Published at 8th of October 2024 3:04 am

Chapter 981: Straightforwardness is Just a Persona

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

After the dynamic vision, neural reactions, and visual range she gained from evolution were stripped away and regressed, Lin Sanjiu didn’t even get a clear view of where the metallic cross had come from. Obviously, the others were the same. When she was still stunned, Zao Peng involuntarily let out an exclamation, “He’s dead!”

That was stating the obvious. Everyone could see that he was dead. After the body fell into the lake, the duck-shaped paddle boat rocked back and forth on the water surface, regaining its balance. At least for now, it hadn’t sunk.

“Who?” The round-faced man was the farthest away, raising his voice and shouting, “Who saw it? Who did it?”

The death of Lewis only received this one reaction—a reaction that almost wasted no time from Natasha. While the corpse was still hanging on the edge of the boat, she carefully stood up on top of the submerged paddle boat. After struggling to maintain her balance, she took off her jeans from around her waist, her face pale, and she leaped toward Lewis’s paddle boat.

A strange gasp slipped out of Zao Peng’s throat.

The slender white shadow couldn’t jump very far in the water, perhaps because it was difficult to generate power while stepping on a sinking boat. The Eastern European girl ended up falling heavily into the water. The water splashed high, creating a burst of white in the air. Everyone, including Lin Sanjiu, couldn’t help but flinch, but no one could tear their gaze away from the surging waves on the lake. Lewis had been killed, and Natasha would be the first to be drowned by the pocket dimension’s rules.

Everyone wanted to know what it would be like to be drowned by the pocket dimension.

Natasha’s struggle in the water was almost unbearable to watch. She couldn’t make any sound, probably because the lake water had poured into her mouth and nose. The waves she kicked up with her feet even caused the surrounding boats to sway slightly. Just as Lin Sanjiu couldn’t help but want to look away, her gaze suddenly froze, and she shouted, “She’s holding on!”

On the edge of the boat that Lewis fell from, a fair hand had appeared at some point. When Natasha struggled in the water, the boat was pulled left and right, as if it was about to sink. However, until the Eastern European girl climbed up, panting for breath, it still didn’t sink.

Natasha had cut her skin somewhere underwater, and blood flowed down her legs, presenting a vivid sight.

“You bastards,” she cursed, having just made a full circle around death. She seemed unable to control her excitement, “You all thought I was done for, right? Let me tell you, I used to be in an acrobatic circus!”

As soon as she finished speaking, she slumped into the paddle boat, panting heavily, and fell silent.

“Don’t be like this, we’re a team, and we all hope you can survive.” Zao Peng’s face turned stern, as if she was scolding a student who refused to do their homework. Although her words were directed at Natasha, her eyes remained fixed on the middle-aged gentleman. “I don’t know who killed Lewis, but… I don’t think it’s the time to investigate. Our common enemy now is that woman. Once she dies, we can all clear the level.”

Pausing for a moment, Zao Peng, seemingly exerting great effort, added, “Because I have an idea about how to clear the level.”

Lin Sanjiu was taken aback and instinctively turned her head. But at that moment, her gaze fell on the round-faced man who was staring at her.

The round-faced man quickly gestured to her, pointing heavily at the water surface.

The sudden realization that flashed through her mind saved her life once again. Before her realization could turn into coherent thoughts, her body had already acted on its own. Lin Sanjiu lunged sideways out of the paddle boat and stumbled into the water. As the water engulfed half of her body, she faintly heard a sonic boom tearing through the air from above, right through the center of the paddle boat where she had just been sitting.

With a “gulp,” it was only then that she completely submerged in the water.

Water covered her eyes, ears, and nose, leaving only the area above her forehead, so she didn’t die. Within the greenish ripples, floating bodies, debris, and fragments of boats seemed to dance in slow motion, gracefully swaying across her field of vision.

As bubbles floated to the water’s surface, the middle-aged gentleman finally let out a curse, stood up from the paddle boat, and said, “She dodged really quickly!”

“It’s almost 29 minutes,” Zao Peng called out tremblingly, “I’ll renew! Take my collateral!”

“Got it,” the voice from the loudspeaker promptly sounded on the water surface, “What about the others? In less than a minute, you’ll be forced off the boat. Don’t even think about hitching a ride on someone else’s boat. The price I’m offering is already cheap.”

“I’m renewing too!” Almost at the same time, Natasha and the round-faced man shouted these words.

Philibert’s face immediately darkened as he stared at the ripples left by Lin Sanjiu entering the water. The veins on his cheek bulged, and he still hadn’t shouted “I’m renewing.”

