Chapter 568: Chu Mo Island (Part 33)
Chapter 568: Chu Mo Island (Part 33)
The composite anti-gravity launcher's illumination function was undoubtedly superior to a regular flashlight. Not only did its light reach much farther, but its energy was also infinite. Therefore, with Feng Bu Jue leading the way, the group could at least see farther than they otherwise would.
Moreover, Feng Bu Jue had no fear. When sudden, startling changes occurred, he wouldn't hesitate from momentary fright.
But most importantly... Feng Bu Jue possessed the Soul Intent - zero time calculation. With this ability aiding him, he could respond reasonably to any situation.
In short, as Feng Bu Jue himself had thought, in this kind of environment, he was indeed the most suitable guide.
As for the extra mental burden... it was nothing to him. His mind never rested, constantly juggling multiple unrelated thoughts...
Unknown to Bu Jue, the group had walked for nearly half an hour when suddenly Hong Hu, the rear guard, spoke up: "The walls seem different now."
"Yeah, I noticed too", Fei Chai Shu agreed. "While the color looks the same as before, the stone walls along this section seem to... absorb light."
"Huh? Really?" Tian Ma Xing Kong chimed in, shining his flashlight on the nearby wall. "I don't see anything..."
"It's because my reconnaissance proficiency is higher", Hong Hu replied, adjusting his glasses. "My eyes are more sensitive to light."
Fei Chai Shu tapped his sunglasses - a special artifact. "My shades let me see the difference too."
"So... what does this change mean?" Ji Bu asked.
"Hehe... That's obvious, isn't it?" Feng Bu Jue called back without turning around. "Trouble's coming."
"Exactly", Hong Hu confirmed. "This should be the system's way of implicitly warning us about danger ahead."
"Don't worry", Feng Bu Jue said breezily. "I'm more reliable than the system. Just follow my lead when the danger hits."
"Pfft, sure, keep bragging", Ji Bu scoffed.
"No... Feng Bu Jue isn't boasting", Fei Chai Shu said solemnly. "He really is amazing. In this corridor, the guide bears far more pressure than those following. If I were in his place..." His eyes behind the sunglasses lingered on Feng Bu Jue's retreating back, "...I probably wouldn't have the energy left to joke around so easily."
"Aha! See, someone appreciates me!" Feng Bu Jue grinned. "Brother Chai, wise words!"
"Oh ho, you're feeling energetic?" Feng Bu Jue smirked, one eyebrow arching. "Great! To boost our flagging morale, how about a song?"
"You're not going to sing 'Brother Horse legs west' again, are you?" Hong Hu groaned, rubbing his forehead.
"Feng Bu Jue~ Feng Bu Jue~ you're truly unmatched! Beautyplayer couldn't defeat you, so out popped the Hate Furnace~" Feng Bu Jue bellowed in his deepest, gravest voice, launching into song. "Whenever danger strikes, you come through! Wherever danger brews, bro leads the way! Survived a hundred battles, Take the Lead, punishing good, praising evil, heart like a devil~"
"Do you have any shame?!" Ji Bu screamed, clapping hands over his ears.
The other three grimaced, groaning and cursing in unison. For a moment, the corridor echoed with a chorus of [bleep] sounds.
That was just Feng Bu Jue's style. Whenever his teammates' trust and affection for him built up too high, he'd effortlessly Plummet New Lows, ruthlessly overthrowing all their expectations and fantasies...
Whether he was reliable or not... was truly impossible to say...
"Heh... This corridor has awesome acoustics!" Feng Bu Jue laughed after finishing his song. "Feels like a public bathhouse."
"If you did that in a bathhouse..." Fei Chai Shu muttered, "...getting beaten senseless would be the least of your worries..."
"Hmph! If I were there, I'd drown you in the pool", Tian Ma Xing Kong quipped.
Feng Bu Jue chuckled. "Flattered... flattered... I'm really not a professional singer."
"Who the [bleep] was praising you?!" Ji Bu yelled. "Can't you tell the difference between compliments and insults?!"
While the group bickered and complained, suddenly...
Fukka... Fukka Fukka Fukka... A strange voice sound system activated, like clappers in a fast-paced opera, though not quite crisp.
The sound grew louder, echoing from above the corridor. Feng Bu Jue's expression immediately turned serious as he raised his spotlight, scanning ahead.
Seconds later, several shadowy Phantoms entered his view.
"Butterflies?" was Feng Bu Jue's first thought.
Within moments, more and more butterfly-like shapes appeared...
As they drew nearer, their forms became clearer. Examining them closely... Each "butterfly's" wings resembled razorblades, gleaming with the cold menace of cold weapons; their bodies were as thick as human finger joints, jet-black; their heads bore pincer-like feelers.
A few of these creatures wouldn't faze the players - swat them and be done. But now, pouring from above the corridor... came a tidal wave of butterflies...
"Turn! Run!" Feng Bu Jue decided in a second, barking the three-word command.
His team needed no further prompting. At his shout, they spun and fled...
