Chapter 29: All Members Assembled
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
He Lu didn’t rush to answer Tang Lin’s question but instead asked, “How long have you been in the Underground City?”
Tang Lin truthfully replied: “Eight days.”
He Lu anticipated that it hadn’t been long, but he didn’t expect it to be this short. His rugged brow furrowed even tighter. “You shouldn’t have rushed into the challenge level like this.”
“We underestimated the difficulty of the challenge level,” Tang Lin admitted.
He Lu fell silent for a moment, then sighed heavily. “I actually have no right to say that to you. I thought I was well-prepared, but I ended up gambling the lives of dozens of my brothers.”
The members of the Iron Blood Camp may no longer consider He Lu their leader, but this leader didn’t seem to have wavered.
Tang Lin poured more water into his cup and asked, “There was no ‘dealt with’ situation before, right?”
“No,” He Lu didn’t have a withholding personality, and he explained openly, “Normally, when you enter the challenge level, you should go straight to the subway, then progress through each carriage one by one. Even if you fail midway and get stuck in a certain carriage, as long as you can protect yourself and hold out until someone successfully completes the challenge level or all potential challengers die, the level will automatically close, and they’ll be sent back to the Underground City.”
Tang Lin: “But I have a friend who would rather stay in the Underground City forever than come to the challenge.”
He Lu said, “Because ‘protecting oneself’ isn’t easy. Even if you don’t proceed further, the level will continue to send wave after wave of threats your way. Those who manage to survive are the ones who have faced a life-and-death struggle.”
His voice was steady and firm, showing little fluctuation, but Tang Lin noticed that He Lu’s hand resting on the table was tightly clenched.
Everyone determined to challenge the level had prepared themselves for a life-or-death struggle. They believed that despite the danger, there was still a slim chance of survival. However, in the current situation, if they couldn’t get through, they would simply die.
The difficulty of the level had changed. Why?
……
In the last carriage.
With the arrival of ten more keys, the battle once again descended into chaos. There were no more “opportunistic scavengers” near the safety zone. Everyone rushed into the chaotic area.
The four major factions began to crumble, while the smaller teams, which initially had fewer members, remained solid.
The three members of the Nightwalker stuck together from start to finish, with clearly defined roles in defense, offense, and distraction. However, this also had its downsides. When they obtained a key, they often hesitated to proceed, fearing that leaving the other two behind would severely impact their combat effectiveness, making it difficult for the remaining team members to snatch a key.
Because of this hesitation, the two keys they had obtained were both retaken by others.
Some were overthinking, while others were completely disregarding their surroundings, leaving no room for defense.
After going through countless bouts of stationery warfare, the last carriage was no longer as pristine as it had been when they first boarded. Bloodstains covered the floor, and seats were scorched black.
At this moment, Fan Peiyang managed to break free from the chaotic area and reunited with Zheng Luozhu and Nan Ge in a corner at the rear of the carriage.
Zheng Luozhu was confused and kept glancing back into the chaotic area. He was anxious and said, “Boss, if we don’t snatch it soon, someone else will get inside!”
Fan Peiyang remained calm and replied, “Snatching isn’t the problem. The issue is how to ensure that all three of us get inside.”
Zheng Luozhu: “There’s no time to think about that. Grab one and rush inside. Whether we all get in or not depends on luck!”
Fan Peiyang scrutinized him for a moment and then asked, “Do you want to leave it up to luck or leave it up to me?”
Zheng Luozhu suddenly became clear-headed, as if he had seen a lighthouse in the distant sea or found a refuge as a drifting piece of driftwood. He replied, “….You.”
Fan Peiyang was satisfied with the answer: “If we get three keys, we’ll all go in together.”
Nan Ge had no objections throughout. She could sense that Tang Lin was this person’s only concern, and now that the concern had disappeared, this person’s aura seemed to be fully unleashed.
In the chaotic area, Zhou Yunhui once again obtained a bouncy ball and was immediately hit in the abdomen by a punch. His Stationery Box contained protective gear, but he had no way to control defensive stationery at the moment.
His assailant was none other than Dai Xiaoliang, the leader of the Huanxiang Society.
