The Empress and Her Servants (10)
Professor Pan was initially incredulous, but after ten consecutive red characters appeared, he relaxed slightly. He only needed to keep saying the word "red," which was much simpler than before.
About half an hour later, all three ships reached the other side. This time, no one was killed.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time grieved for their two fallen comrades.
At this moment, referee Allen reappeared: "Congratulations on passing the second challenge—the Crocodile Pool. You are about to enter the third challenge. Jian Tanxi, Qu Chen, Pan Xian, Zhong Xiaoying, are you sure you want to bring your disabled companions with you to the challenge?"
This time, the group still said "definitely".
The referee announced: "The third challenge—the Fiery Passage—is now open. All participants, proceed to the challenge and begin the hard mode."
Then, a long passageway appeared before them. The passageway was filled with scorching flames, and just standing in front of it made everyone feel the oppressive heat, causing them to unconsciously move to the side.
The referee said, "Before you lies a 30-meter-long fiery passage. You must enter through the main gate, and how many of you emerge will depend on your own abilities. To make things easier, I will provide you with two disposable fireproof gowns. Wearing these gowns will allow you to walk freely in the fire without getting burned, but they can only be used once."
Who should wear it is up to you. Also, this garment is effective when draped over only one person; it will be ineffective if draped over two people.
As they spoke, two fireproof gauze garments floated down from the sky.
These two garments look similar to Jian Tanxi's fireproof gauze, but the material is of lower quality. Disposable fireproof gauze is likely made of inferior materials.
As the two fireproof gowns were getting closer to the heads of the crowd, Professor Pan, who was the tallest, quickly reached out and grabbed both gowns.
Then, Professor Pan said to his teammates, "Everyone, to prevent any fighting, I'll take the fireproof gauze first. Let's discuss a suitable plan as soon as possible and strive for everyone to pass the level. I remember Jian Tanxi has a fireproof gauze, and it's permanent?"
Jian Tanxi said, "Yes. I will not participate in the allocation. Let others discuss the allocation."
The two fireproof gowns were in Professor Pan's hands, and no one questioned whether he wanted to keep them for himself; everyone trusted him.
Qin Man said, "Besides Tan Xi, there are five of us left, and we only have two fireproof gowns. Someone will inevitably have to sacrifice themselves. If I don't want to wear one, could you give one to Qu Chen?"
Professor Pan said, "It's not impossible, but if you give up, it's not certain that Qu Chen will get a chance to wear it. Besides, there's another problem: Xiao Chen never wears his coat properly. Even if he does put it on, what if he takes it off halfway through?"
Qin Man said with some worry, "Yes... I'm at a loss too... What do the others think?"
Zhong Xiaoying: "I don't know whether I should express my opinion. If I wear it, it will inevitably mean sacrificing a few of my companions. But if I don't wear it, I can't bring myself to do it."
Xu Yunhong felt the same way. She whispered, "I want to live... but if you choose to sacrifice me, I can understand... Anyway, I won't say anything more..."
Jian Tanxi said, "Why don't we put out the fire first? Does anyone here have a water-based ability?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Professor Pan suddenly said, "Actually, you don't necessarily need water to put out a fire."
Xu Yunhong: Yes, you can also use a fire extinguisher.
Others: "..."
Zhong Xiaoying couldn't help but ask, "Where would we find a fire extinguisher in this desolate wilderness?"
Xu Yunhong: "Oh right..."
Professor Pan explained, "What I mean is, as long as there isn't enough oxygen in this fire channel, the flames will slowly go out. I have a special ability to spit out stones; I can summon a stone just by shouting. However, the size of the stone is not fixed, and I can only use it three times per game."
If I vomit large stones all three times, I might be able to put out the fire.
Zhong Xiaoying said, "I have an item—a lucky four-leaf clover. As long as you carry it with you, it will increase your luck value, and it can be used by anyone. I'll lend this item to Professor Pan, and Professor Pan should be able to increase the probability of spitting out big stones."
Professor Pan said happily, "Excellent. I used to have a lucky four-leaf clover and I know its effects."
Professor Pan gave the lucky four-leaf clover to Jian Tanxi, who then gave the clover to an animal in exchange for a more useful prop.
Zhong Xiaoying took out a lucky four-leaf clover and handed it to Professor Pan.
Then, Professor Pan activated his superpower of spitting out stones.
He shouted three times in succession, summoning three large stones that completely blocked the entrance to the fiery passage.
Although there are still some gaps, such a small gap is simply not enough for a 30-meter-long flame tunnel.
Everyone witnessed the flames inside gradually going out.
Next, everyone had to work together to push away those big rocks.
However, the surface temperature of the stone is extremely high, and pushing it directly will burn your palm.
Xu Yunhong provided another prop—heat-resistant gloves, which can temporarily insulate against heat. However, there were only two pairs available.
Professor Pan just used his ability to spit out stones, which took a lot of effort, and he's almost out of energy now.
