Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1294 - 48: Death Nest (3rd Update)

Chapter 1294: Chapter 48: Death Nest (3rd Update)

"Take us to the back garden!" Mu Nianqi landed on Cinderella’s shoulder, as a fearless character, she had learned the art of conserving her energy by seizing every opportunity.

Teng Yuangxiang’s eyes lit up, she too wanted to hitch a ride, but just as she flew close, she saw Queen Mu turn around and glare fiercely at her.

The gaze was like a red-hot iron brand, searing right onto Teng Little Three’s skin, causing her to shiver, slam on the brakes, and even collide with Tao Ran behind her. She felt that if she actually landed on Cinderella, she would surely be torn to pieces.

The back garden wasn’t very large, and with the stepmother and the two daughters squandering the family wealth, even the semblance of glamour was nearly impossible to maintain, so the garden had long been abandoned, overgrown with weeds and teeming with insects; only Cinderella would come here.

A towering hazel tree with lush branches and leaves grew in front of an imperceptible small mound, where Cinderella had buried her mother’s hair. Whenever she suffered grievances, she would sit here quietly; it seemed that only in this way could she feel her mother’s warm embrace.

"This is the hazel tree, right?" Jing Lan, unfamiliar with the species, flew around the trunk a few times.

"I hadn’t paid attention before, it’s grown so big!" exclaimed Cinderella, running her hands over the bark, full of emotion.

"When Cinderella’s father was going to work, he asked his three daughters what gifts they wanted. The other two chose beautiful clothes and expensive jewelry. Only she said, ’When you come home, bring me the first tree branch that your hat touches on the road.’" Lu Fan shrugged. "Then she planted that hazel branch here, cried over it every day, and the tears she shed watered it."

"According to the story, white pigeons should come to help her," Jing Lan looked up at the sky and saw nothing.

"You wait here," Tang Zheng warned Cinderella, then took to the air with a mighty flap of his wings. "Let’s go up!"

It took a height of about a hundred meters before the group saw the first enormous bird’s nest, shaped like a gourd, hanging from a tree branch, with a door on top of it.

Tang Zheng looked up through the leaves and saw the clear blue sky and pure white clouds. About a dozen meters up hung the second bird’s nest.

"Look, there are words up here, ’To enter this bird’s nest, please leave a finger as a toll!’" Teng Yuangxiang read out loud, her face paled, and the newbies also wore expressions of terror.

"Let’s check the other nests!" Lin Weiguo flew up and after inspecting several nests, floated back down, disheartened.

"What do we do now?" Ruan Feifei looked at the newbies. The Conquerors were also silent, waiting for Tang Zheng to make a decision. In truth, the answer was obvious—have the newbies explore the way.

The newbies subconsciously huddled together, seeming to feel a slight sense of safety only in this way.

Tang Zheng scanned the bird’s nest with his wristwatch, obtaining some data.

Death Nest, within it are props that can help Cinderella attend the ball. Please be aware that after each entry, the door will forcibly close and only reopen after ten minutes.

"Labelled with the word ’death,’ it doesn’t sound like a good place," Teng Yuangxiang grimaced and looked at the newbies, "Come on, send a couple in!"

Teng Little Three fulfilled her role as a loyal dog, and seeing the newbies hesitate, prepared to drag someone in forcefully.

"Hold on, with so many nests, not to mention whether they’re dangerous or not, how can you be sure the props are in there?" Dong Zixuan stopped Teng Little Three.

"Well, what do you suggest? Otherwise, will you go?" retorted Teng Little Three, unafraid of the policewoman with less experience than herself.

Mu Nianqi observed the bird’s nest in silence, while Tang Zheng and Dantai were similarly not impulsive.

"Group Leader, please help us!" A few female university students flew to Mu Nianqi’s side, pleading with tear-filled eyes.

"The Trojan Horse Game is as cruel as ever. I can be sure that over ninety percent of these nests are traps. The ten-minute limitation is to prevent us from entering together because of the limited time we cannot afford. Its purpose is to force everyone to try one by one," Mu Nianqi not only demonstrated her ability with reasoning but also cleverly shifted the topic.

"It’s not that complicated. The price of a finger to enter is scary enough," Tang Zheng sighed. Even as Conquerors, they could afford to lose at most four fingers. Any more would affect their combat power.

"It’s testing the team’s cohesion again," Dantai focused on the newbies, filled with regret. If only he had saved more at the beginning, there would be more cannon fodder to use now.

Not just the Special Agents but the Conquerors also complained about their own ruthlessness towards the newbies. If it wasn’t for a kind Group Leader, the newbies would be long dead. According to Trojan’s nature, the Conquerors would also need to lose fingers to enter the door; it may not even be enough.

"No wonder there were newcomers entering during such a difficult purge," Xu Biyun suddenly realized. "One really can’t be careless at all, or they’ll fall into a trap."

"The toy is very clever. Since you’ve guessed it, it’s time to act!" The Trojan suddenly cackled eerily. "To reward you, I’ll give you some more hints!"

