by N. Heller
Maxin didn't reply. He knew if he answered yes, Zeus would definitely bring all of the people in the Olympics to join this game. He remained silent for a few seconds before barking out, "Get lost!"
However, he immediately regretted it the second the words tumbled past his lips. He didn't know how Zeus would react to his bluntness. He was too careless. He shouldn't allow his emotions to get the best of him.
"Oh my, what a brute. I'm so sad," Zeus raised his hand. Maxin's heart picked up its pace, and his muscles tightened, readied for any attacks Zeus might throw at him, but the wretched creature just patted his c.h.e.s.t. Sighing, he shook his head as he strolled towards the blue iron aircraft that was hovering in mid-air. Before going into the aircraft, he gave them a flying kiss and said with a grin, "Well then, good luck to you all. The game will start in another half hour."
Maxin could return to land without the help of Zeus. The only obstacle he had was that woman.
Truth to be told, there was no way Lin Sanjiu could stop Maxin if he insisted on leaving. Maxin could turn around and withdraw himself from here, but he didn't. This was because every time Lin Sanjiu resurfaced after getting pushed into the sea, he would hear her pleas amid the howling gale, "I'm sorry! But please! Please save my friends!"
She was propelling herself towards Maxin as she shouted, even though her movements were clumsy and stiff. As an experienced swimmer, Maxin could tell that she was exhausted, but she never gave up.
Saving them wouldn't bring Maxin any benefit, but turning a deaf ear towards a person's cry for help, especially when she was somebody he knew, was something not everybody with sentience could do. He remained frozen in place, staring at the several bobbing black dots in the distance, black-faced. When another huge wave came, the woman closest to him disappeared from the surface of the sea.
She didn't resurface even after he'd counted to ten.
Now was his best chance to go away. He must get out of here before the competition started.
Maxin inwardly scolded himself with a vulgar word he learned when he was a child that he had long forgotten. After that, he dove into the sea.
Swimming to someone who was drowning and trying to take ahold of them was dangerous even for professionals. When panic and fear took over, the power that erupted from the drowning person was lethal enough to drag the rescuer down, not to mention that the person was a posthuman, a kind of human with a level of strength multiple times that of ordinary people. Maxin had to wrestle with Lin Sanjiu's steel-like deathly grip as he dragged her towards the sea surface. After what seemed like an eternity, both of them finally reached the sea surface. Even with the help of his Special Item, there were scratches and huge purple-green bruises all over his body.
"Calm down! Hold on tight to my waist!" He wrenched on her shoulder and shouted into her ear.
She looked as if she had just awoken from a nightmare; Lin Sanjiu's lips were bloodless, and her countenance pale. The sea was cold, and she shivered profusely. Her hair stuck to her wet forehead. Just when Maxin wanted to shout at her again since he didn't receive any response from her, her brain finally snapped back into place. She gripped his shoulders tightly, causing him to wince in pain as she shouted, "My friend…"
"I know!" Maxin cut her short grumpily. As he swam towards the other two people—no, one human and a creature, as the latter couldn't be considered a human—he said, "I'm putting it to you now that I want half of the Special Items from that man in your birdcage!"
Lin Sanjiu's highly-strung body relaxed upon hearing what he said. She heaved out a long sigh of relief and wrapped her arms weakly around Maxin's waist.
"Thank you, thank you..." she muttered.
Maxin did not reply. Pulling a long face, Maxin realized that his great patience, which he took pride in, had been worn out by the woman and the burning pain that spread from his wounds.
He thought an eternity had passed after he found and saved Ji Shanqing and Soulsqn from drowning. When two human hands and a fleshy tendril clung to his arm, bone-deep exhaustion instantly swept across his entire being.
"What happened to you?" The fleshy worm hissed out a question next to his face.
Maxin paid Soulsqn no mind. He began to take in their surroundings.
The competition hadn't started yet. In other words, he still had time to get out of here and return to the land. Although carrying three people on his back might slow him down, there must be a limitation to the competition area. As such, all he needed to do was swim as far as possible, hoping that he would be able to get out of the competition area.
