Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan
"What's going on?"
"Why is there a sandstorm?"
"Damn, who stepped on my foot!"
The yellow sand surged, engulfing the Haihong Building. The fans in the banquet hall could shout a few words at first, but soon the sandstorm forced them to shut their mouths and eyes.
However, the ordeal didn't last long, just over ten seconds. When everyone felt no more sand hitting their faces and the wind ceased, they opened their eyes, only to be dumbfounded.
***
"Where is this?"
The banquet hall was gone, replaced by a clear azure sky, as pristine and clear as a mirror.
Surrounding them were towering skyscrapers, like steel needles piercing the heavens, as if they could puncture a hole in the sky.
"What happened? Is this a 3D projection?"
"Little Fairy, is this part of your planned event?"
"Say something!"
Many were utterly confused, some too scared to move, others hurriedly checking their surroundings.
But there wasn't much to see.
Their current location was the rooftop of a skyscraper, about the size of two football fields.
There was no staircase to leave this place in sight, but in the middle of the rooftop stood a massive parrot statue, about ten meters tall.
"It's here! The Rule Pollution has arrived!"
Gu Qingqiu muttered to herself, her hands and feet trembling not from fear, but from excitement at the prospect of playing another thrilling Divine Taboo game.
"Can't be, right?"
Hua Yueyu closed her eyes in resignation, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Again?
One piece of good news and one piece of bad news. The bad news was that Rule Pollution had erupted again. The good news was that God Lin was here, and with him, hope!
Lin Baici quickly scanned the surroundings, then turned to Little Fairy.
The girl looked utterly shocked, her jaw practically hitting the floor, clearly unaware that this Rule Pollution was triggered by her.
"Little Fairy, give me your bag!"
Xia Hongyao commanded.
It was obvious that the sudden arrival of Little Fairy's ex-boyfriend had caused her emotions to fluctuate violently, activating the Divine Taboo she carried.
Despite many institutions studying Divine Remains having contained numerous Divine Taboos, how they are activated remains largely a mystery.
It's known that Divine Remains radiation, Divine Hunters infusing divine power, and severe emotional disturbances in those carrying Divine Taboos can trigger them.
"What… what are you doing?"
Little Fairy stuttered.
"Give it to me, quick!"
Xia Hongyao urged. Destroying a Divine Taboo was one way to lift Rule Pollution, but first, they had to find it.
"No… I can't!"
Little Fairy shook her head vigorously, clutching her bag tightly, her precious treasure.
"This anomaly is all because of something in your bag!"
Lin Baici tried to keep his tone gentle, not wanting to further agitate the girl. However, he suspected the plush toy was no longer inside, as his hunger had dissipated.
"It wasn't me! It wasn't me!"
Little Fairy panicked. "I didn't do anything!"
The fans found Little Fairy in the crowd and pressed towards her, demanding an explanation, as she was the organizer.
"Everyone, quiet down and listen to me," Xia Hongyao shouted. "We're in the midst of Rule Pollution. If you don't want to die, don't make any rash moves!"
"Rule Pollution? What's that?"
"Holy shit, so the online rumors about Divine Taboos are true?"
"Could we die?"
The fans clamored, many of them turning pale at Xia Hongyao's mention of life-threatening danger.
"Who are you?"
Li Jun demanded to know.
"I'm a Divine Hunter from the Jiuzhou Security Bureau, here today to contain a Divine Taboo!"
Xia Hongyao pulled out a small red-covered booklet from her pocket, showing her credentials to everyone, then turned to Little Fairy.
"Can you give me the bag now?"
Xia Hongyao's demeanor was cool, her posture erect, exuding a dashing air. But one shouldn't look at her chest, as it would ruin the overall image.
"A Divine Hunter?"
"There's really such a job? Do you all have supernatural powers?"
"How do we get out of here?"
The crowd buzzed, all squeezing closer to Xia Hongyao, eager to learn more about the situation.
Little Fairy was just an ordinary girl. Seeing Xia Hongyao pull out her credentials, and with the mysterious and grand-sounding name of the Security Bureau, she got scared and handed over her bag to High Ponytail, though her face was filled with reluctance.
Xia Hongyao opened the bag, but aside from a phone, wallet, keys, tissues, and other miscellaneous items, there was nothing else.
