Chapter 74: There was a dream about a player who fell off a swing...
Inside the infusion room, the lights were as bright as day.
Throughout the entire space, only the movement of the hands on the cookie clock and the dual exhaustion of body and mind served as reminders of their suffering.
A new day is about to begin.
It's unclear whether it's related to the fake seal infection, but ever since he entered the infusion room, Wang Jianping has been yawning constantly and doesn't seem to be in good spirits.
Qi Zhixia listened to the continuous noise behind her and asked about the other party's condition several times, but Wang Jianping always claimed that he was fine and just a little too sleepy.
She was still a little skeptical, so she looked at Liang Jun from a different angle and asked, "Sister Jun, when do we get a break too?"
Liang Jun glanced at Wang Jianping, who was yawning with his back turned, then took a few steps back.
"Let's stay in this area."
Their position was just at the farthest point diagonally opposite Jiang Chunhua and the others.
Based on this, Liang Jun moved forward a little more. Although she was still generally keeping a relatively large distance from the other person, she was much closer than before.
Luo Chuange glanced back anxiously—
Old Ren remained in the same spot, pacing back and forth, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"Captain, shall we go back to where we were?"
Luo Chuange tentatively asked, "If we get too close, I'm afraid there might be some conflict between the two sides..."
As if she had heard something incomprehensible, Liang Xun's furrowed brows revealed great confusion.
“I understand. Because everyone has a different way of doing things, some people may feel uncomfortable.” Liang Xun glanced at Lao Ren, who was still walking. “But we are in a checkpoint, and we can’t let some people do whatever they want.”
She waved her right hand, roughly circling the vicinity. "We're a certain distance from them, but not too far. That way, if we encounter any unexpected situations tonight, they'll be able to notice. At the very least, Jiang Zhiling and Shao Feng will come to our aid."
Even after all that had been said, Lao Ren remained unmoved.
Liang Jun stopped seeking psychological counseling because she knew that Lao Ren would catch up with her again soon.
"Coco and Summer, you two stay here and rest."
Seeing that Gu Keke had taken a seat on the left, Liang Xuan pointed to the seat on the right side of the corridor.
"Luo Chuange, Lao Ren, and Director Wang, you can rest on this side. Director Wang, your seat will be directly opposite Qi Zhixia's, so that if anything happens, it will be easier for you to control the wheelchair immediately."
Three men and three women sat down on either side of the corridor.
In this way, even though the blue partition blocks other people's view, at least one's situation can be noticed by the opposing team, which is a kind of insurance.
The almost 24-hour non-stop high-intensity activities had already left Leung Jung feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
At this moment, even though the headrest cushion was filled with an unpleasant odor, Liang Jun felt that it was as comfortable and restful as a memory foam pillow.
The moment I lay flat on my back, a deep sense of sleepiness washed over me like a tidal wave.
The light bulbs on the ceiling emitted a bright white halo, like ripples spreading after a pebble is thrown in, creating ripples in Liang Jun's eyes.
Just before she was about to fall asleep, Liang Jun vaguely heard a sound coming from next door.
"Aren't the lights in the infusion room turned off? They're giving me a headache..."
-
Eight o'clock in the morning.
They were awakened by the hourly chimes of the cookie clock.
Liang Jun propped herself up on the bed with one hand, while rubbing her temples with the other, her expression slightly pained.
During her less than four hours of sleep, she had a dream that caused her great distress.
In her dream, she saw Director Liang of the orphanage again after a long time.
Compared to how she remembered him, Dean Liang had aged considerably. With graying temples, he brought Liang Jun's favorite fruit leather snack from when she was a child. Liang Jun asked him to eat it with her, but he just shook his head and then watched her enjoy the snack with a kind expression.
But as she ate the last roll of hawthorn candy, Liang Jun suddenly felt a sharp burning sensation in her stomach. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down her cheeks, along with blood gushing from her seven orifices.
In her dream, as she was dying, Liang Jun seemed to see Dean Liang sitting opposite her reach out and tear off his mask, revealing his bloodied face beneath the skin.
Liang Jun's back was already soaked with sweat. She woke up with a start, panting heavily, just in time to hear the last sound of the electronic time announcement.
Old Ren across from them was still fast asleep. Luo Chuange had already adjusted the seat back to its original position, and Wang Jianping had also helped Qi Zhixia, who had gotten up early, to re-secure her wheelchair and distribute the first day's supplies that had been temporarily stored inside.
Gu Keke walked up to Liang Xuan with water and bread in her arms. She was startled when she saw Liang Xuan's sweaty appearance.
"What's wrong with you?" She handed the food she was holding to Liang Jun. "Why are you sweating so much?"
"It's nothing, just a nightmare."
Liang Jun unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle, and the icy purified water rolled down her throat, temporarily suppressing the anxiety and unease within her.
She glanced unconsciously at another corner, only to find it completely empty.
Where are they?
Gu Keke shook her head. "I don't know. We haven't been awake for much longer than you, and we haven't seen them since."
Once night falls, the infusion room is no longer a safe zone. It's not impossible for them to leave and go to other parts of the shelter.
Liang Jun put the problem aside for the time being, and sat down to hastily finish her breakfast.
As everyone prepared to leave the infusion room, Gu Keke, who was walking beside her, noticed the bread bag that Liang Xun was carrying.
There weren't many slices of bread to begin with, and now there are two left.
Aren't you going to eat?
