Chapter 19: Screaming Queen
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11:35 PM, there were 25 minutes left until the challenge level opened.
There were originally 160 people with Sky Lantern, but now there were only 140 left. Regardless of whether they were still answering questions or not, they were surrounding Nan Ge like layers of a cake. From the center, Nan Ge, to the outermost layer of Sky Lantern team members, it’s basically like Nan Ge’s Stationary Tree [Mandela’s scream]. This is the maximum coverage they can achieve. During the previous scream, she exerted a lot of physical energy to deter the two robbers and others who were restless.
Zhou Yunhui stood at the outermost layer of the “cake” and first gives reassuring looks to his subordinates, then signaled Nan Ge.
Taking a deep breath, the Screaming Queen made her entrance.
The time limit for the Sphinx’s riddles had been shortened to 40 seconds.
Nan Ge’s scream lasted for 10 seconds, controlling its destructive power to a certain extent so as not to drive people insane, but it’s impossible to concentrate during that time.
When the time was up, the scream stopped and the whole Sky Lantern team was filled with gloom.
Zhou Yunhui looked at one of the key members with a questioning gaze, but the person shook their head.
The Sphinx continued.
Tang Lin was not surprised at all. He started with the four major forces not because they were more likely to hide black marketeers but because they had a larger number of people and very high organizational discipline.
“All members of the Sky Lantern, stay in place and reduce the volume of your answers. Just make sure you can hear it yourself,” several core members loudly instructed as the team leaders requested.
With over a hundred people, they really didn’t move, maintaining their circular formation and creating a quiet atmosphere. Only when you listened carefully could you faintly hear some murmuring.
11:39 PM, 21 minutes remaining until the challenge level opened.
The Iron Blood Camp, with nearly 150 members, formed a rectangular formation resembling a gearwheel, neat and disciplined, in stark contrast to the relaxed demeanor of the Sky Lantern.
However, after enduring 10 seconds of screaming hell, their eyes revealed the same exhaustion as the Sky Lantern.
11:42 PM, 18 minutes remaining until the challenge level opened, the Huanxiang Society’s screaming journey ended.
11:44 PM, 16 minutes remaining until the challenge level opened, and the Ten Societies finished.
11:45 PM, just as Zhou Yunhui, He Lu, and Dai Xiaoliang were about to team up to find the Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts, the deadly Sphinx question-and-answer session came to an abrupt halt.
“Did it really stop?” Zhou Yunhui confirmed once again.
Cui Zhan, with the most authority to speak on the matter, said, “How about you listen inside my mind?”
Zhou Yunhui chuckled at him.
Nan Ge asked Tang Lin in a hushed voice, “Is it the Ten Societies or the Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts?”
Since screaming had actually worked, it meant it was the use of stationery, and the controller was most likely among the Ten Societies who had just experienced the screaming test, or among the Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts who were afraid of the screaming test.
But Tang Lin shook his head and said, “It might be neither.”
Nan Ge was about to take a sip of water to soothe her throat but paused, asking, “Neither of them?”
“Take a look over there,” Tang Lin raised his eyes and surveyed the entire square, saying, “What really scared them wasn’t your scream, but the whole scene.”
As Nan Ge followed his gaze, she looked around the entire square and felt a shock in her heart.
Previously, she had been too focused on screaming to notice that the square had become quiet at some point, and many areas had become clearly divided by factions. Whether it was the larger organizations or the smaller teams, they had all started to follow the example of the four major forces, forming their own groups and standing still.
If the Sphinx’s attack had not disappeared, Nan Ge had no doubt that they would come over to invite her for the scream test.
With only a thousand people, the four major forces had already occupied more than half of them. Everyone who had experienced the scream was standing still. The rest would be sorted out one by one. Unless the instigator could hide invisibly, they would eventually be found.
The earlier they gave up, the easier it would be for them to conceal themselves.
So it might not be the Ten Societies, and it might not even be the Strawberry Doughnuts. Nan Ge surveyed the remaining challengers, the Sphinx was among them.
“Thank you,” He Lu extended his hand to Tang Lin.
Tang Lin didn’t shake it and said, “We’re helping each other, so there’s no need for thanks.” He stepped aside to make way for Nan Ge and continued, “If you really want to thank someone, thank her.”
Nan Ge shook He Lu’s hand and accepted the gratitude gracefully, saying, “You’re welcome.”
She was alone without companions or friends, and saving people was indeed an act of kindness.
Dai Xiaoliang stood next to He Lu, who had already thanked them on behalf of the four major forces. Dai Xiaoliang could only be practical and said, “The number of spots for the challenge is limited. We appreciate your help, but there’s no way for us to accommodate you.”
Tang Lin shrugged.
Nan Ge flicked her hair.
“No need, we’ll take care of it ourselves.”
“No need, I can handle it myself.”
As these words came out, the two of them locked eyes.
Tang Lin’s lips curled up, and he said, “Good luck.”
Nan Ge blinked and gave a charming smile, saying, “Goodluck.”
Tang Lin returned to the abandoned house, Nan Ge went back to her device, Dai Xiaoliang returned to the Retuning Home Society, and He Lu reorganized the Iron Blood Camp formation.
Zhou Yunhui and Cui Zhan remained in place, watching Tang Lin and Nan Ge move through the crowd and return to the outskirts.
“Why did they go out?” Zhou Yunhui couldn’t understand. Wasn’t it better to occupy a spot nearby?
“That guy has teammates,” Cui Zhan yawned lazily.
