Sun Temple, second floor.
Same as before — Nick and Ada on one stone slab, Bai Youwei and Shen Mo on another.
The stone door behind them descended, sealing the staircase entrance they’d come through. The room was completely enclosed.
Then the familiar rumbling began again. The entire temple shook — as if some massive beast were stampeding closer, circling overhead, and then pouring itself down upon them.
They all looked up. Torrents of water cascaded down like a waterfall, instantly whipping the sealed stone chamber into crashing waves!
Fortunately, the stone slabs rose at the same time, sparing them from being immediately drenched.
Even so, their trouser legs and shoes were completely soaked through.
The pillars kept rising, and the water level kept climbing to match, forming vortexes around each pillar.
This was the second-floor trap. In truth, it was directly connected to the third-floor mechanism — once the vortexes dissipated and the water settled, the “sea beast” would appear.
Even if those who entered the temple survived the drowning, they’d still have to face the underwater creatures waiting to attack.
Through the crashing sound of churning water, Nick shouted: “Third floor coming up! Everyone switch off your flashlights, keep absolutely silent — the sea beast is about to emerge!”
One beam of light after another went dark.
In the lightless space, everything became absolute black. Nothing could be seen at all.
Only sound — thud thud thud, thud thud thud……thud thud thud, thud thud thud……
Nick’s heart began to tighten, every nerve in his body drawn wire-taut.
The sea beast trap was the most troublesome of all the traps.
Every other trap was something elemental — water, fire, quicksand, arrow volleys — things with predictable behaviors. The sea beast was different. It was alive.
That meant what they had to do wasn’t as simple as stepping around a patterned brick. They had to avoid an actual living predator — a creature that moved, saw, heard, and hunted by detecting the smallest sounds and tremors.
Thud thud thud……
Thud thud thud……
The eerie tapping echoed and drifted through the stone chamber, pulling Nick’s nerves tighter and tighter.
Thud……thud thud……
Nick couldn’t help but frown. That sound wasn’t there the last time — where was it coming from?
He had a growing feeling something was wrong. The direction of the sound seemed to be……
“Bai Youwei?” Nick forced his voice down to nearly nothing. “……What’s going on over there?”
The tapping stopped.
It was her, of course.
“There’s so much sand in my shoe.” Bai Youwei’s voice came out in a soft, aggrieved whine. “It’s uncomfortable……”
Two more taps.
Even in complete darkness, Nick’s mind painted the scene in perfect detail: she’d taken off one shoe, crouched down on the floor, one hand braced against Shen Mo for balance, the other gripping her shoe — turned upside down, tapping it against the brick, each knock releasing a small cascade of fine sand……
Nick clenched his teeth and began slow, deliberate deep breathing.
Then, syllable by syllable, the words came grinding out through his teeth: “Do you have any idea what you’re doing — the sea beast is almost here, and if it hears a noise——”
Splash.
Something had fallen into the water.
Nick went still. Then he heard Bai Youwei’s voice, louder than before, complaining: “That’s your fault for distracting me! My shoe fell in the water! Go get it back for me!”
Nick: “……”
He was completely done.
Completely and utterly done.
What on earth was this woman here for — running the dungeon, or trying to kill him?!
【Heh, she’s reached a whole new level of chaos.】
【No, she’s reached GALAXY-level chaos.】
【The galaxy would like to note it did not consent to being associated with this.】
【Hahahahaha I’m falling in love with Cabbage again!!!】
【Cabbage flinging her shoe is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen~】
【Cabbage little sis is always so unique~ a genuinely refreshing stream among so many others~】
【Are you people insane?! Can your cult SHUT UP?! They’re about to get wiped — can’t you SEE?!】
【They can see fine. They just don’t care. They’re here to watch a girl completely sabotage her own team.】
【Cabbage fans, get OUT of this stream! OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT!】
【Get out yourself! This is Cabbage’s world and we’re just living in it!!】
【Cabbage fans, rise up! CHARGE!!!!!】
【Hahaha there’s nothing to fight — we already rule everything!!】
【I’m done. Absolutely done.】
……
Click.
After a faint, soft sound, a beam of light cut across the surface of the water.
Nick had truly, genuinely, absolutely reached his limit.
“BAI. YOU. WEI!!!”
—