Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 129: The Backpacker
In a daze, it felt like a return to the doomsday city of 3/23. The difference was that there, zombies were driven by a virus, while here, six travelers were manipulated by the demon.
Flames had engulfed the entire living room, scorching the faces, necks, hands, and all exposed skin of the companions, causing a painful burning sensation.
Under everyone’s gaze, the travelers suddenly turned into a ghostly shadow, vanishing without a trace.
At the same time, the six travelers lunged towards the small team!
The five friends, unprepared for battle, scattered, each dodging the attack in their own way.
As the team dispersed, the travelers also split up, each pursuing one person, displaying eerie coordination without bunching up.
The one chasing Qian Ai was in pairs.
Qian Ai was used to it.
The one attacking Xu Wang was the tour leader. Xu Wang swiftly moved behind a sofa, ready for the leader to leap over and engage in a tussle, but the leader didn’t move and instead looked up strangely.
Xu Wang also instinctively looked up.
There was nothing on the ceiling but a chandelier.
Chandelier?
Xu Wang jolted to the side.
At almost the same moment, the chandelier crashed down, landing precisely where Xu Wang had just been standing. The crystal lamp shattered into countless pieces, scattering across the floor.
A large shard flew straight at the leader’s face!
The leader agilely dodged, the shard grazing his cheek, leaving a trail of blood—the lightest injury possible.
Xu Wang was surprised that the leader could control the chandelier, and even more so by his instinct to avoid pain! Did this mean they retained some consciousness?
A gust of wind rose, bringing a hint of moisture to the scorching air.
The next moment, a torrential downpour ensued.
The friends immediately recognized it—[(Defense) Let the Storm Come in All its Fury]!
This was a stationery Wu Sheng used in 6/23, later obtained by Kuang Jinxin.
At this moment, the latter was looking up at the ceiling, allowing the rain to sting his eyes but still concentrating on controlling the stationery!
Dark clouds gathered above, pouring cold rain like an open fire hydrant, drenching both the small team and the demon-possessed travelers, extinguishing the raging flames.
As the temperature dropped with the rain, by the time the downpour stopped, the last spark had been extinguished.
With the rain ceased, the small team could finally move freely and see the world clearly again, but so could the backpackers.
Behind Kuang Jinxin, a male student was stealthily approaching!
“Xiao Kuang—”
Xu Wang could only shout a warning as the tour leader lunged at him again. He stepped back to keep distance, activating a stationery—[(Defense) Bravely Climb the Summit]!
The stationery effects enveloped the leader, making every step heavy as if climbing a mountain—his feet were heavy, his breathing labored, the cold biting, and the scarce oxygen.
Kuang Jinxin, hearing the warning, turned back sharply. The male traveler behind him had already squeezed a plastic flat bottle, spraying him in the face.
Kuang Jinxin was bewildered by the sudden attack until he smelled the pungent odor—it was kerosene, used to aid burning charcoal!
Xu Wang had temporarily controlled the leader and thought to help Kuang Jinxin, but it was too late. The male traveler had already discarded the bottle and was now lighting a match!
Kuang Jinxin shuddered, almost feeling the horror of being engulfed in flames.
The backpacker didn’t give him time to escape and mercilessly threw the lit match forward!
Kuang Jinxin instinctively dodged, knowing that even if he avoided it, the match falling to the floor could ignite the kerosene and burn him. But at that moment, dodging was instinctual!
Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind.
As he dodged, the hand stretched from behind, brushing his cheek and catching the burning match firmly in front, snuffing out the flame in its grasp.
The match was crushed just like that.
Chi Yingxue retracted his arm, pocketing the match, and casually said to the traveler, “Confiscated.”
Then, without giving the traveler a chance to react, he delivered a flying kick!
The traveler was sent flying, crashing into the wall with a loud thud, and slumped to the ground, temporarily incapacitated.
The other traveler, who had initially attacked Chi Yingxue, had been similarly dealt with before the rain ceased.
Chi Yingxue turned to Kuang Jinxin and said with undisguised disdain, “It’s unreasonable that you’ve made it this far.”
Kuang Jinxin grinned, unbothered. “I may not be strong, but I know how to pick teammates.”
Chi Yingxue frowned, disliking his carefree attitude, as if he had no worries in the world.
Kuang Jinxin didn’t notice his teammate’s expression. He was looking at the two male travelers, both incapacitated by Chi Yingxue’s kick, but neither seriously harmed.
He had always known Chi Yingxue was as efficient as Yan Wang, but this was the first time he realized how different their combat styles were.
Yan Wang was reckless, not caring about his own life or his opponent’s, acting wildly. Chi Yingxue wasn’t particularly fond of life either, but he was lazy, choosing the easiest route. So if a kick could subdue an enemy, he definitely wouldn’t bother with an extra strike.
The girl chasing Wu Sheng had also been subdued. The travelers pursuing Qian Ai, under the effects of [(Defense) Slippery Feet] and [(Defense) Slow Running Shoes], either kept slipping or took an incredibly long time to move a single step, as slow as a sloth.