“But the girl is alone,” Zhou Yunhui raised his head, wanting to catch another glimpse of Nan Ge, but she was blocked by the people in the square.
Cui Zhan glanced at him. “The way you’re looking, it might be her reason to leave.”
Zhou Yunhui retorted, “….During the challenge level, you’d better pray you don’t run into me.”
Cui Zhan laughed and raised an eyebrow teasingly. “With you saying that, I’m even more looking forward to it.”
Tang Lin saw the still tall figures of Fan Peiyang and Zheng Luozhu from afar, and his heart finally settled.
When he reached the bottom of the abandoned house, Fan Peiyang’s hand extended from above.
Tang Lin naturally held it, and with a push of his foot, he effortlessly climbed onto the rooftop.
“You couldn’t hear the questions, so there’s no need to take risks,” Fan Peiyang said seriously, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.
“Yeah, and then you two would be casualties, and I’d have to challenge the level it alone,” Tang Lin said with relief. Since the Sphinx hadn’t inflicted significant harm on Fan Peiyang, he could taunt him without pressure.
In comparison, Zheng Luozhu was much more disheveled, sweating profusely, and his breathing was a bit unstable.
“Zhuzi,” Tang Lin called out, worried.
Zheng Luozhu waved his hand dismissively, forcing a nonchalant smile. “I’m fine, it’s all trivial stuff, it just tested my memory too much.”
Tang Lin hesitated to ask further questions but ultimately didn’t.
Zheng Luozhu wanted to crack a few more jokes to lighten the mood. However, his expression suddenly froze, and his eyes widened as he stared intently at the square.
Tang Lin turned around and also froze.
On the square, the bodies of those who died because of the Sphinx floated up one by one, enveloped in a purple light.
They lay flat in the purple glow, floating higher and higher, until they silently passed through the ceiling of the Underground City, disappearing without a trace.
This scene was incredibly eerie, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who witnessed it.
However, on the square, a different scene unfolded.
Led by the four major forces, countless challengers stood still. They looked up towards the floating bodies and paid their respects in a solemn and quiet atmosphere, as if they were escorting their companions on their final journey.
In the eyes of these survivors, there was a sense of heaviness, grief, anger, and reluctance, but strangely, there was no surprise or shock. It was as if they had seen such a fate too many times before.
“Could it be that everyone who dies ends up like this…” Tang Lin muttered softly.
Apart from that, he couldn’t think of any other explanation. Moreover, during their time in the Underground City, he had never seen a place for handling or accumulating bodies, which was strange for an environment where people could die at any moment.
Zheng Luozhu, who had finally torn his gaze away from the floating bodies with difficulty, still felt a chill down his spine. “But what about when we were in the elevator? Ge Shaping and Li Zhan didn’t float away.”
Fan Peiyang corrected him, “To be precise, we didn’t see the bodies float away until the elevator doors closed.”
As for what happened after the elevator doors closed, whether the bodies floated away or not, no one could say for sure.
Zheng Luozhu swallowed hard and asked, “So… did those people really die?”
Fan Peiyang remained silent.
Tang Lin didn’t know either.
Judging by normal logic, those bodies were most likely dead, but in this world of challenges, the most unreliable thing was normal logic.
The last body disappeared into the ceiling, and the square suddenly filled with soothing and gentle music, accompanied by a mechanical voice. Under the backdrop of the melodious notes, everything seemed less cold—
[1 minute remaining until the start of the stage, countdown begins. 59, 58, 57…]
Tang Lin, Fan Peiyang, and Zheng Luozhu all felt a sense of urgency. The floating bodies had occupied too much of their attention, causing them to overlook the passage of time.
The ground of the square suddenly began to ripple without warning. It wasn’t intense, but it was noticeable. The stone ground seemed to turn into a pond, creating gentle ripples with the breeze.
The abandoned building also became unstable in this disturbance, and the three of them slid down to the ground.
Stepping on the undulating stone ground, Zheng Luozhu urgently asked, “Is this a normal phenomenon of the countdown, or did someone use stationery again?”
Tang Lin said, “All I know is that if we don’t rush now, we won’t be able to compete.”
The square had already descended into chaos, with people from the outskirts surging in like a tide, while those at the challenge entrance were surrounded, forming a tightly-knit defense.
All eyes were focused on the center of the square, and no one noticed a figure sneaking away from the outskirts, disappearing into an empty alley.
“Tsk, finally quiet, it was too noisy over there.” Deep within the dark alley, shadows shrouded everything, obscuring any visibility of a person, but the voice could be heard.
The voice was clear and round, with a distinct tone of disdain, yet hidden excitement.
“You went to the challenge entrance again?” A second voice emerged from the shadows, calm and slightly cold, with a faint echo, as if it came from another place.
“Just helping you screen out some people,” the clear and round voice suddenly lowered, becoming mysterious, “I have to tell you, there’s an interesting person this time.”
The calm and slightly cold voice had no fluctuations, “You always say it’s interesting, but it always turns out to be boring.”
In the underground tunnel, the subway sped on endlessly, with one window after another forming a bright line in the darkness.
All the windows were empty except for the first carriage.
A man sat sideways in that carriage, one leg bent, his gaze fixed ahead.
Real-time communication images were projected into the air, but the person at the other end seemed to be in a pitch-black place, making it impossible to see their face.
“It’s time, I have to go.”
The man unilaterally ended the communication, and the image disappeared accordingly.
The subway seemed to be moving even faster.
The man looked out of the window.
The lights inside the carriage outlined his perfectly powerful physique and the chiseled contours of his face. It was a classical handsomeness, serene and solemn.
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