The King of Black Fog

Wednesday passed, and nothing much happened on Thursday and Friday.

Li Changzhou trained during the day, practicing "Flame Wave" and Bull Horn Spiral Force. At night, he used "Earth Tunneling" to dig tunnels until he exhausted all his physical strength.

The feeling of "Physical Enhancement" became stronger and stronger, and although there was still a distance to go, it was like digging 30 meters each day, visibly seeing the progress.

By Friday night, after a two-week gap, they were ready to enter the game again.

The three of them no longer dressed in full armor as they had at the beginning of the game. As their strength increased, simple fabric didn't matter anymore, and it wasn't worth the effort and time to prepare and change.

Li Qianxia wore a black sports tank top and black denim shorts. Her long ponytail swung as she moved, her entire demeanor brisk and valiant, every action crisp and clear.

Yang Qinglan wore a white T-shirt, a red plaid shirt, and jeans.

Long legs, slim waist, the white T-shirt clinging to her body, outlining the contours of her chest.

No model on any fashion magazine through the ages could compare to her.

"Beautiful Miss Yang."

"Enough. Are you ready?" Yang Qinglan said.

Li Changzhou abandoned his handstand pose, "Can't wait."

"Hmm!" Li Qianxia nodded.

The three walked out of the yard and boarded the bus route 105.

(Buses, subways, ships, airplanes, just like us, are destined to wander.)

(Someday, though we don't know when, we will become our true selves.)

...

("'Platform 236' has arrived. Please be careful when opening doors and watch your step when disembarking.")

The bus stopped on a protruding platform halfway up the mountain.

Above and below were sheer cliffs, sheer and smooth as mirrors.

Opposite was another mountain wall, and between the two mountains, the dim yellow river water, laden with silt, roared like an angry dragon.

The force of the water was so great it made one think the mountains had been split open by its thunderous power.

The bus treaded the mountain wall as if it were flat ground, rattling away and leaving the three on the platform.

[Station: Platform 236.]

[Terrain: Cliff Canyon.]

[Condition for next bus arrival: Life below 20.]

[Messages from excellent performers at this platform.]

[Message 1: Coo! (White-headed Eagle)]

[Message 2: Hoot! (Owl)]

[Message 3: Ah, ah, ah! (Peacock)]

Li Qianxia peered over the edge of the platform, carefully looking down, "It's so high, what do we do? We—"

Before she could finish, a piercing eagle cry resounded from the canyon, shaking the heavens.

Then came a startling ape roar, as though splitting the sky.

All sorts of bizarre calls reverberated back and forth across the canyon.

Li Qianxia shrank back, gritting her teeth as if she'd accidentally broken someone's flowerpot, wearing an "I'm sorry, I'm wrong, you can't see me, you can't see me" expression. She moved away from the edge of the platform and returned to the others.

"Qing Lan, can you watch me and let me treat the cliff as the ground and walk all the way to the top?" she asked.

"No," Yang Qinglan shook her head. "My Attract and Repel only works for three meters at a time."

"Can't you use it a second time by just blinking?"

"How many meters do you think you'll fall while I blink?"

"Freefall is approximately 9.8 meters per second," Li Changzhou said. "A normal person's blink takes about 0.2~0.4 seconds, Miss Yang around 0.3 seconds, you'd descend 2.94 meters. One second up, one second down, three seconds up again, the continuous ascent and descent might make you nauseous... I don't mind if you throw up, but don't do it on me."

Li Qianxia hit her brother lightly, grumbling, "So what do we do? Brother, you tunnel a hole for us to hide in?"

"Earth Tunneling costs intelligence. I have a plan," Li Changzhou looked at Yang Qinglan.

"Use Spiral Force to make a hole. Qian Xia and I will hide inside with a pile of clothes set on fire. You shout 'Am I handsome?' from outside to attract the enemy, then quickly run into the cave. When the birds get close, I'll use Call the Wind and Rain and Attract and Repel to control them while you attack with flames?"

"This synergy, how should I put it—" Li Changzhou pondered.

