, but something in his bones—something not human.

His ankle, now held by a recovered Chi Yingxue, was suddenly yanked!

Jiang Dachuan was pulled down from the tree trunk!

He managed to punch Chi Yingxue squarely in the chin, but Chi Yingxue returned a fierce kick to Jiang Dachuan’s calf with enough force that it could fracture his fragile body!

Jiang Dachuan went down and, in the last moment of his slide, wrapped his arms around a branch, barely hanging on without falling into the sea!

Chi Yingxue frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied that it wasn’t a fatal blow.

Jiang Dachuan prepared for his fingers to be broken or stepped on, but that move was actually very low. It wasn’t about looking good or bad, but because it had too many flaws. As long as Chi Yingxue dared to come close, he was confident he could pull him down first!

“You’re overthinking,” Chi Yingxue suddenly said, his voice carrying a certain pleasure and joy, matching his shining eyes. “I’m not interested in your fingers.”

He lightly jumped onto a nearby branch and then looked at the base of the branch holding Jiang Dachuan, eyes slightly narrowing, and raised his leg to kick!

Jiang Dachuan gasped.

Chi Yingxue wasn’t going to kick him; he was aiming to break the entire branch!

Jiang Dachuan had no doubt that Chi Yingxue had the strength to do it!

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Meng Po Soup*] on you~~]

*This comes from Chinese folklore, where you’re fed this soup once you die and transverse the underworld. The soup makes you forget everything, so you can reincarnate when you reach the Naihe Bridge.

Just as Chi Yingxue’s foot was about to touch the branch’s base, he heard the notification in his ear.

Then, Chi Yingxue froze.

Maintaining the kicking pose, he stood there, looking at the tree, then at his own foot, and then at Jiang Dachuan, utterly bewildered.

……

In Room 1639.

Zou Jun: “What’s happening?”

Zhu Mo: “Some kind of stationery forcing love and peace, or amnesia, perhaps.”

Feng Rang: “Why be the vanguard when you can be played to death like this…”

Wei Menghan: “……”

Zhu Mo: “Teacher Wei?”

Wei Menghan: “The outcome is decided. But they’ve already done well to last this long.”

Zhu Mo understood his team leader’s point. Psychic control-type illusory stationeries were almost unsolvable unless you happened to have the one or two stationeries that could counter them.

He looked up at the few people on the egret. From the team captain to the team members, their eyes all showed more or less a hint of panic. Clearly, they had no solution to this illusory stationery.

But—

Zhu Mo’s gaze fell on the only calm face among them.

He didn’t know his name, but if he remembered correctly, this should be the advisor. And now, in his eyes, he saw an astonishing composure and confidence.

“They might not lose.” Zhu Mo paused, then shook his head. “No, they will win.”.

……

Mid-air.

Xu Wang made a decision and looked at Wu Sheng.

However, the latter gently shook his head.

Unable to hold back, Xu Wang blurted out in urgency, “Are we still waiting?”

Wu Sheng remained silent, but his attitude was clear.

Xu Wang anxiously looked down. Jiang Dachuan was about to climb onto a branch. Now, Chi Yingxue seemed like an innocent and naive girl who could be easily pushed off without using force.

They held the trump card but delayed until now. If they failed, they would vomit three pounds of blood!

“We can’t break the illusion,” Xu Wang said, not fearing being overheard by the opponents. The priority was to remind his own advisor.

“I know.” Wu Sheng also watched below. Every second now could affect the battle. “But don’t forget, he’s not fighting alone.”

Xu Wang instantly understood his intention and said in disbelief, “Are you betting on this at such a time?”

“It’s not a bet, but maximizing the potential of variables,” Wu Sheng replied, looking at Xu Wang. “That is, if you really want to integrate him into our combat system.”

Xu Wang looked at his advisor and finally made up his mind. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Qian Ai: “……”

What did the leaders discuss? They couldn’t understand at all!

On the opposite cloud.

Kong Lize: “They…”

Gu Nian: “Are using us…”

Chen Guan: “To adapt?”

“Dachuan!” Wang Duan suddenly exclaimed with worry and disbelief.

Everyone immediately looked down!

But it was too late.

Jiang Dachuan, who had just managed to climb back onto the branch due to the opponent’s memory loss, fell into the sea along with his branch.

His face showed disbelief as he fell.

While Chi Yingxue, seemingly indifferent, reached a higher position, not even glancing at the broken branch, as if he knew Jiang Dachuan had no way back.

He easily picked a shiny badge.

[Owl: Congratulations on finding the Castle Badge of 6/23!]

Everything happened in a flash—too fast for Jiang Dachuan to react and too unexpected for the four on the cloud!

Even Kuang Jinxin and Qian Ai were baffled, while Wu Sheng just shrugged at Xu Wang. “I told you, I would improve.”

Xu Wang wanted to rush at him with the egret. “How can you be so cool!”

……

An hour ago, after returning safely from the oil painting, on the way to tell the truth to the girl with braids in 1829.

A secret conversation among the team leaders happened.

Xu Wang: “Chi Yingxue won’t cooperate with our tactics. He likes freedom.”

Wu Sheng: “Not even a little hope?”

Xu Wang: “No.”

Wu Sheng: “Understood, I will improve.”

Xu Wang: “You will improve?”

Wu Sheng: “A mature combat system must accommodate all variables. If it can maximize the utility of variables, it will approach perfection.”

Xu Wang: “Well, don’t overdo it. If it’s perfect, what else is there to pursue in life?”

Wu Sheng: “God level.”

Xu Wang: “…Go ahead, strive for it, as long as you’re happy.”

……

Wang Duan didn’t want to hear the opponents complimenting each other, nor could he accept the outcome.

He looked at Chi Yingxue incredulously below. “When did you break the illusion?”

Chi Yingxue, pushing away annoying branches blocking his view, looked innocently at him. “Why break something I never fell for?”

Not only Wang Duan, but all four on the cloud were stunned.

Chi Yingxue sighed, saying earnestly, “Next time you try to control me, please use a double portion.” As he said this, his gaze shifted from their faces to their clothes, frowning. “Your taste and combat ability don’t match. These are the ugliest coats I’ve ever seen.”

Wang Duan, Chen Guan, Gu Nian, Kong Lize: “…”

Chi Yingxue gasped in pain, as if realizing it for the first time, and checked his bandaged arm, the bruises on his chest, and the soreness on his chin. Each injury he found deepened his frown, not in pain but simple unhappiness.

[Your only task is the badge.]

Wu Sheng’s mission echoed in his mind.

It must be Wu Sheng.

Throughout the battle, this mission, like a brand, was repeatedly emphasized in his mind by that person, almost brainwashing.

He couldn’t ignore it, even if he wanted to.

Chi Yingxue looked down at his chest, as if, through it, he could see someone else.

He hadn’t cooperated with his other self for many years, especially in the last two, almost becoming enemies. He never expected that they would cooperate again, especially for a team they joined only hours ago.

At least for the near future, he shouldn’t be kicked out. Chi Yingxue thought, not too sure.

On the clouds, all four pairs of eyes darkened, and even the usually calm Gu Nian showed a faint killing intent.

Xu Wang could feel it, and so could the onlookers like Han Buting and Wei Menghan.

In Room 1024.

“They’re serious now,” Han Buting said quietly.

Li Zijin didn’t understand. “Weren’t they serious before?”

Han Buting shook his head, no longer speaking.

It wasn’t just about being unserious; from the beginning, those on the clouds didn’t take their opponents seriously. Just like their team during the ambush in the amusement park, they thought it was easy, but the result was the same as today’s cloud team.

This fundamental mindset acted like a ceiling, unconsciously limiting their combat ability.

Even though they were irritated and hindered just now, they still thought it was within their control. This “contempt” was the main reason they lost the badge.

Now, with all goals gone, those on the clouds finally showed their true combat spirit.

On the clouds.

Chen Guan stared at Xu Wang and his team, asking without turning his head, “How much longer for the pause button?”

Kong Lize answered, “Six minutes.”

Chen Guan nodded. “Enough.”

Xu Wang frowned. “You still want to fight even without the badge?”

Wang Duan said, “From the moment you provoked us, you should have been prepared to go home early.”

Xu Wang was speechless. “It was you who provoked us first!”

