The First Teammate Falls at the Start

Dry, extremely dry.

As soon as his five senses returned, Cheng Shi found himself in an extremely hot and dry place. The moment the dry air was inhaled into his nasal cavity, it seemed to be even more dehydrated than his flesh-and-blood body, scraping away the last traces of moisture from his mucous membranes.

He regained consciousness and felt a tightness in his nose. He instinctively wrinkled his nose slightly, but before he realized what was happening, a warm sensation flowed out of his nose.

I have a nosebleed.

Cheng Shi was startled and suddenly opened his eyes. However, he paid no attention to the two lines of blood that were already dripping down his lips and chin onto the ground. Instead, he immediately took out his watch and looked at the time on it.

In the game of time, no one can ignore it.

But when he saw it, he was almost scared out of his wits.

7:59:55!

It's almost the hour!

Oh no, we can't just sit here and wait to die!

Cheng Shi hour was extremely important to [Time], after all, His Edict of Passage was precision and punctuality, so in the game of [Time], every hour had to be taken very seriously.

Especially in the previous Trials, Jiang Chi's series of skillful maneuvers as the Time Walker made Cheng Shi extremely wary of the first hour of the game.

So the moment he took out his watch and saw the time, this cautious warrior immediately drew his lance and, without even looking, swept it across behind him.

He has someone backing him!

Although it only takes a maximum of 2 seconds from opening his eyes to sweeping around, Cheng Shi used his peripheral vision to survey his surroundings in those 2 seconds.

The place he was in was undoubtedly a dilapidated inn. The mud walls and the beds made of rotten wooden planks told Cheng Shi the place where this Trials was starting was not wealthy. Moreover, the two wooden plank beds next to him revealed that this was a double room.

It's not unusual for an inn to have double rooms, but it's worth noting that it's the place where players arrive.

While Cheng Shi was taking in his surroundings with his peripheral vision, his senses of hearing and smell were also active. Just as he checked his watch, he heard heavy breathing and the sound of metal scraping behind him, and he also smelled a faint scent of blood.

Given all the unusual circumstances, Cheng Shi made a decisive choice, which is why he gave his "roommate" the warmest welcome.

A lance strike!

Of course, Cheng Shi wasn't looking for trouble; he just didn't want to encounter another "scam" like the Pointer Knight. At least at this hour, before he was certain of the identity of the person behind him, he couldn't let the tricks of [Time] repeat themselves.

The rules of the Time Battlefield are that they must start at an hour when there is no dispute and end at the next hour. So, by starting a dispute early, you can take away the first hour to open the Time Battlefield!

And then the next second...

"Zheng—"

The sound of metal clashing exploded. Cheng Shi felt a numbness in his right hand. The lance he had thrown out seemed to have hit some kind of iron lump. He was stunned for a moment, then decisively withdrew his hand and dodged. Just as he turned to the side, a silver light flashed, and the slender tip of a sword pierced towards the spot where he had been standing.

However, the sword tip was pointing downwards, and judging from the direction it came from, it wasn't aimed at his vital points, but rather at his fatter buttocks and thighs.

"..."

Cheng Shi was startled and retreated. He glanced at the tip of the sword and realized that his teammate behind him did not seem to be Believer in "Time" either, and was also defending against "Time" techniques.

He rolled out, and after noticing that his watch had already passed the hour, he chuckled, stood up from the corner of the room, dusted himself off, and greeted his equally cautious teammate with a smile:

"Rare..."

But Cheng Shi couldn't continue speaking after only getting started. His smile froze on his face, followed by a look of surprise. He looked at the burly man in front of him, sized him up several times, and then clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying:

"Impressive, I admire you. This is the first time I've seen someone take cosplay to the Trials."

But bro, what are you cosplaying as? Lu Bu or Xiang Yu?

Indeed, the man in front of Cheng Shi was exceptionally tall, at least 1.9 meters, and dressed in full military armor, even his shoes were combat boots with leg guards. This exaggerated appearance made it hard not to mistake him for a cosplay enthusiast.

No wonder there was a metallic clang just now, because Cheng Shi's swung lance had struck the man's steel wrist guard, leaving a faint grayish-white mark without breaking through his defenses.

