Chapter 51: Welcome, welcome! I assume you are all here to tour the academy!

Jones gritted his teeth and drew 800 ml.

He couldn't act as recklessly as Zhang Yangqing by drawing from hidden anomalies; he could only draw his own blood.

Compared to dying from a failed run, he felt that losing some blood was a worthwhile trade.

Muttering to himself, "I hope the Great God of Dragon Country blesses me this time. Please don't screw me over!"

From the second batch of citizens about to be slaughtered in the three detained buses, Jones selected seven who appeared relatively strong.

There was a reason he chose them at this specific moment.

Most of these citizens were "Fierce Anomalies," and they immediately showered Jones with gratitude upon arrival.

As they took their seats, Jones felt a sense of security wash over the bus—a feeling that he was in control.

Even if the Hooded Traveler attempted to attack him, the other Fierce Anomalies wouldn't allow it.

He increasingly felt that trusting the transcendent from Dragon Country was a very correct choice.

At the toll station stage, among the remaining 142 Chosen Ones, 95 chose a strategy similar to Saburo Mitarai—some based on information, others on intuition.

34 Chosen Ones remained unchanged, proceeding normally.

It seemed many were unwilling to draw too much of their own blood.

Only 13 Chosen Ones seemed to have realized something and increased the number of travelers.

The thoughts in each Chosen One's mind seemed different; some of the bolder ones felt that danger and opportunity coexisted.

Since the Weird World provided this option, it certainly wasn't meant to be passed easily.

Not just Jones, but some Chosen Ones were also slowly beginning to adapt and grow within the Weird World.

Seeing that 142 large screens were still lit, many thought that a relatively large number of Chosen Ones might survive this time.

The expert group from Eagle Country had just exhausted their connection opportunity.

Generally speaking, once the connection opportunity was gone, most of the experts could call it a day.

"This Weird World isn't that difficult either. Once the travelers are full, they can just head back."

"I must say, the survival rate is quite high this time. In the past, many people fell at the first stage."

"It can't be helped. These have been consecutive nights of Weird Worlds. People tend to get nervous at night; in the pitch black, no one can see anything, and mistakes are frequent. This time it's daytime, so if everyone sees clearly, there will be fewer errors."

"I heard our Chosen One this time is a retired special forces operative, but he's nearly 52. I wonder if he'll make it."

"Sigh, instead of reducing casualties, he insisted on adding four more. He's already old; is it okay for him to draw so much blood?"

It could be said that many in the expert group thought this way; with such a large base, many people were bound to pass.

However, Miller, a veteran passer known as "Dr. Muscle," frowned as he looked at the large screen.

He held a dissenting view against the expert group's opinions; he respected the choices made by the Chosen Ones themselves.

Because there were many details that others seemed to have overlooked.

Yesterday, the Weird World was only at one and a half stars. Logically, after reaching two stars last night, it should have stayed there for a while before increasing again.

Yet, after the last dungeon was cleared, it had unexpectedly surged directly to two and a half stars.

Dr. Muscle Miller speculated that perhaps the Chosen One from Dragon Country had pulled the rating up, causing the difficulty of the Weird World to rise sharply.

How could two and a half stars be any easier than two stars?

He checked his stopwatch; one hour and forty minutes had already passed.

If they had to board the bus within six o'clock, then this dungeon might turn into a "Fast and Furious" situation.

"Everyone, I believe in the veteran's choice. He might have sensed something, because this tour isn't for sightseeing on the bus—the real beginning might start after getting off."

As someone who had participated in the Weird World before, he had his own understanding of the rules.

Rules needed to be combined with the current environment, rather than taken purely at face value.

His words prompted the expert group to re-estimate the difficulty of the dungeon.

Inside the Weird World, Zhang Yangqing rubbed his stomach and murmured, "This familiar hunger... looks like I'll need to eat too."

In the previous dungeon, the Wax Museum, Zhang Yangqing had felt a slight hunger when the time came.

Hunger should be a negative status that causes all attributes to decline.

The hungrier one is, the lower the performance of their abilities, though it wasn't a major issue for him right now.

There were 37 citizens on his bus, a large group heading grandly toward the next destination.

After the bus traveled for another ten minutes, a text message appeared on the phones of all Chosen Ones.

[The next stop, Smiling Hospital, is approaching. If a stop is required, please notify the driver in advance.]

Without hesitation, Zhang Yangqing had his assistant tell the driver to stop at the station.

Because Smiling Hospital was the only place confirmed to have ingredients.

Other places were complete gambles, and Zhang Yangqing was not a man who liked to gamble.

Soon, the bus pulled up to a roadside station, and the driver's familiar snoring could be heard.

As long as he wasn't driving, he could fall asleep instantly.

The station was marked with the four large characters: [Smiling Hospital], accompanied by a directional sign for the hospital map.

According to the map on the sign, one had to cross a mountain and walk over a bridge to reach the hospital.

112 Chosen Ones got off here, while 30 Chosen Ones refused to believe in fate and headed to the next stop to look for ingredients elsewhere.

Aside from Zhang Yangqing's screen, the other large screens were very dim.

It felt as if the sky were about to collapse.

This was also to trigger the [Disembarkation Condition]; the Chosen Ones had refueled quite a bit at the previous gas station.

"We've arrived. All travelers, please disembark."

Jones, the Chosen One from Kangaroo Country, had gained experience; he kept his assistant close to him.

Then there were the Female Anomaly and the Old Anomaly; both had thanked him.

As for the Hooded Traveler and the Vest Traveler, he let them blend into the crowd.

This was to prevent those two bastards from attacking him if they got desperate.

Even though it was dark now, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Saburo Mitarai had it relatively easy; the rest were mostly normal travelers, and there weren't many of them, making them easy to manage.

He could already hold normal conversations with the Female and Old Anomalies.

Even more relaxed than Saburo Mitarai was none other than Zhang Yangqing.

With that move he pulled at the toll station, no traveler dared to attack him.

They would choose between hunger and immediate death.

After crossing a towering, rugged mountain, Jones began cursing.

"What a crappy hospital, being in such a remote place."

Looking at the barren mountain forest beside him, Jones gritted his teeth and continued climbing.

It took a full thirty minutes of climbing before they saw a suspension bridge.

Below was a bottomless abyss; if one fell, there would be no possibility of climbing back up.

He had a traveler go first to test for traps.

After all, spending 50 blood to buy you up was specifically so you could step into the pits for me.

The suspension bridge was indeed quite old, but fortunately, the traveler was a Fierce Anomaly; when two rotten wooden planks gave way, he reacted in time, grabbed the iron chains of the bridge, and crossed safely.

The others followed suit.

When the last person crossed the bridge, Jones was shocked to find that the suspension bridge had vanished.

The mist outside grew thicker and thicker, as if it were trying to swallow people whole.

At that moment, a person in a white lab coat appeared ahead, wearing a smile.

This person was like a ghost, completely out of place against the surrounding background.

It gave off an abstract feeling that made one's skin crawl.

Seeing Jones, he approached with a warm and rapid greeting.

His steps were small, but his frequency was very high, as if many feet were moving at once.

The whole person seemed to slide across the ground, making no sound at all.

"Welcome, welcome. Are you all here for a tour of our hospital?"

Combined with the eerie and terrifying surroundings, it felt as if he were saying: *Since you've come, don't even think about running.*