"Eh? Where's my little parrot?"
Little Fairy was startled and anxious, wanting to snatch back her bag to search it thoroughly, but she didn't dare to act, so she scratched her head in distress.
"We can only play the Divine Taboo game now!"
Xia Hongyao clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention. She was about to give a brief explanation to prepare everyone mentally when the rectangular rooftop of the skyscraper experienced a change.
Black cubes, a meter in size, appeared out of nowhere, scattered neatly around the rooftop.
"Look!"
Gu Qingqiu tugged at Lin Baici's arm, pointing it out to him.
On some of the cubes, there lay a feather about a foot long.
"Are we supposed to collect these feathers?"
Gu Qingqiu speculated.
"Isn't that too dangerous?"
Hua Yueyu was nervous because to get the feathers, one would need to use some of the cubes as stepping stones to jump across. The distances varied, and they were unevenly distributed, much like those obstacle course game shows on TV.
But if you failed on those shows, you'd just miss out on prize money. Here, failure could mean death, because there was nothing beneath those cubes. If you missed your step, you'd fall straight down.
"I'll go up and try first!"
Xia Hongyao rolled up a sleeve.
"Wait, do you know which cubes can be stepped on and which can't? Do you know if there's a time limit once you step on a cube?
If there is a time limit, then you must plan at least three routes before you start! Also, will the cubes in front of you suddenly move or fall when you jump? Lastly, will monsters attack you when you get the feathers?"
Gu Qingqiu rattled off a bunch of questions, leaving Xia Hongyao completely bewildered.
She hadn't thought of any of this, and it all sounded so logical.
"Little Lin, what do we do?"
Xia Hongyao usually acted first and thought later when facing Rule Pollution.
"You and Qingqiu are not the same type of Divine Hunter. Overthinking will make you indecisive and lose your edge!"
Lin Baici took out a giant locust leg and handed it to Xia Hongyao. "Go ahead!"
"Remember, don't step on the same cube twice, don't stay on one cube for more than ten seconds, and when you return, choose a different route!"
Lin Baici advised.
"Okay!"
Xia Hongyao, reassured by Lin Baici's words, showed a happy smile and swiftly ran towards the edge of the rooftop.
Qingqiu, who understands such complicated stuff?
Lin's plan is clear and straightforward.
Lin Baici quickly followed. As he ran, Hua Yueyu and Gu Qingqiu immediately followed suit.
"Aren't you afraid of getting her killed?"
Gu Qingqiu glanced at Lin Baici. She enjoyed playing these life-risking Divine Taboo games, but that didn't mean she was a death-defying lunatic.
"Somebody has to go!"
Lin Baici's response silenced Gu Qingqiu.
Given Lin Baici and Xia Hongyao's characters, they would never force someone else to be the guinea pig. Waiting for volunteers could mean missing the most precious golden gaming time.
"Don't worry, I've observed it. With mine and Hongyao's physical abilities, this little challenge is no problem!"
Lin Baici reassured Gu Qingqiu, then jogged to the edge of the rooftop. Without hesitation, he used a bit of force in his legs and jumped onto a cube a meter away. "You'd better help Hongyao find a few safe routes!"
"You…"
Gu Qingqiu was astonished. She knew Lin Baici wouldn't let Xia Hongyao take risks alone, but she didn't expect him to be so confident.
He didn't stop to observe, which clearly meant he had already scoped out the black cubes he needed to land on while running to the edge of the rooftop.
"Be careful."
Hua Yueyu knew Lin Baici well and wasn't startled by his sudden action. But Xia Hongyao, who had just jumped onto the third cube, was shocked.
"Why did you come up too?"
"I can't just watch the team leader take risks alone!"
Lin Baici joked as he firmly stepped on the cube. Although these cubes were suspended in the air, they were very stable and solid, not wobbly at all.
The only issue was that the foothold was too small, and there were no railings or barriers around, so standing on them was quite frightening, especially for those with a fear of heights.
"Well, why did you give me the giant locust leg then?"
Xia Hongyao was speechless. The Divine Taboo could enhance the holder's jumping ability.
"Stop talking and focus on getting the feathers!"
Lin Baici continued to jump, activating the Grace of the Cat's Light Steps, making his movements graceful, steady, and agile, like a wild cat.
