NABC Chapter 36: Team Formation Begins!
Chapter 36: Team Formation Begins!
In the video, the white driver, who looked like a professional assassin, had completely lost his ruthless demeanor. His will seemed to have been thwarted by some inexplicable force, and he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
His face was filled with fear, his eyes bulged with terror, and his lips trembled as he mumbled something incoherently.
Lu Yang went there to join the excitement, but the front of the crowd was completely blocked by professionals such as the mountain patrol and rescue team. So he could only hold up his phone and barely manage to film through the gaps. The video footage was shaky and blurry, and the sound was intermittent.
【"...It's like a FU~~CKING~!! door in the sky!!! I couldn't fly over it!!"]
(...It's like there's a damn door in the sky...I can't fly over it!!)
【「Snakes!! All snakes...EVERYWHERE!!」】
("Snakes!! Snakes everywhere... everywhere!!")
【"ALL SNAKES..."】
("They're all snakes...")
["ALL—— FUCKING——SNAKES!!"]
The white driver's words were filled with fear and despair, yet on screen he was portrayed as a clown by Lu Yang.
Li Jiu's attention was completely drawn to what the white driver said: "It's like there's an insurmountable door in the sky" and "It's full of snakes."
It's understandable that it was all snakes, since he saw a huge number of snakes.
On the contrary, it was that so-called insurmountable door...
The gate in the sky cannot fly away...
Could that be the real reason for their plane crash?
Li Jiu's fingers flew across the screen as he scrolled through the exploding group chat history:
[Zhang Wei - S City University: Reply to Lu Yang: [Video] @Lu Yang, are you suffering from Parkinson's? You've been making this kind of low-quality stuff for 26 years? I don't even watch movies this blurry! [Picking nose]]
[Lu Yang - S City University: Get lost! Take it or leave it! If you're so capable, why don't you squeeze to the front row and film some high-definition, uncensored footage? It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering! [Eating popcorn]]
[Wang Jing - S City University: @Zhang Wei - What's up, sir? Your focus has completely veered off course! I couldn't hear a word he was saying!]
[Wu Bing - S City University: Holy crap, he was the helicopter pilot? How much money will this crash cost, oh my god... [horrified]]
[Wu Bing - S City University: Who's so rich that a helicopter flew into the mountains?]
[Wang Jing - S City University: @Wu Bing - Who else could it be but Tang Mubai, Young Master Tang! Didn't he just show off in the group chat? [eye roll]]
[Ma Chaofeng - S City University: @Tang Mubai - S City University, is Young Master Tang alright? Why haven't I seen you online?]
[Lu Yang - S City University: Tang Shao has made it ashore. I just saw him and Li Jiu go back to the Mushroom House. I guess he went for a medical check-up...]
[Zhang Wei - S City University: Tang Shao is awesome! He even escaped unscathed from a plane crash!]
[Zhang Wei - S City University: (Emoji) [Man, what can I say?]]
【…】
Li Jiu flipped through the pages quickly, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
He discovered that his classmates were only focused on gossiping in the group chat and completely missed the key point the white driver was making.
A few people like Wang Jing noticed something unusual, but they just dismissed those words as the white driver's ramblings after a mental breakdown.
As Li Jiu scrolled through the pages, he came across a message from Professor He to all members:
[He Shougui: @All members, the weather is fine today, perfect for hiking and exploration. Students are welcome to form teams to explore Fulong Mountain and take photos of anything interesting. You can share your photos in the group chat immediately afterward, or wait until tonight to share them together.]
He Shougui shared a guide to exploring the folk customs of Fulong Mountain (via a mini-program).
[Professor He: This is a guide app developed in cooperation with the Folklore Association and the scenic area. It marks in detail the folklore research points, legend sites, and safe routes throughout Fulong Mountain. If you are interested in any of these places, you can explore them while ensuring your personal safety.]
[He Shougui: If outstanding research topics are discovered, Weiwei (@林薇薇-山河报) and I can jointly guide the publication in the Shanhe Daily. The association and the university will provide corresponding rewards and academic credits based on the value of the research.]
[Lin Weiwei - Shanhe Daily: Looking forward to exploring the secrets of Fulong together~ [smile]]
After Professor He posted these two messages, the group's discussion truly exploded.
[Zhang Wei - S City University: Wow!! A beautiful older sister is here to guide me!! I'm signing up! Sister, please take me under your wing! [wink]]
[Lin Weiwei - Shanhe Daily: Yes, little brother [smile][smile][smile]]
[Wu Bing - S City University: Great! The main quest is finally released! Anyone want to team up to farm achievements? [Raise hand][Raise hand][Raise hand]]
[Lu Yang - S City University: Fulong Mountain full map exploration achievement, Grand Slam, let's go!! [Raise hand][Raise hand][Raise hand]]
[Li Na - S City University: [Raises hand][Raises hand][Raises hand]]
[Zhang Wei - S City University: [Raises hand][Raises hand][Raises hand]]
[Wu Bing - S City University: Reply to 'Zhang Wei - S City University: [Raise hand][Raise hand][Raise hand]' @Zhang Wei: Don't be a crotch superman, go find your sister [Smile][Smile][Smile]]
【…】
After quickly skimming through the messages, Li Jiu immediately made a clear assessment of the current situation. He discovered that the members of the summer camp were currently divided into three groups.
The first group was led by Professor He and Yin Qixu. They did not reveal their purpose, but only provided general action goals and reward mechanisms.
However, it cannot be ruled out that some people already know their purpose, such as him and Tang Mubai.
The second group was led by a large number of students from universities in S City. They were the largest and most enthusiastic group, with clear goals and high enthusiasm. Their eyes were filled with the unique clarity and naivety of college students, but the group members were divided into several subgroups.
Most of these people had similar purposes to him when he participated in the summer camp: they were simply yearning for the mysterious atmosphere of Fulong Mountain and had a pure desire for adventure, much like a group of novice adventurers who had obtained a treasure map.
The third group consisted of Zhao Zhengmeng and Zhou Hao. He didn't know how many people were in this group, but he was able to categorize them because they jumped out of the group chat at lightning speed when discussing the Dragon Servant that day, and remained completely silent at other times.
This group of people had a very clear purpose; they came directly from the mysterious Fulong Mountain. Li Jiu had no doubt that all the places mentioned in the rules that seemed out of place and taboo were forbidden zones they were trying to touch.
...I wonder how many lives they have to play with fire like that.
The terror of the Dragon Servant and the eeriness behind the rules are something that only someone like him, who has experienced them firsthand, can truly understand.
Moreover, he knew that his sanity threshold had been reshaped once, and his tolerance had improved slightly. Otherwise, he might have collapsed on the spot when he saw the swarm of snakes covering the mountains.
Li Jiu had several great fears in his life, the most prominent of which were trypophobia, thalassophobia, and snake phobia.
He has an innate, strong physiological discomfort with things that are twisted and flexible.
At the end of the group chat, someone even tagged him and Tang Mubai.
[Chen Xueyi - S City University: @Tang Mubai @Li Jiu - S City University Tang Shao, Jiu Ge, would you like to join our team? [Looking forward to it]]