aircannonsinc Chapter 450: Star
Chapter 450: Star
“It’s me,” Zhou Six’s voice came slowly through. “We finished up our game. Our captain, Qi Xia, said he wanted to help you guys. Have you started your game yet?”
“We have, we’re currently in the middle of our game.” Bai Nine replied. “You’re done already?”
“Mhm,” Zhou Six answered. “Give us your location and we’ll come assist you.”
“Assist us?” Bai Nine felt a bit puzzled. “Six jie, didn’t Five ge give us the entire day? Have all your tasks been completed? Has everyone triggered their {Reverberation}?”
“Uh...” Zhou Six hesitated, struggling for words. “It’s...yeah, kind of unbelievable, but he actually cleared all the tasks in just a single game...”
“Huh?!” Bai Nine knew she wasn’t slow-witted, yet even if she had devised the plan herself, she wouldn’t have been confident that Zhou Six, Wang Eight, Luo Eleven, and Qiu Sixteen could all trigger their {Reverberation} in a single game.
Why was this man called Qi Xia so formidable?
Discover more
Chinese to English
Webnovel merchandise
Webnovel translation service
Could all three captains really possess such abilities?
Bai Nine lowered her gaze toward Qiao Jiajin, feeling she might be overthinking.
He was still standing in a combat stance straight out of a movie, facing a wooden box with utmost seriousness.
“Uh...” Bai Nine faltered, clueless about what to say and what might occur, giving only her general whereabouts to Zhou Six.
If Qi Xia was truly this formidable, having him lend a hand would naturally be ideal.
No sooner had she finished contacting Zhou Six than another ice ball shot toward them.
They were now far from {War Conqueror}, and with precise knowledge of its trajectory, Qiao Jiajin smashed it with a single punch.
This freezing implement was giving him a headache; if it were a person, repeated attacks like this would surely have left them exhausted. Yet, what reason did a mechanism have to stop?
Discover more
Webnovel subscription
Novel translation service
Novel reading app
“Six times...” Qiao Jiajin flicked his right hand to relieve the ache. “Are we looking at six strikes per round?”
As he had predicted, the rest of the time the group merely pushed the wheelbarrow forward at a slow pace, while {War Conqueror} remained motionless.
Advancing on the right side of the cart, Ning Eighteen felt a strange unease. As Qiao Jiajin had said, these were lifeless wooden mechanisms... so why could they track the group with such precision and launch attacks?
‘Six attacks...?’ Ning Eighteen recalculated, fingers moving. The rhythm of the assaults seemed deliberate. “Fascinating, it still traces the {Big Dipper}...”
Closing her eyes, she calculated the distance they had traveled and the number of strikes they had endured, then looked up at the slightly relaxed Qiao Jiajin and Qiu Twenty. “Qiao ge, Twenty, there should be one more attack.”
“Ah?” Qiao Jiajin looked at Ning Eighteen in astonishment. “How do you know that?”
Ning Eighteen explained, “During the outbound leg, balls appeared about every eight meters, three in total; on the inbound leg, roughly every six meters, four appeared. If each ball is considered a {star}, it perfectly forms the {Big Dipper}.”
“Though I don’t quite understand...” Qiao Jiajin admitted, “you’ve definitely given me an extremely useful tip.”
Not far away, Terrestrial Horse glanced at Ning Eighteen, her expression sharpening with a trace of coldness.
What terrible luck was this?
Participants arrived at her game grounds every day, yet she had never seen anyone skilled in astrology.
“Be careful, Qiao ge,” Ning Eighteen cautioned. “If I’m correct, the final ball should be launched just as we are about to return to the starting point.”
“Got it.” Qiao Jiajin nodded, rolling his shoulders to release the fatigue built up from constant alertness. “Star gal, if your prediction proves right, you’ve done us {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} a great service.”
“S–Star gal?”
Sure enough, the frequency of the attacks matched Ning Eighteen’s speculation. Just as the {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse} crossed the line at its front, {War Conqueror} sprang into action again.
If Ning Eighteen hadn’t given the warning in advance, Qiao Jiajin felt certain this attack would have a great impact on the group.
Because the starting point was farthest from {War Conqueror}, this launch produced almost no sound, and with the group’s guard at its lowest as they neared the end of the first round, it was hard to imagine the consequences had they not been prepared.
Seeing that the ice ball was aimed at Bai Nine atop the {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse}, Qiao Jiajin leapt into the air. This time, however, he did not reach out with his hands; instead, he straightened his chest to meet the ball. The moment it struck him, he used its momentum to perform a backflip in midair, securing the ice ball against his chest.
Upon landing, though, he struggled to control his balance and fell to the ground. Fortunately, he was far from the glass and escaped injury.
At that instant, the group pushed the {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse} back to the starting point.
Bai Nine had passed.
“Qiao ge!” Bai Nine immediately jumped down from the wheelbarrow, looking at Qiao Jiajin, who still lay on the ground. Though uninjured, he clutched his chest with a frown, clearly distressed.
The others quickly abandoned the wheelbarrow and rushed over to check on him.
“Ge, are you alright?”
Qiao Jiajin’s brows tightened, his expression contorting for a good while before he finally managed to breathe out, “Cold...”
“Huh?”
He shifted his hands slightly, revealing the ice ball cradled in his arms.
“Ah! It’s so damn cold!” Once he confirmed the ice ball hadn’t shattered, Qiao Jiajin tossed it onto the ground. “Is this what they call a ‘chest cold’? So this is what having a ‘chest cold’ feels like?”
The others standing nearby exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss, but quickly refocused and looked down at the ice ball.
It had to be said the objects crafted by Terrestrial Horse were nothing short of exquisite.
Up close, this ice ball showed not a single impurity, resembling a crystal sphere. Only with entirely pure, impurity-free water could ice achieve such perfect transparency.
Yet for a tool designed to attack {participants}, was such meticulous craftsmanship truly necessary?
Bai Nine bent down and carefully lifted the ice ball in her hands. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was more than merely {pure}. The entire sphere had been polished to perfection, with fine etchings engraved upon it, as if to mimic a true {star}.
Unfortunately, there were no inscriptions or markings.
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Jiajin noticed the slight strain in Bai Nine’s expression and stood up to ask.
“Qiao ge... do we really need to catch these balls?” Bai Nine asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
“Why not?” Qiao Jiajin countered. “There might really be a reward... and besides, didn’t that big ol’ horse say it herself? She doesn’t lie.”