“Philibert,” the round-faced man hid behind the paddle boat’s steering wheel, seemingly distrustful of him. He shouted from a distance, “In less than a minute, the water level will reach 1.8 meters. If you renew at the 30th minute, she won’t be able to come out and will naturally drown…”

Now that Philibert couldn’t attack Lin Sanjiu, would he simply use another team member’s life as a substitute? No one could say for sure. Natasha stared intently at the middle-aged gentleman, and she had already quietly moved closer to the edge of the boat, seemingly planning to hide in the water. After all, as long as she held onto the boat, she wouldn’t be drowned.

“Yes… yes, I’ll time it for you,” Zao Peng hurriedly said, “When it’s 29 minutes and 55 seconds, I’ll remind you to renew. She won’t be able to hear my reminder underwater. By the time she realizes she needs to renew, the 30 minutes will already be up. So, what are you worried about? As soon as she surfaces, you attack and keep her submerged underwater!”

Philibert let out a deep growl from his throat and turned to look at her. “Did you really come up with a way to clear the level?”

“I can’t say it’s 100% accurate, but it’s worth a try,” Zao Peng presented a serious class monitor-like expression.

“Understood,” Philibert turned his head, extended his hand towards the bubbling water on the lake’s surface, and veins throbbed on his forehead. “Start the countdown!”

Coincidentally, as soon as he finished speaking, a shadow emerged from the spot where Lin Sanjiu was, spinning and flying into the air. The middle-aged gentleman didn’t even have time to examine it closely. Under reflex, several bursts of sonic booms shot out in succession, instantly tearing the shadow to shreds. It wasn’t until the fragments fell into the water that they realized it wasn’t Lin Sanjiu but just a piece of plastic board.

“It’s almost 55 seconds!” Zao Peng shouted suddenly.

Philibert’s face was already covered in cold sweat, and upon hearing her, he visibly relaxed. However, just as he was about to speak, the loudspeaker beat him to it.

“Thirty minutes have passed, and your boat privileges have been revoked.”

In that instant, the expression on the middle-aged gentleman’s face seemed as if he had fallen into a dream.

As he stiffened and turned his neck to look at Zao Peng, the paddle boat suddenly flipped over, rolling Philibert to the side and throwing him into the lake with a loud splash. Immediately after, it slowly righted itself, regaining balance on the water surface.

“Ah,” Zao Peng genuinely exclaimed in surprise. “Did I miscalculate the time?”

The lake remained silent for a moment, with no one responding to her.

The round-faced man and Natasha stared at her, as if a sea anemone had suddenly bloomed on her face.

“Don’t look at me like that,” the short-haired woman said with a stern face. “Hmm… It’s 30 minutes and 11 seconds. Well, it’s fine. The method I thought of requires a few corpses for experimentation anyway…”

“Renew!”

A hoarse female voice abruptly interrupted her. After inhaling water, the voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it still sliced across the lake’s surface like thunder, causing several people’s faces to turn pale.

“How… How is this possible?” Natasha quickly stuck her head out of the paddle boat, staring at the distant water surface. “She, she climbed back onto the boat!”

“Don’t be stupid!” Zao Peng’s eyes turned red. “I calculated the time accurately, it’s already been over 30 minutes!”

Lin Sanjiu was soaked, her body as heavy as a just-beached walrus. She lay on the paddle boat, panting heavily. After catching her breath, she raised a pale smile. “What, I thought you cared a lot about your team… It seems not.”

Zao Peng froze in the paddle boat, now experiencing her own bewilderment.

It wasn’t until another splash broke the palpable confusion on her face that she spoke up again. Philibert’s face suddenly emerged from the water, gasping for air, and hastily shouted, “Renew… renew!” He immediately grabbed the paddle boat that had flipped him over and climbed back on.

“What… What’s going on?”

The round-faced man turned towards the lake’s surface and shouted, “Loudspeaker! Didn’t you say that once the water level reaches 1.8 meters, we would be forcibly drowned?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized it and hurriedly nodded towards Philibert. “Of course, I don’t want you to die…”

There was, of course, no response from the loudspeaker. After all, it had stated that it couldn’t hear anything except for renewals.

Philibert’s wet hair clung to his face, his complexion pale, and his lips continued to drip water. He looked more confused and perplexed than anyone else. After a few seconds, he murmured softly, “I… I don’t know why I didn’t die…”

“I know why,” Lin Sanjiu called out from a distance, sounding tired, helpless, and somewhat amused. She hummed lightly and chuckled, “Upon careful consideration, the wording of the rules introduced by this pocket dimension is quite interesting… It misled us and didn’t tell a single lie.”

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