Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 641 - 37: Taking Different Paths

Chapter 641: Chapter 37: Taking Different Paths

"That’s disgusting. How do I eat it?" Lu Fan, having thrown out the eyeball, handed the rest back to Tang Zheng, then picked one up and examined it closely, which instantly made him feel sick.

The eyeball was the size of a ping pong ball, shaped like an egg, covered in sticky fluid and streaked with blood. It was slippery like a loach, resilient under his fingers. The black pupil on top stood out.

After licking his lips, Lu Fan found he couldn’t eat it. He turned to the others, "Who’s going first?"

"Think about it being worth seven thousand points, and you won’t find it disgusting anymore." Chu Baichuan’s righteous words faltered when he brought the eyeball close to his mouth as the overbearing smell of fish made him halt.

All the rest of the team laughed. Their laughter was not mocking, but the friendly kind of teasing among companions.

"I’ll eat it to show you!" Chu Baichuan, being conscious of his face, yelled unwillingly, closed his eyes, threw the eyeball into his mouth, bit down on it and the eyeball burst, releasing a fluid much like consuming a rice cake. The juice flowed into his throat, the stench and numbness started to spread inside his mouth.

"Damn, I actually broke it." It tasted worse than a bitter gall, Chu Baichuan’s face was all wrinkled up, he quickly reached out to Ai Yixin, "Honey, give me some water quickly!"

"Idiot. Why didn’t you wash it first, at least rinse off the slime. Just thinking about the fact that it was dug out from inside the Hundred Eyes Demon King makes me sick." Lu Fan’s mouth revealed an ill-intentioned smile, pulled out a bottle of mineral water, intentionally provoking Chu Baichuan.

The sight of her husband’s misfortune caused the others to break into uproarious laughter.

"You did this on purpose, didn’t you, Lu Fan?" Chu Baichuan quickly rinsed his mouth, then looked at the acidic vomitus on the ground worriedly, "I didn’t throw it up, did I? If it had no effect, I would be at a great loss."

Chu Baichuan tested his strength, his worries vanishing upon noticing that it had indeed doubled.

"Honey, you’re not allowed to come near me in the future!" Ai Yixin jokingly rebuked, causing even greater laughter amidst the jovial atmosphere. She knew well the art of socializing.

Looking at the group now brimming with laughter, Chen Hong and Tu Jinxin were immensely awkward. They wished they could leave this place. They felt left out, like they were on the verge of being ostracized.

"Whatever, as long as we can survive and get out of here, nothing else matters." Tu Jinxin didn’t care, he was well aware of his lack of power. Pretending to be dead was his best survival tactic.

"Should I try harder?" pondered the former star who was once the center of attention. She would seize a suitable opportunity to be in the spotlight.

"Baichuan, did you feel anything weird?" Tang Zheng fetched a box, placed the remaining eyeballs in it, and reminded Chen Hong, "If you perform well in the upcoming games, I’ll reward you with an eyeball."

"Sure, sounds good." Chen Hong hastily agreed, her eyes fixated on the eyeball as if it was the most precious ruby. Seven thousand points, she pondered, would take her a long, long time to accumulate.

"Tang Zheng, why not give us an eyeball in advance? If we strengthen ourselves, we can better serve the team." Tu Jinxin swallowed hard. Even if it meant being despised and scorned, any possibility that could enhance his power was worth pursuing. "As you know, I’m a provincial swimming champion with a strong physique. If I get to enhance this even further, I can definitely help the team a lot."

"No way!" Tang Zheng flatly refused.

"You’ve broken my arm, and I didn’t complain about it. It’s just an eyeball. Besides, each person can only eat one. Better give it to me than let it rot accidentally." Tu Jinxin moved a bit closer, appealing, "I mean, we’re friends, right? Don’t be a stranger."

"Aren’t you ashamed?" Pang Meiqin teased Tu Jinxin, laughing, "This is the quality of a champion?"

Pang Meiqin wouldn’t go so far as to create enmities. If Tu Jinxin deserved her help, she wouldn’t mind persuading Tang Zheng to give him an eyeball, but sadly Tu Jinxin didn’t seem to be the one to feel grateful.

"I have no choice. I just want to survive. Those who can’t face reality are the ones who die. And as for dignity, we should already abandon it. It’s not worth much!" Tu Jinxin admitted frankly, so straightforward that no one would find it sarcastic. "Just one will do. Once I strengthen my body, I will definitely contribute to the team. Even if it is as a scout."

Tu Jinxin tried all the elaborate arguments and promises to earn the team’s sympathy.

"Don’t be fooled by this guy. Even if he doesn’t eat the eyeball, he still has to scout." Dantai laughed coldly. This trick wouldn’t work on him. "That’s your job anyway."

"Just ignore him." Chu Baichuan felt his muscles and looked puzzledly at Tang Zheng. "I don’t feel anything wrong. Why?"

"No one wash your eyeball. Just in case it weakens the strengthening effect, you won’t have anywhere to cry." Tang Zheng put the eyeball in his mouth, swallowed it whole, then rinsed his mouth with water.

