Chapter 244: Anyway, I Didn’t Eat It, So I Can Afford to Make Snide Remarks!
“You guys, check everywhere for anyone hiding. Be careful not to touch the egg inside.”
Zhang Yangqing commanded the other patrol officers like a leader giving instructions.
There weren’t any patrols inside this special cell block itself, really.
This was actually just a way to get the other officers out of the way, using his authority as a superior.
If other Chosen Ones managed to get here using his method, they’d probably come up with an excuse to leave the team on their own.
But doing that would raise some unnecessary suspicion.
He walked through a long, winding corridor.
Reaching a corner, Zhang Yangqing found a large door. Opening it revealed a huge black egg inside.
It wasn’t just ordinary black; it was the black of a starry night.
Because outside the deep black shell, there seemed to be specks of starlight.
The transcendent beings who saw this giant egg all swallowed hard.
But they were swallowing because they were inwardly awed by its size—it was nearly eight meters tall.
No wonder it was locked in such a large cell. An ordinary person really couldn’t steal this thing.
The reason Zhang Yangqing swallowed was because he thought it might taste good.
Wasn’t he here in the Strange Tale world to try exotic foods he couldn’t normally eat?
Honestly, the egg should be thankful for the rule protection. If Rule 8 didn’t state that there was nothing edible in the town for them,
Zhang Yangqing might have just roasted and eaten it.
Walking down the stairs, Zhang Yangqing came to some containers.
These containers held a lot of black liquid, presumably the product of the giant black egg.
He took several bottles of the black liquid, along with a few skull stamps.
As long as this stuff wasn’t applied directly to his body, it probably wasn’t a big problem.
Just as he walked out the door, he spotted a patrol officer passing by.
Running into an officer at that moment would indeed raise suspicion.
Seeing this, the audience held their breath; they felt Zhang Yangqing might have to silence the guy.
But they once again underestimated Zhang Yangqing’s presence. Before the officer could even react, Zhang Yangqing said, “I’ve already inspected this area; no escapees. What about the other places?”
The patrol officer dutifully replied, “No, I didn’t see anyone either. That escaped prisoner probably didn’t come this way.”
With that, the two returned to the entrance to wait for the other two officers to regroup.
Zhang Yangqing displayed an air of unhurried calm. Unlike other Chosen Ones who got anxious to leave after getting the item,
he knew he could only leave more safely once everyone was back together.
For other transcendent beings who had reached this point, figuring out how to leave was also troublesome, especially since they were carrying extra items now.
After slipping out the window, Gelieko returned the way he came.
Throughout the journey, he continuously observed the searchlight patterns, truly embodying the principle of ‘better to wait three minutes than to rush one second.’
By around 12:30 AM, the Chosen Ones who had gone for the hidden mission were gradually returning to the eastern side of the prison town.
Among the first wave, six Chosen Ones had successfully obtained the black liquid.
Outside the big screen, Hu Liuqi from the Dragon Country expert group remarked, “I have to say, this round is a real ‘god-tier’ match. These transcendent beings, as long as they dared to think about it, certainly had the guts to do it.”
For ordinary people, this kind of dangerous place was a near-death experience where one mistake meant death.
Hu Liuqi felt that even if he had gotten a patrol uniform himself, he couldn’t guarantee he’d have the courage to go in.
Remember, up until now, the only ordinary person who had managed to get resources was the archaeological professor Rahman from the Pyramid Country.
This made Hu Liuqi feel somewhat outdone, especially since they were practically in the same line of work.
What puzzled Hu Liuqi the most wasn’t Rahman, but his own country’s representative, Heavenly Master Zhang.
Every time he watched Heavenly Master Zhang’s path to clearing the stage, it gave him the feeling that ‘if he could do it, so could I.’
Because most of the time, Zhang didn’t even use his transcendent abilities; it was all just pure boldness and confidence.
In the Strange Tale world, as long as you correctly guessed the rules for certain people, you could navigate it smoothly.
“Let’s go. The crows will appear in half an hour. We need to get ready.”
Zhang Yangqing, as usual, gave the items he had obtained to the one-eyed kid.
He also explained how to use them and what kind of terrifying things they might attract.
The one-eyed kid nodded, indicating he understood and would take good care of them.
This left the Dragon Country viewers confused.
: I don’t get it. Why would Heavenly Master Zhang give him that stuff? What if he smears that black liquid on Zhang while he’s sleeping? Wouldn’t that be a huge problem?
: Maybe Heavenly Master Zhang is testing his character again. It’s about building mutual trust.
: I think you’re right. If Zhang came out and said nothing after going in, the one-eyed kid would start to get suspicious, and cracks would form in their partnership.
: I see it differently. I think Heavenly Master Zhang is planning something that requires using this kid for a specific purpose later on.
