Everyone knew that time was not on their side. If they were disrupted by zombies and couldn’t complete the Nine Linked Rings puzzle, it would ultimately lead to their death. All they could do now was focus on solving the puzzle.
When Shen Qingqiu had about 100 steps left to solve, she no longer needed the help of the Gray Code.
The Nine Linked Rings puzzle was based on a recursive thought process. Once you knew how to solve the ninth ring, the rest was essentially reversing the sequence. Thus, Shen Qingqiu’s speed began to increase.
Even if she made a mistake, she could quickly use the Gray Code to pinpoint her exact step and adjust rapidly.
Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian had also grasped the trick. Though they still made mistakes, they were steadily progressing.
Chen Kaijie, who had been good at this puzzle before, picked it back up and started to speed up, gradually catching up.
The door on the second floor began to be frequently struck. Xiao Muyu stretched her body, took out her Tang dao (Chinese broadsword), and approached the door.
Bang! The fire door cracked open a slit. Xiao Muyu stepped forward and thrust her Tang dao into the neck of the nearest zombie.
The blade of the Tang dao was already rolled, making it tough to pierce through. Xiao Muyu finally realized the extraordinary strength of Shen Qingqiu. Though her combat prowess wasn’t as high as Shen Qingqiu’s, in this life-and-death situation, her ferocity was no less than hers.
With a fierce pull using her right hand, the first zombie fell to the ground before it could make any move.
The zombies behind crashed into the door again, making it collapse heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Xiao Muyu used her Tang dao to block the incoming hands, swiftly following up with her dagger, each strike deadly.
But no matter how fast one person was, it was impossible to stop over a dozen zombies charging at her. Xiao Muyu, quick and sharp-eyed, prioritized dealing with the zombies trying to bypass her. If she couldn’t destroy their nerves directly, she would crudely break their legs and then finish them off.
The four others were very nervous. They couldn’t rely solely on Xiao Muyu; if a zombie got through, they would be doomed. So, they kept one eye on Xiao Muyu and the other on their puzzle.
In just thirty seconds, Xiao Muyu had dealt with five zombies. Despite Shen Qingqiu’s anxiety watching this, she couldn’t help but smile at Xiao Muyu’s prowess. She truly was a genius.
Seeing their companions fall, the remaining zombies became both enraged and fearful, charging in a frenzy. Six zombies rushed through the door, causing Shen Qingqiu’s expression to change slightly.
But then Xiao Muyu softly muttered something, and an octagonal palace lantern appeared above her head—a revolving lantern. Instantly, the five zombies within 70 centimeters of her stopped moving.
Shen Qingqiu continued her puzzle-solving while quickly rushing to Xiao Muyu’s side. Taking the Tang dao from Xiao Muyu’s hand, she deftly maneuvered around the five frozen zombies, displaying both speed and power to intimidate the other zombies into staying back.
With Shen Qingqiu holding the line, Xiao Muyu had a crucial fifteen-second pause. Her eyes cold and focused, she swiftly dispatched the five zombies, then smoothly pulled back and used her dagger to pin down another lunging zombie.
Shen Qingqiu swung her Tang dao at a zombie’s neck, then turned and gave Xiao Muyu a thumbs-up. Xiao Muyu glanced back at her meaningfully.
Seeing the Tang dao’s blade was dull, Chen Kaijie threw a sharp kitchen knife to Shen Qingqiu. “Vice-captain, catch this. It’s an A-grade, very sharp.”
Shen Qingqiu kicked away a zombie and tossed the Tang dao back to Xiao Muyu. She tested the kitchen knife’s balance, dodged an incoming zombie, and struck down swiftly and effectively.
The two worked in sync, and with the added tools, they managed to clear the second-floor zombies without further incident.
Xiao Muyu urged everyone to move forward quickly. She had noticed that only the front door was open, allowing access to the next staircase. By now, the time was already at 11 minutes and 35 seconds.
Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu, who seemed calm and collected. Despite the interruption, Shen Qingqiu could accurately determine her next step and quickly resumed solving the puzzle.
Xiao Muyu had always known Shen Qingqiu was smart. This woman, whose physical strength was astonishing, had a mind to match.
When playful, she could be exasperating, but when serious, every aspect of her was utterly captivating.