The team immediately stopped their motions to ask Lu Fan for water and followed Tang’s lead, Little Lolita made a miserable face. "This is definitely the most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten. To think that the Silver Trojan went to the trouble of procuring a strengthening prop just to make life more disgusting for me."

Tu Jinxin wasn’t discouraged by the rejection and continued to stick close to Tang Zheng.

"Move aside, I need to dress the uncle’s wounds!" Lu Fan brandished Alice’s kitchen knife, poked it on his back, and only then did the team leave.

"What’s next?" Dantai frowned, "Only myself, you, Fanfan, Aiyixin, Bi Yun, and Xu Liangmao can fight. With this I doubt we can even defeat Zhu Bajie."

"Should we hide while we heal?" Pang Meiqin did not look forward to confronting the demon.

"What if the Indian team reaches the destination first? They’re not weak, and might kill the Tang Monk’s three disciples." Lu Fan was worried, "It’s been a while, who knows what sort of penalty failing the task would bring?"

"Eradication, probably?" Qin Yan was not sure either, "You could leave us behind, follow them, and seize an opportunity. You might catch them unawares."

"In the case the mission is completed and a timed teleportation gate is provided, wouldn’t you be stuck in the game?" Ai Yixin did not agree, mainly because she did not want to leave Chu Baichuan unprotected. Even though she trusted Tang Zheng’s character, she knew there would be times he couldn’t take care of himself.

"Take them with us! Let’s move together!" Tang Zheng spat out the water in his mouth, grabbed some food, and had Lu Fan distribute it to everyone.

"We only have two mounts. They can’t carry so many injured people." Qin Yan objected, "Don’t worry about us, complete the mission first. If it goes as our last round did, we can make our way back."

Lin Weiguo did not agree with the combined operation, but Chu Baichuan struggled due to heavy injuries and was unable to travel with his wife. It was a pity.

"Stop arguing, let’s split up and act separately. These heavy injuries won’t be of any help if we encounter the boss." Dantai prioritized how to complete the game with the highest probability. As for the possibility that some people might not make it back, he could only apologize.

Yu Manli and Ruan Feifei did not retort, but deep down, they wanted to be with the team. Being left behind meant their lives weren’t in their own hands.

"I never asked them for help. They can just stay on the sidelines and watch." Tang Zheng’s face was somber. These were his comrades who’d faced life and death with him. He could not force himself to abandon them.

Yu Manli and Ruan Feifei did not speak, but deep down, they wanted to be with the team. Being left behind meant their lives weren’t in their own hands.

The statement made the atmosphere palpable. No one could utter a word. Yu Manli paused for a moment and then smiled at Tang Zheng, "I will stay."

"I can’t walk anymore." Ruan Feifei sighed, feeling a sudden warmth in her heart. If she could integrate into this team, she could perhaps experience human sentiments too.

"I will stay." Bai Guo decisively stated in just three words, which left her out of breath.

"Don’t be foolish, my team leader. Taking them with us will consume our energy. What we need to do now is give them all our resources, strengthen ourselves, and go kill the Tang Monk’s disciples." Dantai stood up, looking over the people, "I’m sorry. This is for the team and for you guys."

Facing the heavily injured individuals who were adamant to stay behind, Tang Zheng was moved. The risk was substantial.

"Hey, at the end of the day, we are reaping your benefits. After all, you guys will be fighting and potentially dying." Lin Weiguo joked, feeling ashamed of his powerlessness.

"If we die, you’re finished." Lu Fan stood up, patting the earth off his bottom, "Enough with the negativity. Here’s to our success."

"Be careful. Don’t let the little demons kill you." Ai Yixin reminded Chu Baichuan as she was preparing to leave.

"What help will you be? Stay behind." Chu Baichuan held his wife’s hand worriedly. Just as he was about to beg Tang Zheng, his wife covered his mouth.

"Enough of putting people in a tight spot. If I were to die, then so be it." Ai Yixin did not want to stay behind as a shrinking turtle, "Don’t worry, I’ll work hard for both of us."

After Ai Yixin finished speaking, she gave Chu Baichuan a kiss, stood up, and climbed onto Lu Fan’s spider mount. She had made up her mind that after returning this time, she would terminate her pregnancy. She couldn’t let her husband face everything alone any longer.

"Aixin, you can actually use the Silver Revolver to improve significantly, at least after equipping the S-grade equipment, your strength will be bumped up quite a bit." Lu Fan touched her stomach, "It’s protruding so much, a life must be growing inside."

Only eight people left on the mission, their combat power greatly diminished.

The Indian team also suffered a catastrophe, though they killed Zhu Bajie, only seven of them survived with three severely wounded, rendering them incapable of moving forward.

"Sorry, to complete the mission, we must leave you behind." The Indian team leader offered no unnecessary words, helped them with healing, and with the remaining three, continued their pursuit. Having retrieved Sun Wukong’s primordial spirit from Zhu Bajie’s corpse, he was confident of defeating the remaining disciples of Tang Monk. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote and recommend. Your support is my biggest motivation.)