The viewers had different opinions. This time, it wasn’t that the expert group didn’t want to explain; it was that they also didn’t know why Zhang Yangqing was doing this. If you asked them to explain, where would they even start?
Inside the Strange Tale world, time slowly approached 1:00 AM, the time when the crows were supposed to appear.
At this moment, Gelieko and the other thirteen transcendent beings in the first wave were getting anxious.
They darted around the eastern side of the prison town, asking passersby and staff, but after asking for a while, they still didn’t know how to catch the crows or what they liked to eat.
When the crows came, if they couldn’t figure out how to take one with them, what would they do when they encountered those mutated, bizarre insects later?
Compared to their tension, Zhang Yangqing was acting like nothing was wrong, lounging comfortably in the spacious passenger seat of the off-road vehicle.
His judgment was always accurate. The other transcendent beings wanted to prepare in advance to increase their survival rate.
That certainly wasn’t wrong. Zhang Yangqing often did the same thing.
But since they had already searched everywhere they could and still found no clues,
Zhang Yangqing could deduce that the clues would only appear when the crows did.
So running around searching for clues now was just pointless effort.
This was experience that even Gelieko lacked. The strong truly remained calm.
The night in the prison town grew darker, as surrounding shops and residences turned off their lights.
The city seemed even more enveloped in an abyssal darkness.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and the temperature began to drop.
The Chosen Ones sitting in their vehicles grew uneasy, constantly adjusting their breathing to alleviate their nervousness.
Zhang Yangqing was fine, though; the previous stage was much colder, so he was used to it.
As time hit 12:58 AM, all the Chosen Ones in the first wave felt as if pairs of eyes in the sky were staring at them, making them feel uneasy.
Then came the cawing of crows, echoing throughout the town.
It made this already sparsely populated town seem even more terrifying and eerie.
Right on time, crows flew across the sky. Not in huge numbers, but they circled like patrols.
Their calls were sometimes mournful, sometimes piercing.
For some reason, the appearance of these crows gave everyone a sense of immense pressure.
It felt like they were beneath these creatures on the food chain; the crows were the gods ruling this place!
At that moment, the braver Chosen Ones started opening their car doors.
Among the Chosen Ones, Gelieko was the first to overcome his fear and step out.
He had already experienced something similar at the rehabilitation center.
Last time, although he hadn’t directly faced the crows, they probably wouldn’t attack someone wearing a crow mask.
“Since I couldn’t find out how to get the crows’ help beforehand, there should be a way now.”
Gelieko figured that during this time, besides himself, there should be someone who knew how to deal with the crows.
He hoped he was right, and started walking down the street.
As crows passed overhead, the overwhelming pressure returned.
It felt like being locked in a cage, unable to move.
But the crows didn’t attack him; they continued searching for other prey.
Only after the crows left did the feeling of pressure subside.
It took him a while to get used to it.
Outside the big screen, viewers from Lamian Country started to gloat.
Because at this moment, Gelieko was the first Chosen One to come out.
It proved his courage and judgment. Your Dragon Country Heavenly Master hadn’t come out yet—was he scared?
For some reason, viewers from Lamian Country always sought a sense of superiority in these minor details.
Just as they were getting smug, a jaw-dropping scene appeared.
Even the strong members of the Holy See found it unbelievable.
Even though Zhang Yangqing hadn’t stepped out of the car, he was the one who got the crows the fastest, without even having to lift a finger.
Even the Pope had to rewind and watch it again to understand why.
By this point, even the Pope had to admit, this guy was truly impressive.
Zhang Yangqing demonstrated the principle of using people and things to their fullest potential.
He had actually anticipated how things would play out when he arrived.
So he hadn’t let the one-eyed kid get in the car at all. He had told the one-eyed kid what to do halfway there.
This kid was pretty forgettable, and it was pitch dark at night.
Many people didn’t even notice he had left.
That was also why the Pope had to watch twice to figure it out.
Following Zhang Yangqing’s instructions, the one-eyed kid wandered the streets.
When the crows appeared, he found a person who looked like an “old witch.”
Because of her age, the old witch’s face was covered in wrinkles. She wore a tattered black robe.
Her hair was long, covering her eyes.
If you looked her in the face, you’d see a pair of terrifying, unsettling eyes staring at you from beneath that tangled hair.
The old witch fed the crows at a specific spot. Chosen Ones just had to follow the direction the crows were flying, or see where the crows congregated, to find her.
Crows crawled all over her body, surrounded her, and even circled overhead.
The one-eyed kid was actually quite nervous at the time, but he did as Zhang Yangqing said and went up to talk to her.
This part wasn’t actually difficult. Considering the difficulty level designed for average Chosen Ones, as long as he didn’t make a mistake, he’d be fine.
