Chapter 38: The Unconventional Chosen One, Falling from the Altar?

Zhang Yangqing refused to listen to her explanation. Either she let the mouse go, or she wasn't getting on the bus.

Could he really mistake a mouse for something else?

Left with no choice, the old lady had to throw the mouse out, only then was she allowed on board by Zhang Yangqing.

However, Zhang Yangqing observed one thing: she didn't seem to be afraid of mice.

He didn't know if these details would be useful, but he kept them in mind.

He wasn't someone who relied solely on brute force; he usually thought things through before acting.

It was just that his methods were quite aggressive, making people perceive him as a mere reckless thug.

In reality, that wasn't the case. When your fist is large enough, you tend to skip complex procedures and solve problems using the simplest and most efficient methods.

In this round of choices, only 48 Chosen ones chose to let the old lady bring the "little animal" on board.

152 Chosen ones chose to have the old lady release the animal, as doing so would not violate the rules.

In this round, Zhang Yangqing's performance was relatively ordinary, giving off a sense of following the crowd.

Without the explosive start of the previous round, it seemed as though he hadn't quite grasped the situation either.

The third passenger was a man wearing a tight-fitting tank top, with so much body hair he could practically use it as clothing.

This man had an immense amount of hair, and his facial beard was also very thick.

Logically, people of this type have highly developed sweat glands and usually carry some sort of odor.

Strangely, however, he had no such scent; instead, he gave off a refreshing impression.

Though dressed casually, he looked like an elegant man, exuding a sense of noble refinement in every gesture.

When he boarded, in addition to his ticket, he took a 500-denomination banknote from his pocket as a tip.

The fourth was more mysterious. He wore a black hoodie with the hood covering his hair, and a mask covered in graffiti obscured his features.

Upon closer inspection, the graffiti seemed to be some kind of special script, but none of the Chosen ones recognized it.

However, many people noted this; perhaps it was a clue.

He did not give a tip when boarding, and he seemed to deliberately approach the Chosen ones at a certain distance. The more attentive Chosen ones heard that his "breathing" was very heavy.

Beneath the hood, his gaze became intoxicated, but no Chosen one could see it—not even Zhang Yangqing or Mitsuwa Saburo.

People continued to board one after another, mostly strange individuals, though a few appeared quite normal.

There were eight passengers in total. Five were willing to give tips to the Chosen ones, though the amounts varied.

"Perhaps the higher the price, the greater the difficulty of the questions they will pose later?"

Many Chosen ones thought this to themselves.

After all, the Weird Tales world had just begun, and very little information was available; they could only rely on their own judgment.

Furthermore, the window for judgment was a mere ten-odd seconds—whatever you thought in that moment was what you went with.

Perhaps some would suddenly realize later that their decisions were foolish, but regret would be useless; they could only find ways to compensate.

This was the way most Chosen ones navigated the trials.

Among the two hundred Chosen ones, 39 chose to take the tips, while 160 chose to refuse them.

Only one person was an exception: the Japanese Chosen one, Mitsuwa Saburo.

He refused tips from three passengers but accepted them from two others.

He was the only one making selective choices; everyone else either took them all or none at all.

Even Zhang Yangqing appeared "mediocre" in his two choices this round.

Because his choice was to refuse the tip, just like the majority of the Chosen ones.

And in the incident with the old lady, he did not act idiosyncratically, choosing instead to follow the crowd.

Subconsciously, people felt that Zhang Yangqing didn't seem to have anything special about him this time, as if he had fallen from his pedestal.

One must remember that in the Wax Museum, Zhang Yangqing had gone out before the time even started, being the only person to go wandering about—an incredibly explosive scene.

If Zhang Yangqing knew what they were thinking, he would surely say speechlessly: "This round is just about making choices; what is there to 'wander' about? Do I need to perform an impromptu rap for you to show how 'cool' I am?"

Mitsuwa Saburo's performance was very distinct, and the expert groups from various countries felt he must have sensed something.

Seeing this, the Japanese audience began to cheer.

[Comment: Lord Mitsuwa Saburo must have observed carefully to know which tips were dangerous and which were not, which is why he chose selectively, unlike the others who are just guessing blindly.]

[Comment: In my opinion, the Dragon Country Chosen one is just a thug who only knows how to force his way through. If intelligence is required, he is no match for Mitsuwa Saburo; his choices lack any technical merit.]

[Comment: So that's all an Extraordinary is capable of. This dungeon is a 2.5-star rating; I'm afraid even an Extraordinary won't be able to act so willfully.]

[Comment: I'm guessing the Dragon Country Chosen one is going to die a reckless death this time. This dungeon clearly doesn't look simple.]

[Comment: It's a pity they got lucky last time, otherwise Dragon Country would have been wiped out.]

Many Japanese people were still lamenting that Dragon Country had been lucky, narrowly avoiding a total "Weird Tale Coverage."

Total coverage would be a catastrophic blow, akin to the apocalypse.

Very few people would survive it.

While lamenting, they didn't seem to realize that their own country had already suffered seven consecutive losses.

Within the Weird Tales world, there seemed to be no casualties in this round.

Because people had seen enough to know that trying to avoid the rules blindly was not the answer.

Only by following the rules, finding ways to utilize them, and gathering more intelligence could one survive.

As noon approached, it seemed no more passengers were coming, and the Chosen ones began to board the bus one after another. If they didn't board now, anyone could see it would mean certain death.

Just then, a woman came running hurriedly from the station entrance.

"Wait for me! I haven't boarded yet!"

The woman was dressed in casual clothes, holding a small red flag, with an ID badge hanging around her neck.

Many Chosen ones then remembered that Rule 6 stated: *You have a little assistant; she can help you well, and you can trust her completely.*

Perhaps this was her.

As she ran toward them, the Chosen ones observed her closely.

The woman looked very young. Her speech was fluid and elegant, and her voice was both soft and crisp, extremely pleasant to the ear.

Looking closer, she possessed an innocent, charming, and playful demeanor, with a slight flush on her cheeks.

Though young, she was exquisitely beautiful, with skin as delicate and smooth as jade, giving her a truly graceful, girlish aura.

She looked like a female college student who had just started her internship, her youthful innocence still intact.

She also possessed an anticipation for the new environment, always appearing full of vitality and vigor.

She felt like a breath of fresh air in this Weird Tales world, a healing medicine for the soul.

This was the impression the "Little Assistant" gave to all the Chosen ones.

She quickly boarded the bus, but the Chosen ones were currently quite cautious; they would only choose to trust her after confirming she was indeed their assistant.

Because that is how the rules were written.

Before the Chosen ones could confirm whether this woman was the assistant, the first trouble arrived.

It was already 12:00 noon. The platform seemed to be getting more crowded, and everyone was looking at the bus with ill intent.

Yet, the driver was actually still sleeping?

(End of Chapter)