Chapter 277 - Testing
“It’s indeed very strange. In the beginning, we sent quite a number of Companion Beasts in, but every one of them had their heads beheaded. Only two of them managed to survive. Adjutant An said that it’s called Wind of Space, and it’s a powerful wind generated by the exchange of air between two different spaces. As it comes and goes without a trace, one will find it difficult to withstand it unless they are completely without flaw.”
Zhao Xin paused for a moment before continuing, “Adjutant An finally thought of a way and got two Epic experts, who are proficient in spatial powers, to be responsible for disrupting the spatial order, so that the Wind of Space cannot be formed quickly. After trying it out, we realized that this method is indeed effective. It’s just that the two of them can only protect limited areas, so we can’t send everyone in. Me and two others could only stay guard here and await Adjutant An’s return.”
“Did An Sheng say which part of the ruins he’s taking the rest to?” Zhou Wen asked.
“I don’t know. Adjutant An didn’t say anything. He only said that he wanted to search for Madam Lan and Old Master Ouyang in the ruins. He didn’t tell us exactly where he went.” Zhao Xin shook his head.
Zhou Wen looked at the distant ruins and felt a little worried. Although he knew that there was indeed a power similar to Realmwind in the ruins, Zhou Wen didn’t have spatial powers, nor did he have the ability to stop the Realmwind. Even if he knew its traits, he was still unable to withstand them.
“What are you doing here?” asked Zhao Xin.
“I have something here that needs to be given to An Sheng. It might be of help towards rescuing Madam Lan. Do you have any way of contacting him?” Zhou Wen asked vaguely when he saw the other two Epic experts who had stayed behind come out. However, he didn’t mention the stone artifact and made a vague comment.
“There’s too much interference here. Communication devices are useless. Unless they come out, I’m afraid there’s no way to contact them,” said Zhao Xin.
When the other two saw Zhou Wen, they were immediately alarmed. They pointed at him and said, “You aren’t wearing a raincoat. How are you not infected by the virus?”
Zhao Xin was taken aback when he heard that. Only then did he realize that Zhou Wen was only wearing ordinary armor without a raincoat.
Looking at the shape of his armor, it was impossible to cover all his body parts. He would definitely be tainted by the blood.
“I have a way to counter the blood rain, so don’t worry about me. Leave a tent for me. I need some rest,” Zhou Wen said. He needed to wait for his injuries to recover and be combat-fit before he could think of a way to deal with the Realmwind. If not, he would be sending himself to his death.
Zhao Xin pointed at one of the tents and said, “That’s Adjutant An’s tent. Just stay in his.”
Zhou Wen didn’t stand on ceremony as he entered immediately.
The tent was clean and tidy, and there was even a small battery-powered lamp. Beside it were some books and a small incense burner.
An Sheng actually hadn’t minded taking so many things to such a place. Zhou Wen found a spot to sit down as he circulated the Small Perfection of Wisdom Sutra to heal his injured body before he continued gaming.
Zhao Xin and company led Lu Yunxian into another tent and said with a smile, “Commander Lu, it must have been hard on you to bring Zhou Wen to such a dangerous place. You must have suffered a lot on the way, right?”
Lu Yunxian glanced at Zhao Xin and company and said coldly, “This is my duty. And without Young Master Wen, I wouldn’t be here.”
The three of them were taken aback. Zhao Xin looked at Lu Yunxian and asked, “What do you mean?”
However, Lu Yunxian did not answer and only said, “All of you, get ready. When Young Master Wen recovers, we will follow him into the ruins to look for Adjutant An.”
The three of them looked at Lu Yunxian as though they were looking at a lunatic. Zhao Xin licked his lips and said, “I know that you members of the Sunset army are famous for being fearless even in the face of death, but do you know how terrifying the spatial wind in the ruin is? Do you know how many powerful Companion Beasts died when we first probed the area? That’s not a place anyone can enter as they please.”
“Young Master Wen will think of a way,” Lu Yunxian said indifferently.
Zhao Xin and company exchanged looks. They felt that Lu Yunxian must have a screw loose. What kind of solution could one come up with for such a place? Without the ability to control the Wind of Space, entering meant having a death wish. There was no other way.
No matter how smart Zhou Wen was, he didn’t have spatial powers. Furthermore, he was at the Legendary stage. How could he safely enter the ruin?
Due to the difference in opinion, Zhao Xin and company decided to ignore Lu Yunxian and minded their own business.
Zhou Wen didn’t manage to come up with any solutions either. Despite knowing the traits of Realmwind, the knowledge didn’t help in restraining it.
After some thought, Zhou Wen only came up with the solution of using Ghost Steps to dodge at the instant the Realmwind was generated, preventing them from hitting him.
However, Zhou Wen had tried several times in-game and the difficulty was extremely high. The spot where the Realmwind appeared almost clung to his skin, and a 0.01 second delay in his reaction time meant him dying. He barely managed to dodge once or twice every ten times. Even so, luck played a factor.
Ghost Steps was very fast, but that was referring to speed. Zhou Wen’s reaction speed wouldn’t increase because of the Ghost Steps, so his reaction speed was clearly insufficient against the sudden Realmwind.
I have to be able to dodge the Realmwind. How can I react faster and avoid the Realmwind safely? Zhou Wen constantly experimented in-game.
Zhou Wen was fully focused on his experiments in-game. When Zhao Xin and company delivered his meal, they smiled without saying a word when they saw Zhou Wen sitting there gaming on his phone.
Zhou Wen’s usage of his phone was nothing out of the blue to them, nor did they find it amiss. However, they found it amusing when they connected such actions to Lu Yunxian’s words.
When they returned to the tent that the four of them shared, they saw that Lu Yunxian was still making preparations, as though he really was prepared to set off for the ruins.
Zhao Xin couldn’t help but laugh, “I say, Commander Lu, Zhou Wen is still gaming. I don’t think he will be able to head to the ruins anytime soon. You should rest for a while.”
“We will be going,” Lu Yunxian said calmly.
Zhao Xin didn’t say anything further in response to Lu Yunxian’s stubbornness. He lay on the mat and took out his cell phone. He also found a game to play.
It wasn’t that he really liked gaming, but that he was under too much pressure in such a place. If he didn’t find something to do, he was afraid that he would go crazy.
Zhou Wen constantly honed his ability to react at the precipice of life and death. He needed to make a perfect plan to enter the ruins. Not a single mistake could be made.
In the game, he could afford death if he made a mistake. He could respawn with a drop of blood, but in reality, he only had one life. If he died, that was it—there were no second chances.
What can I do to ensure perfection and make zero mistakes? Zhou Wen soon discovered that with his own reaction, it was impossible for him to make no mistakes even if he practiced to the extreme.
There would always be one or two mistakes every ten attempts because the speed of the Realmwind had exceeded the reaction limits. No matter how well Zhou Wen did, it was impossible for him to always exceed his usual limits and avoid the Realmwind’s attack.