Free Web Novel“Is that so...?” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “So Big ol’ Horse was toying with phrasing. These {balls} do carry rewards, but all the rewards are concentrated on the {Abundant Fortune} star...”
Bai Nine’s eyes widened as she understood “Ah, how despicable... she was intentionally guiding the {participants} to catch the earlier round balls, knowing they were lethal.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Qiao Jiajin said. “I’ll handle it.”
At this, the group felt reassured by his confidence. Yet, looking closely at the blisters covering his burned arms, they knew he was hardly unscathed; claiming he was fine would be a lie.
The next two balls were both of {Earth} element. Optimistically, they might be {stone balls}, but in the worst case... could the bizarre contraption unleash murderous meteor hammers made of stone?
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“I’ll catch them,” Qiao Jiajin declared resolutely. “This isn’t your area of expertise... Since I, as your {boss}, am here, it is my responsibility to protect you.”
“Boss...?”
The group hesitated. Wasn’t Qiao Jiajin their {captain}? When did he become a {boss}? ƒгeewebnovёl.com
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Qiao Jiajin waved his hand, dispelling the increasingly chilling cold in the arena, then stepped forward, one careful stride at a time, until he stood before {Abundant Fortune}.
Beginning this round, things seemed different. Previously, all the mechanisms had been positioned on the right side of the straight track, arranged in a rhombus shape, with each mechanism placed at a vertex. These four represented the last four stars of the Big Dipper.
Now it was the turn of the first three stars of the Big Dipper, all on the left side of the track, arranged in a diagonal line.
Was there a difference between the mechanisms on the right and those on the left?
Since Qiao Jiajin had no knowledge of what the mechanisms might launch, he could only stand several steps away from {Abundant Fortune}.
“Come...” Qiao Jiajin repeated his previous tactic, assuming a Tai Chi stance before {Abundant Fortune}, though this time, his forehead was already dotted with fine sweat.
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At this distance, how different would it be if a fist-sized {stone ball} or {iron ball} struck him?
The only certainty was that either ball hitting him would cause serious injury. The {stone ball}, however, would most likely shatter on impact, whereas the {iron ball} would not.
“I’m not allowed to be worn out yet...” Qiao Jiajin took a deep breath and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° slowly brought his palm closer to {Abundant Fortune}.
“We’re setting off now!” Bai Nine called out. Since everyone had gained significant proficiency, this time the wheelbarrow-pushing was even swifter than before.
Meanwhile, {Abundant Fortune} in front of Qiao Jiajin began to tremble. Soon, a dark gray {ball} was launched. He once again rotated his palm, pressing the ball firmly against the ground.
It was an unremarkable {stone ball}, neither bladed nor heated.
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“Eh...?” Just as Qiao Jiajin was marveling at how much easier this round seemed, a sudden commotion erupted not far away.
He quickly turned his head and saw that every mechanism had activated at once, simultaneously launching {stone balls}. Some aimed at the {rider}, others at the {pushers}.
Even the two mechanisms beside Qiao Jiajin, {Greedy Wolf} and {Towering Gates}, which were not supposed to act this round, also fired {stone balls}.
Caught in their mental inertia, no one had prepared in advance, and even Qiao Jiajin, standing next to the mechanisms, failed to block the two balls.
“Oh no!”
His teammates were struck cleanly to the ground by the stone balls with no chance to react.
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The only one to respond and counterattack was Star gal, Ning Eighteen. She bent her arms to shield her chest, and with a slight twist of her body, barely altered the stone ball’s trajectory, letting it scrape past her arm.
Before she could even exhale in relief, another stone ball flew toward Luo Fifteen on the {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse}.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ning Eighteen leapt off the icy surface, using her body to block the stone ball entirely.
The stone ball struck her ribs squarely, causing her to spit a mouthful of blood upon hitting the ground.
“Hey!!” Qiao Jiajin’s eyes immediately turned red with fury. “You despicable puk-gaai, ruthless big horse, what on earth are you playing at?! Ain’t no way that’s in the rules!”
“Rules...?” Terrestrial Horse chuckled. “What did my rules say?”
“How the hell you gonna let all these balls just go wild in one round?!”
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“I did lay out the rules, but when did I claim only one mechanism would operate per round? When did I limit it to seven {balls}?”
Qiao Jiajin opened his mouth to retort but found Terrestrial Horse’s argument sound.
Indeed, the rules never mentioned such details. Both the mechanisms’ {action order} and the {number of attacks per round} were assumptions the participants had made themselves.
“You’ve misled us...” Qiao Jiajin ground his teeth. “How dare you play this trick on my people?”
“Don’t get it twisted,” Terrestrial Horse said. “The most naïve one here is you. If one person could really do all the blocking to save everyone else...then what purpose would a {Terrestrial-grade} like me serve?”
“If there’s trouble, you can take it out on me...” Qiao Jiajin said, a little downhearted. “Big Horse ma’am, let’s make a deal... have all the mechanisms target me. How about that?”
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“Hah...” Terrestrial Horse let out a light laugh. “What a laughable notion. You think I, {Terrestrial Horse}, am here just to watch your race? To hand out rewards? To let you play hero? Don’t be foolish! What I want is lives! The lives of the participants!”
Qiao Jiajin’s gaze gradually turned steely, all traces of ease vanishing from his face, replaced by the chill of a killer.
“So that’s how you wanna play...?” he murmured, then stepped toward the {Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse}, lifting each of the fallen one by one.
“Qiao... Qiao ge...” Ning Eighteen gripped Qiao Jiajin’s hand, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t stand. Blood hung from the corner of her mouth as she gritted her teeth and said bitterly, “Don’t mind me anymore... I can’t hold on much longer...”
“Star gal, it’s thanks to you that everything’s gone smoothly in this game. Even if you’re to die, it’ll be after me.” Qiao Jiajin reached under Ning Eighteen’s arm and lifted her.
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“I’m not worthy of any credit...” Ning Eighteen wiped the blood from her lips with a wry smile. “I should’ve realized it earlier...the {Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse} was meant to transport military supplies; how could our journey be without peril? And how could we, the transporters, remain unscathed? If only I’d realized sooner—”
“No.” Qiao Jiajin shook his head, cutting her off. “Star gal, you deserve the credit. Did you guess wrong about the iron ball? About the fire ball? Did you misjudge any of the elements tied to each star? If it weren’t for you, the one coughing up blood and holding on to our brethren right now would be me.”