"How fast?!" Hong Hu, now the front runner, naturally wanted clarification on their pace.
"Fast enough, but not too fast", Feng Bu Jue replied, drawing 【Moxxi's Bad Temper】 from his satchel and firing precision shots at the butterfly swarm behind him.
"Obviously!" Hong Hu retorted without slowing. "Why not just say 'follow your instincts'?"
"Less chatter! Can't you see I'm busy with hit_and_run?!" Feng Bu Jue shouted. In the time those two exchanged words, he'd already emptied his first clip.
"Hey, Brother Horse", Feng Bu Jue called to Tian Ma Xing Kong ahead as he reloaded. "Quick question."
"What?" Tian Ma Xing Kong turned his head while running.
"Can you... release a Meteor Strike Fist down this corridor without grazing the walls?" Feng Bu Jue asked.
"Pfft! Easy peasy!" Tian Ma Xing Kong proclaimed confidently.
Feng Bu Jue knew he probably could, but under these circumstances, better safe than sorry to confirm.
"Good. Let's switch positions. You cover the rear", Feng Bu Jue said, gradually catching up to Brother Horse, bumping him with his elbow to indicate which side to turn.
"My pleasure!" Tian Ma Xing Kong spun to face the swarm, declaring boldly, "A hero doesn't flee like a coward!"
In an instant, he assumed his stance, targeting the approaching butterfly tide... and unleashed his move!
"Tianma Liuxing Fist!" True to form, he had to roar the technique's name.
Instantly, a flurry of silver-white fist auras concentrated in the corridor's center, intercepting the dense swarm.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Explosions of impact sounded, followed by the clatter of metallic bodies hitting the ground.
"Perfect! Hold that line!" Feng Bu Jue shouted, seeing Tian Ma Xing Kong's attack was effective. "Hong Hu, no need to run anymore. Brother Horse has us covered."
The three at the front stopped immediately, turning back.
"What are those things?!" Ji Bu asked. "I couldn't even see them!"
"Some butterfly-like monster with at least a thousand strong", Feng Bu Jue rapidly reported his observations. "Flight speed slightly faster than regular butterflies, attack methods unknown..." He paused. "Their wings have near-steel hardness, surviving multiple bullets before falling. I used up a full clip and only took out single-digit kills... So I decided to switch rear guards."
"Meteor Strike Fist sure is effective..." Fei Chai Shu muttered, peering past Feng Bu Jue's shoulder at Tian Ma Xing Kong's position. "...And this guy really didn't graze the walls even once with a single punch—"
“Yeah... If it were my Storm Leg, I couldn't pull off what he just did,” Feng Bu Jue said, following Fei Chai Shu’s gaze as he spoke. “Though I’m not sure whether this corridor still counts as part of the Shrine, we should avoid smashing the walls directly. If we trigger any retaliatory magic here, we’ll be in serious trouble…”
“Watch out! Some of them got through!” Tian Ma Xing Kong suddenly shouted, making the team tense again just as they’d started to relax.
“I expected this,” Hong Hu replied calmly. Stepping forward, he drew his bow, his fingertips gathering radiant energy into Luminous Arrows. “Observe… true high-precision continuous strikes.”
His strategy? Unleash a barrage of Luminous Arrows at super-high speed to destroy every monster butterfly slipping through. It was an extremely risky tactic—if even one arrow missed or grazed a target, the Luminous Arrows would immediately strike the stone walls. But judging from Hong Hu’s confident expression, he had no doubts whatsoever.
“Do we really need such a complicated approach?”
To everyone’s shock, Ji Bu Shao Ye suddenly stepped in front of the group. Facing this crisis, he wore an unusually composed expression as he pulled out his weapon once more.
[Name: Peacock Screen]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Flawless]
[Attack Power: Strong]
[Attribute: None]
[Special Effect: Automatically activates skill 'Screen Gale' (cooldown: ten minutes)]
[Equipment Condition: Martial Arts Proficiency A]
[Background: When 'Screen Gale' is activated, Peacock Screen gains double attack power for ten seconds. Swinging the fan unleashes powerful gales forward, dealing area-of-effect damage.]
“I knew it was just a bunch of butterflies,” Ji Bu said, already stepping two paces behind Tian Ma Xing Kong. “Let me handle it.”
“Brother Horse, move aside—let me take over!”
Within the team, only Feng Bu Jue truly understood Ji Bu’s actual capabilities. The others believed this guy was a top-tier expert. After all, Ji Bu held the top spot at Hiei Studio—surely his solo combat skills rivaled any member of the Trio with Naming Difficulties.
Thus, Tian Ma Xing Kong stepped aside without hesitation.
Feng Bu Jue was the most anxious at that moment, fearing Ji Bu would embarrass himself. Unexpectedly, the situation unfolded surprisingly smoothly.
Ji Bu gripped the massive fan vertically before him, both hands on the handle, and spun it clockwise like a staff. A gale instantly erupted from the fan, forming an invisible drill-like force that advanced relentlessly, obliterating the swarm of monstrous butterflies in its path.