Wang Duan replied, “But you ended up getting the badge.”

Xu Wang: “…That’s true.”

Wang Duan’s curly hair was almost dry from anger. “So since you got the badge, don’t just leave. It can’t be that you get all the benefits so easily.”

Xu Wang sighed and moved slightly out of the way on the white egret.

Advisor Wu calmly stepped forward. “You might not know, but our team’s principle is to have fun in challenges.”

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Time Flies] on you~~]

The four on the cloud were stunned. The shock of this moment surpassed all they had faced that night!

How is that possible?

How could it be?

Holding such an illusory stationery, fighting with them for so long, and using up so many stationeries, what for?!

Before the question could be asked, everyone—whether in battle or spectating—heard a notification sound that belonged to them.

[Owl: Dear~ I’m giving you an early holiday. Sending you home.]

[Owl: Congratulations on passing the 6/23 test and handing in your papers! See you tomorrow~~]

The latter sentence was the belated happiness for Xu Wang’s small team.

……

In a very remote part of Anyang city, under a sky covered with dark clouds blocking the moonlight, the darkness was eerily silent.

In the overgrown grass, where a person drenched and sullen was already standing, nine more appeared out of thin air after a while.

One of them appeared close to him, while the remaining eight were a few meters apart, facing each other in two groups of four.

Jiang Dachuan, full of pent-up anger and nowhere to vent, found his target of blame appearing right before him.

He didn’t even stop to think why the battle ended so quickly, but immediately bent down, grabbed Chi Yingxue by the collar, and yanked him up.

As he was about to deliver a retaliatory punch, Jiang Dachuan suddenly stopped.

The guy who had tormented him not long ago now had his eyes tightly closed, his eyebrows furrowed, sweat on his forehead, and was mumbling something like “get away”, “give it back”, “it’s not yours—”

Jiang Dachuan swallowed and felt a chill run down his spine.

This was even scarier than a ghost grabbing his foot!

“Hey, you… Don’t think you can get away with pretending to be possessed…”

“Let go of that young man!” Suddenly, a voice of justice roared nearby.

Before Jiang Dachuan could react, the person he was holding was snatched away by Qian Ai.

Qian Ai turned around, handed Chi Yingxue to Kuang Jinxin, who came with him, then took out his phone, weighing it in his hand while threatening, “We’re back in a lawful society. Do you still want to fight? Don’t think I won’t start a live broadcast right here!”

Jiang Dachuan: “……”

On the other side, Wang Duanran’s team didn’t make a move, but after being beaten, they needed an explanation.

“Why didn’t you use it from the start?”

Since they had the [Time Flies] stationery, they could have used it to submit immediately during the “Pause” effect, avoiding the subsequent entanglement and tough battle.

“We did plan to use it initially, but unfortunately, your attitude was poor.” Xu Wang looked towards Wu Sheng with a sigh. “So our advisor had to adjust the battle plan.”

Wu Sheng slightly tilted his head upwards, looking towards the dark clouds with a gaze as if admiring the moon, lost in thought. “I never thought of such double happiness. It’s all destiny pushing us forward.”

Wang Duanran, Chen Guan, Kong Lizhe: “……”

Such anti-human dialogue, such a provoking demeanor…

Gu Nian: “Let’s exchange names.”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng: “Goodbye.”

……

Not far away, in the grass.

Wei Menghan’s team, lying hidden, watched Xu Wang and Wu Sheng turn around to join their other two teammates, picking up their fifth unconscious teammate, shoulder to shoulder, striding away with style.

Then… they walked faster and faster, disappearing into the vast night with a strong desire to survive.

The other team also didn’t stay long, eventually leaving silently in the opposite direction.

Heading back to the city center should be in the same direction, but the fact that the other team chose the other end, avoiding the usual path, was intriguing.

“They’re probably afraid of not being able to control themselves from fighting.” Zou Jun saw through it, hitting the nail on the head.

“However, anyone who loses so thoroughly would feel devastated.” Feng Rang felt a bit sympathetic towards the other team. “From the start, they were bound to win, ready to submit anytime if things went south.”

Zhu Mo sighed lightly, both in reflection and admiration. “But in the end, they still managed to earn the badge.”

Wei Menghan flipped over, lying on his back, looking up at the sky. The dark night matched his mood. “When we met in the Moonlight Maze, we were still acting experienced and teaching others.”

Zhu Mo patted his shoulder to comfort him. “Anyway, they are indeed a team of newcomers.”

Wei Menghan shook his head and remained silent.

Newcomers indeed, but they weren’t rookies. Clearly, they were a bunch of young phoenixes!

Once they gain experience and fully spread their wings, becoming immortal phoenixes, anyone who encounters them will be burnt to ashes…

……

Much later.

Behind a mound.

“Captain?” Li Xia looked worriedly at Han Buting, who had been silent since they emerged, and now that almost all challengers had dispersed, only their team remained in this desolate wilderness.

“It’s okay.” Han Buting rubbed his temples, turned his head, and asked Li Xia and Li Zijin, “What do you think?”

Li Zijin pouted reluctantly and grumbled, “What else can we think? If it were us today, we’d be obliterated in three minutes.”

Han Buting asked, “Replace us with which team?”

Li Zijin fell silent for a moment before saying, “It doesn’t matter which team.”

“They have changed since 3/23.” Li Xia looked at his captain. “We’re still in the same place, no, even worse.”

“Yes.” Han Buting pushed back his hair from his forehead, exhaling. “If we want to keep moving forward, we can’t keep wandering like this.”

Li Xia and Li Zijin knew that once their captain got this way, he had a plan.

“First step, solidify the team.” In the quiet night, Han Buting led his team to stand on the starting line once again.

---

The author has something to say:

A tough battle. Congratulations to Xu Wang’s small team for advancing from Bronze to Silver~~ (～￣▽￣)～

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 88: A Bitter Battle

High above, on the [Paper airplane].

“I told you there’s no need for you guys to interfere. I’ll handle it myself.” Chen Guan deliberately slowed down the last few words, emphasizing them.

Kong Lizhe and Gu Nian, who were already preparing to make a move, rolled their eyes upward upon hearing this, while the latter sought confirmation from Wang Duan with a glance.

“First, grab the badge.” Wang Duan looked at Chen Guan. “Once we have it, you can play however you like.”

Chen Guan fell silent for a few seconds, then directly asked Gu Nian, “Can we break their defense?”

Gu Nian knew his colleague had calmed down.

Eating from someone softens the mouth, taking from someone shortens the hand*. For mercenaries, Wang Duanran, a young master, was definitely a very generous boss. As long as it didn’t interfere with serious matters, he usually didn’t care about what you do.

*Proverb referring to if you take advantage of others, you will deliberately give in to them, even if they have shortcomings, thus potentially compromising your independence or ability to speak and act freely.

A generous boss means the employees shouldn’t be too willful, right?

“The effect of [(Defense) Nothing at All] is ‘disappearance’, not ‘hiding’. We don’t have any stationery that can counteract it yet,” Gu Nian analyzed calmly. “But its duration should be almost up.”

“Let’s not wait,” Chen Guan said. “Just deal with the person using the stationery.”

Gu Nian agreed, “That’s possible.”

“Then let’s start.” Kong Lizhe looked down at the tree, now a small green dot below, warming up by rotating his shoulders. “Dachuan is probably itching to kick the tree by now.”

“Whoosh—”

Before the four could act, a huge bucket of water fell from the sky, drenching them from head to toe!

Wang Duan was the most affected. His curly hair was now sticking to his scalp, losing its previously cute fluffiness.

[Owl: Someone has used [(Offense) Wet Temptation] on you~~]

Wang Duan, Chen Guan, Kong Lizhe, Gu Nian: “……”

Since joining the “Owl”, this was the first time they felt that the extremely annoying tone of the alert sounded like the original voice of the user.

Room 1024.

Han Buting’s eyes darkened slightly. “That team is getting serious now.”

“That doesn’t guarantee their absolute victory.” Li Xia looked towards the balloon house. “Those guys are tougher than when they were in the amusement park.”

Han Buting shook his head. “In a real team battle, they’re bound to lose.”

Li Xia tilted his head, pondering, and then understood. “Five against five already requires some luck. Four against five makes it slim.”

“Four against five?” Li Zijin was puzzled. “Chi Yingxue’s team isn’t missing anyone.”

