Chapter 299: The White Carriage, the Chosen One on the Brink of Life and Death!
Within the bizarre world, the night remained as pitch-black as ever.
The ancient stone walls of the station looked aged and solemn under the moonlight. The Chosen Ones sat on the stone benches, their legs feeling as heavy as if filled with lead the moment they stopped moving forward.
They had gritted their teeth and pushed themselves to get this far, but there were only thirty minutes left, and the end of the road was still nowhere in sight. If the carriage didn’t arrive soon, they’d have to find a place to lie low and hide.
After all, without the carriage, they probably wouldn’t be able to make it out on time by foot. And once daylight came, this path would likely become even more dangerous.
Suddenly, faint hoofbeats echoed in the distance, growing louder and closer. The Chosen Ones had sharp ears; they all seemed to notice it.
Ramirez, having learned from his past mistakes, stood up and hid himself behind the station building. He left his only C-rank demon waiting on the platform—after all, he couldn’t see anything anyway.
If the carriage that arrived was white, it would spell deadly danger. If there was truly no way to avoid it, he’d have no choice but to sacrifice the demon.
He increasingly regretted being so stingy with his lifespan. If only he had summoned a few more demons back then! If this one died, he’d have no choice but to gamble with pure luck.
After all, guide dogs are essentially colorblind; they can only distinguish shades of light and dark, not actual colors.
As the sound of the carriage drew nearer, his heart raced with both anticipation and fear.
Before long, the demon came back and reported that the carriage was actually blue.
This left Ramirez utterly confused. A blue carriage? Hadn’t he prayed for a white one at the wishing well? Was that woman lying to him? Should he have trusted the man instead?
A swarm of questions swirled in his head.
Even if he regretted it now, there was no going back. All he could do was keep waiting for the next carriage.
He didn’t have Zhang Yangqing’s deep knowledge of the rules, but fortunately, he hadn’t triggered any fatal ones yet. Since it wasn’t the black carriage specified in the rules, he had to keep waiting.
Carriages began arriving one after another, and incidents among the Chosen Ones broke out frequently.
Two unlucky souls were the first to encounter a white carriage: Campbell, the Chosen One from Britain, and Jafar, the Chosen One from Malaysia.
Both were extraordinary beings. Campbell was a powerful vampire count, and Jafar was a sorcerer. Each held a certain status within their respective local factions.
It was Campbell’s first time entering the bizarre world, but he had certain advantages—after all, he was said to be the Chosen One with “home-field advantage” this time around. Many of the things in this world were familiar to him; he knew the environment well.
His performance so far had been quite impressive too. He was even one of the few Chosen Ones who had managed to kill that terrifying being—the old man with the raspy voice.
But this time, he was genuinely unlucky. The second carriage that arrived was already white.
Feeling confident in his abilities, he hadn’t bothered hiding behind the station.
When his demon told him the carriage was white, he actually hesitated for a moment about whether to run. After all, he had successfully slain powerful natives back at the villa.
His confidence had been steadily rising, and he thought to himself, Maybe my combat strength isn’t that bad after all.
But that moment of hesitation was all it took.
When the white carriage arrived, the sound of startled birds and beasts filled the air—a warning sign that a truly fearsome specter was approaching.
This level of supernatural being always came with special abilities, just like the fake villa owner and the black-suited magician. Neither of those were easy opponents.
The scattering of birds and beasts was the bizarre world’s hidden warning to the Chosen Ones—or rather, a prelude to the arrival of a powerful entity.
The moment he felt the terrifying aura emanating from inside the carriage, Campbell’s courage began to waver—but it was already too late.
The white carriage pulled up to the platform, and a group of eerie figures in formal attire stepped out.
Some were skeletons with blue flames flickering around their bodies, looking like powerful malevolent spirits. Others wore white smiling masks, like nobles attending a masquerade ball, or magicians performing tricks on the street. A few carried solid gold walking canes, radiating an air of nobility and elegance.
The oppressive aura they emitted made Campbell’s heart pound violently.
It seemed like every single one of these descending monsters was roughly on par with him in strength. He’d struggle just to fight one, and yet there were four or five of them—maybe even more still inside the carriage, which was enormous.
