Lin Qiye Disappeared?

In the depths of Jinnan Mountain, Lin Qiye, Cao Yuan, and Baili Pangpang were weaving through the dense forest.

Baili Pangpang was uncharacteristically charging ahead, with Lin Qiye close behind and Cao Yuan bringing up the rear.

"Fatty, you're usually so big and sluggish. Why are you acting like you awakened a Forbidden Ruin today? If you run this fast now, you won't have any strength left later!" Lin Qiye swung his saber, hacking through the weeds, vines, and other obstacles in his path.

But in truth, Baili Pangpang's enormous body had smashed through nearly all the obstacles, leaving very few behind. Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan were simply following him.

"Qiye, how can you even ask that? Didn't you hear them just now? If we get eliminated and caught, we have to put on that Truth-Telling Ring! Those inhuman instructors could even ask about something like size. What wouldn't they ask?"

"It would be one thing if it were just you guys, but there's Mo Li too! If Mo Li finds out about the embarrassing things I've done, I might as well die! Enough talk. Hurry up and run!" Without looking back, Baili Pangpang kept sprinting deeper into Jinnan Mountain.

Lin Qiye couldn't help wanting to laugh. At first, he had thought Baili Pangpang was only lusting after Mo Li's beauty, but now he seemed quite innocent. He didn't look much like a spoiled young master—at least, not in terms of intelligence.

"Qiye, we've been running for so long. Don't you think something's wrong?" Cao Yuan asked in a low voice from behind.

Even Lin Qiye felt that he was nearing the limits of his stamina. He watched the sun sink toward the west, hoping only that night would fall soon.

Zhou Meng had already warned him about this. Starry Night Dancer was a passive skill; whether Lin Qiye wanted to activate it or not, its effects would take hold as soon as night fell.

Cao Yuan's breathing, however, was still relatively steady, and his strides were firm and strong.

"I noticed it a while ago. It's strange. Given the size of Jinnan Mountain, we should have just about run through it by now, but there's still nothing but dense forest ahead, with no end in sight." Lin Qiye shook his head.

But now, as his stamina ran out, he could no longer concentrate on the problem. He could only keep running forward on instinct.

A few hours later, Cao Yuan had taken the lead of their three-man team, with Lin Qiye in the middle and Baili Pangpang following behind, his face deathly pale.

Shen Qingzhu and his few followers had already been caught and thoroughly humiliated.

Even if Lin Qiye and the others had wanted to laugh at that troublemaker, who was usually cocky and aloof but actually hid his true nature and was gentle on the outside and tough on the inside, they no longer had the strength.

Mo Li had also fallen. After hearing her truth-telling session, Baili Pangpang's steps had clearly grown a little heavier.

"You two run ahead. I—I really think I'm about to collapse! If I pass out later, don't save me. While I still have some strength, hurry up and give me all your weights—"

Baili Pangpang was growing increasingly breathless.

He clearly wanted the other two to run farther and finish the contest.

"There's no need. But actually, we weren't planning to save you anyway."

At that, Baili Pangpang rolled his eyes and fell face-first to the ground.

A few more hours passed. At some point, night had fallen over the dark depths of Jinnan Mountain.

"How many are left now?" Instructor Hong asked, looking at the screen before him.

"Only two: Cao Yuan and Lin Qiye. They're still running. Uh, Cao Yuan seems to have stopped. He was hit by a drone, so now Lin Qiye is the only one left," the soldier monitoring them reported.

"I didn't expect that kid to be the one to last until the end. We don't even want to ask him about Zhou Meng. Is he that scared?" Instructor Hong felt that Lin Qiye had once again overturned his view of the world.

"At his current speed, even though we altered Jinnan Mountain's terrain, he'll be able to run out in less than three hours. I'll use those three hours to test him again!"

"Everyone except those staying to punish Cao Yuan, take down the tents and come with me. We'll wait for Lin Qiye on the other side. Then send all the drones over to put pressure on him and see how long he can last!" Instructor Hong ordered.

At that moment, Lin Qiye was the only person left in the pitch-black Jinnan Mountain, apart from the drones and the medical team behind him.

Although he was alone now, he was still full of energy. Thanks to Starry Night Dancer, all the nocturnal animals around him were his eyes. Bats, owls, and lizards were all guiding him.

He knew exactly how many people were in the medical team behind him and how many drones there were, but even so, the buzzing of the drones lingered in his ears, making him somewhat irritated.

How many drones did Instructor Hong bring just to target me?

Don't these drones need charging? All the drones meant to deal with more than two hundred recruits are being used against me now?

So you want to target me? Let's see how you like this!

Perhaps influenced a little by Zhou Meng, Lin Qiye, who still had plenty of stamina, suddenly felt playful. He formed a seal with one hand and transformed.

"Instructor Yuan! Lin Qiye seems to have stopped!" Although the buses had already reached the exit the instructors had set up, someone was still monitoring Lin Qiye's movements.

"He stopped? Hahahaha, so even that kid has a point where he can't run anymore! Still, making it this far is an achievement. Tell the drones not to shoot. Send in the medical team and bring him out!" Instructor Hong ordered.

Cao Yuan, who had finished his punishment, couldn't help sighing.

Alas, was it too much after all? But judging by Qiye's condition just now, there's no way he would have run out of strength after going only this far. Could he have been using some Forbidden Ruins ability all along?

The stark contrast left him somewhat suspicious.

Before parting with Lin Qiye, Cao Yuan had also asked him why he hadn't used that transformation ability.

But Lin Qiye had told him that it wasn't time to use it yet, because he still had Cao Yuan beside him as a teammate. Abandoning a teammate under those circumstances would be extremely irresponsible.

Cao Yuan couldn't help feeling a little moved. Elder Jin Chan really hadn't been wrong! Lin Qiye had to be the man who could redeem him!

"Instructor Yuan, uh, we've reached the location, but we can't find Lin Qiye." The medic's voice struck Instructor Hong like a bolt from the blue.

"What?! Lin Qiye disappeared? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I'm watching right next to the monitor! The red dot for Lin Qiye is right beside you. Did he throw away his weights?"

"No. We searched the ground nearby, and there's no sign of the standard-issue backpack."

Instructor Hong and the other instructors looked at one another and couldn't help growing suspicious.

"Could Zhou Meng have come out again after he ran out of strength?" That was the first conclusion Instructor Hong considered.

But that couldn't explain why the red dot representing Lin Qiye was still in the same place, could it?

Wait, he has an ability that lets him transform! Did he turn into something else?

The realization dawned on Instructor Hong, and he hurriedly ordered, "Quick, search the ground nearby. Don't miss a single blade of grass or tree. Lin Qiye may have turned into something else!"

Just as the medics and drones received their instructions and were about to begin the search, the soldier watching the monitor suddenly shouted, "Lin Qiye's red dot is moving! It's heading straight forward! It's still going toward the exit!"