“With Chi Yingxue there, it’s like being one person short,” Li Xia stated indifferently, without any emotional bias. “His combat ability is fine for one-on-one against a weaker team, but in a team battle requiring coordination, it’s iffy.”

“……” Li Zijin finally understood and had no words to reply.

More than iffy, it’s a blessing if he doesn’t sabotage his own team. He still remembers a former teammate’s “slip of the foot” on the Ferris wheel. If the subsequent madness was an uncontrollable virus, then that first act was clearly a “die together” move, utterly despairing.

“This isn’t someone who can fight in a team battle.” Han Buting looked towards the soon-to-be fierce battlefield, suddenly feeling a trace of sympathy for his former opponent. The other four’s combat ability and coordination had grown at an astonishing rate. The fifth member didn’t need to be outstanding, just adequate, but unfortunately, they chose someone who does as they please.

The battlefield outside the window was filled with a repressive quietness, a harbinger of an impending fierce battle, like the thick clouds accumulating before a storm.

This atmosphere suddenly made Li Zijin feel a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.

During league matches in the past, facing tough opponents, the team atmosphere before the battle was the same.

Along with the nostalgia, memories also surged.

They came suddenly, but vividly.

“Our team once had a substitute.” Li Zijin gazed out at the battlefield, but what appeared before his eyes were scenes of battles from game maps. “He never followed the pre-match tactics and would go crazy as soon as the fight started, acting recklessly. Sometimes a one-man show could decide the victory, but more often, he was like an undercover agent, ruining even the best situations beyond recognition…”

“The team didn’t want him anymore. Just when another club wanted to poach, my boss didn’t even raise the price and transfer him for half the fees…”

“And then?” If Han Buting had missed the point of what his teammate was getting at, he should retire as captain. “Did he suddenly reform in the new team?”

“How could he?” Li Zijin laughed, but the amusement faded quickly. “In the new team, he still couldn’t cooperate, became a substitute again, and eventually, retired.”

Han Buting expected a dramatic twist, but it turned out to be such an ordinary ending.

Li Zijin himself wasn’t sure what he was trying to express. He only knew that in one-on-one situations, almost no one could match that person, who had sharp skills that even he envied. But just like that, he faded away.

Would things have been different if he had been in a team that knew how to use him? Li Zijin didn’t know. And there wasn’t time to think about it anymore—the battle outside had begun.

Wang Duan and the others weren’t the only ones hit by [Wet Temptation]. The paper airplane beneath their feet was too. The huge origami got soaked through, immediately wilting and wobbling as it fell!

But the moment they were hit, they guessed the opponent’s intention and immediately deployed [(Defense) Rainbow Clouds]. The paper airplane was quickly replaced by floating clouds, catching the four as they landed safely on them.

Now, they were right above the balloon house, close enough to touch it.

Wang Duan vigorously shook his curly hair, mentally chanting “don’t get angry” to avoid being overwhelmed by “hatred value”.

The moment Chen Guan landed on the clouds, he activated [(Offense) Look Up to See Joy]!

In an instant, a rain of sharp “knives” fell straight down towards the [Balloon House]!

“If you dare, use [Mirage] again.” Chen Guan gazed at the face peeking out of the [Balloon House] below, speaking softly.

Captain Xu only saw the lip movement, not hearing the words.

Because the next second, countless knives pierced the balloon, and with a “bang—” it exploded into pieces!

The four watched the [Balloon House] plummet straight down, feeling slightly relieved, but they wouldn’t trip over the stone of “blind confidence” a second time.

[Owl: Someone has used [(Offense) Poison Gas Bomb] on you~~]

[Owl: Someone has used [(Defense) A Piece of Floral Cloth] on you~~]

The wheel of fortune turned, and the continuous use of stationery finally landed on Xu Wang’s small team.

The [Poison Gas Bomb] smashed through the roof and fell inside. Before the companions could react, a huge floral cloth descended from the sky, enveloping the entire wooden house like a net!

The cabin darkened instantly. Whether it was Xu Wang at the door or the companions inside, none could see each other, communicating only by voice.

“Don’t breathe—” Wu Sheng warned immediately.

Xu Wang covered his mouth and nose and shouted loudly, “Are we there yet—”

Without needing to call names, Qian Ai, using [(Defense) A Pair of Wise Eyes], automatically reported, “We are in position!”

No longer needing to delay, Captain Xu immediately deactivated one of his defense stationeries and shouted, “Xiao Kuang, Plan P!”

Kuang Jinxin: “Understood!”

Just as he was wondering, the rapidly falling wooden house wrapped in floral cloth suddenly sprouted a pair of huge wings on the outside of the cloth, as if the floral-cloth house had turned into an angel. The wings flapped powerfully upwards, and the huge air currents they created gradually slowed down the descent of the house!

The four on the cloud watched this bizarre scene, hesitating between taking action and observing.

Kong Lizhe: “Should we strike?”

Gu Nian: “In a sealed environment, the [Poison Gas Bomb] can send them home within a minute. Acting now might break the already sealed poisonous environment.”

Chen Guan: “They don’t know about the poison gas bomb being released? Even if they don’t die from the fall, they’ll still be poisoned to death.”

Wang Duanran: “Don’t you think these wings are flapping… a bit laboriously?”

The wings were wide, measuring about two meters. They spread out as they fluttered, turning the floral cloth-covered wooden house into a whimsical, winged floral bag.

The only problem was that the flapping of the wings was erratic, barely stabilizing the wooden house. No matter how varied or vigorous the flapping, the house remained stationary, with a tendency to continue descending very slowly.

Kong Lize: “What kind of rubbish armor is this?”

Gu Nian: “Flapping wings… but unable to fly?”

Chen Guan, Kong Lize, Wang Duanran: “……”

While they spoke, another dozen seconds passed.

The four of them silently counted down in their hearts. One minute left, thirty seconds, twenty seconds, fifteen seconds…

“Rip—”

“Rip—”

The sound of tearing fabric came unexpectedly!

The floral cloth covering the wooden house tore in several places, and from each tear, a black and sharp beak, resembling that of a bird, protruded!

“Not good,” Gu Nian realized. “Plan P, PAO. They’re trying to escape.”

Before the three companions could digest this almost divine deduction, several large, snow-white birds emerged from the torn fabric!

On each bird sat a person, and the whole team, riding their mounts, soared straight into the sky in a column formation!

Kong Lize: “Can’t they have some normal stationery? What is this?!”

Gu Nian: “A line of egrets… rising to the heavens?”

Chen Guan: “……”

Wang Duanran: “Gu Nian, your understanding of them makes me anxious…”

Gu Nian didn’t hear his employer’s complaint because he noticed a problem—there were only four egrets in the sky.

Chen Guan, Kong Lize, Wang Duanran realized this a half-second later than him, but almost simultaneously, the same words came to their minds—a feint to the east, attack from the west*!

*(声东击西) Idiom where you make an attack in one direction to divert attention from where the real attack is to be made.

No wonder only one person spoke from inside the house, and despite being trapped by poison gas, they dragged it out for half a minute. When the illusion of [Mirage] was dispelled and the [Balloon House] reappeared, one of them had already used invisible stationery and stealthily moved elsewhere!

The tree.

Jiang Dachuan had shifted several branches and, although his buttocks were inevitably numb, was relieved to finally see his teammates getting serious.

[Picking Leaves and Flying Petals] + [A Piece of Floral Cloth] + [Poison Gas Bomb]. A triple strike.

They should have done this from the start, no need for wasted words.

But the opponents weren’t as weak as he thought. Breaking through the floral cloth and riding big white birds into the sky had some impact.

In his view, however, this was just a matter of getting home a minute earlier or later.

Jiang Dachuan didn’t count the number of egrets. With all four teammates serious, he was especially relaxed, entering a mode of “watching the battle without using his brain”.

Yet, his combat instincts were still active.

Moreover, the murderous intent from behind was almost unmasked.

The moment a snake-like arm wrapped around his neck from behind, Jiang Dachuan grabbed the assailant’s wrist and pulled them close for an elbow strike!

Invisible? No matter. He was a hundred percent sure he hit the chest hard!

“Invisible sneak attack?” Jiang Dachuan sneered. “Those are the leftovers from playing.” With that, he released the wrist and pushed hard!