At this point, Shen Qingqiu had removed the 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, and 5th rings. This meant she only needed 21 steps to finish the puzzle.
Xiao Muyu quickly checked on Chen Kaijie and the others. Chen Kaijie was close to finishing, with less than 40 steps left if no mistakes were made—a commendable effort under these circumstances.
As a novice, Su Jin had done well to grasp Xiao Muyu’s brief training. She had only the 7th ring left on the rod and was now aiming to remove it.
But to remove the 7th ring, the 6th ring had to be on, which required the 5th ring, and so on. She had to start with the 1st ring.
Clearly flustered, Su Jin tried a few times before realizing she needed to start with the 1st ring. Xiao Muyu patted her shoulder, signaling her to stay calm.
Feeling frustrated, Su Jin closed her eyes to think, then finally tapped her head in realization.
She needed to alternate between adding and removing rings. Understanding this, she quickly added the 2nd ring, removed the 1st, added the 3rd, and so on.
Xiao Muyu watched with some relief as Su Jin swiftly progressed to the 4th ring.
Zuo Tiantian was steadily working on her puzzle, so Xiao Muyu felt reassured. However, only 5 minutes and 48 seconds remained, leaving no time for complacency.
Just as she was about to think further, Shen Qingqiu had already tossed aside her completed Nine Linked Rings and darted to the third-floor door like an agile leopard.
With a bang, the door burst open, and a horde of zombies swarmed out.
Xiao Muyu felt a wave of darkness as she watched Shen Qingqiu nearly engulfed by the zombie horde.
Chen Kaijie’s eyes widened in shock, and the others couldn’t sit still either. They dropped their puzzles and grabbed their weapons, rushing over.
Xiao Muyu’s heart pounded as she gathered her strength, unable to hold back once she moved.
Chen Kaijie, eyes bloodshot, wielded the Tang dao, leaping and striking down the outermost zombies.
Zuo Tiantian and Su Jin, armed with iron rods, struck desperately at the zombies.
Xiao Muyu moved with astonishing speed, swiftly taking down five or six zombies.
With Chen Kaijie, Zuo Tiantian, and Su Jin assisting, Xiao Muyu soon caught sight of Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu remained calm and composed, maneuvering through the zombie crowd, using her kitchen knife to parry the zombies’ claws.
Her movements were fierce and precise, each kick targeting zombie joints to destabilize them, followed by swift decapitation.
Xiao Muyu kicked away a zombie and rushed to Shen Qingqiu’s side, protecting her exposed back.
Their teamwork was seamless. Xiao Muyu handed Shen Qingqiu her dagger while taking the kitchen knife. Despite Shen Qingqiu’s frown, there was no time to waste. They exchanged weapons and positions, continuing their deadly dance.
Chen Kaijie, Zuo Tiantian, and Su Jin couldn’t deliver fatal blows due to their weapon limitations, so they focused on preventing zombies from harming Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu, providing support when needed.
The twenty-plus zombies were swiftly cleared by the five of them working together.
As soon as they stopped, Xiao Muyu grabbed Shen Qingqiu, checking her for injuries. Shen Qingqiu smiled, “No injuries, don’t worry. It’s strange to see you worried with my face.”
Xiao Muyu’s expression turned serious, lowering her voice, “I’ll deal with you later.” Charging ahead alone—an infuriating habit she couldn’t break.
At this point, the timer showed 16 minutes, with only 4 minutes remaining!
“Four minutes left in the game. Completed teammates can now assist others. Remember, if you take over and fail, both parties are eliminated!”
Chen Kaijie quickly resumed solving his puzzle, urging, “Captain Xiao, I can finish on my own. Help Zuo Tiantian and Su Jin.”
Xiao Muyu had already planned who to assist if possible. Su Jin, though anxious, had deduced it was Xiao Muyu approaching. “Captain Xiao, I have too many steps left.”
Shen Qingqiu cut in, “Quiet, don’t distract her.” She took Zuo Tiantian’s puzzle, quickly scanning it. “011000110—this is the 209th step. Next, we need to remove the 8th ring, meaning all rings before the 7th must be removed. Remove 3, add 1, then remove 2 and 1.”
Xiao Muyu, having already completed one round, seemed to be manipulating the rings without even looking at them. Su Jin’s progress was visible on the rings, with the 8th, 7th, and 5th rings still up, lagging significantly. However, under Xiao Muyu’s swift movements, soon only the 7th and 6th rings remained.