"I think we're quite a match." Li Qianxia spoke for her brother again.

Li Changzhou and Yang Qinglan both glanced at her.

"You could just say, 'I think you two are a good match',"

Li Changzhou hadn't finished his sentence when a sharp scream came from the sky.

The three of them looked up to see a giant eagle circling overhead, its eyes sharp as swords, overlooking the canyon as if patrolling its own territory.

"Brother! Quick, dig a hole!"

Li Changzhou didn't move, and suddenly, the giant eagle in the sky threw back its head and screeched. Two lines drew circles around its body, pulling out streaks of blood.

The blood that flowed down formed a curtain of red in the sky.

The giant eagle began to fall; those two lines twirled in the air for a while before gradually coming to a stop.

They were two beautiful hummingbirds, green as jade, with long, thin beaks that gleamed like swords.

One of the hummingbirds suddenly vanished, then reappeared, its thin beak clutching the giant eagle's identity card.

Another soft buzzing sound, and the two hummingbirds disappeared from the trio's view simultaneously.

Yang Qinglan's Perception of 7 could only sense the general direction of the pair of hummingbirds;

Li Qianxia's expression was grave. After using "Wolf Howl," her speed was at 10 points, the maximum for someone who hadn't yet broken through the limits, but it was still no match for the hummingbirds.

To exaggerate, it wasn't so much speed as it was instant teleportation.

If the hummingbirds had targeted them instead of the giant eagle...

"Do we still continue with the plan?" she asked the two of them.

"Let's think, let's think," Li Changzhou waved his hand.

With such speed, "Call the Wind and Rain" wouldn't be quick enough, "Attract and Repel" couldn't even see them.

The giant eagle's body plunged into the Nu River and was swiftly swallowed up by the roaring waters.

The tumultuous river seemed like the gates of Hell, its surging waves like the hands of starving ghosts.

"Let's hide for now," Yang Qinglan suggested.

"Okay," Li Changzhou nodded.

Not in the mood to discuss whether it was reducing their intelligence, he directly used "Earth Tunneling" to carve a nest in the cliff, where the three of them hid, leaving only a few holes to allow air to circulate.

In the dim space, sunlight squeezed through the holes, casting beams of light.

"Thought I was strong enough, even somewhat of an expert, but it turns out it's like when I first entered the game, still needing to hide in the gutters," Li Changzhou mocked himself.

"To be in the same game with us, they must have some exceptional skills," Yang Qinglan said.

"Yeah, yeah," Li Qianxia nodded vigorously, "the opponent is improving too, and the terrain is also unfavorable."

"You don't understand, this is a man's pride; in front of a woman, one must appear invincible,"

"Boring," Yang Qinglan said.

"Err," Li Changzhou was at a loss for words, "Weren't you just comforting me?"

Yang Qinglan simply ignored him, peering through one of the holes to the outside.

The sunlight shone on the right side of her eye socket, making her appear as beautiful as a white rose blooming in ruins.

"Look!" she gently tugged at the corner of Li Changzhou's clothing, whispering.

"Is there something?" Li Qianxia quickly moved to another hole.

Li Changzhou's heartbeat sped up as he also focused his eyes on a hole.

Just as he did so, two shadows flashed across the opposite cliff, a monkey chasing an owl.

"Hoo!"

The owl that was initially fleeing suddenly flipped in mid-air and pounced on the pursuing monkey.

Those eerie eyes, cold and merciless, locked onto the monkey.

"Roar!" The monkey clung to the rock wall like a spider, wailing in pain.

"What skill is this?" Li Qianxia nervously swallowed.

She hadn't seen the owl do anything.

The monkey painfully twisted its neck, its veins writhing like worms. It opened its mouth wide, howling at the owl in flight.

The howl was like thunder, deafening, even quieting the roaring Nu River momentarily with shock.

Even separated by the rock wall, the three instinctively covered their ears, their heads buzzing continuously.

The owl, facing the shock of the monkey's howl head-on, trembled all over and stiffened, letting its body fall into the Nu River like a statue.