Chapter 27: Melee
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“Ding—”
The alert sound rang again.
Most of the people who hadn’t recovered from the air sniping were momentarily confused.
Fan Peiyang and Tang Lin were among the very few who immediately raised their arms to check.
: The key is about to be distributed. Please pay attention, challengers.
The same message played again, and if it weren’t for the previous one listed above, it would have definitely made people think that the second alert sound was a hallucination.
Zheng Luozhu and Nan Ge, who also checked quickly, looked at each other in confusion after reading the message—what was this, they’re distributing key again?
The rest of the people reacted later and began to look down. Fan Peiyang had already lowered his hand, pulling Tang Lin closer to him and saying succinctly, “The situation is sure to become chaotic. As soon as it does, use ‘Golden Shield’ and wait near the safety zone. Don’t worry about anything else.”
Tang Lin immediately understood. Fan Peiyang didn’t want him to engage in combat. Instead, he wanted Tang Lin to protect himself to the fullest and then wait for him to deliver the key.
This wasn’t because Fan Peiyang looked down on him, but rather, it was the most reasonable arrangement based on the fact that “he didn’t have a Stationery Tree.”
If the roles were reversed, he would have deployed the same plan.
A person without a Stationery Tree would not only be ineffective in this situation but could also potentially distract their teammates as they might try to protect him. Tang Lin was calm and clear about this, but the mere fact that it was himself made him feel quite resentful.
The sound of “ka-da-da” came from the ceiling again, and this time, not just one, but six compartments slowly opened, evenly distributed from the front to the rear of the carriage.
Six bouncy balls fell simultaneously.
No one knew how many keys there were in total, and no one knew if the bouncy balls would be distributed again. However, nobody dared to gamble. Every opportunity that appeared before their eyes could potentially be their last, and having witnessed the station explosion, no one wanted to end up “being dealt with.”
Challengers in the entire carriage rushed forward!
“Now is the time—” Fan Peiyang’s unmistakable command was almost drowned out by the chaos in the carriage.
But Tang Lin heard it clearly.
He suppressed all the emotions and distractions churning inside him and decisively activated it.
In an instant, a warm power filled his body. He closed his eyes and focused, establishing a connection with his stationery. He gradually felt the warmth spreading through his limbs, as if it had coated his entire body in a solid armor.
When Tang Lin opened his eyes again, Fan Peiyang, Zheng Luozhu, and Nan Ge had already left their seats and joined the melee.
Tang Lin didn’t waste time looking for them, as per Fan Peiyang’s instructions, he focused on not getting involved in anything and pushed forward.
“Let the group leaders take the keys first—” some members from the four major factions shouted amid the chaos.
But immediately, there were curses in response: “Get the hell out of here!”
In the face of “either life or death,” unless one had an extremely strong faith, people tended to be self-interested.
Joining an organization came with the promise of food, shelter, and protection. Voluntarily staying on the platform was seen as an option to retreat back to the Underground City in case of failure. However, the explosion on the platform had overturned everything.
Not continuing the challenge = death
From the moment this equation was established, the internal divisions within the four major factions had already begun.
Tang Lin didn’t compete for the keys and didn’t launch any attacks. For those who were trying to grab the keys, he was more like a moving “obstacle.” Although the path forward was difficult, with frequent shoving and occasional exposure to the effects of various stationery-based attacks, his [Golden Shield] managed to fend off all dangers, allowing him to reach the vicinity of the safe zone.
Several people were already waiting there, mostly hoping to “pick up the pieces.”
Once the bouncy balls rolled here amidst the chaos, they could simply pick them up and step into the safe zone, saving time and effort.
Except for one person.
Within that Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts, the youth with stylishly tousled short hair, who had meditated and deciphered the password riddle from thin air, was an exception.
While others kept their eyes fixed on the melee crowd, afraid of missing an opportunity to grab a key, he, on the other hand, casually leaned against the side of the train car, looking around, occasionally glancing up at the ceiling’s hidden compartments. It seemed like he had no worries about whether he could obtain a key and was more interested in the level’s construction.
Because of the previous air sniping, the intimidation effect had successfully established the idea that “Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts = extremely dangerous individual.” No one wanted to get too close to him, so even though several people were standing around the safe zone, it was obvious that one side was “crowded” while the other was “quiet.”
Tang Lin chose the “quiet” side.
Firstly, it was more comfortable to stand, and secondly, by standing here, he only needed to be vigilant against the young man and didn’t have to worry about the group on the other side, who might stab him in the back.