“Thump—”

The invisible person fell into the seawater beneath the tree, and when they reemerged a few seconds later. The invisibility had worn off.

Chi Yingxue swallowed the salty seawater in his mouth and looked up at Jiang Dachuan from the waves with a slowly emerging, strange excitement and anticipation in his eyes.

“Don’t disappoint me,” he said lightly, then quickly sank into the water, making no further sound.

Jiang Dachuan in the tree branch: “……”

What kind of parting threat was that? Shouldn’t it be something like, “Just you wait!”

While he was speechless, a flicker suddenly caught the corner of Jiang Dachuan’s eye—a badge!

Jiang Dachuan looked up sharply, and sure enough, about two meters above his head in the dense branches, the flash of the badge was faint but clear!

The person using the stationery hadn’t been sent home yet, still fleeing on a white bird.

That left only one reason—the stationery had expired.

A sad story indeed.

Jiang Dachuan sympathized with the opponent, who had resisted to the end, swiftly got up, hugged the main trunk of the tree, and climbed nimbly upward!

But just after climbing a bit, his ankle suddenly felt heavy. He held onto the tree trunk, frowned, and looked down. The next second, his heart skipped a beat.

A disheveled auntie with a face as white as a wall and eye sockets as black as holes—no, they were holes because she had no eyes. Her mouth was blood-red, grinning, revealing uneven teeth, eerie and ferocious!

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Ghost Grabbing Foot] on you~~]

“Mwah.” The auntie, with a radiant smile, even blew a kiss.

Jiang Dachuan: “……”

Whoever created this stationery, come out! I promise not to format you!!!

“Rustle—”

The sound of leaves rubbing came from above.

Jiang Dachuan cursed inwardly and immediately looked up. As expected, Chi Yingxue had already climbed above him. At that height, he could reach the badge with a stretch!

Jiang Dachuan kicked at the ghost while grabbing Chi Yingxue in full swing!

However, the ghost auntie seemed to have taken a liking to him and wouldn’t let go!

Jiang Dachuan jumped to the side, hooked a branch with one arm, dangled the ghost auntie with one leg, and quickly tapped out a stationery with the other hand—[(Offense) Grafting*]!

*Grafting flowers onto trees (移花接木) It’s an idiom referring to joining ranches or buds of one kind of flower or tree to another. Metaphorically, it means to covert replacement by means of means.

Chi Yingxue’s target wasn’t the badge, but when he climbed up, the badge’s light appeared.

However, the reaction from below was quick, and with a stationery thrown, the branch carrying the badge moved to a higher spot on the trunk!

Clearly, the person below couldn’t reach it and wasn’t about to let him have it cheap.

“Thud—”

A huge, dull thud sounded from above their heads—to be precise, above the tree. The noise was so loud that the tree shook.

Jiang Dachuan and Chi Yingxue looked up together. A colorful cloud carrying four people had hit some transparent barrier about half a meter above the treetop. The three on the cloud had dark faces, and one frowned.

The four egrets, not far from them, lined up by size, with Xu Wang leading. He lifted his arm to kindly advise: “[(Defense) Glass Safe], I advise you not to hit it hard. You might not care about yourselves, but at least spare a thought for the cloud.”

Chen Guan, enduring the pain in his elbow from the recent collision with the glass cover, gritted his teeth at the sight of the four bird-riders. “I was about to let you off since the badge appeared, but it seems you’re eagerly seeking death.”

“Frankly, our chances of winning are indeed not high,” Advisor Wu, always pragmatic, remarked. “But holding out until the pause button’s effect wears off doesn’t seem too difficult.”

Xu Wang leaned in, asking seriously, “Should be almost time, right?”

Wu Sheng nodded vigorously. “Yeah, similar power illusions don’t last long—just a minute or two.”

Chen Guan, Gu Nian, Kong Lize: “……”

Wang Duanran: “Could your cooperation be any more exaggerated…”

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Pause Button] on you~~]

The familiar notification echoed once more in the ears of Xu Wang’s small team.

The four riders on the egrets were startled.

Kong Lize also lifted his arm in emulation of Xu Wang. “Sorry, the effect is indeed about to expire, so let me add one more thing.”

“T—” Xu Wang suddenly shouted.

The four on the cloud instinctively braced themselves!

All four egrets flapped their wings and swiftly retreated!

Wang, Chen, Kong, Gu: “…”

Such obvious actions, why use codenames? Why not just shout “retreat” outright!

Retreating to a safe distance, Xu Wang turned serious and called out loudly to the opposite side. “The situation now is that you can’t get into the glass safe, nor can you let us in, so it’s all down to the result in the tree, one-on-one, whoever gets the badge…”

Before he could finish, a huge diamond suddenly appeared mid-air, dazzling in the sunlight!

Xu Wang’s declaration was abruptly cut off.

The diamond “clanged” against the transparent glass cover, then began to cut downwards with its sharpest point.

On the previously invisible [Glass Safe], a clear scratch mark appeared—not a straight line but a circular arc!

In the blink of an eye, a circular piece of glass was cut out and “plopped” into the sea!

“Who told you we couldn’t get in? Who’s going one-on-one or getting the badge…” Chen Guan’s irritation grew as he spoke, his tone rising. “Hey, I’m curious, how weak were the opponents you’ve faced before that gave you such miraculous confidence?”

1024: “……”

1639: “……”

“Help?” Feng Rang asked Wei Menghan.

Although there was no absolute reason to help, weighing between calling them “weak” and the “potential financial clients” they had once shared drinks with, Feng Gu’s priorities were clear.

“They’re wearing stationery,” Zhu Mo answered, casually throwing a goose feather pen from the table, which halfway through its flight, seemed to hit something and fell limply.

Feng Rang and Zou Jun were surprised; they didn’t expect the badge-seeking team to pull such a trick.

“The fight began with them wearing it,” Wei Menghan said. “They cut off the possibility of being ambushed from the start.”

Feng Rang and Zou Jun fell silent.

From the beginning, it had been a fair one-on-one, one team against another.

Outside the window, by the tree, the cloud had calmly entered the broken hole in the [Glass Safe].

The four distant egrets remained motionless.

But the moment the cloud floated in, it suddenly returned the way it came, leaving the glass cover and continuing to ascend rapidly!

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Rising From the Ground*] on you~~]

*(拔地而起) Idiom referring to something rising abruptly towering above the ground.

Wang Duanran, Kong Lize, Gu Nian: “……”

Chen Guan: “Damn, I’m almost forgetting the original meanings of these idioms…”

“Dachuan might not be able to hold him off.” Gu Nian observed while ascending rapidly, glancing down. “That Most Beautiful is very formidable.”

In the tree, their teammate was entangled with the Most Beautiful among the branches. The Most Beautiful was tightly gripping Jiang Dachuan’s arm, giving him no chance to use his stationery. Similarly, Jiang Dachuan was counterattacking; both men seemed evenly matched for the moment!

But a closer look revealed Jiang Dachuan’s eyes betraying a struggle, while the Most Beautiful’s eyes shone even brighter than before, radiating brilliance!

The cloud continued to rise!

Wang Duanran directly raised his arm, targeting the person in the tree, and activated a piece an offense stationery!

In the tree, Chi Yingxue had gained the upper hand, pressing Jiang Dachuan against the trunk, hand on his throat, almost ready to send him home. Suddenly, Chi Yingxue felt a needle-like pain in his heart!

Chi Yingxue could endure physical pain, but this kind of sharp mental agony momentarily distracted him!

Jiang Dachuan seized this opportunity, quickly disengaging and leaping to a nearby branch!

Chi Yingxue wanted to pursue, but his heart ached again—a pain he had never experienced before—bearable physically but unbearable mentally!

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Heart Piercing Pain*] on you~~]

*A pain that feels as if needles were pricking one’s heart.

Chi Yingxue held onto the trunk with one hand, his chest with the other, gently gasping for breath, sweat appearing on his forehead for the first time.

Jiang Dachuan knew his teammates must be helping, but without stopping to finish off his opponent, he climbed upwards, prioritizing the badge!

But his ankle was grabbed again!

Jiang Dachuan was close to madness. Did the ghost have to be so persistent?

Glaring down, the curse on Jiang Dachuan’s lips halted.

