The Situation

"... No need to add 'team member' after my name." For some reason, Lin felt something when he heard the words "Team Member Lin"...

Something, perhaps chilling or something else entirely, lingered in his mind.

"Alright then, Brother Lin..."

She originally wanted to call Lin by his name, but since he looked a few years older than her, Seele ultimately chose a neutral term of address.

Lin didn't care about that; instead, he became concerned about something else.

Isn't Seele accepting the current situation a little too quickly? She accepted the idea of participating in the competition and being Lin's teammate after only hearing the message. Lin himself has seen all sorts of bizarre and fantastical World Bubble in the Quantum Sea, so his quick acceptance is understandable. But Seele's situation...

Regardless, Lin would pay close attention to everyone and everything he encountered.

I'll try to contact the Hyperion later... Hopefully Rita hasn't forgotten him and found a new captain.

After reaching an agreement, the two set off together towards the coordinates of Changkong City. They barely spoke a word along the way; partly because Lin was taciturn and Seele was timid and shy, and partly because...

"Why do you know his name? Do you know him?"

"..."

"You wanted to come out? Why?"

"..."

No, that won't do.

During breaks from thinking, Lin would occasionally observe Seele and notice that she sometimes seemed excited and sometimes timid, as if she were arguing with someone.

In short, after arriving outside Changkong City with little communication, what happened was the different reactions of the two after reading the game rules written on the stone tablet outside Changkong City.

The game rules are not too complicated: upon entering Changkong City, you automatically participate in the Great Elf Tournament, and leaving Changkong City is considered a forfeit. The city serves as the stage, with a total of five teams and ten people competing for seven Poké Ball. The team that collects all seven Poké Ball and brings them to the "Wish House" in the city wins and can have one wish granted.

Within the city, any means are permitted to compete for Poké Ball. Various facilities and personnel will be available to assist participants. The period from midnight to 6 a. m. is known as the "truce period," during which Poké Ball cannot be stolen or taken, and attacks on other players are prohibited.

What made Lin most uneasy about this competition was...

His and Seele's Riding Fish Team was the last to join, and the battle for the city had been going on for three whole days...

Chapter 90 The Situation

"I want to participate in the competition, what's your opinion?"

After Lin finished reading the entire competition rules and learned that they were the last team to participate, he had already made up his mind. He then turned to the girl with the inward highlights next to him and calmly asked her a question.

"I think there's no other choice..."

Although Seele felt that this competition was very unreliable, compared to wandering aimlessly in the desert, participating in the Great Elf Tournament was the only option for her at the moment.

The stone tablet lists the names of four teams that have entered Changkong City: the Riding Bird Team, the Riding Cat Team, the Rider Tanuki Squad, and the Riding Motorcycle Robot Team.

Why is the name format of the last team different from the other four?

There was absolutely no information about the participants.

Lin Xun thought for a moment and didn't think there was any purpose in concealing the contestants' information. After all, the contestants were likely people from different worlds who knew nothing about each other, so it was more likely that there was no need to disclose the information.

"Shall we go in then?"

After reviewing all the thoughts in his mind, he took a deep breath and nodded to Seele, whose eyes seemed somewhat uncertain.

Seele nodded nervously, a hint of confusion showing on her slightly immature face.

The moment they stepped into Changkong City, the scene before them changed dramatically. The city, which had been as silent as a dead city outside, was suddenly filled with a series of explosions!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The entire Changkong City was shaking violently, Seele almost lost her footing and fell to the ground!

"W-What happened!" Seele stared in horror at the city engulfed in thick smoke. The once intact and tall buildings were now half-destroyed, and even the entrances were covered in horrific battle scars, with bullet holes and knife marks filling every available space in her field of vision.

This isn't what they saw outside just now! It was so peaceful and quiet, like the set of some children's cartoon where everyone's happy. How did it suddenly go from a children's cartoon to something for adults?

The name is supposed to be the Great Elf Tournament, but why does the content seem so brutal? Shouldn't it be about everyone throwing Pokémon at each other in battle? This feels more like another two-person competition to win a wish-granting machine.

"Is this what battles between ninjas are like? It's too brutal." Lin squatted on the ground, examining the marks with a solemn expression.

So what does this have to do with ninjas? Is it just because the competition's introduction used a ninja reference?

Regardless, the match seemed to be of a very bad nature, and Lin did not hesitate to grab Seele's hand and run away from the open area where they might become targets.

