Chapter 39

“`

The first student to break couldn’t hold back any longer, unleashing a chain reaction of retching sounds that filled the air.

Fu Qian stood emotionlessly nearby, looking thoughtfully at the “pointing hand” on the ground.

“Last time, we encountered hair,”

Ji Liushuang whispered, approaching Fu Qian.

Just moments ago, she had only heaved a few times without actually vomiting, but now her complexion was still pale.

However, a beauty is still a beauty; even in such a state, she lost none of her charm and even seemed more pitifully adorable.

Fu Qian nodded.

“It’s very likely,”

he replied, knowing what Ji Liushuang was hinting at.

Hair, limbs—they were all parts of a human body.

In fact, Fu Qian had suspected from the beginning that these items were probably from a real human body.

Considering the ruins around them, it was clear that this place had existed for many years.

Even if this area was seldom visited, it was unlikely that no one had stumbled upon it for such a long time.

The characteristic of being able to enter but not to leave meant that the accumulations inside would only grow over time.

Yet, having entered the ruins for so long, they hadn’t encountered a single living creature.

While it could be explained that all who entered were trapped and perished, the absence of any corpses made it rather eerie.

The appearance of these two types of monsters inevitably led to wild speculations.

Ji Liushuang realized this, and felt that they might be related to people who had previously trespassed here.

Actually, Fu Qian had already guessed something similar when he first saw that clump of hair.

He remembered clearly, 1-003, the “Angel of Comfort’s” containment conditions were to “escape the crucible.”

The crucible undoubtedly referred to the ruins within the entire barrier, but this nickname was quite intriguing.

Like a crucible used in refining, except the subject wasn’t minerals, but the living beings that wandered in?

If this guess were true, it would explain some of the situations they had encountered so far.

In fact, Fu Qian had already arranged a method to verify his theory.

As he pondered with his head down, Fu Qian felt an unfriendly gaze directed at him.

Looking up, he saw that it was Yuan Xin, who had always been quite proactive, staring at him with a hint of hostility.

Ah!

It took Fu Qian half a second to understand the reason.

Even a blind man could see that Yuan Xin was very attentive to Ji Liushuang.

As two of the team’s main powerhouses, they had always communicated a lot, and many issues were nearly always decided by their discussion.

This time, Ji Liushuang suddenly speaking to him seemed to have made Yuan Xin feel slighted or neglected?

Especially since Fu Qian, originally a peripheral figure in the group, had just received an official Sixth Phase certification.

It was understandable that he might have such a look.

But understanding aside, Fu Qian had no interest in catering to the kind of hostility spurred by a mating season urge toward all “potential competitors.”

Being influenced by hormones was one thing, but an ambitious young man should learn to self-regulate, especially one who seemed older than Fu Qian himself.

Hence, Fu Qian had no intention of keeping his distance, and continued to converse with Ji Liushuang, undisturbed.

From a distance, Yuan Xin’s expression twisted gradually.

Meanwhile, sounds came from not too far away, and a group of people rushed over—it was the third team arriving.

“`

1, 2, 3, 4…

Fu Qian glanced over and saw that the team was still intact and seemed unharmed; they must have been lucky not to have encountered any attacks.

The person running at the front of the team was a long-haired young man who, at first glance, appeared extremely frail, as if a gust of wind might blow him over. However, his movements were agile as he wove through the rugged terrain effortlessly.

“Director Li!”

The newcomer halted and scanned the crowd. Upon spotting Li Weixuan, he promptly greeted him.

But Fu Qian was quick to notice that this person had obviously hesitated for a moment when he saw Ji Liushuang.

It looked like he was quite surprised to find Ji Liushuang here…

If he remembered correctly, the one who had sent the signal to the third team also used an Arrow Bell… Could he have misunderstood something?

Fu Qian seemed to have an idea of who had called upon the assassin.

This guy, after seeing the signal, probably thought that the assassin had succeeded and rushed over to confirm, only to find Ji Liushuang perfectly unharmed, hence his shocked reaction.

If his guess was right, it was hard to imagine what kind of deep hatred could drive someone to directly attempt to kill a classmate.

Of course, this person would never expect that the assassin he had arranged was now missing and wondered why there had been no action.

Women are usually keenly aware of other people’s gazes, and Ji Liushuang seemed to have also sensed that there was something unusual about the way the man looked at her. However, she definitely could not have figured out the reason.

“Director Li, the sudden succession of Arrow Bells, has something happened?”

The long-haired young man looked at Li Weixuan with some confusion.

“The mission is canceled. From now on, no one is to act on their own.”

Li Weixuan addressed the gathered students.

These were the Academy’s treasures, almost comprised of all the elites of this phase.

“There’s potential danger inside these ruins. Two teams have already been attacked, and we’ve lost two students.”

“And that’s not even the worst news yet.”

As a shiver swept through the group, Li Weixuan added another line.

Quickly, Li Weixuan explained the situation with the barrier to the members of the third team and proposed his plan.

“Moving forward, I need you to split into two teams,”

He gestured with his hand.

“Currently, the outskirts of the ruins seem relatively safe. You will explore along the edge of the barrier in two directions to check for invisible gaps and to roughly figure out the overall layout of the ruins.”

“If the barrier truly has no gaps, then we should eventually converge at a single point.”

Soon, the group, led by Li Weixuan, arrived at the edge of the barrier.

“All the injured will be in my team, and the rest of you will form another team. Signal immediately if you encounter threats that you can’t deal with.”

After organizing, the long-haired young man approached with a sly smile.

“You’d better not get in the way later.”

Yuan Xin, who clearly did not welcome him and was already in a bad mood, was quite rude.

“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t get in your way when you’re off to meet your demise,”

The young man named Huang Zhaoyan however was not afraid of him and simply scoffed.

It was evident that the two of them did not get along well normally.

“We’re at a critical moment for our lives, and I do not want any conflicts within the team. Regardless of your status outside, I won’t be polite,”

Li Weixuan looked at Yuan Xin and the others with a cold expression, delivering a rather stern warning.

The clearly upset director at the pinnacle of the Fourth Phase was already radiating a subtle murderous intent.

No matter their differences, Yuan Xin and Huang Zhaoyan did not dare to act out in such a situation and nodded their agreement earnestly.