The one holding him was Chi Yingxue, his face and lips deathly pale, both hands tightly gripping his foot.

“What the fuck…” Jiang Dachuan didn’t know what else to say.

His own teammates weren’t known for holding back; this stationery was undoubtedly heart-wrenching.

To endure such pain and still hold onto him—how much salary could make someone so dedicated?!

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 87: Pretending

The collapse of the sky and the earth shrouded the entire Castle Hotel in deep darkness.

A few hotel rooms with their lights on became the only faint glimmers of light in this inky darkness.

In room 1024, Han Buting and Li Xia stood at the window, while Li Zijin stuck his head out to look around, but the battlefield was so dark they could hardly see their hands in front of their faces.

For Han Buting’s team, their luck was really bad today. Coupled with their own coordination issues, they lost two teammates early and entered the “retirement phase” prematurely. They thought the rest of their time would be spent summarizing lessons and passing time, but unexpectedly, the outside world had turned dark.

“What exactly does that team want to find? And, has the stationery battle escalated this much?” Li Zijin, who usually used stationery recklessly, even wanted to rush over and ask them to calm down.

Such destructive stationery—was it just used without blinking an eye?

Did they not consider the feelings of those who were poor in stationery resources?!

“It’s not exactly a ‘battle’.” Li Xia corrected, speaking in his usual gloomy and indifferent tone. “Both times were instant kills.”

Li Zijin was used to it; he would be scared if Li Xia ever became enthusiastic.

“Yeah.” He sighed with some deflation. “There’s always someone better than you.”

Chi Yingxue’s team had instantly killed the excavator team, and then they were instantly killed by the disc team.

If he connected this with the amusement park battle and yesterday’s oil painting incident, he should be applauding the disc team, but he just couldn’t feel happy, even feeling a bit down.

The team that was annihilated had once defeated his own team. Ignoring their clever maneuvers and just based on sheer strength, they weren’t weak, yet they were easily taken down in one move.

If his team had encountered the disc team, would the outcome be any different?

No.

“Captain.” Li Zijin looked towards Han Buting, who had been silent. “Do you remember the question you asked me when I first joined the team? You asked what’s the difference between a gaming enthusiast who plays day and night and a professional player?”

“You glared at me and said you didn’t want to explain.” Han Buting not only remembered but also probably guessed what Li Zijin was about to say.

The sky that had collapsed outside slowly rose again. The dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight returned.

The four people on the disc were calm and composed, while the one on the tree branch was leisurely and comfortable.

The pit in the front yard deepened, bottomless, like an eternal black hole.

Li Zijin looked at the deep pit devoid of any figures and quietly said, “This is the difference between amateurs and professionals.”

At the same time, in room 1639.

Also having lost the chance to submit their papers early and also gathered at the window, Wei Menghan, Zou Jun, Feng Rang, and Zhu Mo had one more surviving teammate than Han Buting’s team.

“No chance. They’re not at the same level.” Zou Jun fiddled with the flowers in the vase on the windowsill, arranging them into a fan shape and then into a staggered height pattern, but was never quite satisfied.

Feng Rang was annoyed by his fussing. “Come on, with just those few stems, can you make Cleopatra?”

Wei Menghan stroked his chin and stared unblinkingly at the battlefield that had regained sunlight, muttering in confusion, “If they were instantly killed, why hasn’t the badge’s flash appeared yet?”

From the moment that team appeared, not directly taking action but negotiating with Xu Wang’s team, Wei Menghan guessed their goal wasn’t to submit papers but for the badge.

Zhu Mo opened the window completely, widening his view.

In the cool breeze, his voice carried a light smile. “Teacher Wei, I’m looking forward to the next part of the story.”

By the tree, on the disc.

Messy Haired Chen Guan yawned and closed his [Stationery Box]. He knew there must be eyes watching the battlefield from the surrounding windows, but it didn’t matter. The more people who watch, the better. It was best if they clearly remembered the faces of their five-member team, so in the future, they would walk around them from afar and not end up like the team underground, who took a perfectly good chance to submit their papers and lost it through their own doing.

Wang Duanran vigorously scratched his curly hair, to no avail, and yawned along with Chen Guan, extremely annoyed. “Can’t you sleep properly during the day? Yawning is contagious.”

“You could have let me take action earlier, and it would have been over.” Chen Guan wiped the moisture from the corner of his eye from the yawn, grumbling, “The longer it takes, the sleepier I get.”

“At first glance, they look like rookies. Our goals don’t conflict, so there’s no fun in bullying them too harshly,” Wang Duanran said.

Chen Guan lazily raised his eyebrows. “Then why did you change your mind?”

Wang Duanran tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Cute rookies are those who know their place.”

Kong Lizhe, who had been lying down and playing on his phone, laughed at this. He continued tapping on his phone while saying, “You only act tough with rookies. When we met Fan Peiyang last time, why didn’t you let us fight?”

Wang Duanran narrowed his eyes, glancing over lightly. “You don’t want a new phone anymore, right?”

Kong Lizhe immediately shut up, as quiet as a passerby.

“Money is the root of all evil.” Gu Nian picked up the book he had been forced to put down due to the darkness and started reading again.

Kong Lizhe’s hand slipped, causing the character on his phone screen to lose all its health. Just as he was about to take his anger out on Gu Nian, something suddenly flashed through his mind.

He maintained the posture of holding his phone and closed his eyes in confusion, probing for a certain sensation…

A few seconds later.

“The pause button is still effective,” Kong Lizhe opened his eyes and said solemnly.

Jiang Dachuan, who had just stood up to start searching for the flash again, stopped in his tracks, leaning on his sore back, and looked over in disbelief. “What did you say?”

Chen Guan and Wang Duanran also looked towards Kong Lizhe.

The illusory stationery still affecting the other party indicated that the affected party hadn’t been ejected back to reality.

Everyone understood this logic, and that’s why it was incredible.

Kong Lizhe was also surprised, but as the user of [(Offense) The Collapse of Heaven and Earth], the sensation transmitted by the stationery was irrefutable. “They are still here.”

Chen Guan narrowed his eyes, his drowsy pupils shining brightly for the first time that night. “Where?”

Kong Lizhe said, “Inside the ‘earth collapse’.”

Plop.

Sounds like bubbles echoed from the bottomless pit.

At first, it was a distant, faint sound.

Then—

Plop plop.

Plop Plop Plop.

Splash.

Plop plop plop…

The five people watched as water slowly rose from the bottom of the pit, turning the deep hole into a small puddle, then a larger one, until the water level was even with the edge of the huge pit!

All this happened in an instant. The hotel’s front hall turned into a vast ocean!

“Splash, splash, splash—”

The sound of water breaking approached from a distance, like a small motorboat was moving through water.

The five people looked towards the sound and saw a familiar group of people wading through the water!

The two teams at the window were equally stunned—

1024, Han Buting: “Turning the pit into a sea and then surfacing. That’s a neat trick.”

1639, Wei Menghan: “To choose the right tool for escape in the midst of [The Collapse of Heaven and Earth] shows remarkable calmness.”

1024: “……”

1639: “……”

1024 and 1639: “Can’t they just use a rowboat properly?!”

On the “sea level”, Xu Wang’s small team made a triumphant return, walking on water with different tools!

Xu Wang, using a gourd as a boat and an iron staff as a paddle—simple and reliable!

Wu Sheng, using a long sword as a boat, glided on the water surface—as graceful as an immortal!

Kuang Jinxin, sitting in a flower basket, bravely moved forward—full of childlike innocence!

Chi Yingxue, standing on a flute, was gracefully floating. As the water entered the flute, it created ancient melodies!

Qian Ai, riding a donkey backwards, content, occasionally splashing as the waves rose!

The group stopped about ten meters away from the tree. The sea surface instantly became calm, reflecting the ancient castle.

“Thankfully, [The Collapse of Heaven and Earth] is a one-time use tool.” Xu Wang hugged his gourd, looking up with lingering fear. “And thank you for underestimating us and not using a second move.”

Chen Guan brushed his messy hair from his forehead, as if to clear his vision, and after observing for two seconds, he slightly raised his voice. “[(Offense) The Sea is Full of Water]?”

Xu Wang nodded. “Worthy of a team that has been on the leaderboard.”

This remark surprised the four on the disc and the one on the tree.