Lin ran into a building and gestured for Seele, whose face was flushed and whose hand he was holding, to be quiet. Then he hid behind the wall and began to survey his surroundings.

They were the last team to participate, so they had the least information. Acting rashly could easily lead to their elimination.

Patience, strategy, and responsiveness are the three essential elements for success in any field.

After waiting and observing for a full half minute, Lin confirmed that there was no one else around them, so they moved to a more secluded spot and held a temporary operational meeting.

"First, we need to clarify each other's goals. I want to find a way to leave, do you?" Lin asked this question while observing Seele without making a sound.

"Yes."

Seele was still as shy and timid as before, lightly touching her smooth chin like a frightened kitten.

"So our primary goal isn't winning the match, but rather how to leave. Therefore, it's best not to engage in battles with other teams unnecessarily." Lin confirmed the strategy, then crossed his arms and said coldly like a seasoned veteran, "We are the last team to participate in the competition, and we are very likely to encounter people who want to strike first. Don't be careless, but on the other hand, this can also be considered our advantage."

"Advantages?"

Seele was puzzled. They were the last team, so what advantage did they have?

"Other participants are unaware of our existence, so we can operate covertly for the time being. Furthermore, we need intelligence, and other teams may need collaborators, so our identities will become the basis for cooperation."

This is indeed a competition to win Poké Ball, but that doesn't mean the teams can't cooperate. As long as their interests align, or if one team is too strong, there is a possibility of cooperation.

Have you not seen those bizarre maneuvers in a competition where two people competed for a wishing machine, all in an effort to win? To the point that viewers eventually thought, "What you guys did was even more outrageous than the wishing machine itself!"

Of course, Lin is not a partner of justice, and he cannot win people's hearts by jumping high, so he needs to act calmly.

"Let's move away from the battle area first and assess the current situation on the field. We need to know which teams have Poké Ball which team has the most. In addition, we should try to find facilities that we can use and people who can help us. The commotion from the battle just now came from the east, so let's move to the west..." Lin explained his analysis and insights in detail, while Seele listened attentively with wide eyes.

What an amazing person! They can come up with the next course of action so quickly...

After he finished speaking in one breath, Lin was somewhat surprised that Seele completely understood what he said, saving him the trouble of explaining it a second time.

"Can you fight?" Lin asked Seele, who was standing behind him, casually as he scouted the outside world.

"I... no, I won't."

"Oh."

"..."

Lin frowned and glanced back at Seele expression was tense.

He thought he heard Seele chuckle softly just now, but was it just his imagination?

Could it be that the World Bubble left a sequela in his consciousness, causing him to constantly experience hallucinations and auditory hallucinations?

Now is not the time to think about these things. The most urgent task is to find a way to wait until midnight, when the fighting in Changkong City will have to stop, and then they will have room to maneuver.

"Hoo... Seele."

Lin called softly to the girl with the highlights, then, to her bewilderment, squatted down in front of her and reached out his hand.

"W-you, what are you going to do?" Seele took two steps back in fear, dodging Lin's hand.

"... I need to carry you; you are incapable of fighting."

After giving a brief explanation, Lin calmly looked at the girl whose pretty face was flushed.

"No, there's no need for that..."

There are bugs on your feet.

"Ah?"

Seele looked down in panic at her feet, trying to avoid the insects, but as soon as she lowered her head, she felt a lightness in her body...

She was lifted up in the man's arms.

New Testament: Afterword of the Dirac Sea: Chapter 91 The Fox-eared Ninja

Humans are born with a yearning for the sky; the gene of soaring high, etched into human bones, drives people to devise ways to fly freely in the air.

... But that method definitely doesn't involve jumping off a tall building.

"Waaaaaaah!"

The girl with the soft-spoken, highlighted hair, who had been so quiet all the way, clung to the neck of the black-haired man and screamed at the top of her lungs. Her cute face was distorted and abstract due to the wind pressure and fright. Her screams echoed through the city and even faintly drowned out the sound of an explosion in the distance.

Lin carried Seele in a princess carry, then nimbly swung between skyscrapers like a monkey in the mountains. The scene before Seele's eyes was more thrilling than a roller coaster. Every two seconds, it felt like she was about to crash into a wall and be turned into a pile of minced meat. But when she closed her eyes, she felt the howling wind piercing her eardrums, switching between weightlessness and pressure.

