Chapter 536: Chu Mo Island (II)
Chapter 536: Chu Mo Island (II)
"No wonder it's Nightmare difficulty", Fei Chai Shu remarked. "This Setting sounds tough just hearing about it..."
Feng Bu Jue added, "So in other words, besides completing the task, we also need to spend time searching for food and water sources to maintain our physical condition."
"Hmm..." Hong Hu mused thoughtfully, "It seems this scenario will take a long time—at least twenty hours or more."
"If the time was too short", Jibu Shao Ye grumbled, "it wouldn't highlight the impact of this frustrating Setting, right?"
"Hmph!" Suddenly, Feng Bu Jue made a double-fist clamping motion toward the air beside him.
"What are you doing?" Hong Hu asked.
"Loosening up my muscles", Feng Bu Jue replied casually.
"Whatever..." Hong Hu rolled his eyes, his expression silently saying, "You're clearly nuts—why bother questioning?"
"Everyone, the task has appeared. We should start the Operation immediately!" Tian Ma Xing Kong declared loudly.
Hong Hu turned to him, sighing deeply. "Sigh... In a way, those who dare to act without overthinking... are truly lucky..."
"Hey, I just got an idea!" Tian Ma Xing Kong suddenly announced.
"What?!" Hong Hu exclaimed. "You actually came up with a strategy?"
"I'll jump into the air first to scout the island's terrain", Tian Ma Xing Kong explained. "Maybe I can spot the 'faith temple's location directly."
"Wait..." Feng Bu Jue gave Brother Horse a sideways glance with his signature dead-fish eyes. "Do you even have levitation skills?"
"Nope", Tian Ma Xing Kong answered without hesitation. "But I jump really high."
"Do you at least have ways to reduce fall damage?" Feng Bu Jue pressed.
"Hmm... Not really", Tian Ma Xing Kong admitted. "But you guys can relax—I won't die."
"You're wasting your potential as a Classplayer..." Feng Bu Jue shot back sarcastically. "You should host a homemaking show at the TV station. The program's name could be True Man Ignores Instruction Manuals. Compared to your show, Mythbusters would be a middle school science experiment, and 1000 Ways to Die would barely qualify as an autopsy highlights reel."
"Okay, stop roasting him", Hong Hu interrupted. "We know you've got superior air control—go ahead if you're going up. No one's stopping you."
"On my way and back in a flash", Feng Bu Jue replied, already stepping back a few paces. With a stomp, he shot upward like an arrow.
As Feng Bu Jue ascended, Tian Ma Xing Kong finally processed the earlier conversation. He suddenly realized, "Wait? Was Feng Bu Jue implying I'm reckless?"
"Feh—haha..." Fei Chai Shu exhaled smoke, grinning. "He's just reminding you not to waste vitality value unnecessarily."
The two hadn't finished speaking when—"Ahh!"—a strange cry erupted from the sky.
The next second, Feng Bu Jue plummeted from midair.
Instantly, the four teammates assumed Feng Bu Jue had been attacked mid-flight. They all tensed, scanning the purple mist above for monster figures.
"If something could shoot Mad Bu Jue down in such a short time..." Fei Chai Shu thought, startled. Yet his expression remained calm, and he was the first to dash forward, ready to catch Feng Bu Jue.
But Fei Chai Shu quickly realized Feng Bu Jue still controlled his body and needed no help.
Sure enough, two seconds later, Feng Bu Jue landed neatly on both feet, standing firm.
"Ahhh..." His face darkened with rage, his expression twisted. Mouth wide open, he emitted faint, raspy choking sounds, like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
"Kuh-ha!" Feng Bu Jue frantically waved his hands in the air, pointing repeatedly at his mouth with urgent eyes.
"He's been poisoned!" Jibu Shao Ye surprisingly caught on first, shouting it out.
At those words, Fei Chai Shu—the closest to Feng Bu Jue—immediately pulled an antidote capsule from his satchel and tossed it straight into Feng Bu Jue's mouth.
After swallowing the pill, Feng Bu Jue froze in place for several seconds, likely checking his game menu status.
Soon, the blackened aura disappeared from his face, and his breathing and speech recovered.
"Phew... Phew..." After escaping danger, Feng Bu Jue simply plopped onto the sand, gasping. "Whew... That was close..."
"Hey... What exactly happened?" Hong Hu asked.
"Phew... N-nothing", Feng Bu Jue panted. "When I reached my jump peak... I took a breath, and suddenly—poison flooded my body." He dry-heaved twice. "All I saw midair was purple mist. Totally blind. The closer I got to the island's center, the thicker the fog became."
"Is the mist poisonous?" Fei Chai Shu muttered, instinctively looking up. "Then us standing here..."
"Don't worry", Feng Bu Jue waved him off. "I guess... the poison only activates above a certain altitude. We'll be safe if we stay grounded." He paused, checking his status bar. "But this toxin works fast—just ten seconds up there drained 41% of my vitality value."
"I see", Hong Hu deduced. "The System clearly knows one of us can operate airborne for long periods. They used this to strip our air superiority."
"Yeah, probably", Feng Bu Jue agreed. "Also, how the poison affects people isn't fully tested yet. It might not just enter through the respiratory system but also seep through pores. If so... players flying up would get hit regardless of breathing."
"Truthfully, testing might not even matter", Hong Hu added. "Even wearing full virus-proof gear, you'd still can't see a thing up there."
"Ahhh..." Both sighed in unison. "Talk about tight security..."
Meanwhile, Tian Ma Xing Kong scratched his head. "You two are overthinking. Guessing like this is exhausting. Do you count chews while eating? Whether you chew ten times or twenty, you swallow eventually. In my opinion, just go with the flow. Since we can't fly, let's walk inland directly."
"Heh... You're right", Feng Bu Jue laughed, standing and brushing sand off his clothes. "I think it's time to change strategies."
"Hey hey, are you giving up thinking now?" Hong Hu protested. "Don't get too carried away!"
"No, I'm not giving up thinking", Feng Bu Jue clarified. "Just not relying on it 100% anymore. Brother Horse does have a point. Based on my repeated failures in solo Nightmare dungeons... In this mode, trying to theorize and verify every plot and flag is impossible—it's just too hard.
In solo Nightmare dungeons, death means game over since you're playing alone. But in team Nightmare... death isn't the end. Losing one or two people—even if only one remains... theoretically, as long as someone survives, there's still a chance to clear the scenario. Therefore, this mode has a certain chance of sudden, unannounced deathtraps. The more players theorize and verify... the higher the death probability becomes.
Many times, we need to make choices without any hints. To put it simply... clearing a Nightmare difficulty team survival scenario requires seven parts rationality, and three parts... intuition."
"Just say 'rely on luck' already..." Hong Hu retorted.
"Luck is still part of capability", Feng Bu Jue shrugged. "It's like gambling—calculation matters, but it can't guarantee victory." He spread his hands. "Of course, I must admit... my luck is terrible. Extremely terrible." Then he glanced at Tian Ma Xing Kong. "But I can tell someone here has sky-high fortune points."
"Yeah... It's a miracle he's survived this long..." Hong Hu added.
"What nonsense are you two babbling now?" Tian Ma Xing Kong asked, confused.
Feng Bu Jue's entire speech sounded like [shhhhh] static to Brother Horse.
"Nothing", Feng Bu Jue replied. "You lead the way. Let's go with the flow..."
(End of Chapter)
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