So Jian Tanxi and Zhong Xiaoying put on heat-resistant gloves and worked together to push the three large rocks away.
Jian Tanxi said, "Although there are no more flames inside the passage, it must be quite hot. Your shoes will probably melt after just a few steps. You should put on the fireproof gauze. It can insulate against all heat. Give it to the people who need to walk."
Jian Tanxi put on her own fireproof gauze, and gave one of the other two disposable fireproof gauze to Zhong Xiaoying and the other to Qin Man.
Professor Pan also had to walk, but there weren't enough fireproof gowns, so he voluntarily gave up. Fortunately, the flames had been extinguished, so it shouldn't have caused any fatal injuries.
So, Jian Tanxi carried Xu Yunhong on her back, Zhong Xiaoying held Qu Chen in one arm and supported Professor Pan with the other, while Qin Man walked on her own, and they all entered the passageway.
Xu Yunhong wasn't wearing a fireproof gauze garment and felt extremely hot, as if she were in a steamer. But she tried her best to endure it and didn't make a sound.
She kept telling herself: I'll be out soon, not long now.
Qu Chen cried from the heat; he didn't know why he had come to such a hot place.
Zhong Xiaoying comforted him, saying, "Xiao Chen, we'll be outside soon, and it won't be hot anymore."
Qin Man was fine. She was wearing a fireproof gauze dress and couldn't feel the heat, but she was very weak and every step she took felt like she was risking her life.
Professor Pan wasn't wearing a fireproof apron, and he was walking, so his shoes melted soon after, forcing him to put his feet on the ground.
However, he kept quiet.
After finally making it out, everyone was so exhausted that they collapsed on the ground.
Professor Pan's feet were charred black and emitted a meaty aroma.
Only then did everyone notice Professor Pan's injuries and gathered around him.
Professor Pan said, "It's nothing serious."
Jian Tanxi quickly used her healing ability to heal Professor Pan, and Professor Pan's foot returned to normal.
At this moment, the referee appeared: "You actually passed the level, that's truly unexpected. You are the only group of servants I've ever seen who accompanied the Empress through the level. Although two of the Empresses were lost along the way, you are still entitled to an extra reward. The reward has been issued, please check it."
A mechanical voice echoed in Jian Tanxi's mind: "Player Jian Tanxi, you have obtained 5 Ability Copiers. With the consent of other ability users, you can copy their abilities. After copying, the other person's ability will not disappear, and you will gain their ability. Ability Copiers are single-use items."
When you do someone a favor, that person cannot refuse to let you copy their abilities.
At the same time, you will receive 4 items.
Item 1: 3 Ruyi Flowers. Ruyi flowers, according to your wishes, will have whatever effect you describe. This is a single-use item; please use with care.
Item 2: 4 "Good Guy" cards.
Item 3: Black Hand. Place the black hand at a certain height, and no one within a certain range can surpass that height, regardless of any superpowers or items used. It lasts for 5 minutes and can be used once per game.
For example, if a black palm is placed at a height of two meters, people with the ability to fly will not be able to fly higher than two meters; if a black palm is placed at a height of one and a half meters, everyone taller than one and a half meters must lower their head or squat to keep themselves below one and a half meters.
Item Four: Last Words Recording Pen. Placing this pen on a deceased person or animal will reveal their last words, regardless of the time of death.
Jian Tanxi took out two superpower replicators, wanting to test their effectiveness.
She copied a superpower from Xu Yunhong: telekinesis.
She can grab any item within a 10-meter radius that weighs no more than 20 kilograms.
Next, Jian Tanxi copied the superpower from Qin Man: sentence recombination. It can be used twice per game.
Jian Tanxi had personally witnessed the power of this ability. It was similar to the ability to modify scripts, but it could also compensate for the shortcomings of script modification.
With the sentence recombination ability, Jian Tanxi will have a smoother time clearing dungeons in the future.
She had three ability replicators left, and decided to use them only when needed.
The vines binding Qin Man disappeared, and her strength returned. Xu Yunhong did the same.
Both of them, who had suddenly returned to normal, felt as if they had survived a disaster.
The referee then brought out three more eco-balls, saying that Jian Tanxi, Pan Xian, and Zhong Xiaoying could each take one.
All three of them accepted it; none of them refused.
There are 500,000 people living in Jian Tanxi's ecosphere, and she carefully placed the ecosphere.
Then, the teleportation channel opened.
Jian Tanxi and the others were teleported to a small boat.
This small boat is in the middle of the lake. It has oars and can row itself to the shore.
Jian Tanxi, Qin Man, and Professor Pan took turns rowing, while Qu Chen lay on the bow playing in the water.
Half an hour later, they finally reached the shore.
This is a scenic area with beautiful views. They found a nearby hotel to stay in and, as usual, left their names and contact information.
Over the next few days, they strolled around the scenic area and rested.
That day, Qin Man suddenly said to Jian Tanxi, "Come and see this place."
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