Lucky E

On the mound, many travelers trembled, their faces drained of color, like prey caught in the fangs of a fierce beast.

This...

This is too cruel a way to die?

Song Li moved closer to Lin Baici, gripping his arm tightly.

Drowning alive in a mud pit?

So scary!

The diabetic aunt stopped moving, like a dead fish, floating in the muddy swamp.

A Clay Figure grabbed her hair, lifted her up to take a look, and after confirming she was dead, casually tossed her aside.

Of the fifty-odd travelers who hadn't finished pounding the clay embryo, all but those caught off guard rushed into the mud pit, trying to escape.

"Stop running! You can't escape! Let's kill that Clay Figure Monster!"

The big-bellied man roared.

He was scared, but he could still think.

This mud pit stretched as far as the eye could see, with no obvious landmarks. Running into it would surely lead to getting lost, and then death.

Kill these long-armed Clay Figures?

These were all summoned monsters. He figured no matter how many he killed, the Clay Figure Monster could just summon more.

So, eliminating the Clay Figure Monster was the only way out.

That's what he said, but not everyone had courage.

Only three men looked at the big-bellied man after hearing his words: "Let's charge together!"

The Clay Figure Monster looked at the big-bellied man. Its originally expressionless face suddenly broke into a grin.

It was full of mockery!

"Get him!"

The big-bellied man charged.

The travelers scrambled to get out of his way.

Xia Hongyao clenched her fists and took a step forward, looking like she was about to help.

"Don't go, it's useless!"

Lin Baici held Xia Hongyao back.

[A bunch of rabble!]

God of Gluttony commented: [They're dead for sure!]

The big-bellied man sprinted the thirty-odd meters and appeared before the Clay Figure Monster. It was then he realized just how massive this two-meter-tall red clay monster was.

The Clay Figure Monster swung its arm.

Whoosh!

Its right hand, as huge as a battle axe, swept through the air with a sharp whistling sound and slammed into the big-bellied man's left cheek.

Bang!

The big-bellied man's head was like a cherry crushed by a giant's hand, shattering into pieces.

Red blood, grayish-white brain matter, bone fragments, and a vast amount of minced flesh sprayed out in a fan shape, splattering across the mound.

In the air, some black hair slowly drifted down.

The other three male travelers who had also intended to attack the Clay Figure Monster lost all their courage upon seeing this. They turned and ran.

The long-armed Clay Figures, whose arms could stretch, didn't pursue them, but they couldn't run fast either.

It was impossible!

The red clay mud pit was too treacherous. The shallowest parts reached their ankles, while the deepest parts reached their knees, making it impossible to pick up speed.

Squish! Squish!

After a few steps, the three men suddenly sank downwards.

Their feet were stuck!

"Help!"

"Give me another chance!"

"Damn it, I won't let you go even as a ghost!"

The three travelers cursed, struggled, and within a minute, they were completely submerged in the mud pit, as if they had never existed.

The red clay platform fell into a deathly silence.

The corpses floating in the mud pit served as a grim reminder of the fate awaiting those who were eliminated!

"Considering this is your first time molding a Clay Figure, I'll lower my standards for this step. As long as the Clay Figure you make has hands and feet, and looks somewhat human, it will be considered qualified!"

The Clay Figure Monster announced.

Hearing this, the travelers let out a collective sigh of relief.

The man with glasses looked at the Clay Figure Monster, his heart pounding.

He had taken advantage of the time the long-armed Clay Figure was dealing with the eliminated contestants to mold a bit more, and finally managed to give his Clay Figure a human shape.

He just didn't know if he'd be accused of cheating!

"It'll be okay!"

"It'll definitely be okay!"

The pregnant woman held his arm, constantly comforting and praying for him.

This time, Lady Luck seemed to be smiling upon them. The Clay Figure Monster didn't pursue the matter, but instead returned to its stone slab and picked up a Clay Figure.

"The pounding of the clay embryo may seem simple, but it's not. Whether the force is a bit heavier or lighter doesn't matter. The main thing is that you must raise it high above your head, because that is respect for the act of 'clay molding,' a form of ritual. Only in this way will the red clay come alive under your pounding!"

The Clay Figure Monster explained.

"Isn't this just an excuse after the fact?"

18D grumbled in a low voice.

"Alive?"

Lin Baici frowned slightly.

"Next is the third step, facial molding!"

The Clay Figure Monster explained the key points: "Life is full of a hundred variations, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. As long as people are alive, they must constantly taste the sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and spiciness of life!"

"Sweetness that you'll remember for the rest of your life, bitterness that makes you drown your sorrows in wine!"

"For the third step, you must not only carve the Clay Figure's features, hair, and eyebrows, making it as similar to yourselves as possible, but also give it an expression."

On the face of the clay figure in its hands, the Clay Figure Monster carved a smiling face on the left and a tearful face on the right.

"A smiling face, a crying face. Choose yourselves!"

The Clay Figure Monster scanned the crowd. "You have fifteen minutes. Begin!"

"57 people died!"

Xia Hongyao gritted her teeth!

A total of 826 unfortunate souls were caught up in this Rule Pollution, all travelers on train G1955. Now, 769 people remained.

"Is this the time to worry about the death toll? We'll die too if we fail this step!"

Song Li felt that this girl with the high ponytail was too carefree.

Why wasn't she afraid?

"This round feels simple!"

