Chapter 817
Chapter 817 - 803: Fellow Villagers Meet
1,602 words
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9 min read
"Isn’t that Sister Fang? You’re also here to take this exam? Cover for me, okay? Don’t you remember me? I’m Little Lu, a freshman at Ancient City University this year. You were the one who led the way when I enrolled, and as a Contractor, I can’t lie. Contractors don’t really have much combat power..."
Lu Ping’an approached with enthusiasm and vigorously grabbed Sister Fang’s hands which were wrapped with yellow bandages, acting like an overly excited little fanboy.
But in Sister Fang’s eyes, behind those seemingly solidified colorful pupils of Lu Ping’an, lay, only threats and intimidation...
"...Lu junior? Ha, I remember you, of course, I remember you. I didn’t expect you to come here..."
Sister Fang, Fang Lingguo, was also a lively person, or she wouldn’t be a good receptionist for Ancient City University. She promptly caught the bait Lu Ping’an had thrown out.
It’s just that the sweat continuously slipping from her bandages, soaking the bandages wrapped around her body, coupled with her overly mature figure, made one inexplicably feel a bit... ahem, like she was overheating.
Fang Lingguo, a junior, a member of Ancient City University’s internal organizations, the Nightingale and Twilight Song clubs, specializing in archaeological digs and grave robbing. She’d been cursed many times but had not died, being a future talent in the world of scavengers, the kind that needs to be "schooled" in prison.
Now, Sister Fang was mostly bandaged up, showing only one orange eye and her body was stiff as if she were a zombie. It was hard to tell if it was because of the curse or the sight of Lu Ping’an.
From the magic lines inscribed all over her bandages, clearly, her cursed state wasn’t as she initially said, that it would naturally heal soon... God knows what era’s monsters, demons, and ghosts she had provoked, such that the curse was so difficult to lift.
But such talent would be a disaster if left domestically; sent to the Exotic Realm, they might actually be quite useful... Lu Ping’an had attempted to recruit her a couple of days ago, but she had refused him with the excuse of "not sharing interests."
Her kind and her club were definite members of the Travel Canine Sect. It was normal for them to take the temporary License Exam, but to coincidentally encounter her junior and training officer Lu Ping’an in such a vast Exotic Realm was just bad luck.
At the time, she had come out to recruit for her club and even used the opportunity to make announcement calls to reach Lu Ping’an, later even contacting him many times attempting to recruit him, obviously a social anxiety sufferer (social terrorist).
Now that Lu Ping’an had thrown the ball, she caught it immediately... The vaguely emerged core of the new team encountering an acquaintance also made the others lower their guard.
However, judging from the continuous drips of sweat and her trembling body, her current feelings seemingly weren’t so great.
"Sister, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"... Uh, I am a bit dehydrated, it’s really not because I saw you, it’s just too hot here, really too hot."
This line sounded a bit bad, but it was indeed caused by Lu Ping’an.
To acclimate the fifteen test-takers to the harsh "Purgatory environment," Lu Ping’an had subjected them to a Hellfire intense training regimen, each day to be dragged out like dried fish before it was over.
As a result, every time Sister Fang saw Lu Ping’an, she felt hot, felt the need for her flesh under the bandages to breathe and to sweat, felt the dryness of her mouth and the dehydration of her body... it had become a reflexive physiological response, showing just how miserable she had been at the time.
"Your curse hasn’t been lifted yet, magic lines bandages inherently come with a lingering curse residue, which might cause residual heat ..."
Lu Ping’an randomly tossed out an excuse and didn’t look back at the shivering sister... I’m doing this for your own good, don’t you see that your level is actually the best among these folks?
This batch of test-takers was of various ages and conditions, but all were drenched in sweat and in terrible mental states.
This wasn’t just simple stuffiness, but also "Erosion by Environment" tinged with Exotic Realm rules, similar to how Lu Ping’an’s group had needed protective gear and medicine when dealing with the Volcano Secret Realm. Most of the current group came prepared.
But evidently, their Magic Potions were of too low a grade, their protective gear wasn’t up to par, and their heat resistance was so-so, which had clearly impacted their combat readiness.