Campbell didn’t even have the desire to engage. He immediately ordered his demon to attack and buy time, while he himself ran off with his guide dog.
But one of the masked, eerie magicians began to phase out of physical form, turning into a gust of wind that swept across the area, as if trying to engulf the entire zone. Terrifying spirits floated around him, and the stench of death closed in on Campbell.
“Hmph, don’t underestimate me!” Campbell barked defiantly—then promptly transformed into a swarm of bats and scattered in all directions.
The audience had no idea why he was so cocky while fleeing. Anyone watching would’ve thought he was about to fight back.
“Just a cheap trick,” the eerie magician scoffed. He doffed his hat, and a flock of raptors burst out from inside it.
Under the moonlight, a glint of cunning flashed in the raptors’ eyes. They spread their wings like demons from hell and savagely attacked the bats scattering through the sky.
The raptors moved like lightning, striking before the bats even realized the danger was there.
The bats flapped their wings desperately, zigzagging to evade the attacks. Their bodies were small, but their reflexes were razor-sharp.
Yet no matter what they did, the raptors’ assault was like the shadow of death itself, ruthlessly closing in.
The raptors’ eyes gleamed with cruel light, their claws carving black trails through the air. The bats were struck down one by one, tumbling through the air before falling limply to the ground.
Under the moonlight, more and more bats were taken down. The raptors tore through them with their hard beaks, effortlessly claiming victory.
When the last bat hit the ground, what remained were the scattered body parts of Count Campbell, looking as though he had been hacked into eighteen pieces—a gruesome sight.
His loyal guide dog made one final desperate stand for its master, only to be slain by the other monsters. None of his demons stood a chance against these powerful entities.
The big screen in Britain went dark. The extraordinary vampire count, who had held the home-field advantage, had fallen.
Given Campbell’s status and influence back home, his death sent massive shockwaves through the nation.
No one had expected it. He was supposed to be a top contender for an SSSS rating in this bizarre world, with huge advantages and immense popularity—and yet he had fallen this early?
The audience couldn’t even fathom how strong that eerie magician truly was.
Could any Chosen One actually withstand an attack from him?
Well, as it turned out, the next Chosen One’s approach was practically a brush with death—but he managed to survive, albeit in a sorry state.
Jafar, the Chosen One from Malaysia, was just as unlucky—but his reaction time was far quicker.
He was a veteran of the Polar Night Snowfield and a powerful sorcerer. He hadn’t scored particularly well last time—couldn’t even get an S—but he at least had some experience under his belt.
As soon as he heard that a white carriage was coming, he didn’t hesitate for a second—he ran.
Still, the people disembarking from the white carriage didn’t seem willing to let him go and gave chase.
Jafar wasn’t as fast as Campbell, but he was smart. He figured that fighting head-on would be suicide—a slow death at best—so he might as well take a gamble.
He deliberately walked in the opposite direction of the moon, violating Rule 1.
Immediately, the powerful supernatural creatures lurking around surged toward him.
These creatures had been empowered by the rain and were fearless beasts. They clearly weren’t on the same side as the people from the white carriage.
Each side seemed to mistake the other for Jafar’s reinforcements, and a brawl broke out.
Though the beings from the white carriage were overwhelmingly powerful, the creatures from the bushes were numerous, ferocious, and utterly fearless.
In the chaos, Jafar managed to escape.
He didn’t dare join the fight; his only goal was to flee.
But the cost of survival this time was steep.
All his demons were dead. His guide dog had vanished. He was completely alone.
Now, he didn’t even know which way to go. As a blind man in this environment, without encountering a friendly passerby, he was still walking a razor’s edge between life and death!
Other Chosen Ones also fell victim to the white carriage, one after another.
However, those who had hidden behind the station managed to survive. After the white carriage departed, they resumed their waiting.
Ramirez had always trusted his judgment and didn’t rely on luck. But now, he was praying for divine intervention.
Hiding behind the station, he was terrified, begging the bizarre world to stop toying with him and just send a black carriage already—so he could finally pass this stage!
Three carriages had passed. None of them were black.
