Zuo Tiantian had always kept a low profile, her timid nature making her feel like she was merely tagging along. If it weren’t for a special item, she felt she wouldn’t be of any help at all.
At this moment, realizing the crucial connection, her eyes reddened, and she was unable to contain her excitement, radiating an entirely different energy.
Xiao Muyu, seeing this, swallowed the words she was about to say and looked at Zuo Tiantian with a subtle expression, waiting for her to speak. While Zuo Tiantian didn’t notice this detail, Shen Qingqiu did, and she glanced at both of them, her smile subtle and serene.
Chen Kaijie, however, was impatient, urging, “What did you figure out? Hurry and tell us!”
“Roman numerals! The periodic table has Roman numerals! Do you remember that when we memorized the periodic table, we not only learned the element numbers but also their group and period numbers? The group numbers are encoded as Roman numerals!
So, these seven chemical elements correspond to group numbers that are Roman numerals, and they definitely won’t exceed 8.”
Zuo Tiantian’s explanation electrified the group. Despite the time that had passed, the five science majors knew well that hydrogen (H) is in group 1 (ⅠA).
“Quick, let’s identify the group numbers for these seven elements,” Chen Kaijie urged, his hands trembling with excitement. This B-level difficulty instance had pushed him to the brink.
“H, N, F, K, C, Ca, I. In the periodic table, they correspond to ⅠA, ⅤA, ⅦA, ⅠA, ⅣA, ⅡA, and ⅦA, which translates to 1571427.”
Xiao Muyu didn’t need to look; she remembered the order of the elements and their group numbers clearly. She quickly provided the answer.
“1571427, which is 142857 × 11. Incredible! Xiao Muyu, you’re amazing!” Chen Kaijie’s excitement was palpable, and he dropped the formal “Miss Xiao” in his exclamation.
Their previous theories and deductions had been speculative, but now their hypothesis was undeniable. The integration of the three pieces of information confirmed Xiao Muyu’s deductions perfectly.
“The gap between people is truly vast. Earlier, Miss Xiao mentioned that she leaned towards 5, 7, and 8 for the second digit, and now it’s confirmed to be 5. Truly remarkable.”
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes softened as she observed the group’s enthusiasm. Xiao Muyu’s reasoning and calm demeanor under pressure had once again saved them. She couldn’t help but feel a growing admiration and fondness for her.
They had cracked the code: 1571427. This crucial insight would guide them to the next step in their perilous journey, solidifying their belief in the accuracy of their deductions and strengthening their resolve to face the challenges ahead.
Su Jin was also taken aback by the exceptional talents they encountered. Throughout their journey, their combat skills were crushed by Shen Qingqiu, and their intelligence was overshadowed by Xiao Muyu. Surprisingly, they found this experience quite enjoyable.
Thinking about this, Su Jin glanced at Shen Qingqiu again. Ever since Xiao Muyu presented those three clues and Shen Qingqiu spoke briefly, she hadn’t said a word. Instead, she stared intently at Xiao Muyu, her gaze focused and her eyes smiling, as if admiring her precious treasure.
Su Jin inexplicably felt that Shen Qingqiu’s silence was not due to ignorance. On the contrary, she would always nod or summarize after Xiao Muyu finished speaking, then silently sit back and watch Xiao Muyu perform. It seemed that she preferred watching Xiao Muyu shine rather than performing herself.
This realization gave Su Jin goosebumps. Could the usually indifferent Shen Qingqiu be such an infatuated admirer?
Yet, somehow, the thought also seemed sweet, confirming her suspicion that something was going on between the two of them.
At this thought, Su Jin quickly shook her head. What was she thinking? Was this the time to indulge in romantic fantasies?
“Can we go out now?” Zuo Tiantian asked cautiously, still feeling a sense of disbelief.
Zuo Tiantian’s question cast a shadow over them. Despite the difficulty of the situation, they had managed to overcome every challenge with Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu leading the way. The once daunting puzzle was now clear. It felt surreal—was it really over?
Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu looked at the three pairs of eyes filled with anxiety and uncertainty. After a moment, Xiao Muyu spoke, “What are you worried about? The most complex problem has been solved. I took a quick look; each transition rest is about 15 minutes. We can rest for another five minutes, then start again. As long as our goal is clear, we should be able to proceed even if there are complications.”
“There’s another question. Should we start from 1 again, or continue with 5?” Shen Qingqiu finally spoke.
“Right, we’ve been through 1 and 7 already,” someone muttered, confused.
“You might be familiar with some encryption methods of smart locks. To increase security, they set up virtual position passwords. Even with virtual positions, the correct password must remain consecutive. Any interruption in the sequence reduces security. The system won’t lower the difficulty for us, so we need to reset.”
Once Xiao Muyu explained, they understood and were convinced.
“Everything is ready. We’ll rest a few more minutes, then re-enter 1,” Chen Kaijie said firmly, staring at door number 1.
After he spoke, Xiao Muyu and the others also focused on door number 1. Though Shen Qingqiu usually ignored the others and didn’t care about their fate, she now felt a sense of solidarity and shared hardship.
Xiao Muyu’s stopwatch’s pause function was still cooling down, but the basic timing function worked. When the time was almost up, she said, “We should go.”
She stood up and helped Shen Qingqiu, while Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian prepared themselves.
“Can you still manage?” Xiao Muyu asked Shen Qingqiu, who had sustained the most injuries.
Xiao Muyu felt complicated. This woman, who didn’t care about others’ lives, fought so fiercely. Was it so hard to protect herself?
Though she guessed the reason, Xiao Muyu didn’t want to admit it, finding it absurd.
Shen Qingqiu saw the turmoil in her eyes and smiled slightly. “It’s fine, let’s go.”
Though her approach had been too aggressive, the outcome seemed acceptable.
Su Jin and Xiao Muyu stayed close to Shen Qingqiu, while Chen Kaijie led the way, gripping a pot tightly, and pushed open the door marked 1.
Just like the first time, it was uneventful.
“Do we need to rest?” Chen Kaijie asked, relieved.
Shen Qingqiu frowned. “We’ve been here too long. Don’t you feel increasingly tired, and hungry or thirsty?”
Chen Kaijie touched his stomach, realizing they were indeed exhausted and parched from exertion.
“How much longer for the cooldown?” Shen Qingqiu asked.
“Fourteen minutes,” Zuo Tiantian checked.
“Let’s wait a bit longer, just in case.”
Fourteen minutes later, Zuo Tiantian announced, “It’s ready.”
“Continue, to 5!”
They opened door 5, and it was still safe.
“We were right!” Their spirits lifted instantly.
“Let’s hurry,” Xiao Muyu urged, staying vigilant.
As they headed towards door 7, a violent tremor shook the ground, causing dust and debris to fall. The revolving lantern seemed to be collapsing!
Debris started falling from above, and the entire structure began to crack, as if the space was collapsing.
“Damn it, this system is too cruel!” Even with the correct code, they still had to survive to use it!
“Run!”
The five of them ran desperately.
Chen Kaijie reached the door first, pulled Zuo Tiantian through, and then helped Su Jin and Xiao Muyu. They barely made it in time.
“1!” Xiao Muyu shouted, scanning the eight doors.
The collapse triggered a chain reaction, making it increasingly difficult to stay upright.
Despite her injuries, Shen Qingqiu pushed forward, which worried Xiao Muyu even more.
“4!”
The situation worsened. As they opened door 2, the floor in the revolving lantern started to give way. Zuo Tiantian tripped and fell, immediately lagging behind.
At this point, despite any previous selfish motives, they were determined not to let any of their companions be lost here.
Without hesitation, Su Jin and Chen Kaijie turned back and, like lifting a chicken, each grabbed one of Zuo Tiantian’s arms, yanking her into the doorway just as the ground beneath her began to collapse.
