Li Zhi guessed their intentions the moment she saw them.
Given Pei Hongyu’s attitude toward other players, if it wasn’t for a tricky situation where he had to cooperate with her, he definitely wouldn’t have sought her out on his own.
This also implied that the second or third round of the Drop Tower must be extremely dangerous, so much so that even Pei Hongyu couldn’t handle it alone, leaving him no choice but to work with her.
After You Jingmeng finished speaking, she glanced at Owen Dong, who was standing behind Li Zhi. “What happened to you? Your face is as pale as a corpse.”
Owen Dong almost burst into tears. “I was a second away from falling to my death!”
Tang Nanshan walked over. This was the first time they greeted each other since entering the game. “Hello, Li Zhi. I’m Tang Nanshan.”
Li Zhi shook her hand. “Hello.” She got straight to the point, “How many rounds have you completed?”
Tang Nanshan replied, “Two rounds. You should already know by now, the death condition for this ride is the illusion. The first round only had one layer of illusion, and external pain could wake you up. But the second round has two layers. Even after breaking free from the first illusion of falling, you’re still trapped in another illusion.”
Tang Nanshan briefly explained what they had just experienced. In both rounds, she, Pei Hongyu, and He Yuan participated. In the first round, He Yuan only fell lightly into the illusion, much like Chi Yi’s earlier state, and quickly woke up under external interference.
However, in the second round, the intensity of the first illusion significantly increased, demanding higher mental strength from the players, and external interference couldn’t wake them up. But that wasn’t the most dangerous part.
The most dangerous part was that after breaking free from the first illusion of falling, players would fall into the second illusion.
“At that moment, I found myself sitting on the Drop Tower, and a ghost was undoing my safety harness in front of me,” Tang Nanshan explained. “I started fighting with it, but soon realized something was wrong.”
Owen Dong, who had been listening anxiously, couldn’t help but ask, “How did you realize it?”
If it had been him, waking up from the illusion of falling only to find himself back on the ride, he would never have doubted that he was still in an illusion.
Tang Nanshan smiled, “Just intuition, I guess.”
Li Zhi understood what she meant by “intuition.”
People with strong mental power naturally resist illusions and can sense danger and flaws, so it wasn’t surprising.
“I woke up from the second illusion and finally returned to reality. But no matter what we did, we couldn’t wake He Yuan. We had to use a special item to bring him back. Now we have no more items to counter illusions, and the third round will be even more dangerous. He Yuan can’t participate.”
After Tang Nanshan finished speaking, He Yuan, standing next to Pei Hongyu, showed an embarrassed expression. It seemed he felt humiliated that Tang Nanshan had exposed his weakness in front of outsiders, but what she said was true. No matter how angry he was, he could only hold it in.
Besides, in Pei Hongyu’s team, Tang Nanshan held a higher status than him. After all, she had survived the second round of the Drop Tower, while he had not. No matter how many complaints he had, he had to humble himself in front of her.
Li Zhi understood the situation now.
The Drop Tower required three players to start the challenge. In the third round, neither He Yuan nor the other random teammate could participate, or more accurately, they didn’t dare to. That left only Pei Hongyu and Tang Nanshan, meaning they couldn’t complete the third round alone.
Of course, they could pick a random teammate, but with so many spectators watching, the third round was clearly a death trap for any ordinary person. If Pei Hongyu casually chose someone to team up with, it would be seen as deliberately sending them to their death, which would harm his reputation.
Tang Nanshan wouldn’t allow him to act recklessly. So, even if they didn’t want to cooperate with Li Zhi, they had no choice but to seek her help.
Tang Nanshan had watched the “Yucai High School” instance, where Li Zhi single-handedly fought and defeated a boss that specialized in mental attacks, demonstrating her incredible mental strength. For her, the third round might feel as easy as child’s play.
After hearing Tang Nanshan out, Li Zhi agreed without much hesitation, “Alright, I’ll join you two for the third round.”
Tang Nanshan seemed a bit surprised by her straightforwardness, and even Pei Hongyu, who had been silent all along, couldn’t help but glance at her.
Li Zhi smiled, “Since the last two rounds are so dangerous, I don’t want my teammates to take unnecessary risks either.”
She opened the clue box she had just obtained and asked, “What clues did you get from the first two rounds? If all three clues are different, maybe we won’t need to go.”
Tang Nanshan replied, “The first clue was a picture of the night sky, and the second was a rattle drum.”
While they were speaking, Li Zhi took out her card.
The card depicted a rattle drum.
She shrugged, “Looks like we have no choice but to proceed.”
Tang Nanshan chuckled, “Let’s go then. Time’s running out, let’s get this round over with.” She turned to Pei Hongyu, “Ah Yu, let’s go.”
Pei Hongyu responded indifferently and was the first to head toward the entrance.
The two big shots, who had been rivals since the beginning, were finally cooperating for the first time. The viewers outside the game seemed even more excited than the players themselves, and the live chat quickly exploded into arguments:
[“What’s with that attitude? Acting so arrogant, I thought he could clear the game on his own, but now he’s asking Li Zhi for help!”]
[“If it weren’t for the system’s ridiculous rules, Emperor Yu wouldn’t need to cooperate with anyone!”]
[“Some people should be grateful they’re getting free clues. Just enjoy the free ride and stop whining.”]
[“If you ask someone for help, at least be polite. Let’s be clear: it’s Pei Hongyu who came to Li Zhi, not the other way around!”]
[“Li Zhi could have just taken Chi Yi and Xiao Qi with her and done the challenge on her own. Why bother with them and stir up unnecessary trouble?”]
[“They shouldn’t cooperate with Pei Hongyu! Let him fail the free-fall challenge and cry about it later!”]