If one didn’t show up within the next ten minutes, he’d have to think of a backup plan.
Just as he was growing anxious, a team of black stallions finally pulled up in a black carriage.
But it sped past the station without stopping.
Because he was hiding behind the station, while his demon was beside it, the black carriage didn’t see anyone at the platform. Since no passengers were getting off, it simply drove on.
Panic seized Ramirez. His only chance at survival was slipping away.
“Chase it! Stop it!” he shouted at his guide dog and demon.
He let go of the guide dog’s leash, letting it run for its life and try to get the coachman’s attention.
After a lot of effort, just as Ramirez was about to collapse from exhaustion, the black carriage finally stopped.
His guide dog, after drinking some water and resting, regained a bit of strength. Thankfully, the carriage wasn’t particularly fast—otherwise, they wouldn’t have caught up.
He handed over his ticket. The coachman nodded and motioned for him to board.
But the carriage wasn’t very big—just a four-seater, with a single horse pulling it.
Three people were already seated inside, one of whom was rather portly and taking up two seats.
After failing to negotiate for a seat, the exhausted Ramirez ended up sitting on the floor in the middle of the carriage, holding his dog. That was the worst possible treatment—practically standing-room-only like on a crowded subway.
Other Chosen Ones weren’t faring much better. Some had also run a long way before catching a black carriage.
Sidney, in particular, had it rough. His carriage was pulled by two horses and had six seats, but the passengers all seemed to have pets, cramming the space to the brim.
He didn’t even qualify for floor space.
With so many people inside, he couldn’t exactly start a fight—he was outnumbered, exhausted, and any conflict would likely get him killed. So he had no choice but to hang onto the side of the carriage, like a ticketed “hanger.”
Other Chosen Ones climbed onto the roof.
None of them were comfortable, and their dogs and demons were left outside in the wind.
At this stage, the Chosen One from India had a distinct advantage. Growing up, he’d gotten used to hanging off the outside of vehicles—this was nothing for him.
He tied his sleeves around some pillar-like parts of the carriage frame and leaned back to rest.
Watching the pitiful ways other Chosen Ones boarded their carriages, the audience was actually eager to see the Dragon Kingdom’s celestial master throw down with the people from the white carriage.
He was also standing on the platform, waiting.
If he encountered them, a fight would be inevitable.
But his wish had come true. The very first carriage to arrive was black.
Before it even pulled up, the thundering hoofbeats sounded like a well-ordered army on the march.
On that hazy, moonlit night, a magnificently royal carriage came rolling toward him.
It was drawn by eight tall black horses. Their coats shone like mirrors, their muscles sleek and powerful, exuding aristocratic dignity and authority.
Each horse was adorned with ornate saddles and reins embroidered with gold thread. Their hooves struck the hard stone road in steady, rhythmic cadence, filling countless viewers with envy.
Those beat-up vehicles the other Chosen Ones were riding? Those were called carriages?
This was a carriage!
This luxurious carriage itself was cast from a special golden metal, inlaid with intricate reliefs. Between the spokes of the wheels hung decorations of gold thread and pearls.
On the roof, a massive golden crown was embedded in the carriage’s canopy, a symbol of royal majesty. The door bore an exquisite silver emblem—two crossed longswords—signifying its owner’s noble lineage.
This wasn’t the kind of emblem any ordinary carriage could carry, and the person riding in this carriage was no ordinary soul.
As the carriage rolled forward, the wheels made a pleasant rumbling sound against the stone.
The enormous, opulent cabin before them looked like a moving palace.
The audience was green with envy—they all wished they could take Zhang Yangqing’s place in that carriage.
After all, he had a stunning noblewoman riding alongside him—this was the ultimate luxurious journey!
Meanwhile, the other Chosen Ones were practically suffering. They were clinging to their carriages in the dead of night!
Never mind the cold—if they slipped and fell, they’d be badly injured at best.
But the audience could only look on with envy. After all, Zhang Yangqing’s good fortune wasn’t pure luck—the bizarre world had allowed the Chosen Ones to make wishes. It’s just that nobody else had thought to make a wish like that.