"Slow down, Brother Lin!"

"Bang!"

Lin leaped up, shrunk through the window, and in the blink of an eye, he flew dozens of meters. Then, in one fluid motion, he grabbed a lamppost with one hand, and like a gymnast, he flipped and tumbled three times before letting go and throwing himself even further away. His speed was so fast that he completely turned into a black shadow, and his shadow on the ground flew through the shadows.

"Can't we just walk normally...?"

The wind was too strong, Seele didn't even know if Lin had heard her, or if he had, he probably wouldn't have cared.

This person is definitely not normal!

Lin tried to choose tall buildings as his route forward, so that he could clearly see the situation ahead and observe the distance, taking in everything.

In the very center of Changkong City, there stands a building taller than any other building; that must be where you submit the seven Poké Ball.

When it comes to the competition, the first thing Lin thinks of is actually the organizer.

Who is organizing this Great Elf Tournament? Or is it simply an abnormal phenomenon arising from the World Bubble?

In short, let's start by...

"..."

Lin suddenly grabbed the edge of the wall and braked abruptly while in mid-air. Seele, who was in his arms, thought she had crashed into the wall and was so frightened that she stopped screaming and trembled. She was panting and looked at Lin, who was staring ahead. Then she noticed something and slowly followed his gaze to the "ghostly figure" that had suddenly appeared in their path.

A fox? A demon?

A black mask adorned with gilded decorations, though illuminated by the sunlight, instead seemed to summon the darkness, burning with a chilling, eerie flame.

The mask has two sharp extensions on the forehead, resembling either fox ears or the horns of a demon.

"There really are... ninjas." Seele murmured softly, gazing at the figure standing on the edge of the tall building, blocking out the light and casting a shadow.

Only when one shifts their gaze from the mask that resembles a raccoon dog or a demon does one realize that this person's attire is completely out of place in this modern city.

Her beautiful cherry-blossom-colored long hair was styled into a bun at the back of her head with a black and red folding fan-shaped hair ornament. She had two pink animal ears on her head, and two gold earrings at the end of her left ear. She wore an extremely revealing ninja outfit with a thin mesh bra underneath. The thickest part of her body was a large black arm armor with red lines. A bright red scarf around her neck fluttered in the wind, drawing attention.

At her waist and on her back were two small katanas and one large katana, their dark gold hilts unassuming, like lurking beasts ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

The three stared at each other in silence. The pink-haired ninja's hand was not on the hilt of her sword behind her back, but rather close to the location of the two small katanas. Lin could see that her body was tense, ready to exert force at any moment.

Lin tore open the window of their building and put Seele inside.

"... hide inside."

"Wait a minute, what about you?" As soon as Seele landed, she looked anxiously at Lin, who had turned his head towards the ninja.

For some reason, despite having only known him for a short time and finding him somewhat frightening, Seele felt a surge of worry for him. At that moment, she even heard some incredible voices from within her own heart.

This was the first time she had ever heard "her" say such things for another person.

"..."

But before she could answer the voice, Lin closed the window and then climbed towards the ninja's location without looking back, her back view resolute.

As she watched his retreating figure disappear into the distance, a sharp pain shot through her heart, as if something had been torn apart. Seele clutched her chest in bewilderment, not knowing what it was.

Before, she would only feel... when she thought of that person who was now a whole world away from her.

Lin had no idea what Seele was thinking. He quickly climbed to the rooftop, climbed over to the edge, stood up, and stared at the strange person in front of him.

If I'm not mistaken, she should be one of the contestants.

The other person was definitely not some chuunibyou girl who liked cosplay. You could tell from her posture and well-proportioned figure that she was quite skilled. Besides, those animal ears were not headwear.

As she sized up the ninja girl, she was also scrutinizing him.

Since the ninja girl didn't attack immediately upon meeting them, nor did she hide but instead showed herself directly, Lin believed that she wasn't there to fight them.

"We are the newly joined Riding Fish Team, and we don't currently have any Poké Ball, nor do we want to battle any other teams." Lin Jianming succinctly explained his and Seele's situation and showed the Riding Fish Team watch on his wrist. He stared at the silent ninja girl in front of him, "Our goal is to find a way back to our own world. If necessary, we can cooperate."

The implication is that we have no direct conflict of interest.

Whether the other party believes him or not is not important. What is important is that Lin proved that they do not pose a threat for the time being and are not an entity that needs to be dealt with separately.