"Where are you heading to?" Seeing Maxin swim in silence for some time, Lin Sanjiu craned her neck forward and asked.
"I'm going back to the land," Maxin replied with a stern face.
However, Lin Sanjiu suddenly grabbed his shoulder and yelled into his ear, "No, we are not going back to the land!"
Maxin thought his ears were playing a trick on him. He stopped swimming, turned around, and stared at Lin Sanjiu disbelievingly. "...What did you say?"
"We can't go back yet." Lin Sanjiu was obviously embarrassed about her demand, but she still bit the bullet and said, "We have to win the game. Besides, I have a friend. He should be here too, and I can't leave him behind."
Although she said "friend", her tone was much more distant this time.
'He is your friend, why should I care?' Maxin thought.
"Okay," he answered indifferently, "Then we should part ways here."
Lin Sanjiu didn't let go, but instead gripped even harder. "None of us can swim!"
"Then shut up and follow me back to the land."
"No, we can't!"
"How can you be so shameless?" Maxin exploded. "Do you want me to carry you three and participate in the game?"
Lin Sanjiu didn't reply, but Maxin could tell from her expression that that was what she wanted.
"No! That's impossible." Maxin turned around and peeled Lin Sanjiu's fingers off his shoulders. "Good luck to you."
"Wait, I will give you 60% of the Special Items!"
"No."
"70%!"
"Let go."
"80%!" Lin Sanjiu's face turned even paler.
Ji Shanqing had been observing them silently. Before Maxin could say no, he chimed in and said earnestly, "We're very grateful that you saved our lives." The grand prize always had a unique charisma about him that would make people listen to what he said. When he saw he had gotten Maxin's attention, he continued to say, "I have an idea. How many Special Items do you have in your arsenal that can be used in the water? More than one piece?"
Maxin nodded. He pushed the water and continued to swim towards the land, ignoring Lin Sanjiu's shout that he should stop.
Ji Shanqing sighed when he saw Maxin's nod. He said, "How about this? We will trade 80% of the Special Items from this man for a water-type Special Item from you. After that, you can leave. What do you think?"
"That's a good idea," Lin Sanjiu immediately chipped in, "I can stretch my arm into the birdcage and take the Special Items…"
Maxin stopped. He studied the long-haired, effeminate young man.
He also felt like it was a good idea, but at the same time, he felt that something was wrong. After he thought about it with a frown for some time, he decided to turn down the young man's offer. After all, the moral values he learned from his childhood bedtime stories was that he shouldn't be greedy and should instead be content with what he already had; otherwise, a catastrophe might befall him.
"One item for another. I don't have much time," he said decidedly, "Anything would do. I can exchange it with the [Mermaid's Tail]. I've never used it before."
Time was of the essence. The moment he finished speaking, a palm-sized mermaid tail appeared on his palm.
Lin Sanjiu almost cried. She stretched her hand into the birdcage. The design of the birdcage was ergonomic. A small window was installed in the front that allowed the owner to extend his or her hand inside. Right after she activ
ated her [Planar Worlds] several times, she had converted a few Special Items on the balding man into cards. Without taking a close look at them, she shoved those cards into Maxin's hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
It was at this moment that Ji Shanqing stopped her.
"Sis, how can you give so few to Brother Maxin? This isn't fair to him," he said softly to Lin Sanjiu, "After all, the thing he gave us is going to save our life. Like I said earlier, sis, we should give Brother Maxin 80% of the share."
"No, that's not necessary," Maxin declined again, "Just give me…"
"Good morning!"
A highly energetic voice spread across the sea, tearing the sky. Maxin's heart sank deep into his stomach.
"Fellow contenders, I'm delighted to see all of you here. I hope that you all can give your best in the upcoming competition to please the highest god, Zeus!"
Chapter 628 - Please Don’t Pee While Swimming
The sight of a water pillar in the distance shooting from the sea into the sky made Lin Sanjiu shudder as if the cold water a dozen meters away had splashed onto her face. Her brows knitted into a tight knot. She looked at the grand prize's profile. It was wet, fair, and clean. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out in the end.