“Hello, how can I get crows to follow and help me?”
That was probably the longest sentence the one-eyed kid had spoken in days.
If Zhang Yangqing had heard, he might have thought the kid’s ‘muteness’ was cured.
Too bad Zhang Yangqing was still comfortably lying in the passenger seat.
The old witch looked at the one-eyed kid and stated her requirement.
To get special items, you usually needed to complete tasks for key NPCs. That was normal in the Strange Tale world.
In a raspy voice, the old witch said, “I need some food with blood on it, and some pills with blood. Bring me these two things, and I’ll teach you how to control the crows.”
The one-eyed kid knew where to get blood, and he had food and pills with him.
But he was afraid that if he left, he wouldn’t be able to find her again.
The opportunity might only come once. If he missed it and his teammate wasn’t satisfied, what then?
After all, his teammate had risked his life to get the black liquid, which could control the End Bird. If he couldn’t even get a crow, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
So he gritted his teeth, bit his finger, dripped blood onto the pills and food, and handed them to the old witch.
After he did that, the old witch handed him an egg covered in some viscous substance.
She told him he had to swallow the egg whole. Then the crows would think he was one of their hatchlings and would protect him.
Taking the egg, not just the one-eyed kid, but all the Chosen Ones thought, Will I die if I eat this thing?
Besides, that sticky stuff was still moving!
It even gave off a pungent, nauseating smell. It was absolutely disgusting!
It looked like a freshly laid egg, still warm!
How could anyone swallow that thing? And it was huge!
It was the size of half a fist, and according to the old witch, he had to swallow it whole, shell and all, no chewing.
Many Chosen Ones hesitated, but to get through the stage, they pinched their noses and swallowed it in one go.
As soon as it hit their mouths, the fishy taste of the viscous substance coated their tongues and teeth, making them feel sick.
When swallowing, it felt like a huge object was forcing its way down their throats, repeatedly triggering their gag reflex.
But they forced it down despite the urge.
After swallowing, sticky residue remained on their lips.
Many Chosen Ones inwardly cursed this Strange Tale. What kind of crap were they feeding them? It was so foul!
Some Chosen Ones even threw it up, only to pick it up and swallow it again.
Others just shoved it in with their hands until it went down.
Basically, they did everything imaginable just to swallow it.
This egg happened to be at the very limit of what a Chosen One could swallow. Any bigger, and they truly wouldn’t have been able to get it down.
Many Chosen Ones regretted coming to the Strange Tale world to suffer.
Every time they saw the Dragon Country Heavenly Master enjoying himself, they thought they could have the same experience.
But after arriving, they found the cafeteria food bad enough, and this was even worse.
They hoped there wouldn’t be any more of this; otherwise, some of them might just want to quit!
But they took some comfort in thinking that the Dragon Country Heavenly Master was also eating it right now.
If he could swallow it, they wouldn’t lose face.
What they didn’t know was that Zhang Yangqing wasn’t eating it at all. He hadn’t even approached the old witch.
The infuriating part was that he still got crows to follow him.
It was a good thing the other Chosen Ones couldn’t see Zhang Yangqing’s screen, or they might have had a breakdown on the spot.
Actually, when Zhang Yangqing heard about the black egg and the End Bird, he had a certain hypothesis.
The birds and the egg in this Strange Tale were connected.
The Strange Tale world always had patterns to find.
Other Chosen Ones just hadn’t figured it out.
But Zhang Yangqing genuinely didn’t know he was supposed to eat that thing, and he certainly didn’t eat it.
If he knew about the other Chosen Ones’ suffering, he’d probably say, “This is nothing. Past Chosen Ones have even eaten weird creatures. You guys have it pretty easy.”
The epitome of someone who doesn’t have to worry.
Anyway, he didn’t eat it, so he could afford to make snide remarks.
When the one-eyed kid got back in the car, he didn’t complain at all. Just like Zhang Yangqing had explained the relationship between the black liquid and the End Bird, he faithfully explained how he could control the crows and what the connection was.
He had two crows with him. Considering how much they ate, he didn’t dare bring more.
After all, crows were omnivores. If they encountered the mutated insects, they could eat them. If not, they’d have to eat the supplies in the car.
Zhang Yangqing was pretty satisfied with this. Looks like the kid was catching on.
Rule 8’s reminder for Chosen Ones to find more supplies was actually for feeding the crows.
The more supplies, the more crows they could carry.
Many rules were actually interconnected.
Choosing the right number of crows tested the Chosen One’s judgment.
Seeing the Chosen Ones from other countries go through torment to get the crows, while Heavenly Master Zhang did absolutely nothing and just slept through this painful step, Dragon Country viewers started cheering for his cleverness.