Even Gu Nian put down his book to glance down at the “newbies”, and upon seeing their “nautical tools”, he was so thunderstruck that he forgot the shock of his identity being recognized a second ago.

“Chen Guan, Gu Nian, Jiang Dachuan, Kong Lizhe, Wang Duanran.” Wu Sheng stood on the long sword, repeating a string of names from his memory. “I hope you haven’t changed members recently in the past fifty days. It’s still the strongest lineup,” Xu Wang sincerely said. “Otherwise, our victory wouldn’t be honorable.”

Wang Duanran laughed at this, feeling a particularly comical sense, and just as he was about to instruct Chen Guan, the latter preempted him. “Leave it to me.”

Wang Duanran said, “I know, what I meant was…”

“No need to pay extra,” Chen Guan interrupted again, his gaze fixed on Xu Wang, no longer lazy. “Not only no extra charge, I’ll give you a free pass for tonight’s work.”

Wang Duanran frowned. “Conditions?”

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Chen Guan repeated. “Leave them to me. No one else gets involved.”

Wang Duanran: “……”

There’s no free lunch in this world, unless Chen Guan is angry.

“Is the ‘Pause Button’ yours?” Xu Wang asked, but discreetly deactivated a stationery.

Kong Lizhe glanced down at him. “Mine, any objections?”

Xu Wang looked at him earnestly. “Then you must protect yourself well. Don’t let the illusory stationery lose its effect.”

Kong Lizhe: “……”

“At least, until we get the badge.” Xu Wang smiled and nodded sincerely. “Please!”

Kong Lizhe took a deep breath, restraining the urge to crush his phone, and slowly looked towards Chen Guan. “If you don’t act now, we can’t be friends anymore.”

Chen Guan was already itching to jump into a physical fight, but he asked one last question. “What stationery?”

With those words, Captain Xu understood immediately. “[(Defense) Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea*].”

*Ground of legendary immortals in Chinese mythology. One of the tales about time, which has art depicting this, is about them crossing the sea to attend the Conference of the Magical Peach.

Chen Guan: “……”

Xu Wang: “Surprised? Sadly, we only have five people, so we couldn’t use all the crossing tools…”

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Wrath of Poseidon] on you~~]

That was Chen Guan’s response.

On the mirror-like sea surface, suddenly huge waves arose!

All five companions, regardless of their tools, were equally thrown into the sea!

The salty sea water blocked their senses, and after struggling for nearly ten seconds, they were lifted out of the sea by their tools!

But another giant wave was fast approaching!

The tool Xu Wang had deactivated earlier finally found the perfect moment to activate—

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Frozen for Thousands of Miles] on you~~]

He knew the open sea wasn’t safe!

In an instant, extreme cold spread throughout the entire water area, and the approaching giant wave instantly froze in mid-air. The water surface below the five, along with their impressive watercraft, was also frozen in ice!

“Xiao Kuang—” Amidst the frozen expanse, Xu Wang called out loudly.

Kuang Jinxin didn’t hesitate and immediately activated a defense stationery!

[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Balloon House] on you~~]

The moment the alert sounded, a small wooden house tied to a giant hydrogen balloon appeared above the heads of the five companions. They jumped up, climbed onto the house, and the balloon swiftly rose, lifting them to the same height as the disc, transitioning from “naval battle” to “aerial combat” seamlessly!

However, in room 1639, Zou Jun and Feng Rang were slapping the windowsill in frustration, as if they had made the blunder themselves. “Damn, isn’t this just asking for trouble!”

At least [Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea] allows for flexible movement and quick dispersal, but gathering in a fragile balloon house and flying so high? They’re just waiting to be easy targets, ready to be wiped out in one fell swoop!

The moment the balloon house appeared, Chen Guan couldn’t help but laugh, leisurely waiting until the balloon house reached a fatal height before unleashing his deadly stationery.

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) A Thousand Arrows Released] on you~~]

Just as Xu Wang and his team breathed a sigh of relief, countless arrows flew towards them from the sky!

“Quick, dodge!” Qian Ai shouted.

Kuang Jinxin was even more anxious. “I know!”

He closed his eyes, concentrating hard, and moved the balloon house as quickly as possible.

In the nick of time, the hydrogen balloon barely moved away, with the closest arrowheads almost grazing its edge!

But before the companions could relax, they suddenly heard a noise from behind.

Turning around, they found that the missed arrows had circled back towards them!

This time, there was no escape.

All the arrows pierced the hydrogen balloon, and some even thunked into the wooden house!

The hydrogen balloon exploded with a “bang”, and the wooden house plummeted at a high speed!

Qian Ai panicked. “Below us is ice!!!”

Xu Wang, of course, knew, and at the last moment, he deactivated [(Offense) Frozen for Thousands of Miles]!

“Splash—”

The balloon house fell heavily into the water, causing a huge splash!

But before the first wave could settle, the entire surface of the water froze again into thick ice!

The world was suddenly silent.

“It’s not only you who have [Frozen for Thousands of Miles],'” Chen Guan sighed towards the bright ice surface, turned to look at the mere spectators, Kong Lizhe and Gu Nian, and frowned slightly. “I think I overestimated them.”

Gu Nian remained non-committal.

Kong Lizhe closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. “Sorry, the pause button is still active.”

Chen Guan was stunned. “……”

Kong Lizhe closed and then reopened his eyes. “I now understand the magic mirror’s feelings in ‘Snow White’.”

Gu Nian sighed softly. “Repeatedly telling the queen that she’s not the most beautiful—it is indeed quite cruel.”

Chen Guan’s face darkened on one side. “Hey—”

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Mirage] on you~~]

The sudden prompt in their ears made the four on the disc freeze, instinctively turning around.

Jiang Dachuan, who was watching the battle from the tree, was also astonished, obviously hearing the prompt too.

This illusory tool affected all five of them.

But why [Mirage]?

When Kong Lizhe mentioned that “Pause Button” was still effective, Chen Guan immediately prepared to face those guys breaking out of the ice.

Can [Mirage] break the ice?

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Scuttle the Boats*] on you~~]

*(破釜沉舟) Idiom referring to leaving no escape route and acting decisively. This comes from the Battle of Julu, where Xiang Yu ordered his men to sink their boats and destroy all but three days’ worth of rations in order to force his men to choose between prevailing against overwhelming odds within three days, or die trapped before the walls of the city with no supplies or any hope of escape.

Wang Duanran and the rest looked at each other in confusion. Like [Mirage], [Scuttle the Boats] was a stationery they had never possessed. Predicting the exact use of new stationery wasn’t easy, especially since some stationery’s names were misleading!

Another important question was, where exactly were those guys hiding!

Before they could clear their doubts, Chen Guan suddenly slapped the disc hard! The sound of his hand hitting the porcelain was deafening, obviously hitting with full force!

“What are you doing?” Wang Duanran was baffled.

Before Chen Guan could answer, Kong Lizhe also slammed his phone onto the disc!

The porcelain cracked, and the phone screen shattered!

“Damn, I just bought it a week ago!” Kong Lizhe was breathless with distress.

Wang Duanran was about to explode with anger when their disc suddenly plummeted at high speed!

“Gu Nian?!” Wang Duanran was shocked. The disc was controlled by Gu Nian, who never joked around.

“The illusory stationery is controlling my mind…” Gu Nian furrowed his brow, calmly stating, “It wants the disc to crash.”

Wang Duanran: “……”

Chen Guan: “……”

Kong Lizhe: “……”

Jiang Dachuan: “……”

[Scuttle the Boats]—destroying the caldrons and sinking the boats*, leaving no way out, a do-or-die battle.

*Note: This is reflecting Xiang Yu’s action of destroying their food supply and the boats (as explained above).

But they didn’t intend to smash the disc for a do-or-die battle. Was there a misunderstanding in the stationery’s interpretation of its own meaning?

At this moment, no one cared about Chen Guan’s statement of “leaving it to himself”. Jiang Dachuan immediately took action—[(Defense) Soft Landing]!

The defense stationery finally activated just before the disc hit the ground.

The disc landed on a cushioned layer, wobbling and then stabilizing.

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Resurrection Cycle*] on you~~]

*(周而复生) Idiom referring to going around and around in an endless cycle.

The timing of the stationery’s prompt was impeccable.