She finally saw the light.
Maxin did not say anything. He floated on the seawater, but he did not turn his head to face them. His shoulders were stiff, his spine straight as a ramrod. The mermaid tail that he took out a few minutes ago was no longer in his palm.
The only person amongst them that didn't read the atmosphere was Soulsqn.
The entire conversation happened in merely one or two minutes. In fact, even if Ji Shanqing did not try to stall him, there was no way Maxin could get out of the competition area in time. However, the fact did not lighten either Lin Sanjiu or Maxin by even the slightest bit. The former's stomach was twisted with guilt while the latter was scarlet with rage.
"Sis," the grand prize mouthed. He stretched his hand and tightly grabbed ahold of her wrist.
Lin Sanjiu did not turn around, pretending to concentrate on the announcement. She felt sick, and her neck seemed to be stiff.
"We need him, sis, if we want to get out of here. I didn't have any other choice," Ji Shanqing went closer and whispered into Lin Sanjiu's ear. "I don't want him to get hurt either, so I will try my best to protect him at all costs throughout the game. Then, after the game has ended, I will make it up to him..."
He did not finish his sentence. But after spending so much time with the grand prize, Lin Sanjiu knew what he was trying to say. They had to return to the Data Streams Library no matter what. Compared to their goal, Maxin's will was insignificant. Since he had to participate in a game after getting back on land anyway, what was the difference if they just kept him here to join this god's ordeal? Wasn't it the same?
But no. Lin Sanjiu knew it was wrong to think that way.
Ji Shanqing was getting more restless as Lin Sanjiu continued to ignore him. Just when he was about to say something, the clarion voice came again, "Let me walk you all through the rules of the game first. Have any of you played checkers before? For those who do not know what checkers is, shame on you. In short, the rules are similar to Chinese checkers…"
Then the voice paused. After ten or so seconds, it rang out again, "Alas, this is so troublesome. I'm tired. Let's skip the explanation and get rolling right away."
"What?"
The storm was subsiding. In the distance, a blast of complaints and murmurs seemed to be swirling through the sea, carried by the ocean breeze into Lin Sanjiu's ears. But the noise was too widespread and too faint to be discernible. Lin Sanjiu had no idea where the other contenders were.
"What the hell?" Soulsqn hissed. "Is there something wrong with that guy's brain?"
However, before they could do anything, the sea began heaving heavily once more, creating massive crests topped with white froth that ran hither and thither about the large receptacle of water. The waves transitioned from deep blue to light green as they spew higher into the sky. And when they fell due to the pull of gravity, they crashed and exploded into a haze of white mist on a black platform that rose slowly from the bottom of the sea.
It was not the only platform that emerged on the sea surface.
In just a few minutes, countless platforms had appeared on top of the sea. From an aerial view, each piece was roughly the same size, spreading evenly over the sea like a column of black dots.
"This is the black camp," the voice said hastily.
All of them turned around to look behind them when they heard the words. Similar to the black platforms in their area, several white platforms emerged on the other side of the sea.
'Then, that must be the white camp,' Lin Sanjiu thought inside her heart.
"Like checkers, you can run into your opponent's campsite. When the game is over, whichever side preserved the most strength will win." This time, Lin Sanjiu, at long last, knew it was Zeus who had been speaking all along. After giving a vague instruction, he continued, "Okay, count to ten yourself, and the match begins. I have to go to the toilet now. Nature calls!"
"That's all?" Soulsqn shouted disbelievingly. "What the hell does it mean by whichever side preserves the most strength will win the game? How can he be so irresponsible? Also, where is his toilet?"
Not only did they not know when to start the countdown, but they also had to worry about where Zeus's excretion would flow to.
Lin Sanjiu surveyed her surroundings. Though she was as equally confused as the other contenders, she began to count down in her heart as Zeus instructed. Her mind was all at sea, and then, Maxin jerked his head to face her.