Gu Keke, whose appetite was still excellent, was a little surprised. "We've been expending a lot of energy these past few days. Aren't you going to have trouble keeping up with such a small amount of food?"
But Liang Jun has not yet fully recovered from that nightmare.
Even though it was just a dream with no connection to reality, Liang Xun's stomach still ached faintly, as if she had really been poisoned by that deadly toxin.
This was the maximum amount of food she could eat despite her poor appetite.
Liang Xun smiled helplessly, "It's okay, we can save the rest for when we get hungry."
Before leaving, Lao Ren wanted to take a support from the infusion room for self-defense. But unexpectedly, he couldn't leave the infusion room with the equipment, and he could only reluctantly leave the stick behind.
They retraced their steps down the stairs and returned to the central hall area. Just as they stepped out of the corridor, they saw Jiang Chunhua and the others sitting on the gingerbread bench.
They hadn't eaten all day, and Jiang Chunhua was weakly complaining about being hungry.
Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, she looked at Liang Jun and the others with extreme sensitivity, her gaze naturally settling on the bread bag in her hand.
Where did the bread come from?
Her eyes sparkled, as if she wanted to pounce on her prey like a hungry tiger. "Where did you get the food?"
Liang Jun has already confirmed that the vending machine will not restock automatically. In other words, the number of food items available for purchase is limited.
As long as everyone on her side had enough food, Liang Jun didn't mind sharing the few remaining supplies with them.
After all, she didn't want her cooperative partners to be a group of players who were too hungry to have any strength left.
She pointed to the corridor they had been in the previous night, "There's a vending machine at the end of that way where you can redeem food with points."
Liang Jun glanced out the window again; the sun had already climbed high above the mountains.
"We'll wait for you here in the lobby. After you've bought your food, we'll head to the next activity together."
Jiang Chunhua didn't thank him, and turned around and ran towards the vending machine.
I almost tripped over my own steps because I was walking so fast.
Not long after, they also came out carrying food of various sizes.
Jiang Chunhua was starving. She originally wanted to eat on the spot, but Tang Cailei vetoed her idea.
The other party insisted that they had already wasted too much time and that the second project must be completed as soon as possible, and could not be delayed until the evening.
The argument between the two sides reached no conclusion. Finally, persuaded by Jiang Zhiling and Shao Feng, Jiang Chunhua had no choice but to settle for second best and follow behind the main group, munching on bread slices as she walked.
After leaving the emergency aid station, they returned to the familiar mountain road.
Liang Jun fanned away the dust that flew in front of her and spread the map out in front of the group.
"According to the map, the roller coaster, drop tower, and high-altitude swing are all at the same altitude, and they are currently the closest amusement park attractions to us."
Liang Xun traced the corresponding graffiti on the map with her finger, "But without exception, they are all high-altitude projects. Relatively speaking, the risk index is definitely higher."
Tang Cailei and Jiang Zhiling were also gathered around Liang Jun. Hearing her say that, Tang Cailei scoffed.
"The way you're talking is as if the projects we've done before weren't risk-free." He glanced at Liang Xun and Gu Keke, then at Jiang Zhiling beside him out of the corner of his eye. "Even if the risk level wasn't high, people still got hurt, didn't they?"
His cold and sarcastic attitude infuriated Luo Chuange, who was participating in the discussion.
He puffed out his cheeks, about to argue his point, when Liang Jun raised her hand to stop him.
There's no need to get angry.
Liang Jun chose to let Tang Cailei's remarks go in one ear and out the other.
"The number of attractions in the amusement park is limited. If we avoid all of these high-risk attractions, it is obvious that we will not be able to complete the system task."
Liang Xun put the map back into her pocket. "How about this, we continue up the mountain, and if we come across any suitable activities, we'll try to participate—what do you think?"
The remaining five people on Liang Jun's side all unanimously agreed.
Jiang Zhiling agreed with Liang Jun's opinion, and Shao Feng unconditionally followed Jiang Zhiling's decision. Tang Cailei didn't express his opinion, but his lack of objection was an indication of his agreement. As for Jiang Chunhua, she was still showing off her bread, only saying that she was going with her sister, and nothing else.
It seems there was a light rain last night; not only is the air filled with the unique fragrance of damp earth after the rain, but the mountain roads are also muddier than yesterday.
The group walked with uneven steps, and finally, when the sun was high in the sky, they climbed to the top of another hill.
The main steel frame, nearly 100 meters long, stands here. The swing ropes, several tens of meters long, are taut due to the high-speed rotation.
In contrast, the tiny swing seat is like the fluffy seed head at the very end of a dandelion, seemingly on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
The whooshing sound of the air being churned at high speed whistled past my ears.
Liang Jun tilted her head back, the loud screams of the swing players still ringing in her ears.
“A high-altitude swing…” she murmured.
Jiang Zhiling also stood beside Liang Xuan.
"It seems like there are a group of players trying it out right now."
She also looked up, her eyes half-closed, intently watching the machine turn. "It seems this facility is much sturdier than the previous one. Since players have chosen this place, its safety must be reliable. Why don't we..."
Before the words were even finished, a crimson trail flashed across the sky.
"careful!"
Gu Keke and Shao Feng, standing behind them, reminded them almost in unison, and without delay, pulled the two of them so hard they stumbled.
The next second, the sound of a heavy object falling from a great height rang out.
Liang Jun glanced at it only once before quickly looking away.
That was a player who had been thrown off a swing.
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Author's note: The second project is about to be unlocked - the high-altitude swing!
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