If they couldn’t recognize by now that those guys were hiding in the dark, then they were indeed naive.

But the immediate concern was, first, where were they? Second, what exactly was [Resurrection Cycle]?

Why were all their stationery named after four-character idioms?

“Slap—”

“Bang—”

Chen Guan slapped the disc hard again!

Kong Lizhe picked up the remnants of his phone, mercilessly smashing it a second time. The cracks in the disc were becoming significantly more apparent!

Gu Nian realized. “This illusory stationery makes a person repeat their previous action.”

Wang Duanran immediately looked up at the tree. “Dachuan, break the illusion!”

Jiang Dachuan couldn’t leave the tree in case they were ambushed, but he was ready to act decisively—

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Awakening from a Dream*] on you~~]

*One sentence awakens you from a dream (一语惊醒梦中人) Idiom referring to a simple or brief remark can provide enlightenment, especially if one was confused or unaware before.

The effects of [Scuttle the Boats] and [Resurrection Cycle] disappeared simultaneously. Chen Guan’s palm was already bruised, and Kong Lizhe’s phone was now just debris, painful to even look at.

In mid-air, behind the original position of the hovering disc, a perfectly intact balloon house slowly appeared.

The mirage also broke.

Chen Guan finally understood. The one bombarded with arrows, plunged into the deep sea, trapped in miles of ice, were all but illusions.

“Sorry.” Captain Xu’s head finally popped out of the crack in the door of the small wooden house, where no one could be seen. “For wasting your [A Thousand Arrows Released] and [Frozen for Thousands of Miles].”

Chen Guan hadn’t been this angry in a long time.

And his anger was something Wang Duan, Gu Nian, and Kong Lizhe could clearly feel—when the usually talkative Chen Guan became quiet, he was unhappy. If he fell completely silent, he was thoroughly enraged.

As teammates, they didn’t really want to provoke Chen Guan at this time.

However, those in the balloon house continued to pour fuel on the fire beautifully—

[Owl: Someone has used [(Offense) Misery and Destruction*] on you~~]

*(生灵涂炭) Idiom referring to a situation where people are suffering immensely.

The ground beneath the four on the ice turned into a swamp in an instant. The mud bound their feet like chains. At the same time, flames erupted on the ice surface!

Chen Guan deactivated [Frozen for Thousands of Miles], and in the moment the swamp and flames were swallowed by the sea, he activated [(Defense) Paper Airplane]. A huge origami airplane swept across the sky, picking up the four and taking them back to high altitude.

So high that the little wooden house below was just a speck.

“They want to delay time.” Kong Lizhe hit the nail on the head. “Delay until the ‘pause button’ expires, and they win.”

Wang Duan: “They still want to get the badge.”

Kong Lizhe: “Hah, you believe them? How will they get it? Just blindly stacking up stationery?”

Gu Nian: “Quite an interesting team.”

Chen Guan: “What do you mean?”

Gu Nian: “What were the last three stationery items they used?”

“[Scuttle the Boats], [Resurrection Cycle], [Misery and Destruction]?” Wang Duan replied uncertainly, then suddenly understood—every curly hair on his head turned into a black line. “They must be crazy…”

Facing a team that plays idiom charades with stationery, their feelings were complex that it was difficult to describe.

……

Room 1639, by the window.

Zhu Mo: “What exactly are they waiting for?”

Zou Jun: “Ah? Aren’t they struggling hard?”

Zhu Mo: “Those stationery items can’t truly be decisive in victory. They should be clear about that.”

Feng Rang: “They want to drag it out until the illusory stationery expires. An illusory stationery that can pause the submission won’t last too long.”

Zhu Mo: “I always feel there’s something else…”

Wei Menghan: “Hasn’t anyone reflected on the [Mirage]?”

Zou Jun: “They used the [Mirage] to make the balloon house disappear?”

Wei Menghan: “Isn’t it obvious?”

Note 1: Mirage, illusory. Can hide oneself and create visual illusions in front of the enemy. However, all contents of the illusion are live broadcasts of the actual situation hidden in the dark.

Note 2: Teacher Wei’s team once used this stationery in a certain level. Due to their poor acting skills, they were seen through by the opponent.

Teacher Wei’s rhetorical question made the atmosphere in Room 1639 subtly heavy.

The four people replayed the scene of Xu Wang’s small team using [Mirage] in their minds—

As the arrows flew, Qian Ai shouted desperately to dodge, his voice strained and changed.

Kuang Jinxin, controlling the [Balloon House], responded eagerly, “I know,” every drop of sweat on his forehead seething with anxiety.

The balloon house was pierced and started falling. Qian Ai, terrified, shouted that below was ice.

The wooden house hit the water, and the last frame had five faces of despair.

End of review.

Four companions: “……”

A drama king is indeed a form of strength, so yesterday they also acted against each other, deceiving each other on the task line.

But—they didn’t need to burn their lives for their acting skills!

---

The author has something to say:

There’s actually three choices left for [Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea].

[Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea], they actually left three choices for Qian, which were the Lotus (He Xiangu), the Jade Tablet (Cao Guojiu), and the Donkey (Zhang Guolao). Then, I chose the one that best suited Qian’s temperament… (～￣▽￣)～

---

Kinky Thoughts:

And Best Actor(s) goes to…

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

---

Chapter 86: Disc

As the tree leaves rustled gently again, Xu Wang knew that the love line had reached a satisfying conclusion.

Sure enough, a playful congratulation rode on the light breeze—

[Owl: Congratulations on passing the 6/23 test!]

Among the five companions, Xu Wang anticipated this, and Qian Ai was pleasantly surprised by the notification. But no matter who, they all let out a sigh of relief in unison. However, their relief was cut short by the abrupt end of the message.

Successfully submitted?

What about the paper? And the usual “See you tomorrow~~”?

Everyone instinctively looked at their teammates, then realized that they were not alone in their confusion.

Had they really submitted? They shouldn’t have. Otherwise, they would be back in reality by now. But why wouldn’t it count as having been submitted? They had clearly completed the task line!

“Stationery.” Chi Yingxue, or rather, his sharp combat intuition, was the first to react.

As if to confirm his words, a belated attack notification lazily arrived—

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Pause Button] on you~~]

A huge shadow, along with the notification, descended.

The five took a few steps back and looked up to see a flying disc hovering above the tree, carrying five people.

The disc resembled a shallow white porcelain plate used for serving dishes but was enlarged dozens of times. The five co-travelers on it were either sitting cross-legged or half-lying, treating it as their own sofa, relaxed and comfortable.

The moment Xu Wang saw the disc, he naturally concluded that the illusory stationery was theirs. But seeing the lazy postures of the people on the disc, he hesitated. This wasn’t a posture preparing for battle.

“We’re not here to interfere with your task or submission, so don’t be so tense.” The first to speak from the disc was the most relaxed looking among them, a man in his late twenties with messy hair, looking as if he had just woken up. He yawned while speaking, half-lying there, not at all looking like the one in charge of communication.

Xu Wang thought that perhaps this person was just pulled in to fill in last minute. Otherwise, it was hard to explain such an antagonistic opening.

At least he, the “communicated party”, felt no respect at all.

“You’re thinking too much. We’re not tense.” Xu Wang looked at him calmly, his face unflinching. “As for whether we’ll be angry, that depends on your explanation.”

This response was somewhat confrontational, but the people in the disc seemed not to notice, casually glanced at their companions, and then back at them, offering an even more casual explanation. “Looking for something.”

Combining this with the previous “We’re not doing tasks or submitting,” Xu Wang guessed they meant, “We’re looking for something, and once we find it, we’ll cancel the illusory stationery, and you can continue with your submission.” But the way it was delivered was minimalistic, both in expression and tone, utterly perfunctory.

The disc suddenly descended to a position just touching the treetop.

The teammate, who was just casually glanced at, instantly switched from lazy to active, picking a thicker branch to land on, and then began to search the branches with focused attention.

They were indeed searching for something.

Xu Wang pursed his lips, realizing that they weren’t looking for trouble with them—no, more accurately, they were too lazy to bother with them.

From beginning to end, the other party remained as relaxed as if they were on a spring outing, not because their goals didn’t conflict. In fact, even if their goals didn’t conflict, they might still cause trouble that harms others without benefiting themselves. The root of their composure and ease was that their own team wasn’t even worth the attention of the others; the others didn’t even bother to lie or be on guard.