18D looked at Lin Baici. "Are you going to carve a smiling face or a crying face?"

Both expressions were quite simple. A smiling face involved curving the corners of the mouth upwards and narrowing the eyes into crescents. A crying face involved a wide-open mouth, sobbing uncontrollably, with tears streaming down.

"I think the smiling face is easier to carve!"

Song Li suggested. "Let's choose that one?"

After falling into the trap of choosing the clay embryo in the previous step, Ma Yuan was much more cautious this time and waited directly for Lin Baici to make the decision.

"I choose the crying face!"

The Nine Provinces Divine Shield Security Agency was the official department responsible for handling God's Taboo Objects. As a Dragon Guard, Xia Hongyao felt incompetent seeing so many travelers die before her eyes.

Under this mindset, she felt that carving a smiling face would be too ironic.

Xia Hongyao picked up the Clay Figure and carving knife, preparing to start.

"Wait a moment!"

Lin Baici stopped her. "What if we choose the wrong expression, and we die?"

"Huh?"

Song Li was startled. "No way, right?"

Lin Baici thought about what the Clay Figure Monster had said, recalling the process of facial molding it had demonstrated on the Clay Figure, trying to find some subtle clues in the details about which expression to choose.

Among the travelers, there was someone with a meticulous mind.

The programmer with the heavy dark circles under his eyes loudly asked, "If we choose the wrong expression, will we die?"

Swish!

Many people looked up, their faces filled with astonishment as they looked at the programmer, then turned their heads to stare at the Clay Figure Monster.

The travelers who had already started carving expressions

were so scared they quickly stopped.

One second!

Two seconds!

Three seconds!

Ten seconds later, the Clay Figure Monster grinned again, and laughed!

"You're quite clever, good. If you sculpt the wrong expression on the Clay Figure, you'll die!"

Whoosh!

The Clay Figure Monster's words instantly caused a stir.

Many people hadn't expected there to be another trap!

They almost fell for it.

"..."

Song Li felt a chill run down her spine. This Rule Pollution was too terrifying.

It was impossible to guard against!

She subconsciously glanced at Lin Baici, noticing his expression remained unchanged, incredibly calm.

Based on Lin Baici's previous performance, he wasn't stunned into silence; he simply had a strong heart and could withstand such pressure.

His stress tolerance was truly impressive!

Song Li's gaze turned to admiration.

"Stop looking at me. I won't tell you the answer. It's a choice between two, a 50% survival rate!"

The Clay Figure Monster had essentially stated it clearly.

In the clay sculpting step, shaping the facial features wasn't difficult; the challenge lay in choosing the expression.

If it was wrong, death!

The atmosphere on the earthen platform once again became deathly silent and oppressive.

A step they thought would be easy to pass had turned out to be a massive trap!

No one dared to make a move.

Everyone was hesitating!

Lin Baici pondered, searching for the key to breaking through.

[Stop thinking. This step is purely a matter of luck; there's no pattern to follow!]

The God of Gluttony suddenly spoke.

"Luck?"

Lin Baici frowned.

[Fate, luck, feng shui, accumulating good deeds, and studying - some people are just born lucky. They find money on the street, get promoted by helpful people in their careers...]

[Ordinary people can only envy it!]

"Then I'll choose the smiling face!"

Lin Baici simply disliked crying. He felt such an expression was inauspicious, either too cowardly or too sad!

[Heh heh, men smile, women cry. Congratulations, your luck is pretty good, you've passed!]

The God of Gluttony congratulated him.

"You mean men should choose a smiling face and women should choose a crying face? And they're different?"

Lin Baici was stunned.

This God's Taboo Game was truly a scam.

Lin Baici felt like he'd been screwed over.

Most of the time, a small group would choose the same expression, meaning someone in that group was definitely doomed.

The God of Gluttony did not reply.

"How should we choose?"

18D hesitated, "Brother Lin, say something!"

"I suggest we choose the smiling face!"

Xia Hongyao was decisive.

"Don't rush, let's think some more!"

Ma Yuan stroked his chin with his right hand, racking his brain to deduce the correct answer.

"We only have fifteen minutes for the clay figures, and five minutes have already passed!"

Xia Hongyao reminded them, "We still need to leave time for carving expressions, at least seven or eight minutes, right?"

Everyone grew more nervous because of Xia Hongyao's words.

Indeed, they still needed to leave time for carving.

"Listen to me, choose a smiling face. Face life with a smile, and hardship will retreat!"

Xia Hongyao picked up her iron carving knife and a Clay Figure, ready to start. She didn't care about the others; she was going to carve a smiling face anyway.

"That works too!"

Ma Yuan couldn't find the right answer and felt Xia Hongyao's reasoning wasn't bad.

So, they'd choose a smiling face.

"Brother Lin, what do you think?"

18D decided to listen to Lin Baici.

Song Li anxiously ran her hands through her hair.

Lin Baici looked at Xia Hongyao.

You're Speed and Strength A, Intelligence D, plus Luck E, right?

"What is it?"

Xia Hongyao blinked her big eyes.

Her gaze was lively, spirited, and innocent. She looked like the kind of girl who hadn't been beaten down by society's iron fist, a carefree, optimistic, and cheerful girl.

"If we choose wrong, we could die!"

Lin Baici warned.

"No, I believe in my reasoning!"

Xia Hongyao was very confident.