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But the competition wasn't just about speed; there were numerous dangers along the way, and it was expected that the ability to face these dangers would be tested. As for what specific dangers might arise, they were completely unknown.
The bus had, at some unknown point, arrived at the edge of a steep cliff.
There were no other paths around.
Only nine suspension bridges led to the other side of the cliff. The bridges were not long, only a few dozen meters, and there were more challenges beyond them. According to the display panel, this suspension bridge was part of the Meridian Road.
They needed to rush over this bridge, and past the lava pillars and other challenges that followed, to secure a token and return by the deadline.
...
"..."
Chen Miao, who was alone on the bus, glanced at the driver sitting in the driver's seat but didn't go up to chat. Instead, he lit a cigarette and, in the swirling smoke, watched the pairs of people walking onto the suspension bridge.
As a ticket collector.
He did not need to leave the bus to participate in these dangerous challenges, which was one of the few perks of being a ticket collector—as long as he didn't leave this bus, he was completely safe.
You couldn't attack from inside the bus, which was why he had disembarked before opening fire earlier.
...
Doctor Gou's face was alert as he held the arm of the man from Gaobei City wearing a straw cape, and the two men cautiously advanced on the suspension bridge.
There were nine suspension bridges in total.
Teams were automatically assigned at fixed events, two for each challenge, like the first one, "Concentric Suspension Bridge."
The two teammates had to keep the same stepping frequency, stepping forward with the left foot together, then the right, and any slight mistake would shatter the bridge, plunging them both into the abyss.
In reality, this was a very simple task that even children in primary school could accomplish without any training.
But even the simplest task becomes far less simple with such severe consequences attached.
"Don't panic, take it slow!"
Doctor Gou inhaled deeply, gripping Old Gao's arm, and stared unblinkingly at their feet, terrified that one misstep would be fatal. There are many paths in life and many wrong paths to take, but you absolutely cannot afford to err at this moment.
The unfortunate consequence of stepping on a fragile pillar was a plunge into the bottomless abyss. Different patterns adorned each pillar, and it was evident that those patterns could be used to decipher the rule for identifying the real pillars.
"Damn it!"
Doctor Gou couldn't help but curse under his breath, glancing at his watch subconsciously. He forcibly suppressed the irritation and anxiety in his heart and forced himself to calm down and observe the patterns on the stone pillars.
The 10-minute countdown looming over his head was like a death warrant. By now, one and a half minutes had already passed.
It had been a long time since he last entered such a secret realm, and to be honest, his skills had gotten a bit rusty. He had gone through countless secret realms in the past. If it were him at his peak, his instincts and awareness honed, he would probably have figured out the pattern here quite quickly.
But now... he was somewhat older, and it had been a long time since he had experienced such moments in a secret realm; he was almost unable to control his emotions.
Except for that dog, everyone stood at the starting point of the second challenge and began anxiously looking for the pattern on the stone pillars. Obviously, everyone was in a hurry, while the dog was already preparing to move on to the fourth challenge.
Relying on its exceptional speed, the dog made its way across the pillars. Even if it stepped on shattering ones, it was able to leap away just before they broke apart.
But at that moment—
Suddenly, nearly a thousand Insect Clan Creatures appeared out of nowhere behind them, not launching an attack on the people but instead rushing consecutively toward the floating pillars.
As these creatures landed on the pillars,
Many of them began to crumble, disintegrating at the same time as the creatures fell into the abyss.
Only some solid pillars remained suspended in the air, forming the true path.
The crowd suddenly realized something, and cast their eyes instinctively toward the young man from Jingjiu City.
"Insect Tribe Priest!"
"Stop looking."
The young man dressed in luxury brands shook his head and was the first to leap lightly onto a pillar and headed towards the third challenge. He raised his voice slightly, "Don't waste time, 10 minutes isn't that long."
Clearly, it was this young man who had summoned a large number of Insect Clan Creatures, using their lives as a sacrifice to scout the path for them. It has to be said, this profession truly was handy for trailblazing.
Many people cast grateful glances at the young man's retreating figure.
He had saved them considerable time, which was nothing short of saving their lives. After all, this man from Jingjiu City could have scouted only his own section and didn't need to bother with theirs.
The challenges for each team were independent and existed side by side.