Chapter 244: Life-or-Death Maze (22)
Struggling around in the water was both thrilling and exhausting. Ji Ning spun in a circle and took six cocks. She felt that even if she had three Arousal bars, they would've been filled to bursting.
After coming out of the water, not only was her Arousal fully replenished, but because Xing Ye had incidentally washed her bottom, her Cleanliness was also maxed out.
Yan Qiao, who had left midway, returned with a pouch of chestnuts. He had already cracked open their spiky outer shells. Peeling away the brown inner skin, eating one golden, tender chestnut kernel restored 20 Hunger.
Ji Ning only needed to eat two. As she was about to feed a third peeled one to Song Weiyang, who was giving her a piggyback ride, Yan Qiao caught her wrist and guided her hand to his own mouth, biting the chestnut away.
He reached out, and it was only then that Ji Ning saw a patch of scraped skin on his wrist. Instantly throwing his petty, exclusionary behavior to the back of her mind, she grabbed his fingers and pulled his hand back for a look.
"How did you get hurt? Does it hurt a lot? Let me blow on it." She then puffed out her cheeks and blew gently on the wound.
Song Weiyang, knowing the chestnut meant for him had been intercepted, said grumpily, "Serves you right."
Yan Qiao awkwardly pulled his hand back and said stiffly, "I went through the trouble of picking these for you. Isn't it only fair to feed me the first one?"
"I'll peel another one for you then," Ji Ning said, feeling a tiny pang of guilt as she buried her head and started peeling another chestnut.
In this group, besides Yan Qiao, who would dare be harsh with Ji Ning? Even if someone was, it was only as a form of bedroom play.
Jiang Ting, acting as if his own wife had just been scolded, said coldly, "It'll be fine once we're out. So melodramatic."
Amidst the bickering, the group of seven emerged from the forest, splitting into three teams once more to scout separate paths.
The top of the central castle was already visible, signaling they were getting closer to the center. This time, Xing Ye, using his overwhelming combat prowess as justification, proactively arranged for Ji Ning to follow him. The other two teams had nothing to say and obediently set off first to scout ahead.
The closer they got to the inner rings of the maze, the shorter the passages became, and the more efficient their scouting. The three small teams sometimes even ran into each other at fork crossings.
Ji Ning, Xing Ye, and Yan Qiao's team had the best luck. The last direction they chose led straight through, bringing them right out of the final, circular inner wall.
But what was astonishing was that, at the exact same time, the people from the Orange faction, led by female player No. 8, also emerged from the only opposite exit, directly across from Ji Ning's team.
And they were all present, all five of them, completely intact…
Without splitting up to scout, yet still exiting the maze at the same time as the Purple faction—aside from impossibly good luck, another possibility was that the half of the maze the other party was in had far fewer layers than the Purple faction's side.
The atmosphere grew tense. This speculation only surfaced in the minds of Ji Ning and her companions.
There was no time to find the reason. Seeing that the opposing side only had two men, the four knights of the Orange Princess faction didn't even need to think. Swords and shields raised, they charged.
To prevent them from getting too close and accidentally wounding Ji Ning with stray blades, Xing Ye and Yan Qiao immediately moved to meet them, intercepting the attackers mid-way.
This instance required all players to split into two factions. The first team to seize the castle won, meaning only the team that completed the task could survive.
However, the castle gates were tightly shut, and the exterior was protected by high, thorny hedges. Figuring out how to enter would likely take time, making it impossible to get in smoothly while the other team was still present.
Thus, in a flash, both sides chose to start the fight first. After wiping out the other side, they could take their time figuring out how to enter the castle.
Xing Ye's techniques were fierce and brave, and Yan Qiao's fighting style was reckless. Even two against four, they were not forced into a disadvantage.
But the four men on the opposing side were no pushovers. Relying on their numerical advantage and surprise attacks, they several times nearly managed to slash Xing Ye and Yan Qiao.
Ji Ning was frantic with worry, but she knew panicking was useless. Forcing herself to be calm, she turned and ran back into the maze alone, shouting as she ran, striving to quickly find the other four to go help Xing Ye and the others.
Ji Ning's obvious act of fetching reinforcements spurred the four Orange faction men into action. They all knew the Purple faction had six knights in total; once everyone was assembled, their advantage would vanish.
So, in their urgency, they fought with even more brute force. Two swords striking down together even managed to force Xing Ye back a step.
A man from the Orange faction raised his sword high, gathering strength to slash down at Yan Qiao.
Unexpectedly, Yan Qiao did not retreat. Instead, he advanced, ducking low and charging forward into the path of the blade, taking the hit squarely on his shoulder.
His pauldron was cleaved off, and blood immediately spilled onto the ground. Had it not been for the flesh still connecting it, half his shoulder would have been sheared away.
But the Orange faction male player's situation was no better. Yan Qiao had aimed his own sword precisely at the unarmored weak point of the man's exposed armpit as his arm was raised. The wide blade sank halfway in before Yan Qiao twisted the hilt and wrenched it viciously.
That spot wasn't far from the heart. After Yan Qiao yanked his sword back, the impaled male player collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably. Blood frothed from his mouth and his wound, and after a few spasms, he stopped breathing.
Two-versus-four had become two-versus-three. The situation had improved significantly.
However, because Yan Qiao's left arm was severely injured, Xing Ye still had to hold off two opponents on his own. He attacked with such ferocity that no one could withstand him. Though his opponents also left wounds on him, slashing his leg and arm, the opposing side lost another man, leaving only two.
Ji Ning, having quickly found them, returned first with Sheng Churan and Song Weiyang. The men swarmed forward, shielding Xing Ye and Yan Qiao as they retreated, then cleanly and efficiently cut down the last two Orange faction men under their swords.
The Orange faction now had only their princess left, but she was nowhere to be found. It seemed that, compared to being chopped to death by a sword, she preferred fleeing into the maze to await the system's judgment.
Yan Qiao was drenched in blood; Xing Ye was covered in wounds.
No matter how much Ji Ning tried to suppress it, her eyes were still blurred by tears.
Her hands trembling, she pressed against their wounds. Her lips quivered fiercely, her throat felt tight, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Jiang Ting and Qin Yanshu, catching up and seeing the situation, left the three of them some space and joined Sheng Churan and Song Weiyang in cracking the mechanism to enter the castle.
The gash on Yan Qiao's shoulder was larger than a bowl, blood streaming out in torrents. Severe blood loss had turned his lips utterly pale.
Seeing Ji Ning crying her heart out, he wiped a finger across her cheek and said lightly, "Stop crying. It'll be fine once we're out."
Get instant access to all chapters now.
Post a Comment