“Please tell me that the humiliation of being looked down upon just now was an illusion,” Qian Ai said, looking at the five uninvited guests above, his chest heaving slightly.

Xu Wang sighed. “I can’t promise that as captain.”

“What exactly are they looking for?” Kuang Jinxin was puzzled. “There’s only the epiphyte flower on the tree, but they don’t even seem to look at it.”

“It’s definitely unrelated to the task line.” Wu Sheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning sharp. “Otherwise, such a big move would have triggered a plot by now.”

“Maybe they’re just looking in the wrong place, or the plot is about peacefully searching.” With one foot over the finish line but the other being firmly held back, Qian Ai was in agony.

“Badges.” Chi Yingxue spoke in a low voice, not out of fear of being overheard but as if deliberately suppressing some emotion. “They are looking for badges.”

The four companions were stunned. Xu Wang was the first to reveal his hidden stationery box, showing the [Moonlight Labyrinth Badge] to Chi Yingxue. “This one?”

“Yes,” Chi Yingxue responded softly, then noticed that Xu Wang’s hidden item column had only one icon.

He immediately understood the information progression of the new team from this empty interface. Without waiting to be asked, he explained, “Each level has several hidden badges scattered in different corners. Finding one is enough.”

“Find?” Xu Wang was surprised. “Aren’t badges rewards for breaking records in a single level?”

Chi Yingxue explained, “That’s just relying on luck. Generally, teams search for them within the levels.”

Xu Wang: “How do you find them?”

Chi Yingxue: “Places with badges will emit a faint light at irregular intervals. Teams focused on finding them can spot it.”

Wu Sheng asked, “What happens if all are found?”

“Not sure.” Chi Yingxue tilted his head, finally fishing out some information from his intermittent memories. “Seems to be related to the levels after 13/23.”

After 13/23?! 

For Xu Wang and the others, this was a huge shock.

Mao Qiping had mentioned that the best-performing team had only reached the thirteenth level, and the only time the speed of submission leaderboard was opened, the record was 12/23. This implied that no one had submitted past 13/23, corroborating Mao Qiping’s statement.

So how could these people, who had never broken through 13/23, claim that badges were related to later levels?

Or did they receive secret hints from the [Cheat Sheet]?

Four pairs of eyes focused intently on Chi Yingxue.

Chi Yingxue, uncomfortable with such intense scrutiny, clarified immediately, “That’s all I know. If you don’t believe me, you can interrogate me with an illusory stationery.”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Qian Ai, Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Interrogating a priest, torturing oneself for answers… Why does every suggestion from the new teammate sound like a villain’s plan?!

“Do you want them?” Chi Yingxue suddenly asked.

The four companions were stunned, not understanding at first.

“Although I’m not sure of the exact use of the badges, they must be useful.” Chi Yingxue leaned slightly forward, closer to his four teammates. His voice and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. The suppressed emotion in his eyes showed a dark, expectant light. “If you want them, I can help you snatch them.”

His voice was very gentle, like a devil luring the good.

Xu Wang asked, “Do you have the badge for this level?”

Chi Yingxue paused, then shook his head. “No.”

Qian Ai was speechless. “Then this is called ‘let’s rob them together’, understand?”

“……” Chi Yingxue didn’t understand why these people were so fixated on “us” versus “them”. Was it important?

“You just want an excuse to fight, right?” Xu Wang raised his eyebrows at him. “You want to flip that disc and wipe out those people.”

Chi Yingxue was taken aback, genuinely surprised this time.

Kuang Jinxin looked at him, sighed, and shook his head. “Your murderous intent is too recognizable.”

Qian Ai glanced at him. “You get excited at the thought of a fight. I’ve figured out the pattern.”

Xu Wang patted his shoulder, showing a trusting smile. “Your request is approved.”

Turning around, Xu Wang asked Wu Sheng, “How much longer can you hold on?”

Advisor Wu shrugged. “Until you win.”

Chi Yingxue saw a clue in this “everything is under control” demeanor. “Are you using stationery?”

No wonder the other party has found nothing so far.

In fact, once the range was locked, the badge wouldn’t be too difficult to find. Just now, when they were eager to fight, he was worried that the other party would succeed before they even started.

“They want to find something, so they use illusory stationery against us to stop us from submitting our papers.” Wu Sheng looked up at the busy figure in the tree. “A defense stationery in return is not too much.”

Chi Yingxue was puzzled. “Didn’t he hear the alert for the defense stationery?”

Wu Sheng said, “Of course, it’s for the one in the tree, [(Defense) Nothing At All*].”

*(一无所有) Idiom referring to having nothing (assets, money, achievements, knowledge).

Chi Yingxue: “……”

Tactics should be left to the meticulous.

“Have you guys finally decided how to fight?” Messy Hair was lying at the edge of the plate with his hands propping up his face which was full of impatience. “You’ve thrown away a defense stationery. What else is there to dawdle about?”

The five companions were momentarily stunned.

There was both a horizontal distance and a vertical height between them, and such low whispering, like a mosquito’s buzz, could not possibly have been heard. How did Messy Hair know about the defense stationery?

While they were confused, a green sticky note suddenly flew up from the grass under the feet of the five, completely blending with the green of the grass, fluttering back into the plate, into the hands of a the curly-haired youth.

“[(Defense) Eavesdropping Sticky Notes],” Messy Hair announced the answer, sitting up leisurely and smiling. “One must always be wary of others.”

“Dachuan, stop searching.” Curly Hair had just collected the sticky note, reminded his teammate in the treetop. “They’re wearing defense stationery.”

Jiang Dachuan, tired and sore, became angry when he heard this. “Who the hell is making trouble for no reason!”

Wang Duanran—Curly Hair—nodded towards the opposite side. “The most handsome one.”

Jiang Dachuan looked down angrily, locking eyes with Wu Sheng. “Are you full and idle? In a hurry to go home?”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Xu Wang, Qian Ai, Chi Yingxue, and Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Qian Ai: “This way of recognizing people…”

“Is there a problem?” Curly Hair looked unhappy at being questioned, pointing at Wu Sheng “The most handsome”, pointing at Chi Yingxue, “The most beautiful”, pointing at Kuang Jinxin, “The cutest”, pointing at Xu Wang, “The most cunning”, pointing at Qian Ai, “The strongest”.

“Very convenient,” he concluded.

“…” Five silent companions had two completely different moods.

Jiang Dachuan sat on the tree branch and stopped working, urging his teammate on the disc. “Quick battle, quick victory.”

Chen Guan—Messy Hair—stretched lazily and sat up straight. Wang Duanran didn’t move, but his gaze was on Xu Wang and his group. As for the other two, they looked at the sky and enjoyed the breeze, not lifting an eyelid.

Xu Wang swallowed and tensed up subconsciously, feeling the “difference in level” for the first time.

It was an intuition honed from dealing with danger in nearly fifty days of battling in the “Owl”.

“Boom!”

A sound like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting open exploded above their heads!

In an instant, the whole sky turned black at a visible speed, accompanied by huge falling rocks!

The only lawn under their feet also started to shake violently and cracked!

Chi Yingxue summoned the magic bean, and its leaves quickly lifted all five of them into the air!

Just as they took off, the only lawn collapsed, leaving only a small circle as thick as a tree trunk, barely keeping the tree!

This series of events happened in just a few seconds that Xu Wang and the others didn’t even see who used the stationery!

[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) The Collapse of Heaven and Earth] on you~~]

The announcement finally came.

The familiar name made the five of them stunned; they had just used this stationery to get rid of a team, and now the retribution came so fast!

The last bit of light disappeared, and the sky turned completely dark, as if dyed with ink.

In the darkness, where no one could see each other, Chi Yingxue’s voice suddenly rang out. “Not right.”

Xu Wang quickly asked, “What’s not right?”

Chi Yingxue: “With [The Collapse of Heaven and Earth] how can the [Magic Bean] take root?”

Xu Wang: “……”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Qian Ai: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

The leaves under their feet suddenly lost their support, and the five companions, along with the [Magic Bean], fell into the dark abyss!

---

The author has something to say:

Every time I write about a battle, I get excited. Am I possessed by Chi Yingxue?…_(:з」∠)_

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>