The Black Mist in Longchan Temple had thinned considerably, making it easy to tell which way was which.
The surviving tourists were racing east, hoping to reach Lotus Lake as quickly as possible, pick wildflowers, and offer them to the Dark Great Buddha.
"Can you hurry up?"
Sima Mu complained to Zhang Ju.
She was carrying her child and moving too slowly. Old Aunt wasn't doing any better. After running for a while, she was already panting.
"I... I'm sorry!"
Zhang Ju apologized.
"What good is being sorry?"
Sima Mu was in a hurry. He'd been about to curse her out, but when he saw Lin Baici's grim expression, he swallowed his words.
Zhang Ju was a shrewd woman. She'd noticed how kindhearted Lin Baici was, so she'd brought her daughter over.
Now they were a burden.
"Honestly, Little Lin is still a student. He hasn't experienced how cruel the world can be. He's going to pay dearly for holding on to that kindness!"
Sima Mu sighed.
He didn't dare tell Lin Baici to abandon Zhang Ju, because that would make him look heartless.
"Let me carry her!"
Lin Baici reached out. If it had just been Zhang Ju, he wouldn't have cared. He'd help if he could, but if he couldn't, he'd leave her behind. But faced with a three-year-old innocent little girl...
He couldn't bring himself to do it!
Besides, back at Xiangji Kitchen, the little girl had warned them not to listen to that treacherous old man. The monster chef would kill anyone who left their seat.
She was a kind little girl.
"No! No!"
Zhang Ju refused. She knew her place. She was already causing Lin Baici enough trouble by following him. Asking him to carry a woman too would be far too much.
"Give her to me!"
Lin Baici insisted, taking the little girl and settling her on his back.
She wasn't heavy, only a little over twenty pounds. With Lin Baici's stamina, she made no difference at all. He still ran faster than Old Aunt and Jin Yingzhen.
"I knew we shouldn't have helped those people. They'd be better off dead!"
Sister Xiao Li regretted it.
"There are still over two hundred people, right?"
Sima Mu hadn't counted exactly.
"271. If only 30 can survive, then roughly one in every nine people will make it!"
Jin Yingzhen was quick at mental arithmetic.
Hiss!
Hua Yueyu sucked in a sharp breath, her scalp tingling.
That's not how you should look at it. No one knows what might go wrong when we pick the flowers. The more people there are, the more cannon fodder we'll have!
The thought surfaced in Lin Baici's mind.
He'd saved people partly because of years of education and a sense of morality, but there was also some of that thinking behind it.
The more people there were,
the more chances they'd have to test things.
Lin Baici and the others passed through an archway into a large garden, racing across the tender green grass.
To the east was a vast lake.
Bright green lotus leaves stretched across the water, swaying in the breeze like the cradle in a mother's arms, carrying a world of children's dreams.
A few dragonflies rested on the pink lotus blossoms, making the scene look like an ink painting frozen in time.
"But there aren't any wildflowers here?"
Old Aunt panted, sweat covering her face as she looked around. There was nothing but green grass, not a single wildflower in sight.
"They're on that island in the lake!"
Jin Yingzhen had sharp eyes. About fifty meters from the shore, a small island sat in the middle of Lotus Lake, covered in a golden field of wild chrysanthemums.
Faint sunlight pierced the mist and spilled over them, bringing the warmth of summer.
"How do we get over there? We can't swim, can we?"
Sister Xiao Li was flustered and anxious. She couldn't swim.
"Over there!"
Jin Yingzhen pointed. "There's a dock!"
There were boats at the dock, three in total: two small ones and one large one.
The small boats were sampans, each able to hold four people at most. The larger one was a covered boat, with room for around a dozen.
The tourists were all rushing toward the dock. Those who arrived first had already started fighting over the three boats. After all, whoever got aboard first had a chance to survive.
"We'd better hurry!"
Sima Mu took off running. Despite having one arm bandaged and slung across his chest, he was fast.
Only thirty people could survive, so no one needed to be urged. The tourists were all fighting for their lives.
Gurgle, gurgle!
Lin Baici's stomach started growling again.
Hunger set in.
"I knew it wouldn't be that simple!"
Lin Baici stopped hurrying.
The hunger meant there was a God's Taboo Object near this pond. With one of those around, it wouldn't simply be a matter of whoever ran fastest getting to pick the wildflowers.
Lin Baici and the others reached the dock.
Everyone had arrived except for about twenty elderly people.
The three boats had already been claimed: Jiang Hong and the Hook-nosed Man's group had gotten them.
There were fifteen of them, all young, strong men who looked like they could fight.
About twenty unlucky people lay injured on the ground. Several were covered in blood and no longer breathing, showing just how viciously the others had fought.
"Hey, little brother, come with us!"
Jiang Hong called out to Lin Baici. He hadn't left after getting a boat because he'd been waiting for Lin Baici.
"Come on, man!"
The Hook-nosed Man didn't like Lin Baici, but the student in the Manchester United jersey was formidable. With him along, they'd all be safer.
Whoosh!
Everyone on the shore turned to look at Lin Baici.
Some were envious, some jealous, and some angry.
But they admitted that Lin Baici deserved the offer. If they had a boat, they'd invite that big male student too.
"Baici!"
Old Aunt's voice trembled. She was genuinely afraid Lin Baici would leave.
Hua Yueyu hadn't known Lin Baici long enough to understand what kind of person he was, but her instincts told her he wouldn't go.
