mijobooks Chapter 37 Ordinary People in the Trial
Chapter 37 Ordinary People in the Trial
Zhang Siqi felt incredibly unlucky. When she woke up, everything had changed. She wasn't in her familiar bed anymore; instead, she was on an island.
Although it was beautiful here, this was very abnormal. Fortunately, Zhang Siqi wasn't too panicked, because there were many other people who had the same experience as him, at least several thousand.
At first, I felt fear and confusion, but then I realized that it wasn't just me who was unlucky, or rather, that someone else was just as unlucky as me.
This morbid comfort eventually calmed Zhang Siqi down, and although her situation was still very unreasonable, she wasn't as lonely. It wasn't because she was naturally open-minded and thought, "Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it."
Zhang Siqi originally intended to exchange information with others, since everyone was in the same situation and were fellow sufferers in the same predicament.
But around me were dark-skinned foreign barbarians, white-skinned foreign barbarians, and yellow-skinned barbarians whose attire clearly indicated they weren't from my own country.
Good heavens! Whatever the reason, the mastermind behind this abduction seems to be too powerful. It really is randomly capturing victims without regard to race, age, or identity!
Zhang Siqi saw people who looked like his fellow countrymen. As the saying goes, people from the same hometown are three parts closer. In this environment, Zhang Siqi originally wanted to go over. In an unfamiliar environment, people from the same hometown who share common customs, language and culture can always make people feel closer.
When people leave their village, they tend to be more affectionate when they meet fellow villagers elsewhere. Similarly, when they leave their province, they are more affectionate even when they meet fellow villagers from the same province. It is reasonable to assume that people of the same nationality can also be more affectionate when they are in an environment with people from different countries and cultures.
Zhang Siqi originally planned to go over and greet his fellow villagers first, since they all came from different countries and civilizations, and who knew what would happen next.
At this point, two groups of people started arguing. Zhang Siqi didn't know what the cause was. People may lack a sense of security in unfamiliar environments, and the conflict quickly escalated from verbal to physical.
Then I heard a "Noisy!"
Zhang Siqi witnessed an unbelievable scene: a centaur, resembling a creature from Western mythology, appeared in the clouds.
Then came countless fine, hair-like, yet dazzlingly bright silver-white lightning bolts that instantly tore through the clouds in the sky, like the wrathful whips of a god descending, precisely and equally striking down upon every standing figure on the island!
"boom--!!!"
The deafening thunder finally arrived, but it was already drowned out by the heart-wrenching screams and wails of more than three thousand people erupting at the same time.
Zhang Siqi didn't even have time to form a second thought.
He only saw a blinding white light magnify infinitely before his eyes, instantly filling his entire field of vision. Then, an indescribable, excruciating pain, as if it were tearing his soul and body apart, crushing them, and burning them away, suddenly pierced through the top of his head and instantly flowed through his limbs and bones!
"ah--!"
Zhang Siqi involuntarily let out a short and shrill scream, her body convulsing and stiffening like a puppet with its strings cut, before falling heavily backward.
My vision went black, my ears were ringing, and every inch of my skin, every muscle, and every bone in my body was screaming wildly, conveying the pain of being completely destroyed.
He could even smell the burnt smell of his hair and clothes being instantly scorched by the high temperature, and feel the numbness and tearing sensation of the electric current coursing through his blood vessels.
I'm going to die! I'm really going to die!
The thought swirled clearly in his mind, refusing to leave! But why? Why was he so unlucky!
Isn't it said that before a person dies, their life experiences will rewind like a movie? Why didn't that happen to him? Zhang Siqi could only think of his mother. If his mother knew what he was thinking, she would be very sad!
When Zhang Siqi regained consciousness, he was completely unharmed, as were the group of people who had been struck by lightning like him.
Zhang Siqi touched his body to make sure he wasn't missing any limbs or had any burns!
Those who were struck by lightning along with him now shared his bewilderment, fear, disbelief, and the dazed feeling of surviving a catastrophe. No one died, and no one was even injured, at least on the surface.
The lingering fear in everyone's eyes, the slightly trembling limbs, and the lingering, invisible atmosphere of dread in the air all indicated that what had just happened was no illusion.
The pain was so real. So real that even now, thinking back on it sends chills down my spine.
No one dared to speak anymore; they remained motionless, like puppets.
Just as Zhang Siqi was feeling timid and hesitant, he heard a sound. Following the source of the sound, he found that it came from a place not far from them.
I didn't hear what the other person said, but judging from their appearance, we were all of the same race. The other person took out a bunch of shiny gems, about the size of eggs.
The centaur, which resembled an elder with wings, opened its mouth, and the gems flew into it as if they had eyes.
The scene before him left Zhang Siqi completely bewildered; what on earth was going on?
Zhang Siqi's mind was racing, trying to process the absurd and bizarre scene before her.
Were those gems some kind of currency? Tribute? Or a source of power? That winged centaur clearly possessed power and authority that they couldn't comprehend, easily punishing people with lightning while also accepting offerings.
And those people who took out the gems... who are they? Why do they seem to know this terrifying creature? Even... is there an element of a transaction involved?
Just as his mind was racing, that majestic, indifferent voice resounded once again in everyone's hearts:
"The realm of mountains and seas is not a place of disorder."
The winged centaur's gaze swept across the silent crowd below as if it were a tangible object, and everyone whose gaze touched felt their skin tighten.
"You more than a thousand of you have the opportunity to enter this world, so you must understand that this opportunity must be seized with determination, courage, and wisdom."
Opportunity? Zhang Siqi caught the word. Could this not be a kidnapping or a disaster, but... some kind of opportunity? Although this opportunity began with an equal strike of lightning, the price was the agony of near death.
"Today, I will set out a trial for you."
Trials?
Before anyone could understand the meaning of the word, Yingzhao raised his front hoof and gently stomped it.
Om-!
Zhang Siqi felt the solid jade ground beneath his feet instantly become illusory, and the surrounding scenery twisted, spun, and blurred like an overturned palette! The figures around him, the distant sea of clouds, the edge of the island... everything was rapidly moving away and deforming, being pulled into an indescribable, bizarre world.
When Zhang Siqi regained his sight, he found himself standing on the edge of a dense forest that glowed faintly with a fluorescent light. The air was filled with the scent of damp earth, the fragrance of grass and trees, and a faint, indescribable flow of energy.
The trees were incredibly tall, with glowing vines and strange fungi hanging from their branches, casting a hazy, deep blue glow over the surroundings.
"Where...where am I?" A woman's voice, trembling with sobs, rang out from not far away.
Zhang Siqi looked in the direction of the sound and saw several dozen people around him, just like him, who had been thrown into this unfamiliar forest. The number was far fewer than before, suggesting they had been separated.
Zhang Siqi quickly scanned his surroundings. The people were men and women of varying ages and dressed differently, but without exception, they all wore expressions of terror and bewilderment, like frightened birds. Some were slumped on the ground trembling, some were huddled together warily back to back, and others were frantically searching for a way out or companions like headless flies.
They had no idea that the thousands of people were actually divided into hundreds of identical environments, and that it was even being broadcast live.