However, what is striking is that the longsword in the hand of this fully armored man is quite slender, making him look like a reincarnated warrior practicing fencing.

The man was not wearing a helmet, had short, messy hair, sharp eyebrows and eyes like an eagle's, which was originally a very domineering posture. However, there were two red marks hanging on his philtrum under his nose, which made his image look somewhat comical, but it also slightly eased the oppressive feeling of his heavy armor.

Cheng Shi pursed his lips, almost unable to suppress his smile.

Tsk, it seems everyone is equal in the face of dryness.

However, besides the two nosebleeds, Cheng Shi also discovered that the other party was injured, and... quite seriously.

The faint smell of blood just now didn't come from the man's face. A little bit of nosebleed wouldn't be noticeable so quickly. What Cheng Shi smelled was clearly coming from the burly man's body under his armor.

It's interesting that they dared to risk their lives even before the Special Trial.

The burly man's sharp gaze swept across Cheng Shi's evasive path. He was taken aback when he saw his teammate's appearance, then chuckled and shook his head, his eyes full of emotion.

"Cheng Shi, I never expected to run into you."

"..."

Cheng Shi could no longer laugh.

The worst has finally happened. After going through several Trials, his appearance has become widely known in the peak matches, and more and more people will probably recognize him in the future.

But judging from his tone, he seemed to know me very well?

There was no hostility in the other person's eyes, so whose friend are they?

Cheng Shi rolled his eyes thoughtfully, picked up the lance from the ground and put it into his spatial storage. Seeing that the other party did not take advantage of the situation, he became even more certain of his thoughts. So he straightened up, revealed a bright smile, and got straight to the point:

"I'm sorry, but the Trials of Time requires caution. I didn't mean to target you. Since we know each other, I don't think I need to introduce myself further."

May I ask your name, brother?

"Qin Xin." The armored soldier laughed loudly, and was about to step forward and extend his hand to show friendliness, but his face turned pale and he staggered backward.

Seeing his teammate, who seemed like a friend, about to collapse to the ground, Cheng Shi frowned and immediately raised his hand...

He covered his Ear.

"Boom--"

The heavy armor fell to the ground, shaking the entire room for a moment, and dust flew up from the ceiling, making the room feel like it was filled with sand.

Seeing this, Cheng Shi was filled with doubt and surprise.

Luckily I covered it up quickly, otherwise this commotion... wait, Qin Xin?

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow, recalling that the last time he heard this name was from Zhen Yi.

At that time, Zhen Yi was playing her future self, pointing to the scar below her ribs and saying, "This was stabbed by Qin Xin. He's not a bad person, but he's just unlucky. Avoid him if you can."

So this is Qin Xin, the one who made Zhen Yi say "avoid if you can"!?

Cheng Shi's gaze instantly became scrutinizing. He wondered what had happened between this brother and Zhen Yi that caused Zhen Yi to harbor such resentment.

Could it be that he was afraid of being punched into a pulp, which is why he said such a mocking thing?

Indeed, just looking at the other party's figure and attire is enough to make many players keep their distance.

But why would she say Qin Xin has a bad fate?

Thinking about it carefully, in this history, whether it was Xiang Yu or Lü Bu, their fates...

Hiss--

It shouldn't be what I think, right?

Countless thoughts flashed through Cheng Shi an instant, but he quickly came to his senses and looked more cautiously at the heavily armored man lying on the ground.

"Brother?"

Qin Xin didn't respond at all, and even her breathing became weak. It didn't seem like she was faking it. Cheng Shi frowned, threw out a Scalpel and held it in her palm. After leaving a Dice at her feet, she slowly walked towards the other person.

Before long, he discovered that Qin Xin was indeed injured, and seriously so. The fact that he could enter the trial with such a serious injury could only mean that the battle he faced had not yet ended at the moment before the Special Trial began!

What a warrior! Could he be a Believer in... war?

Just then, Cheng Shi suddenly stopped and began to back away, distancing himself from the other person once again.

It wasn't that he wasn't going to save the person, but rather that he wanted to clear himself of suspicion first, because he had already heard hurried footsteps outside the door.