A grin appeared on his face, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He stared fixedly at the grand prize and said in a calm tone, "Well, kid, it seems like you have bothered your head for nothing."
Stunned, it took Lin Sanjiu a few minutes before the words finally sank in.
If this game was similar to checkers, then the contenders would be the pieces while the platforms served as the checkerboard. Two teams were competing against each other: the black camp and the white camp. While it was unclear what the rule "who preserved the most strength at the end of the game wins" signified, one thing was exceptionally clear in their mind: they no longer needed to stay in the water. In other words, Maxin did not have to be their surfboard anymore.
Ji Shanqing lowered his head clumsily as he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Brother Maxin, I can understand why you are angry. Please forgive me."
"Is that all? Is that how you express your apology after putting me through all this?"
Frowning, Ji Shanqing continued to say, "Of course not. I'll try my best to make it up to you, but first, we have to work together to survive in this competition."
Kicking the water to give himself a boost, Maxin moved as fast as lightning and leaped onto a black platform nearby in the blink of an eye. Although the platform wasn't the closest to them, by the time Lin Sanjiu emerged from the sea, Maxin was already standing on top of the platform, watching them with a gleeful expression on his face.
Nobody knew when the countdown had started. As Maxin continued to stare at the trio, he opened his mouth and spoke in an indifferent tone, "If I were you, I would get out of the sea right now."
"Why you—"
"The ten seconds countdown should be up by now. Look," Maxin interrupted, pointing at the seawater.
Lin Sanjiu immediately craned her neck and looked in the direction Maxin pointed, but she could not see anything. Suddenly, she realized something. She ducked into the water and opened her eyes.
Several strips of yellow-colored streams were traveling inside the water, moving fast towards them. They looked like a swarm of sea serpents. Judging by their speed, Lin Sanjiu was confident that it would not take long before they reached them.
Although Lin Sanjiu had no idea about what those things were, she did not plan to find it out. Lin Sanjiu hast
ily grabbed her grand prize and Soulsqn and charged towards the nearest platform. Looking at Lin Sanjiu's clumsy swimming style, Maxin crossed his arms in front of his c.h.e.s.t. He kept a neutral expression fixed on his face as he drew out his vowels, "Let me teach you guys something. To survive the unsurvivable, first, you have to let people know that you are not easy meat."
Chapter 629 - A Match Filled With Uncertainty
As Soulsqn pulled her heavy body over the platform, fl.i.c.k.i.n.g her tail and splashing water all over like rain, the group of serpentine yellow shadows arrived. The seawater churned vigorously, but the yellow shadows came to a sudden halt, much to Lin Sanjiu's surprise.
They patrolled around the platform after missing their target. More and more yellow shadows had arrived, darting and swirling hither and thither around the platform like a bunch of hungry sharks waiting for their prey.
No matter what they were, Lin Sanjiu was certain that they were not pee.
Lin Sanjiu wiped the water off her face as her eyes still stung. She looked around and realized they were surrounded by the yellow shadows. She averted her gaze away from the sea and continued to take in her surroundings. She did not have a good view when she was in the water, so she did not know that the platforms actually followed a certain pattern. Each platform was about a square meter wide and the distance between two adjacent platforms was roughly a hundred meters apart. The sea waves continued to beat the side of the platforms, wetting the eminence and brushing layers upon layers of deep rich colors upon them.
Looking across the great swath of black platforms, Lin Sanjiu could make out nothing more than the silhouette of the platforms in the white camp against the sun. Nevertheless, she was certain that they were as confused as them.
"I wonder how that guy knew when to start the countdown."
The salinity of the seawater appeared to be a great tonic to Soulsqn. She seemed more robust and her voice was solid although she was still as ugly as always.
"If the countdown began from the moment Zeus finished speaking, it should have been 36 seconds by now," Ji Shanqing answered. He was the only one amongst them who could speak and put on his thinking cap while keeping up with the countdown accurately. Obviously, he had included the few seconds when he was talking into the 36 seconds as well.