"Hey! Don't push me! I can't swim!"
"Oh no! Drowning can trigger the barrier too!"
"Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have pursued them!"
With a splashing sound, many people fell into the lake due to the crowd. Those who were not familiar with swimming activated their own barriers and were eliminated.
However, some people who could swim approached Ye Bufan and the others in the water.
If too many people attack from the water on both sides at the same time, the situation will be even more serious!
"We can't wait any longer."
Shangwu frowned. If they stayed on the bridge any longer, they would only end up surrounded by enemies.
Ye Bufan nodded: "Let's retreat to the island first, then find a spot to swim out and we can stop some of the examinees."
The group stopped observing the pursuers and prepared to head towards the island, but they stopped after taking only a few steps.
"Huh? Why did we stop?" Wang Xiaopang asked, puzzled, only then noticing that everyone else's eyes were fixed on the bridgehead.
At the end was a dark cage, and the figure sitting inside slowly rose up.
A sound was heard.
The cage door unlocked, making a creaking sound.
"Hey, Junhu, did you slack off? Didn't you check the testing site?" Qi Jie complained.
"Idiot," Yu Rui said coldly.
Shang Wu explained, "It's probably something the authorities put here on purpose to make the assessment a bit more difficult."
"Increase the difficulty?"
Wang Xiaopang said fearfully, "This cage looks very sturdy. Could it be holding some vicious and ruthless person?"
"Possibly."
As Ye Bufan spoke, his gaze never left the figure in the cage.
The other person was stretching out, indicating that they had been locked up here for some time.
"wrong…"
Shangwu stared at the figure in the black robe and sensed something amiss.
Ye Bufan was quite familiar with this attire, and after a moment of surprise, he cautiously asked, "A cultist?"
Upon hearing this title, the figure paused and lifted his black robe.
"Hey, isn't this Ye Bufan?"
Beneath the black robe, the hardened cultist, with dark yellow skin covered in stones, waved and greeted him as if he were an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
After being captured by Zhang Xiande, he was interrogated for a few minutes, but the city guards did not believe his words at all.
After all, Luo Hongxia couldn't obtain information about the Creation Cult through soul searching, nor did he believe he could get anything out of him. It wasn't until yesterday morning that he was stuffed into a cage and sent here as a surprise for the examinees.
"Believers".
Shang Wu's expression changed slightly, and he silently tightened his grip on the longsword as he thought of Xu Ruiling.
"Another cult member?" Qi Jie gripped his baseball bat tighter, his expression grave. "Could she be as twisted as that woman from last time?"
A chill ran down his spine, and he turned around abruptly, only to find Yu Rui's icy gaze behind him.
Qi Jie was puzzled.
That's strange, I feel a chill down my spine, like someone's watching me.
Wang Xiaopang had never met a believer before, and asked curiously, "Old Fan, he seems to know you."
"Of course I know him."
The Hardening Cultist approached a few meters away from the group, sized up Ye Bufan, and remarked, "He's reached the second tier. Maybe that Mantis kid guessed right."
"A praying mantis?" Ye Bufan warily scanned his surroundings, first looking for similar cages: "Are there other cultists here?"
“The mantis isn’t here,” the Hardening Cultist sighed. “His defenses aren’t high; he should have been blown up.”
Shang Wu frowned: "Cultist, what exactly are you trying to say? Aren't you going to make a move?"
The Hardening Cultist rolled his eyes: "First of all, I have a name, Wu Zhangshan."
After saying that, Wu Zhangshan said with a playful tone, "Why would I make a move? If I'm not mistaken, this is the martial arts exam, and you all have protective measures on you."
He raised his hand and waved it: "Commander Luo is very meticulous. He knows that I only have high defense and not enough attack to break through the barrier, so he threw me here."
"So, you're just planning to chat with us here?" Yu Rui said casually.
"almost."
Wu Zhangshan looked back and said, "Anyway, your situation isn't good either. With me here, they don't dare to surround you. In fact, you should thank me for giving you some time to rest."
"Heh, thank you cultists?" Shangwu said coldly.
Xu Ruiling was almost abducted; his impression of the Creation Cult was extremely negative.
Ye Bufan pondered for a moment: "You all rest first, may I ask you something?"
The second half of the sentence was addressed to Wu Zhangshan.
"Ask away, but I can't guarantee I'll tell you."
"Why do you believers keep coming after me?" Ye Bufan asked the question that had been puzzling him. "I don't remember ever provoking the Creation Cult, do I?"
"I don't know about that." Wu Zhangshan spread his hands: "I'm just an ordinary believer. I've never even met the leader. It's all the deputy leader who gives the orders."
Yu Rui glanced at him, knowing that Qin Sheng could control the followers at any time. Since the adults didn't interfere, she didn't say anything more.
"Vice Leader? Who is he?" Ye Bufan asked cautiously.
Zhang opened his mouth, and Wu Zhangshan shook his head.
"You've been controlled?"
Although it was only a fleeting moment, Shangwu still caught a glimpse of pain in his eyes.
“You’re very smart.” Wu Zhangshan didn’t argue.
Seeing this, Ye Bufan narrowed his eyes and said softly, "You don't seem like one of those truly evil people. You must have been forced to join the Creation Cult, right?"
He proceeded step by step: "You can find the city guards and ask Commander Luo to solve your problems. He might even be able to help you return to your original state."
"Isn't this better than the life we're living in now, constantly on the run?"
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