The situation was temporarily stable, but the backpacker was still missing.
The living was in shambles—the walls scorched, the floors soaked, the chandelier shattered, and the fireplace collapsed.
Wu Sheng suddenly felt a chill at his ankle.
Looking down, he saw two hands emerging from the floor, gripping his ankles tightly!
A sudden cold wind swept from behind, and his companions shouted in unison. “Be careful—”
Unable to move his feet, Wu Sheng quickly crouched to dodge the most likely attack direction, then turned back to see a sharp knife flying towards him!
The knife, originally aimed at his head, suddenly changed direction as he ducked, still targeting his face!
Wu Sheng realized something was wrong.
The knife wasn’t moving with inertia but seemed to be held by an invisible hand, approaching him at an uneven pace!
In an instant, the knife was upon him, stabbing fiercely at his eyes!
Wu Sheng dodged agilely, confirming his guess, and was about to call out a tactic to his teammates when Xu Wang’s voice preempted him. “Invisible Man’s Weapon Confiscation Plan—”
That was what he was going to say, word for word.
As Xu Wang shouted, he executed the first step of the plan—activating [(Defense) Slippery Hands]!
The stationery’s effect instantly enveloped the sharp knife. As it attempted a second stab, it suddenly made a “plop” sound and fell onto the water-soaked floor, splashing water droplets around.
Next was Qian Ai’s move—[(Illusory) Nowhere to Hide]!
The backpacker, still in the stance of holding the knife, suddenly appeared in front of Wu Sheng, his face still showing surprise from the unexpected slip of the knife!
Eye to eye, the backpacker realized that he was now visible to his opponent. He furrowed his brows and was about to turn into a ghostly shadow again.
Wu Sheng wasn’t going to give him the chance.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Wu Sheng now had a large hammer in his hand. He swung it backward and then fiercely slammed it onto the backpacker!
The backpacker was sent flying, crashing into the wall and creating a hole before continuing his trajectory, eventually turning into a speck in the distant night sky.
The final step of the “Invisible Man’s Weapon Confiscation Plan”—Wu Sheng, with [(Offense) Travel Hammer], sent all the demons, monsters, and spirits on a journey without a known destination.
P.S. In this plan, Kuang Jinxin and Chi Yingxue were responsible for spectating.
[Owl: Congratulations on passing the 8/23 test and handing in your papers! See you tomorrow~~]
The in-ear notification sounded, and the four friends all breathed a sigh of relief, except for Wu Sheng, who seemed reminded of something. He suddenly pulled something out of his pocket and forcefully threw it at the closest traveler, still struggling under the effects of [Bravely Climb the Summit].
Qian Ai thought it was some kind of lethal blow and instinctively said, “We’ve submitted our papers. There’s no need for overkill…”
He stopped mid-sentence.
What Wu Sheng threw at the backpacker was a fluttering stack of small cards.
As the world spun and the team returned to reality, Qian Ai stood in the cold wind at four in the morning, speechless.
His realization, insight, and foresight meant he was destined to be just a foot soldier in this lifetime.
At five in the morning, having returned to the hotel, Wu Sheng received a message from the WeChat ID “Marshall Yue”—[Did you successfully submit?]
At this time, the small team was lying exhausted in the presidential suite. The bathroom was given to Kuang Jinxin to wash off the kerosene; Qian Ai immediately found a bedroom and fell asleep; Chi Yingxue lay on the sofa, waiting for his turn in the bathroom; Xu Wang sat at the desk, summarizing the lessons and experiences of the battle—the advisor’s summary was in his mind, but the team captain’s had to be on paper, to avoid forgetting details during the debriefing.
The message arrived at this moment. The “ding dong” rang clearly in the quiet room.
“Yue Shuai?” Across half the room, Xu Wang guessed correctly.
Wu Sheng glanced at the screen to confirm the sender, then looked at Xu Wang, not as cheerful as before. “You two seem to have a telepathic connection.”
Xu Wang speechlessly retorted, “Who else would message you at five in the morning, other than Team Yue just out of Owl?”
Submitting the papers only sends teams currently in the level back to reality. Those in the safe zone not participating in the challenge are unaffected, so Yue Shuai and his team had to wait until five to come out, ignorant of the submission status.
Xu Wang’s explanation made Wu Sheng feel a bit better, and he found Yue Shuai’s profile picture less annoying.
Sheng Ge: [Submitted.]
Marshal* Yue: Really?
*Clarity: His nickname is Yue Dashuai. This is a play on his first name, [Shuai] (帅). Adding the [da] (大) makes his nickname Marshall/Commander Yue.
Sheng Ge: [Got the badge too.]
Marshal Yue sent a voice message. “Damn! You guys are awesome!”
Wu Sheng smiled, typing more slowly. [Not bad.]
Marshal Yue, unable to type anymore, continued with voice messages. “Go to sleep quickly and come out for a meal when you wake up. It’s on us!”
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