“As for the rest of you,” Qi Xia said, “I have a very arduous task for you.”
Everyone turned to Qi Xia, quietly waiting for his instructions.
“If I’m not mistaken, when the wheelbarrow heads toward the finish line, it suffers an attack every eight meters, and on the return trip, every six meters.” Qi Xia then looked at Bai Nine. “Am I right?”
“Right!” Bai Nine nodded. “That’s exactly how it works.”
Geographic Reference
“The moment the wheelbarrow reaches seven meters, I need it to be pushed forward in one surge to the nine or ten meter mark.” Qi Xia organized his thoughts, then continued, “This task may be a bit difficult for you all, but if the goal is simply {to survive}, it should still be achievable.”
“Understood!” Everyone nodded in unison. “This task might trouble others, but we {Cats} excel at teamwork. Leave it to us.”
After spending a period of time together, Qi Xia had formed a clearer understanding of {Cats}.
There weren’t many powerful {Reverberatees} among {Cats}; compared to the current {Passage to Heaven}, they were somewhat inferior. After all, the known {Reverberatees} from {Passage to Heaven}, namely Zhang Shan, Auntie Tong, Kim Wonhun, and Yun Yao were not trivial figures. Their numbers were also far greater than those of {Cats}.
But the strengths of {Cats} were likewise obvious: they were more united, more fearless, like a special force that listened only to Qian Five’s command and viewed death with equanimity.
Everyone had already taken their positions beside the wheelbarrow, while Qiao Jiajin stood in front of it as a shield.
“Everyone...” Qiao Jiajin said, “this round may be even worse than you imagine...”
“Qiao ge, don’t say that.” Bai Nine shook her head. “You don’t even know how terrible our original expectations were. If not for you, someone would already be dead.”
“But the situation now isn’t much better.” Qiao Jiajin replied. “I may have to go all out to block the balls thrown by that Big ol’ Horse... As for all of you—”
“We’re each responsible for our own lives,” Bai Nine said. “Qi ge already gave us a strategy; if we coordinate properly, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”
Qiao Jiajin nodded. “Then it’s settled... I leave my back to you all.”
“Rest assured, Qiao ge!”
The collective glanced at Terrestrial Horse, then at the three-minute countdown on the wall, and stepped onto this hellish track.
Qiao Jiajin continuously swung his metal bat, eyes fixed on every movement of Terrestrial Horse, shifting forward with careful precision.
The others kept a few steps behind him. As they neared the eight-meter mark, Yun Nineteen hurried to the front, and the rest pushed the wheelbarrow forward in unison.
At that moment, the mechanisms on both sides launched all types of {balls}, seemingly combining the attributes of the first six rounds into a chaotic barrage.
Ning Eighteen did not participate in pushing the wheelbarrow. She stood beside the group, one hand resting on Zhou Six’s shoulder, anxiety etched across her face.
“{Greedy Wolf} governs {disaster and happiness}...” she murmured softly. “What awaits us...{disaster} or {happiness}?”
“Tsk...” Zhou Six sounded impatient, but worry furrowed her brow. “What are you mumbling about? Stop talking, we’ll go find Five ge after this.”
“Six jie...” Ning Eighteen lowered her head, tears slowly streaming down. “How could we obtain {happiness} here...? What awaits us must surely be {disaster}...”
“Cut the crap!” Zhou Six wrapped an arm around Ning Eighteen’s waist, steadying her, the concern in her eyes plain to see. “Tsk. Xiao Eighteen, has the pain got to your head? What nonsense are you babbling?”
“Six jie...” Ning Eighteen seemed genuinely overwhelmed by the pain, her sobs barely stifled. “Did you know? I’ve cast countless divinations... but... how exactly are we supposed to get out of here—”
“Shut it!” Zhou Six barked sharply, but reached out with her other hand to pat Ning Eighteen’s arm. “It’ll be okay, Xiao Eighteen. We’ll all be okay.”
Having said that, she glanced back and gave Luo Eleven a subtle signal.
Luo Eleven immediately understood and raised a hand to gently touch Ning Eighteen’s back. “Xiao Eighteen, Six jie is right. We’ll all be okay.”
A wave of {Affliction Dismissal} coursed through her, and Ning Eighteen no longer felt the searing pain that had gripped her body. Her suddenly restored strength made her feel as if she had ascended to heaven.
“Six jie...” Ning Eighteen blinked slowly. “I cast countless divinations for us...”
In the distance, Yun Nineteen halted the wheelbarrow around ten meters away, bringing it to a steady stop. The mechanisms gradually ceased their attacks.
Although Qi Xia’s strategy was somewhat challenging, for the {Cats} who had executed countless tasks together, it was hardly insurmountable.
Just as everyone began to breathe a sigh of relief, Terrestrial Horse slowly turned her body, raising a stone {ball} high above her head.
Qiao Jiajin immediately gestured for everyone to take cover behind him before gripping the metal bat tightly with both hands.
Once the stone {ball} flew toward them, would they live or die?
Terrestrial Horse raised the stone {ball} behind her head and, with a clumsy, almost amateurish motion, hurled it forward with all her strength.
In that instant, Qiao Jiajin realized just how naïve he had been.
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
The moment the {ball} left her hand, it burst forth with a deafening sound, streaking through the air like a jet‑black line, hurtling straight toward the group behind Qiao Jiajin’s back.
He hadn’t even managed to lift his hands when a sharp, brittle sound rang out behind him.
Everyone’s gaze trembled. Slowly, they turned their heads toward Ning Eighteen.
A clean, perfectly rounded hole had been punched through her abdomen by the speeding stone {ball}. Yet her expression remained unchanged. Only a stream of blood spilled slowly from her lips.
“I... divined for five years...” Ning Eighteen coughed lightly and turned her head toward Zhou Six. “Six jie... I cast for every single one of us... but every single result read {ominous}... What are we supposed to do...?”
Blood gushed from her mouth like an opened faucet, pouring relentlessly.
Zhou Six’s expression was twisted with barely contained fury, but her trembling faintly hand rose to rest gently against Ning Eighteen’s pallid cheek. Softly, she whispered, “Xiao Eighteen... stop divining. Don’t divine anymore. Rest for a while.”
“I’m so tired, Six jie...” Ning Eighteen murmured, slowly leaning her head onto Zhou Six’s shoulder. “We... can’t escape...”
Her voice grew fainter, and then, upon Zhou Six’s shoulder, faded entirely.
Every {Cats} on the field changed expression at once. At this moment, the same thought arose in all their minds—
What price would they have to pay...to kill Terrestrial Horse here and now?
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