"Damn it!"
Jin Yingzhen was annoyed. He was the man I had my eye on first. All of you, get lost!
"How many people can I bring?"
Lin Baici asked casually. He was using his hunger to locate the God's Taboo Object.
"Brother, you can see how many of us there are. There's not enough room for everyone. To make space for you, some people will have to wait for the second trip!"
Jiang Hong explained.
"Come on, man. Don't get greedy!"
The Hook-nosed Man glanced at Jin Yingzhen and Hua Yueyu, suddenly understanding Lin Baici.
Girls like these are ten out of ten, and only one point off because they're not my girlfriends. I'd want to save them too!
As for Sister Xiao Li?
She was pretty enough, and Old Aunt was still a charming woman, but standing next to Hua Yueyu and Jin Yingzhen, they were all unconsciously overlooked.
"You guys go. I'm not getting on."
Lin Baici refused.
Whoa!
Lin Baici's choice left everyone stunned.
What was that supposed to mean?
The Hook-nosed Man's expression darkened. "You think you're too good for us?"
Lin Baici didn't look down on them. He just didn't like the way they operated and didn't want to go with them. More importantly, they still hadn't found the God's Taboo Object. Who knew whether it would be dangerous to get on the boat?
These people were in such a rush to grab a boat and head for the island that they'd make perfect guinea pigs.
Of course, Lin Baici wasn't about to reveal that line of thinking. Jiang Hong and the others would get suspicious, so he curled his lip.
"Heh."
The contempt in the gesture was unmistakable.
"You..."
The Hook-nosed Man was furious, but remembering Lin Baici's earlier performance and looking at his build, he wisely decided not to start trouble.
"Row. We're leaving!"
The Hook-nosed Man gave the order.
"Wait!"
Jiang Hong stopped him.
"What is it, Mr. Jiang?"
The Hook-nosed Man was annoyed. If Jiang Hong hadn't promised him ten million yuan, he wouldn't have brought this deadweight along.
"Something's off. Based on how that student's acted so far, he doesn't seem like the sort to show his likes and dislikes on his face. So why did he provoke you?"
Jiang Hong's thick eyebrows drew together.
Could that guy think there was danger on the island and just be making an excuse to stay off the boat?
Brother Zhou, let's wait and go in the second group!
Jiang Hong urged him.
"Wait for what? We should grab the flowers and get out of this hellhole!"
The Hook-nosed Man was in good shape, but he was dizzy now and felt like vomiting. His muscles were starting to ache and go numb, and fatigue was setting in.
He'd heard rumors that people in the God Ruins could be contaminated by God Bone Radiation and eventually turn into a puddle of mindless, rotten flesh.
"What if there's danger on the island?"
Jiang Hong was worried.
"The only real danger is that only thirty people get to live!"
The Hook-nosed Man was brazen. "Besides, we'll pick the flowers and come right back. It'll only take a few minutes!"
The island was less than fifty meters away. They could even swim there, and it was small enough to see at a glance.
Apart from the golden field of wild chrysanthemums, there was nothing else.
"Haha, good point!"
Jiang Hong patted the Hook-nosed Man on the shoulder. "Then let's set off!"
Everyone immediately began rowing.
Jiang Hong was still uneasy. He looked back and caught Lin Baici watching the island with calm, focused eyes. His heart skipped a beat.
That look—
It was exactly the look of a scheming bastard!
He was waiting for someone else to scout the way!
Jiang Hong suddenly lunged forward and jumped ashore.
"Mr. Jiang, what are you doing?"
The Hook-nosed Man was dumbfounded.
"I'll wait for the next trip!"
Jiang Hong offered an apologetic smile, hastily reassuring him. "Don't worry. I'll pay you everything I promised!"
"Fuck!"
The Hook-nosed Man knew Jiang Hong clearly thought he'd be safer with that student.
I can't believe this!
We've got all these big, strong men. How could we be worse than one guy?
In Jiang Hong's mind, the Hook-nosed Man and his group could definitely beat Lin Baici in a fight, but when it came to brains, that wasn't so certain.
"Mr. Jiang, that was pretty clever. Do you think going in the second group means you won't have to take risks and can still secure a place in the top thirty?"
Sima Mu mocked him. "But have you thought about what happens if people swim over?"
Jiang Hong shuddered. "Swim over?"
Damn!
He'd forgotten about that!
In fact, some people had already begun taking off their clothes. The impatient ones who were confident in their swimming had jumped in without even undressing.
Splash! Splash!
More than thirty people entered Lotus Lake.
Some tourists had still been hesitating, but when they saw that the number had passed thirty, they panicked and started swimming too.
"What are you panicking for? Once they pick the flowers and swim back, they'll be nearly exhausted. Then we can take their flowers!"
A man in his thirties grimaced. To survive, he was willing to kill.
"Are you stupid? The Great Buddha said it had to be a wildflower you picked with your own hands!"
Hua Yueyu was speechless. If Jiang Hong and the others hadn't figured that out, would they have rushed to the island?
Wouldn't it be better to stay on shore and rob other people?
Quite a few survivors on shore had entertained that shady idea. Now that Hua Yueyu had spelled it out and they realized it wouldn't work, they were all dumbfounded.
Some hurried into the water, while many others turned to look at Lin Baici.
"Handsome Guy, hurry up and think of something!"
Before you continue