“The last door is 7, hurry, hang on!” Su Jin shouted, her voice hoarse with urgency.
When the five of them reached the final stage, the ceiling and floor of the revolving lantern had almost entirely collapsed, leaving only a narrow outer ring to stand on.
As Chen Kaijie entered, he leaned forward and nearly fell, but Shen Qingqiu, who was beside him, grabbed his collar and pulled him back, pushing him against door number 3.
Chen Kaijie couldn’t help but let out a yelp, his legs shaking.
“You’re lucky. It’s door number 3. If it weren’t, you’d probably be done for,” Shen Qingqiu remarked coolly while leading Xiao Muyu towards door 7.
Chen Kaijie glanced back and saw it was indeed true, which made his legs tremble even more.
Door number 3 was in the middle, and the five of them moved in unison. Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu ran counterclockwise, while Zuo Tiantian, Chen Kaijie, and Su Jin ran clockwise, all aiming for door number 7.
The remaining edge continued to collapse as they ran. Just as Xiao Muyu reached door number 1, door number 8 suddenly gave way entirely.
Xiao Muyu couldn’t stop in time and was about to fall when a hand swiftly encircled her waist and pulled her back.
The outer wall of the revolving lantern was now in ruins, revealing a bottomless abyss below. Falling would undoubtedly mean death.
Chen Kaijie and the others had already reached the door, shouting urgently, “Miss Xiao, Miss Shen, jump over here! We’ll catch you!”
Sweat beaded on Shen Qingqiu’s forehead. She whispered, “Hurry up, there’s no time left!”
Xiao Muyu’s heart raced. She knew they couldn’t delay. Shen Qingqiu, taking advantage of the still-intact ground, stepped back to give Xiao Muyu space, and commanded firmly, “Jump!”
With a running start, Xiao Muyu leapt towards door 7, barely making it to the edge. Chen Kaijie quickly grabbed her.
Not yet steady, Xiao Muyu turned urgently to Shen Qingqiu, her voice frantic, “Shen Qingqiu, hurry!”
Seeing Xiao Muyu safe, Shen Qingqiu felt a slight relief. She prepared to jump, but as she gathered momentum, the ground beneath her suddenly collapsed, drastically shortening her jump distance.
Xiao Muyu’s heart sank. “Shen Qingqiu!”
Xiao Muyu almost lunged forward in panic, her rationality collapsing under the sudden fear.
But Chen Kaijie held her firmly.
At the same time, a red line shot out like lightning. Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian, holding the other end tightly, tumbled into door 7.
Xiao Muyu snapped back to reality, and she and Chen Kaijie quickly grabbed the red line with all their strength.
The immense force sliced into their palms, but Xiao Muyu was thrilled to feel the weight—she had caught Shen Qingqiu!
Chen Kaijie’s hands also bled from the strain, and he roared with effort, his face flushed.
Soon, a pale hand grabbed the last piece of stone, and Xiao Muyu bent down to seize her wrist, pulling Shen Qingqiu up with a strong tug.
As door 7 collapsed, the two of them fell backward into it, holding each other tightly.
The hard floor slammed into Xiao Muyu’s back, numbing her with pain, and Shen Qingqiu landed on top of her, knocking the wind out of her. Xiao Muyu started coughing but still held Shen Qingqiu tightly.
Author’s Note: This week has been tough for the rankings. Even adding more chapters didn’t help the collection and revenue…
Taking a deep breath and pushing through! Writing this infinite flow is really taxing. I’ll finish this one properly and won’t try it again soon.
The second chapter of the second arc will end next chapter, and I’m still planning the third. I’ll try to accommodate humanities students too, haha.
These two darlings are both awkward—Xiao Muyu is quietly awkward, while Shen Qingqiu is openly awkward.
Shen Qingqiu: When I’m about to die, I’m your spouse. When I’m fine, I’m just a passerby. It’s bittersweet;
Xiao Muyu: …