Within five or six seconds, Ji Bu had cleared the entire wave of insects. With a flourish, he snapped the fan shut, returned it to his satchel, and smirked over his shoulder. “See? Not that complicated.”
“You’re full of surprises…” Feng Bu Jue holstered his submachine gun and wiped his brow. “Time really changes everything—even scholars deserve new respect.”
“That’s right!” Ji Bu chuckled. “You think I’m still the same as back in Cangling Town? My equipment’s been fully upgraded now.”
“Fair enough. If we encounter similar situations later, we’ll leave it to you,” Feng Bu Jue said, returning to the front of the formation. “Let’s keep moving.”
The five members regrouped, resuming their original formation as they advanced.
After another seven or eight minutes, Feng Bu Jue finally spotted a faint purple glow far ahead.
“Finally… the exit must be close,” Feng Bu Jue panted. The corridor’s incline had nearly reached forty-five degrees, making every step exhausting. “Judging by the time, we should be near.”
He had good reason to say this. During the past half-hour, Feng Bu Jue had used Wild Ball Fist again. He could now estimate the remaining time limit based on the cooldown of his skills.
“About five minutes left,” Hong Hu added, clearly calculating the time himself. “By the way… have you noticed? The latest two task prompts didn’t mention the phrase ‘exceed the time limit and face erasure.’” He paused, catching his breath. “Was it just omitted?”
“Heh… Definitely not omitted,” Feng Bu Jue smiled. “It simply doesn’t exist.”
“What do you mean?” Everyone froze.
“Think about it yourselves… Take the task ‘Within fifteen minutes, use the basin-shaped altar in the Priest Hall to summon and defeat Wandering God Wokol.’” Feng Bu Jue chuckled. “There are only two ways to fail: Either you don’t successfully summon Wokol within fifteen minutes, or you fail to defeat him.” He licked his lips. “The second scenario doesn’t need explaining—if Wokol kills us, the system has no reason to erase us. As for the first case… it probably signals a guaranteed death trap.”
“So you’re saying…” Fei Chai Shu followed Feng Bu Jue’s logic. “If we haven’t completed Wokol’s summoning after fifteen minutes, something drastic might occur in the Priest Hall?”
“Exactly,” Feng Bu Jue nodded. “Maybe a super-defense spell inside the hall activates suddenly, wiping us all out instantly.”
Hong Hu nodded thoughtfully. “Then the same logic applies to the current task: ‘Reach the Crystal Labyrinth through the corridor behind the basin-shaped altar within one hour’?”
“Precisely,” Feng Bu Jue confirmed. “The corridor might collapse or implode the moment the time limit hits—no system intervention necessary.”
“That does make sense,” Hong Hu admitted. “This is a useful pattern to note. Going forward, we can deduce the nature of death penalties by checking whether ‘erasure’ is mentioned in task descriptions.”
“But paying attention to this now is pointless,” Feng Bu Jue shrugged. “I’d guess none of our future tasks will mention ‘erasure’ anymore.”
“Why’s that?” Fei Chai Shu asked.
“Because as the scenario progresses, our environment grows increasingly unsafe,” Feng Bu Jue replied grimly. “I suspect future tasks won’t just remove ‘erasure’—they might eliminate time limits altogether…”
“Ah… So we’re finally entering…” Tian Ma Xing Kong murmured, “a world where death lurks around every corner?”
As their conversation ended, they reached the corridor’s terminus.
Before stepping out, Feng Bu Jue already glimpsed the dazzling crystal vista beyond. Ten meters from the exit, he holstered his Catapult—outdoor lighting was more than sufficient.
With their final steps, the five members finally emerged from what felt like an endless passage into a brand-new map.
Before them stood countless jagged crystal pillars resembling mountain peaks, forming a vast labyrinth of radiant crystal. A bright purple glow emanated from the crystals, illuminating their surroundings. The eerie light and chaotic pathways created a disorienting sense of spatial-temporal distortion.
Yet the most surreal sight of all was the sky itself. Uncovered by the usual purple mist, it revealed no moon—only a suspended landmass stretching far yet oddly close. Observers might feel an eerie sense of familiarity when studying its terrain.
The system prompt arrived as expected: [Current Task Completed]. Hearing these words, the players finally exhaled in relief.
“Phew… Phew… How much stamina does everyone have left?” Ji Bu, the most winded among them, collapsed onto the ground as soon as they reached flat terrain.
“Not much…” Feng Bu Jue replied. “But probably a bit better than yours.”
“Let’s rest while we can before the next task appears,” Hong Hu, who’d also sat down, licked his lips. “We ate something earlier, but we’ve barely replenished our fluids—dehydration worsens stamina loss.”
“Hm… Guests again…” Suddenly, a woman’s voice echoed through the system. Unmistakably non-player in origin, she added, “The last human to successfully enter the Reversed Island was an exceptional explorer. But as for you lot… Who exactly do you think you are?”
(End of Chapter)
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