The young man seemed surprised that someone had chosen to get close to him. His gaze, focused on examining the hidden compartments, landed on Tang Lin’s face for a moment. After a brief pause, he recognized him and said, “VIP.”
Hearing their group name pronounced like that by someone else for the first time, Tang Lin appreciated it.
“You decrypted the password.” the young man added.
For Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts, who boarded the subway first, everything that happened on the platform behind them was clear to see.
“It was much slower than you,” Tang Lin objectively stated.
The young man immediately rolled his eyes, as if some unpleasant memories had been triggered. “If it weren’t for the monk croaking in my ear like a frog all the time, my memory retrieval speed would have been 3.5 times faster.”
The monk was probably the bald companion, and Tang Lin remembered the situation clearly. However, he asked, “Croaking like a frog?”
The young man gave his dog-chewed bangs a little upward flick. “Everything he said sounded like ribbit, ribbit, ribbit to me.”
Tang Lin: “Everything?”
The young man didn’t hold back: “Yes, not a single useful word.”
Quite a unique camaraderie they had.
“I’m called Tan Hua,” the young man seemed to be getting interested in the conversation now. “What’s your name?”
“Tang Lin.”
“Do you have any nicknames?”
Tang Lin thought for a moment. “If you don’t mind, you can call me President Tang.”
Tan Hua didn’t hesitate to reply, “I mind.”
“Tan Hua…” Tang Lin repeated the rather unique nickname. “Are you smart? Good at academics?”
Note: the name Tanhua was the candidate who came third in the Hanlin examination.
Tan Hua smiled: “I’m an all-rounder.”
Tang Lin: “Then why aren’t you the top scorer or the second place?”
Tan Hua : “It doesn’t sound handsome enough.”
Tang Lin nodded, no more questions.
Just as they were talking, Guan Lan arrived with Air sniper. He seemed a bit surprised to see Tang Lin next to Tanhua, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. He directly asked Tanhua, “Do you want to chat a little longer, or do you want to go now?”
Tan Hua immediately said, “Now.” He added quickly, as if afraid Guan Lan might change his mind, “We can still chat after I leave. I think he’s got a long life.”
Guan Lan remained non-committal. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bouncing ball, tossing it to Tanhua.
No one expected that he would take out the bouncing ball as casually as if he were taking out a lollipop. As a result, Tan Hua caught the ball, and in a flash, he entered the safety zone.
However, he didn’t rush to open the door. Instead, he turned around and threw the bouncing ball outside.
At the same time, a semi-transparent light wall rose along the safety line, and the bouncing ball hit the wall, bouncing back and hitting Tan Hua’s face with a loud “bang.”
Tan Hua covered his left eye in pain, struggling to pick up the bouncing ball trapped inside the safety zone. He shook his head with regret at Guan Lan and said, “Team leader, the cheating failed, I can’t take you with me.”
Guan Lan opened his small hand with five fingers spread out like green onions and said, “You have five seconds to disappear from my sight.”
Without a second word, Tan Hua turned around and placed the bouncing ball in the groove with a “thud.”
A pale purple light instantly surrounded the bouncing ball, and the transparent part containing the key melted like jelly, allowing the key to enter the groove seamlessly.
[Congratulations on entering the next train carriage~]
The little owl mascot appeared on the screen above this door again.
The door opened in response, and Tan Hua walked forward without looking back.
Once he entered, the door quickly closed, the key disappeared, and the groove became empty again.
Leader Guan seemed very satisfied. When he shifted her gaze to Tang Lin, his expression went from cloudy to sunny. He asked, “Are you waiting for that tall guy?”
Tang Lin replied cautiously: “If you’re referring to the one wearing a black coat, tall and handsome, then yes.”
Guan Lan:, “Is your Stationery Tree also non-combat oriented?”
Tang Lin: “Can I choose not to answer?”
Guan Lan’s lips curled up, he turned around with Air sniper, returning to the battlefield. “Next time, I’ll remember to give you options—”
Tang Lin knew that whether he answered or not was not crucial. Just as he could immediately deduce that the other party’s Stationery Tree wasn’t suitable for combat when he saw Tanhua here, the answer was already quite obvious. Guan Lan tacitly understood this and didn’t mind using a description like “also non-combat oriented,” indirectly acknowledging Tan Hua’s Stationery Tree attributes.
