TDU Chapter 463
Chapter 463 Altered Rules
Qiao Jiajin looked around and realized the situation was indeed as Qi Xia had described. Even if the wheelbarrow veered slightly, the glass on both sides would guide it back on track. As long as it didn’t crash straight into the glass, derailment seemed unlikely.
“As insightful as always.”
Qiao Jiajin exchanged a nod with the others. They retreated a few paces, then drove the wheelbarrow ahead with a unified burst of force.
At the same time, all the mechanisms on either side of the track quickly rotated. Everything was exactly as Qi Xia had predicted; the mechanisms were never targeting the {people}, only the wheelbarrow.
The magnets at the bottom of the wheelbarrow must be triggering the mechanisms along the way.
As Qi Xia had speculated earlier, easing the wheelbarrow ahead while avoiding those {balls} amounted to nothing less than {asking to get struck}.
Once they released their grip, everyone retreated a few steps, and focused their gaze upon Luo Fifteen sitting on the wheelbarrow.
“Jesus!!”
Luo Fifteen probably never expected the wheelbarrow to surge forward with such speed. Sitting on this {Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse}, the experience was completely different from any other vehicle; there was nothing to hold onto, and no restraints or safety measures in place.
Before he could even let out a scream, he heard whooshing sounds by his ears. Several stone {balls} zipped past just above his head. He quickly ducked, tucking his head into his knees.
From a distance, the rest of the group saw an even more shocking scene.
As the {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse} surged along the straight track, it was as if the path had turned into a battlefield. A dozen or so fist-sized stone balls flew wildly through the air with no pattern. Some collided midair, while others veered off the track and struck other mechanisms. Chaos reigned.
Luo Fifteen felt as if he had narrowly escaped death itself; this sensation was far scarier than being hit directly by a stone ball.
“My goodness…” he gasped, looking back at the wreckage behind him, “how terrifying…”
Before anyone could react, Qi Xia immediately remarked, “Have one person clear the track. The rest continue to push the wheelbarrow.”
Bai Nine stepped forward without hesitation, moving all the scattered stones and stone balls aside. In doing so, she noticed one ball etched with words: {Spiked Shoes}.
What a ridiculous yet oddly fitting ‘reward’.
‘Even till this point, you’re still misleading the {participants}…’ Bai Nine couldn’t help but feel how cunning Terrestrial Horse was. After the participants had risked life and limb to obtain the {Spiked Shoes}, they wouldn’t think to speed up—they would instead walk more slowly and cautiously across the ice, sealing their own fate.
Just as Qi Xia had remarked: if the {road} to victory is evident, never take the opportunistic route.
Once Bai Nine roughly cleared the fragments on the straight track, everyone else reached the finish line. After turning the {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse} around, they moved to the back of the wheelbarrow.
“Nine jie, all done?” someone asked from a distance.
“All set!” Bai Nine clapped her hands and stood outside the track.
Once again, the group exhaled in unison, pushed the wheelbarrow forward with effort, and then stepped off the track.
For them, this task was easy, far easier than facing the flying {balls} with their own bodies moments ago.
All of this was thanks not only to Qi Xia’s {brain} but also to the stability of the {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse}. No matter how far or fast it moved along the icy track, it maintained perfect balance and never once tipped over.
In other words, after its spherical wheel was fitted, the {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse} could no longer be called an ordinary {wheelbarrow}.
“Hey!” Qi Xia called to Bai Nine. “For greater assurance, make your way to the starting line to receive it.”
“Are you worried the wheelbarrow will veer off the track?” Bai Nine asked.
“No, I’m worried it won’t veer off the track,” Qi Xia replied.
“Huh? O–Okay!” Bai Nine nodded. Though she didn’t fully understand Qi Xia’s meaning, she hurried to the end of the track.
Sand and gravel flew everywhere along the way, and since most of the {stones} were aimed behind Luo Fifteen, he could only hear the crackling behind him, too afraid to look back.
The wheelbarrow reached the starting point in nearly eight seconds, but its momentum had greatly decreased, and it was about to stop just before the line.
Bai Nine immediately stepped forward. She clearly remembered that the wheelbarrow would face the final wave of attacks before reaching the starting point. If it stopped now, Luo Fifteen would surely die.
‘What a terrifying person…’ Bai Nine reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow, calmly looking at Qi Xia. ‘To say it {won’t veer off the track}...you accounted for this too?’
Using the wheelbarrow’s own momentum, Bai Nine sent it over the line. The final wave of attacks landed just behind Luo Fifteen.
From afar, Qiao Jiajin saw this and couldn’t help shouting, “Sharp as always, Swindler lad!”
Qi Xia gave a slight nod and called out to the others in the distance, “Return to the starting point. The next round will be pivotal.”
Hearing this, the group didn’t dare slack off. They carefully stepped across the ice and reached the starting point within seconds. Along the way, Qiao Jiajin helped Ning Eighteen up and handed her over to Zhou Six.
“Swindler lad, so, same set of moves next round?” Qiao Jiajin asked as he approached Qi Xia.
“Yes,” Qi Xia nodded, “but there will need to be a slight adjustment…”
He glanced back at the teammates beside Qiao Jiajin and asked, “Who hasn’t ridden this wheelbarrow yet?”
Yun Nineteen and Qiu Twenty both raised their hands simultaneously.
Qi Xia frowned slightly.
This team seemed to have used the wrong strategy; they prioritized sending the easiest-to-transport people early on, which left only the taller, bigger men for transport now.
‘Such an outcome is only to be expected…’ Qi Xia quickly recalled that before he arrived, everyone had relied entirely on Qiao Jiajin.
And indeed, Qiao Jiajin had used his own unique method to protect his teammates. Now that Qi Xia was here, the strategy needed to be adjusted.
“Since this is the sixth round, I need both of you to get on the wheelbarrow together,” Qi Xia said. “If we transport both of you in this round, we can skip the seventh round entirely and claim victory directly.”
Before anyone could respond, Terrestrial Horse slowly stood up in the distance.
“What a headache…” She looked toward Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin, a hollow smile tugging at her lips. “The very people I dreaded confronting have shown up together. Do you mean to send me into madness?”
Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin turned to Terrestrial Horse, both recalling no memory of this strange Earthly Branch.
“What of it?” Qi Xia asked. “So what if you don’t want to confront us? Just a few minutes ago you said you’d act in the {seventh round}. Have you now chosen to go back on your word?”
Terrestrial Horse looked at Qi Xia, her expression gradually turning cold. Her thick lips moved slightly before finally squeezing out, “I will not go back on my word. I shall act only in the seventh round.”
“Then please step aside,” Qi Xia began. “Do not obstruct the progress of the game.”
“But I’m going to announce a rule that’s never been mentioned before…” Terrestrial Horse sneered. “This {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse} can only carry one person at a time.”
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