There were only about 40 more steps to go. As long as no mistakes were made and no steps retraced, it could be completed quickly.
An extremely tense Su Jin suddenly thought of something, quickly took out a card, and summoned a piece of chalk. This piece of chalk was from one of her A-grade cards called “Draw a Circle Freehand.” As long as a perfect circle was drawn, the resulting circle could protect the people inside it for one minute.
Su Jin bent down to start drawing the circle, but the first attempt was judged as invalid. The fourth floor could be overrun by zombies at any moment, and it would only get worse. Chen Kaijie remembered this tool and quickly said, “Make it smaller.”
Su Jin tried again, but it still didn’t work.
Zuo Tiantian also tried, but failed as well. Suddenly, she recalled the way her math teacher used to draw circles, and was inspired.
Seeing the door start to shake, she had no time to waste. She kicked off her shoes, took off her socks, gripped the chalk with her right toes, extended her right leg, and lifted her left foot, skillfully spinning in a circle on the ground. The movement was smooth and beautiful, clearly showing her dance background.
This maneuver produced a perfect circle, much like using a compass. The next moment, the white circle turned golden, signaling success.
As soon as Zuo Tiantian finished drawing, a group of zombies broke through the door and rushed at them.
Chen Kaijie and Su Jin were stunned by Zuo Tiantian’s actions, but quickly pulled Shen Qingqiu and the others into the circle.
The circle created by the “Draw a Circle Freehand” card was like Sun Wukong’s demon-subduing circle; the zombies couldn’t step over it and could only roar helplessly outside.
Seeing Chen Kaijie and the others’ expressions, Zuo Tiantian’s face turned red, “I had no choice, sorry for the spectacle.”
Even in this dire situation, they couldn’t help but laugh.
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t hold back her laughter either. While working on the nine-linked rings, she casually suggested, “Try using a knife to cut them.”
After all, Sun Wukong’s demon-subduing circle allowed free movement in and out, so maybe this one would too.
This suggestion woke them up. Chen Kaijie picked up his Tang sword and slashed at a zombie clawing at the barrier, successfully killing it.
This card was originally designed as a temporary refuge, and in most people’s minds, escaping from ghosts was a blessing in itself. Who would dare to think about counterattacking from inside?
But Shen Qingqiu, bold as ever, dared to think and act on it, resulting in significant zombie casualties.
The circle’s duration was limited, and the game had only two minutes left.
Just before the circle’s effect expired, Xiao Muyu dropped the nine-linked rings and took the lead, wielding an iron rod in her left hand to fend off zombies and a knife in her right hand to cut them down.
The mask had given her speed and strength, and every move she made echoed Shen Qingqiu’s formidable abilities. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder how Shen Qingqiu managed to appear so delicate in front of her.
While she was distracted thinking about Shen Qingqiu, a zombie stepped on its fellow’s shoulders and lunged at Xiao Muyu.
The zombie’s blackened nails aimed straight for Xiao Muyu’s shoulder at a tricky angle and high speed, leaving no time for anyone else to react.
Chen Kaijie cried out in panic, “Captain!”
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a weight on his shoulder and dropped to his knees. A figure had stepped on his shoulder, leapt into the air, and kicked the zombie’s face, sending it flying two meters away and crashing heavily to the ground.
The figure then rolled smoothly on the ground and half-squatted, quickly scanning Xiao Muyu before hooking a finger through one of the nine-linked rings and coldly saying to the struggling zombie, “You’re not the only one who can step on others. Stay away from her!”
Author’s Note: Xiao Xiao: How do you manage to be so delicate? Xiao Shen: A good cosplayer should be versatile, both sweet and salty, able to attack and defend. Xiao Xiao: You seem more like a cosplayer for ‘1’. Xiao Shen: Why? Xiao Xiao: You act tough but are actually 0.54. Xiao Shen: So, half and half? Xiao Xiao: No, it means I’m 0. Xiao Shen: Uh, that’s a bit of a stretch.
For those who understand, it should be clear that the nine-linked rings are very abstract if you’ve never played with them. Gray codes are also just for reference; only Xiao Shen and Xiao Xiao really know how to use them. Let’s enjoy the spectacle together.