"Don’t be scared, there are three types of Bird’s Nest. First, it contains props, but the probability of this is the lowest, so low that you’ll want to curse, second, it’s empty, but you won’t die, third, there’s a monster inside, and if you defeat it, you can survive. Of course, this possibility is very small."

"Please note, don’t try to save time by arranging for multiple people to enter multiple Bird’s Nests at once. If you do that, the time will add up, for example, simultaneously arranging three people to enter three Bird’s Nests would mean they come out in thirty minutes."

"There are a total of five hundred Death Nests in the Hazel tree. I wish you good luck!" The Silver Trojan laughed smugly. "Too bad you don’t have enough people; even the Conquerors will have to enter the fray. However, if it wasn’t for that damn good Samaritan Tang Zheng helping the newbies, several of you would’ve died in this round!"

Those present all gasped together. The looks from the newbies towards Tang Zheng became somewhat warmer.

"It’s okay, we have fifty people, and each newbie has ten chances. That should be enough." Teng Yuangxiang counted on her fingers, letting out a sigh of relief. She was a loner—if the Conquerors had to take part, she would definitely be one of them.

"You’re counting wrong. If a newbie dies right away, the rest of the chances are wasted," Pang Meiqin calmly assessed how to maximize the value of the newcomers.

"Then how about cutting them off in advance?" Teng Little Three, for the sake of their own safety, had already abandoned all morals, discussing blatantly how to use the newbies to scout ahead.

"Trojan, is that allowed? Give us an answer!" Teng Yuangxiang’s charm was clearly insufficient to get a response from the Trojan, and not even Queen Mu could manage it.

"The Game is too cruel; the Trojan is forcing us to scout with our lives!" Ge Cang stood beside Mu Nianqi, his fists clenched so tightly that veins popped out, full of anger, but with no place to vent.

"Hey, newbies, don’t just stand there, are you going to volunteer one by one, or should I choose for you?" Dantai Zongqi’s hawk-like gaze slowly swept over the newbies, and seeing the anxious and panicked expressions on their faces, he showed no mercy. To survive, one must be ruthless.

"President!" The female university students sought Mu Nianqi’s help once more.

"Sorry, my words have little power, but I can assure you, if you enter once and come back alive, you won’t have to go a second time!" Mu Nianq said earnestly. She was only Fourth Order, at the level of a First Order hero; she didn’t have the strength to incite a public backlash, and this promise was already her limit.

The female university students turned pale. Finally, under immense pressure, one couldn’t help but cry out.

"Can you even call yourself a president? Are you just going to watch us die?"

"Watch your tone!" Ge Cang pulled out his military knife, staring coldly at her. "She doesn’t owe you anything, does she? Just because she’s called president, should she die for you?"

"Stop talking." Mu Nianqi felt guilty. She had survived until now not because of blind fervor, but clear-headed thinking. More than twenty people should be near enough to retrieve a prop. She knew very well that if there weren’t any, based on the characters of Teng Yuangxiang and Pang Meiqin, they would soon jump out to accuse her of meddling and then send the newbies in again; so her promise was nothing more than giving them some psychological comfort, utterly useless.

"Stop wasting time. Whether you stick your neck out or pull it back, it’s the same chop. If you’re lucky enough to come back, we’ll give you extra care," Li Xinlan manipulated the newbies, setting the price.

"The probability of encountering a monster isn’t very high; you should believe in yourselves," Ruan Feifei also began to persuade.

The university students huddled together, helpless. Zhao Yunwu’s eyes rolled, and he suddenly pointed at Zhang Chun’en.

"We choose him!" Zhao Yunwu was cunning, adding the word ’we’ to bind everyone together, creating a united front.

The remaining two nurses were frightened; they saw the university students’ gazes constantly sizing them up.

"I’m a billionaire; I can help you achieve any wish!" Zhang Chun’en didn’t want to die and stepped forward, pleading desperately.

"Cut the crap, billionaire? We can pick anyone here, and they’d all be richer than you," Teng Yuangxiang interrupted Zhang Chun’en’s words. There was a time when she looked up to such a person, not even having the privilege to speak to them face to face. It was a pity that now, he was the one groveling for help.

"In the Trojan Horse Game, money is just paper. I can give you as much as you want!" Dantai pulled out a large handful of rare diamonds, which slipped through his fingers and scattered. Just these were worth no less than a billion, but now they were discarded carelessly like ordinary stones on the beach.

The newbies’ eyes spasmed, both pained by the sight of those diamonds and worried about their own fates.

Seeing Dantai shake his head, Zhang Chun’en threw out a few more trump cards, but what he regarded as treasures couldn’t move anyone. He suddenly realized that in the Trojan World, values had drastically shifted. Here, survival was the most important thing.

"You don’t have a choice anymore, get in there quick!" Teng Yuangxiang grabbed Zhang Chun’en by the collar, and he instinctively struggled, only to receive a sharp kick to the stomach that caused him excruciating pain.

(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)