Xia Hongyao didn't speak again, but her heart was full of emotion.
Little Lin, if I don't bear you a pair of dragon-phoenix twins, it would be a disservice to our friendship.
(Proofreader : A mother gives birth to a son and a daughter in a single birth, the Dragon-Phoenix twins.)
"Holy crap, what are they doing?"
"Are they going for the feathers?"
"This… this is so dangerous!"
The fans were stunned. Some stood at the edge of the rooftop, leaning out halfway to look down, and immediately felt dizzy and weak at the knees.
It was too high, and the ground was barely visible.
"These feathers must be the key to survival. Hurry and pick them up!"
Lin Baic shouted.
The crowd hesitated, not daring to move.
The distance and height differences between the cubes were about a meter, which would be easy for an adult to manage on the ground, but this was high up.
What if they made a mistake?
And they also doubted Lin Baici's judgment. What if collecting the feathers was the wrong choice?
Better to wait and see!
Lin Baici jumped onto the cube with the feather, on high alert for anything around him, and picked up another.
Good, no monsters appeared. Lin Baici followed the route he had previously chosen, jumping back successfully.
Thump!
The moment Lin Baici landed on the rooftop, Hua Yueyu immediately ran over.
[I am the son of the Wind God, the king of the skies, wherever my wings sweep through is my domain!]
[Obtaining a feather grants resistance to the gusts of wind, preventing one from being blown off the rooftop!]
[Over time, the cubes will randomly fall.]
[Each person needs two feathers, and you cannot pick them up for others.]
[Every two minutes, a gust of wind will blow!]
Gourmet God's commentary :[This thing is nothing special!]
Xia Hongyao examined the white feather in her hand, finding nothing remarkable, and handed it to Gu Qingqiu. "Check it out, I'll go get another one!"
"Beauty, can you pick up a feather for me?"
"Handsome, I'll pay you, get me one!"
"Can I take a look at that feather?"
The crowd became noisy, some asking Lin Baici and Xia Hongyao to help collect feathers, others believing they were smart enough to take the feather and figure out the key to escaping the Rule Pollution.
When Xia Hongyao was about to set off, Lin Baici grabbed her.
"Run! Everyone, run to the middle of the rooftop!"
Lin Baici pulled Xia Hongyao and Hua Yueyu forward.
He didn't know when the gust of wind would start, but two minutes was too short. It could happen at any time, so it was best to take cover first.
He also didn't know from which direction the wind would come, so standing in the center of the rooftop was the safest bet. In any case, they had to stay away from the edges.
Gu Qingqiu didn't know why Lin Baici was doing this, but after experiencing the God's Ruins at the provincial museum together, she trusted his intelligence and hurriedly ran.
"What's going on now?"
"Can you stop being so cryptic and explain clearly to everyone?"
"What the hell!"
Some followed and ran, while others didn't. They complained under their breath.
Before Lin Baici could remind them again, the gust of wind suddenly arose.
Whoosh!
The wind howled, filling everyone's ears, pressing their clothes tightly against their bodies, making a whooshing sound. Those who were weak and light were blown about, staggering in the direction of the wind.
"Get down!"
Lin Baici shouted, releasing Xia Hongyao and quickly reaching for Gu Qingqiu. But the wind was too strong, and his voice couldn't carry.
Gu Qingqiu was frail, clearly a delicate woman. The moment the gust hit, she was blown about, losing control of her balance. Fortunately, Lin Baici reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and pinning her and Hua Yueyu beneath him.
Chaos ensued on the rooftop.
Lin Baici looked back to see those who hadn't heeded his warning, standing at the edge of the rooftop, suffer the consequences. As the gust swept through like a raging torrent, they fell like wheat before a scythe. About twenty who were too close to the edge dropped off like dumplings in boiling water.
"Ah!"
"Help!"
"Save me!"
Their terrified screams were carried away by the wind.
One second!
Two seconds!
***
Lin Baici silently counted the time, straining to keep his eyes open, watching for any changes in the cubes and feathers. Half a minute later, the wind stopped.
Those lucky enough to survive at the edge of the rooftop immediately got up and ran towards the center, terrified.
That was too scary!
They wouldn't go near the edge again, even if it killed them.