Zhou Yunhui was pummeled nearly to the point of vomiting, and when he saw his attacker, he didn’t know whether to be angry or grateful. Dai Xiaoliang’s Stationery Tree was the “Iron Fist,” and if he had gone all out, Zhou Yunhui might have ended up coughing up blood.
“Sorry about that, bro….” even though he held back, Dai Xiaoliang continued to snatch the bouncy ball while apologizing.
Zhou Yunhui gritted his teeth and subtly extinguished the sparks that had ignited beneath the hem of Dai Xiaoliang’s clothing.
His Stationery Tree was the “Starfire.” Although it couldn’t set the world on fire yet, it could burn and scorch a few people. But when faced with someone as honest as Dai Xiaoliang, he…
“Poof!”
Zhou Yunhui abruptly cut off his internal complaints.
Dai Xiaoliang froze all over, completely motionless, with a bewildered expression on his face.
Standing behind Dai Xiaoliang, Lu Jue pulled out his knife. Blood splattered across half of his face, but he didn’t bother to wipe it off. He swiftly snatched the bouncy ball from Dai Xiaoliang’s hand.
“Leader——”
Someone shouted, pushing towards them with all their might.
Lu Jue took advantage of the chaos around him and pushed Dai Xiaoliang away, then rushed towards the safety zone.
Dai Xiaoliang fell forward, and Zhou Yunhui quickly caught him. As he reached for Dai Xiaoliang’s back, his hand touched something wet.
It was Dai Xiaoliang’s blood, still carrying the warmth of life.
Lu Jue had stabbed him from behind directly into the heart, leaving him no chance of survival.
Blood rushed to Zhou Yunhui’s head, and he let go of Dai Xiaoliang, standing up and gazing in the direction of the commotion. Despite the multitude of people and the chaotic carriage, he locked onto that one figure with an anger as hot as molten lava building up in his eyes.
He didn’t realize it, but his burning rage was now visible.
Lu Jue didn’t notice anything, his eyes fixed on the safety zone. He was only a few steps away from it!
“”Whoosh——”
Suddenly, the collar of Lu Jue’s white shirt caught fire, and flames leaped up to his chin.
At first, he was stunned, but then, in the searing pain, he quickly began patting the collar. However, the flames seemed to be fueled by an accelerant, and he couldn’t extinguish them. In an instant, the flames spread to the front of his shirt.
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
Lu Jue didn’t have time to unbutton his shirt; he simply tore it off, revealing a chest covered in burns. He staggered into the safety zone.
[Congratulations, you’ve entered the next carriage.]
Although Lu Jue nearly set himself on fire and lost another key, the chaos among the challengers in the melee distracted them for a moment.
However, in the rear of the carriage, Fan Peiyang, Zheng Luozhu, and Nan Ge stood unfazed.
They were ready to return to the battlefield, and the opportunity was now!
“Whoosh——”
A bouncy ball that had rolled under the seats suddenly shot up, flying along the carriage’s ceiling towards the rear of the train at incredible speed.
Most of the chaos was concentrated in the front and middle sections of the carriage, near the safety zone, and the rear was almost empty. No one had expected the bouncy ball to head towards the back, and by the time they realized it and tried to intercept, it was already too late.
The bouncy ball landed in Fan Peiyang’s hand.
He handed it to Nan Ge and said, “One for you.”
All eyes were now focused on the rear of the carriage. Just then, a can of food suddenly fell from above and started madly ramming into the challengers in the rear of the carriage, taking advantage of the distraction.
“Ah!”
“F*ck!”
“Sh*t—”
Rapid cries of pain rang out as the indiscriminate attacks continued. Some challengers who had just obtained a bouncy ball were hit, and others immediately seized the opportunity to steal their keys. The scene descended into chaos once again, and three or four bouncy balls fell to the ground during the struggle.
Fan Peiyang seized the moment and paused the can of food. Then, he swiftly controlled two bouncy balls to float in the air along the ceiling, flying towards the rear of the train before landing in his palm.
“It’s done,” Fan Peiyang said, handing one to Zheng Luozhu and pocketing the other.
Zheng Luozhu nodded vigorously, now fully believing his boss’s earlier statement, “Snatching isn’t the problem.”
The challengers closest to the rear of the carriage once again turned their attention towards them.
Zheng Luozhu remained fully focused, controlling the “Iron Plate,” blocking in front of the three of them.