Being able to predict things this accurately—perhaps only Heavenly Master Zhang could do it?
The comments section was filled with praise for Zhang Yangqing; viewers didn’t hold back their compliments.
Meanwhile, outside the big screen, a disciple at Longhu Mountain suddenly widened his eyes.
As a fellow lazy genius, Xiao Xuan seemed to understand something. He said, “Wait, the acting Heavenly Master didn’t predict this. I think he’s just letting that one-eyed kid clear the stage. He wants to take it easy!”
When the other disciples nearby heard Xiao Xuan say this, it felt like a sudden revelation.
This explained a lingering question: why did Zhang Yangqing earlier explain the connection between the black egg’s liquid and the End Bird to the one-eyed kid, and even give him the items?
Why did he let the one-eyed kid handle controlling the crows, and even let him do all the driving and supply moving for this stage?
All of this seemed like Zhang Yangqing testing his abilities.
Since this stage was relatively simple, something everyone could figure out,
Zhang Yangqing simply told him the ‘rules’ he had analyzed and let him handle it himself.
This way, Zhang Yangqing could comfortably lie back and relax.
Even Su Muyu, who knew Zhang Yangqing best, felt that he was indeed lazy enough to go this far.
If anyone else had managed to control the situation this perfectly at this point,
99% of people on Earth would call it a coincidence, and 1% might say it was luck.
No one would believe someone could pull this off deliberately.
But since it was Zhang Yangqing, everyone would assume he planned it, and there was no room for coincidence.
Because those who knew him understood: Heavenly Master Zhang never did anything without purpose!
If he did something, there was definitely a deeper reason!
It wasn’t that the viewers were overthinking it, or just imagining things, but because Heavenly Master Zhang genuinely had that kind of skill!
But Xiao Xuan had guessed correctly. Zhang Yangqing had noticed a pattern back in the parking lot.
The one-eyed kid didn’t seem to make mistakes.
Everything he did was almost flawless.
Whether it was driving, moving supplies, or finding the crows this time,
he managed to satisfy expectations without overstepping.
What did that show?
It showed this kid was extremely cautious!
Zhang Yangqing felt that with this kind of person, he could just feed him the rules he had figured out and let him act.
And he never complained about gains or losses, nor did he whine about hardship.
So Xiao Xuan was right. Zhang Yangqing planned to let him clear this stage while he relaxed in the passenger seat, enjoying some good food.
After fighting all these battles, wasn’t he allowed to enjoy himself a bit?
Last stage, he carried the whole team, and his partners coasted through.
Couldn’t he take it easy this time?
Since this kid never made mistakes, what was wrong with letting him handle things?
Even if something went wrong, he could still fix it.
Anyway, there were no ‘instant death’ rules in this stage. What was he afraid of?
After realizing this, the expressions on the Taoist masters’ faces at Longhu Mountain showed an indescribable shock.
Every time Zhang Yangqing cleared a stage, everyone thought he had pushed the limits of completing a Strange Tale.
The vast majority of Chosen Ones who entered after him were benefiting from his strategies.
Even 99% of transcendent beings, even if they wouldn’t admit it verbally, were basically learning from his playstyle?
Other Chosen Ones had only learned a fraction of his methods and could already navigate the Strange Tale world smoothly. No offense to Gelieko, but he had indeed grasped some of the essence.
And there were still some of Zhang Yangqing’s skills that other Chosen Ones hadn’t mastered.
And now, he had upgraded to a brand new method of clearing?
Delegating the difficult tasks to the natives and letting them guide him to victory.
Watching Zhang Yangqing’s screen always showed him trying things others wouldn’t even dare to imagine.
Don’t be fooled by how bold Zhang Yangqing’s attempt seemed this time; he knew his limits.
Letting a native clear the stage independently required certain conditions.
This one-eyed kid was capable and also infected with the virus. He and Zhang Yangqing essentially had the same goal.
Both wanted to survive and find a doctor.
By having him do these tasks, he was essentially saving himself. Why wouldn’t he do it?
Besides, Zhang Yangqing had made it clear from the start: they were just partners.
Since it was a partnership, the one-eyed kid felt it was only right to contribute.
Given this convergence of favorable conditions, Zhang Yangqing felt comfortable letting him handle the rule tasks.
If this native hadn’t been so meticulous in his work, Zhang Yangqing wouldn’t have let him do it.
This was about maximizing a person’s potential, a habit from being the head of a school.
He could see things from a superior’s perspective that many Chosen Ones missed.
At this stage, it seemed only his fellow disciples who spent their days with him knew his plan; the other viewers had no idea what Zhang Yangqing was up to.
What expressions would they have when Zhang Yangqing’s strategy was finally revealed?