As an ancient university student, Lu Ping’an could understand that they had done their best within their economic means, but as an Explorer, a warrior, a team leader...
"...Having been tipped off about the exam ahead of time and still only prepared to this extent, those who would become a drag in battle..."
Having merely glanced at their appearances and conditions, Lu Ping’an had already started planning a new wave of team wipeouts. If they couldn’t even withstand this level of resistance, they might as well go home and train for another two years...
At that moment, he heard a familiar sound.
He and others instinctively looked up and saw a fluffy figure moving swiftly atop a nearby peak... a cat, Meow, leaped high into the air.
With a jump and a roll, it transformed into a deadly whirlwind, tearing a massive zombie into fragments in an instant.
And after dealing with the Magic Monster, she looked at its corpse with interest, eagerly taking out a knife to chop, chop, chop, as if harvesting materials.
This was obviously a strongman, when the team was cheerfully calling her to join in.
"Isn’t this Miss Lei Shuiyun?! Miss Lei Shuiyun! I’m Little Lu here, we’re from the same period, I’m your fan!"
Lu Ping’an took the initiative to call out, and the next moment, the previously triumphant Meow, had all its fur and tail sticking up!
Meow hastily took a big leap backward, the same cat-like cry, which just now seemed joyful and content, now was undisguised panic.
She instinctively looked back and saw a familiar face...
"How come this thing is here, meow... uh uh uh, you, who are you?"
At last, seeing Lu Ping’an’s "gaze," she wasn’t too foolish.
"I’m Little Lu from your same grade, we took the exam together to enter Ancient City University, together..."
"Ahhhhhh! The cat has something else to do, Meow has to go now!!"
Before Lu Ping’an could finish his words, Meow had activated the Silver Taboo item, turning into a whirlwind and escaping in the blink of an eye.
Lu Ping’an’s outstretched hand stopped mid-air, somewhat embarrassingly... He gave an awkward laugh twice, then retracted his hand.
"Strongmen always have a bit of that... pride?"
"Normal, they have their own goals, and won’t hang out with us."
The team seemed very understanding, if given the choice, who wouldn’t want to latch onto a strongman’s coattails, but if you yourself are the strongman, wouldn’t you want to fly solo comfortably?
But internally, Lu Ping’an was putting a tick against Meow’s name.
Registering for the exam secretly, Lu Ping’an could understand, this guy’s strength was already sufficient, and both mentality and experience were above the standard line. Roaming alone in the Exotic Realm was no problem, getting a temporary qualification was actually setting the bar low.
Lu Ping’an knew even more that this guy was not that ambitious, how could she think of voluntarily taking the exam...
"Tsk, planning to use the chance of being on TV to show her brother her growth? You little thing... lucky you’re fast."
Meow was actually quite smart, Lu Ping’an didn’t tell her he was an "invigilator," but the moment she saw Lu Ping’an, she guessed seven or eight points... and then without hesitation, she fled.
Even if she might be settled with afterwards, she would not give Lu Ping’an the chance to act.
"... Being able to make a decision at the first opportunity, steering clear of danger, I’ll give you a passing grade."
In his heart, Lu Ping’an gave Meow a passing mark, yet he didn’t know that Meow hadn’t thought that much at all, she was just...
"Stay away from Lu Ping’an, meow, may the family have a smooth journey, meow! Safe travels, meow!"
Alright, the outside opinion of Lu Ping’an was so bizarre, Meow definitely carried a big pot.
At this time, as Lu Ping’an and the team surged with malice, while he was pondering how to conduct the challenge, the challenge came to him.
Accompanied by roars, the entire space was filled with a pervasive feeling of invasive murderous intent.
Having confirmed that the "Guardian" had left, the locals snapped back to reality, and the true survival challenge began.
Lu Ping’an no longer needed to do anything; his gaze toward his panic-stricken "companions" even carried an extra hint of pity.
"Tsk, the safe early elimination phase has ended, what comes next, will have a real death rate... Struggle hard, you unfortunate fellows."
— End of Chapter 817 —