Fan Peiyang calmly said, “According to the plan, charge.”
Before he finished speaking, the three of them were already sprinting forward at breakneck speed, pushing the Iron Plate like a steamroller.
It was like having their own screaming background music.
In an instant, they charged into the melee.
Others couldn’t just let them have their way. They immediately rushed to stop them, preventing the three from entering all at once. It was simply unforgivable.
Zheng Luozhu paid no attention to anything else; he just used the Iron Plate to push forward. He could feel the resistance against the Iron Plate, but he clenched his teeth and continued.
However, the Iron Plate could only pave the way; it couldn’t protect their sides or rear. He even saw someone trying to attack from the side.
“Bang——”
A can, wrapped in wires, slammed fiercely into his forehead.
The attacker yelled in pain, clutching his forehead.
Before he could finish screaming, there was another “attack” on Nan Ge’s side.
But something was wrong; the can was still here, right?
Zheng Luozhu turned to look in confusion. Unexpectedly, there was another “can” protecting Nan Ge.
Could his boss control two cans at the same time?! This was different from controlling two bouncy balls to move horizontally.
Zheng Luozhu was shocked, but the two cans in the air were already circling them at high speed.
Nange had seen Fan Peiyang control a can before but had never seen this formation. She had thought that Fan Peiyang could only use cans for sneak attacks, but now, the two cans circling around them seemed to form a protective barrier of “high-speed projectiles.”
Fan Peiyang had no time to think about anything else. Whether it was Zheng Luozhu and Nan Ge’s feelings or the reactions of the challengers around them, in his current field of vision, there was only the front, only the safety zone.
He didn’t even bother looking at the cans; he simply used his mental power to control them to move faster and hit harder, even if it made his breathing rapid, his heartbeats irregular, and his body feel like it was about to explode from some intense force, causing him pain.
“F*ck, I’ve got one——”
Someone used their body to block one of the cans, grabbing it with both hands like catching a flying bird.
Zheng Luozhu was speechless. If you had the determination, why didn’t you go grab another key?
Only one can of the “protective barrier” remained exposed, and the challengers who hadn’t given up, still around them, immediately tried to seize the opportunity.
However, the captured can struggled fiercely to break free from the man’s grasp and came spinning back.
The force needed to escape the tight grip of a man’s hands, what kind of power was that?
Zheng Luozhu’s emotions were complicated.
His Iron Plate was no different from when he first entered the Underground City, yet his boss had already upgraded everything from speed to quantity and even strength. The difference was just too much for him to bear.
Taking a deep breath, Zheng Luozhu roared, “Ah——”
The bull charged out of the gate.
The three of them charged into the safe zone with determination. Due to the inertia, Zheng Luozhu slammed into the door heavily with the Iron Plate, producing a loud “clang.”
Nan Ge stopped in time, leaning against the door to catch her breath, her chest heaving violently.
Fan Peiyang lowered his head for a moment, regulated his breathing, then lifted his head, adjusted his coat, and fastened the bouncy ball.
[Congratulations, you’ve entered the next train carriage.]
The new prompt caused all eight people in the food carriage to look up simultaneously: Tang Lin, He Lu, the five members of the Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts, and Lu Jue, who was still dousing his burns with cold water.
The door was only half-open, and the people inside had just recognized the silhouette when Tang Lin stood up.
Fan Peiyang entered the carriage without looking at anyone else, his gaze fixed on Tang Lin. “As I said, there’s no problem.”
Tang Lin stared at him steadily. “You said I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”
Fan Peiyang didn’t try to deceive him. He felt a faint sense of guilt, but because Tang Lin remembered it so clearly, that guilt was mixed with a hint of excitement.
Tan Hua, while stuffing cookies into his mouth, muttered, “One with perfect hair and one with an unwrinkled coat… how did they manage that….”
As they spoke, Zheng Luozhu and Nan Ge also entered the carriage.
No one had expected that all three of them would enter in succession.
Tang Lin’s eyes were filled with surprise. “Zhuzi, Nan Ge!”
If you love what Ciacia is doing, then consider showing your support by supporting a cup of tea for her at Kofi. If you can’t wait for the next release chapter, subscribe to advanced chapters membership on her Kofi to get access to up to 10 chapters!
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