Likewise, Guan Lan would naturally assume that he, who was waiting here at ease, was also a “non-combat oriented Stationery Tree.”
It was unlikely that anyone else had been pulled into this world midway like him, Tang Lin thought. Therefore, Guan Lan would never guess that his Stationery Tree hadn’t even blossomed, even as a “non-combat oriented” one.
The carriage was in chaos, and Tang Lin struggled to distinguish the tangled figures in the crowd, hoping to find his own people. However, most of the people behind were blocked by those in front, making it impossible for him to see clearly.
He suddenly realized that Fan Peiyang might have oversimplified the matter of grabbing the keys.
Although “The Lazy Person’s Blessing” could move objects through the air, there were two reasons why it might not be effective in moving the “bounce balls” belonging to the challenge level items. First, it might not be able to move objects that were considered part of the challenge level’s inventory. Second, even if it could move them, in a crowded environment like this, people wouldn’t just let a bounce ball fly through the air; they would rush to grab it. So, Fan Peiyang’s attempt to help Tang Lin grab the key might ultimately end up like what happened with Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts’ Guan Lan, where he would have to personally deliver the key.
No. Tang Lin stopped in his tracks, suddenly recalling Fan Peiyang’s words.
Fan Peiyang didn’t say confidently, “Just wait for me to grab the key,” or even “Leave it to me.” He said, “You don’t have to worry about anything.”
Not worrying about the battle, not worrying about casualties, and possibly… not worrying about Fan Peiyang’s life.
Tang Lin clenched his fist tightly, perhaps too tightly, as it started to hurt.
He realized he was the one to oversimplified things, while Fan Peiyang had known from the beginning the difficulty of this task.
“Whoosh—”
A small fireball suddenly fell near the safe zone, as if a burning flower had dropped from the sky.
“F*ck!” Several scattered challengers swiftly dodged.
The flames quickly extinguished, leaving a small blackened area on the ground.
“I like your Stationery Tree,” Wheat-skinned young man said mockingly to Zhou Yunhui, the leader of the Sky Lantern, amid the chaos up ahead.
Zhou Yunhui sneered, and another cluster of flames ignited in his upraised hand. “There are even more exciting things. Do you want to give them a try?”
Tang Lin recognized him as a member of Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts, the one who had pushed Zhou Yunhui away when the Sky Lantern had tried to prevent Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts from boarding the subway.
While the two of them were talking, someone tried to sneak up behind Wheat-skinned young man. However, as soon as that person touched him, it was as if an invisible force pushed them away. They stumbled backward and bumped into other challengers behind them, struggling to regain their footing.
This was similar to what had happened to Zhou Yunhui when he was pushed away by Wheat-skinned young man, except Zhou Yunhui had been thrown into the air and had narrowly avoided losing half his life. In contrast, this attacker hadn’t been directly attacked by Wheat-skinned young man and was pushed away with much less force.
It was clear that Zhou Yunhui’s Stationery Tree was related to “fire.”
But what about Wheat-skinned young man’s Stationery? Did it have something to do with damage reflection, or was it another type of special defense?
However, one thing was certain.
Other challengers were also attempting to sneak up on Wheat-skinned young man. So when Zhou Yunhui intervened, it wasn’t just a matter of personal grudges; it was because this person had already obtained something that everyone wanted—the key.
“Ah—”
A familiar scream rang out, indicating that the screamer was in good health and had ample combat capabilities.
Tang Lin felt this voice was familiar and pleasant for the first time.
He raised his head, and there was Nan Ge not far away, riding on the neck of a strong man, bending his upper body extremely flexibly, forcing the guy to listen to the “heavenly sound.”
The strong man was a bit dumbfounded, probably feeling like there were golden stars all around him now.
Zheng Luozhu took advantage of the situation and rushed over, snatching the bouncy ball from the strong man’s hand.
To his surprise, their cooperation was quite in sync.
However, on Zheng Luozhu’s side, the joy was short-lived. The bouncy ball had barely warmed up in his hand before it was snatched away by others, sandwiched between two sides.
Nan Ge looked frustrated, and just as she was about to dismount from the strong man’s neck, she suddenly made eye contact with Tang Lin across the distance. She immediately exclaimed loudly, “Wait a little longer, and we’ll definitely…”
Tang Lin was caught off guard and completely stunned.
He had known that Fan Peiyang was risking everything to help him grab the key, but he had never expected Zheng Luozhu and Nan Ge to do the same for him.
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