[“Two big shots teaming up is exciting to watch! Why are you all arguing? Just sit back and enjoy the show!”]
[“Exactly! I love seeing powerful players join forces. Let me guess who’ll spend the least time in the illusion during the free-fall ride!”]
[“I bet a bag of spicy snacks it’ll be Pei Hongyu! His personal strength is really impressive.”]
[“I bet a bag of spicy snacks and a pack of instant noodles that Li Zhi will win! Her mental strength is so strong she can even withstand a boss’s attacks! These illusions are nothing to her!”]
[“Place your bets! Minimum bet: one bag of spicy snacks!”]
…
When they entered the arena again, Li Zhi was skipping the second round for the first time, heading straight to the third. The staff noticed her and reminded her, “The third round of ‘Skyfall’ is about to begin. Please take your seats promptly.”
This time, Li Zhi chose the seat on the left.
It wouldn’t be good to sit between Yu Xiaonan and Nanshan, after all.
After sitting down, she heard Pei Hongyu ask Tang Nanshan in a low voice, “Are you okay?”
Tang Nanshan smiled and nodded, “No problem, don’t worry.”
She had intended to sit in the middle, knowing Pei Hongyu had always been resistant to Li Zhi, so she didn’t want the two of them sitting next to each other. To her surprise, Pei Hongyu himself chose the middle seat. After sitting down, he turned his head slightly to glance at Li Zhi, who looked completely calm, then turned back with a blank expression.
The viewers could sense his competitiveness from that one glance.
[“So, he sat in the middle just to see if Li Zhi will fall into the illusion or not, right?”]
[“Look at him, dismissing Li Zhi while still treating her as a competitor. Classic stubborn champion move.”]
[“When the sky falls, Pei Hongyu’s pride will hold it up.”]
[“If someone falls into the illusion later, don’t go bothering Emperor Yu for help.”]
[“The strongest person sits in the middle, nothing wrong with that. Even Li Zhi silently agreed that Pei Hongyu is better by choosing the left seat, right?”]
[“Or… is it possible that Li Zhi simply didn’t want to sit next to Pei Hongyu? Some people just don’t get the hint and still had to sit next to her.”]
…
As the arguments raged on in the live chat, in the instance, the safety restraints had already locked down, and the free-fall ride gave a slight shudder before it began its smooth ascent.
Li Zhi was still watching the ground grow more distant beneath her feet when, halfway up, Pei Hongyu suddenly shouted, “Ah Shan! Ah Shan!”
Li Zhi leaned forward and turned her head, “What’s going on?”
Pei Hongyu didn’t turn around, but his voice sounded cold and tense, “Ah Shan’s fallen into the illusion.”
Li Zhi paused for a moment, surprised, “So soon?”
The ride hadn’t even reached the top, and yet the illusion had already begun during the ascent.
Tang Nanshan, sitting on the right, remained motionless, her head drooped and her eyes shut. No matter how much Pei Hongyu called out to her, she didn’t respond.
Li Zhi could sense his growing anxiety. Such emotional turmoil was highly detrimental when facing an illusion. She had to remind him, “Calm down. Once the ride starts to fall, the illusion will only get stronger. If you don’t keep your cool, you could get pulled in too.”
Pei Hongyu shot her a cold glance, “Mind your own business.”
Li Zhi raised an eyebrow.
It seemed Lian Qinglin was right—good advice is wasted on those destined to perish. Although she didn’t want her teammates to get hurt, there was nothing she could do if they didn’t appreciate her concern. With Pei Hongyu sitting between her and Tang Nanshan, she couldn’t see what was happening with Tang Nanshan or help her anyway.
Li Zhi sat back, her peripheral vision catching Pei Hongyu fiddling with some kind of item, apparently hoping to use it to save Tang Nanshan.
The ride continued to rise higher and higher until it finally clicked into place at the top.
This time, however, it didn’t immediately drop like it had in the first round.
The chill of the night wind swept over them, freezing the exposed skin on Li Zhi’s arms until it was numb. She lowered her head, tucking her hands into her sleeves for warmth. When she looked up again, she found a stranger sitting beside her.
“Sister…” A girl holding a doll and wearing a school uniform sat at the edge of the rooftop. One of her eyeballs had fallen out, her face was smeared with blood, and her smile was eerie.
“Are you here to keep me company?”
Li Zhi looked around. They were on a dilapidated rooftop, with neon lights glowing in the distant night. The faint sound of traffic horns echoed from below.
She and the girl were both sitting on the edge of the roof, their legs dangling over a hundred-meter drop. All it would take was a small tilt forward to fall.
Li Zhi withdrew her gaze, turned to the girl, and smiled. “If your sister isn’t going to stay with you, you can jump on your own.”
As she spoke, her hand, already positioned behind the girl, gave her a firm push.
The girl’s face contorted with shock and fury as she plummeted backward.
Li Zhi waved at her, “Goodbye, may you be reborn soon.”
Suddenly, the doll in the girl’s arms extended its arms, which grew to an unnatural length, reaching up several meters to wrap around Li Zhi’s neck, pulling her down with it.
The sensation of free-falling hit instantly.
Li Zhi didn’t resist. She simply closed her eyes. In just a few heartbeats, she opened them again to find the free-fall ride plunging downward. Above her, the amusement park’s cross loomed, Pei Hongyu sat in a daze, and the flower balloon she had tied at the entrance remained where she’d left it, bobbing in the wind.
Her mental strength allowed her to clearly distinguish between the illusion and reality, and Li Zhi was certain that she had already broken free from the illusion.
The tricky part, however, was that Pei Hongyu and Tang Nanshan still hadn’t woken up, and in at most ten seconds, they would reach the bottom.