Chapter 36: Stepping on Clouds (1/3)

The small prison cell block.

Jiang Qingyu gazed out the window as a little crow drew an auspicious cloud, followed by the character “come.”

She thought to herself, does this mean Su Fu has arrived?

But what does the auspicious cloud signify?

Did she come riding on a cloud?

That doesn’t seem likely.

Just then, the voices of the crowd outside the prison grew more urgent.

“Warden, we can’t hold on any longer, we must go to the infirmary!”

“Delaying is useless, we’re just wasting each other’s time.”

“I say, my dear—”

“Bang!”

Jiang Qingyu kicked the door open, abruptly cutting off the conversation.

Zhou Tinlin paused, quickly realizing that the sentence had been left hanging, and hurriedly continued,

“My dear Warden, it’s time—”

Jiang Qingyu ignored him, her eyes sweeping over the three of them as she said decisively,

“Fine, since you’re in such a hurry, let’s go.”

Her sudden compliance left the three of them stunned.

What?

Why is she being so cooperative all of a sudden?

Seeing their confusion, Jiang Qingyu chuckled lightly and said,

“What? Don’t tell me you don’t want to go now?”

The three exchanged uneasy glances.

What’s going on?

Has Jiang Qingyu given up resisting?

They had expected to have to drag things out a bit longer, but her sudden willingness made them suspicious.

Isn’t she worried?

There are three of us and only one of her.

Going to the infirmary would be like walking to her death.

Why is she so eager to rush to her doom?

It’s as if… as if she’s not afraid at all.

Does she have some kind of trump card?

Noticing their hesitation, Jiang Qingyu raised an eyebrow and turned to walk toward the infirmary.

Her demeanor was calm and composed, as if she was completely unaware of the danger.

Inside the cell, Ming Yue Shuang and Shan Yuehua exchanged glances.

Though they were seriously injured, their minds were still clear.

“What’s going on? Is she really so willing to face death?”

“…Could it be a bluff? Just putting on a show?”

Asuka Amakawa furrowed her brows, clearly unable to make sense of Jiang Qingyu’s behavior.

But one thing was certain-she was acting too out of character.

What should they do?

Should they proceed with the original plan?

She glanced at Klaus.

Klaus’s expression was deep and unreadable, but he finally said calmly, “Follow her.”

Whether Jiang Qingyu was bluffing or had some hidden ace up her sleeve, the infirmary was their best-known point of attack.

Most importantly, they were the strongest fighters in this exam, unmatched in power.

In this exam zone, there was truly no opponent they feared.

If this were in front of the first-year students from the provincial academy, they might have been more cautious, investigating thoroughly before acting.

But this was the twelfth district exam.

Why hold back?

Just go for it.

Ultimately, the three of them had absolute confidence in their own strength, each possessing a trump card that could turn the tide.

Without hesitation, they followed her.

At that moment, Zhou Tinlin, who was walking at the back, casually yawned.

But in that instant, a wisp of divine energy flowed, and his divine skill, [Holy Eagle’s Protection], was activated!

A golden eagle phantom materialized in the air, only to quickly disperse.

[Holy Eagle’s Protection] could summon a holy eagle to fight alongside him or scout the surroundings independently.

He issued a command to scout the environment, checking for any unexpected variables.

Klaus’s eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at the spot where the eagle had vanished, and Asuka Amakawa also lowered her gaze.

Both of them had noticed Zhou Tinlin’s action and realized he was scouting.

They were also curious-what kind of trump card did Jiang Qingyu have hidden?

What exactly gave her such confidence that she dared to take the three of them to the infirmary alone?

Their movements were stealthy, yet Jiang Qingyu, walking at the front, seemed completely unaware.

The group finally stopped in front of the infirmary door.

Jiang Qingyu didn’t push the door open immediately, and the others paused as well.

She turned around, raised her eyebrows by saying,

“Why are you all staring at me? Whoever claims to be sick should go in.”

Klaus and the other two:”……”

Was there even a need to keep up the act now?

Zhou Tinlin almost instinctively shifted his position, forming a circle with the other two, clearly preparing to prevent Jiang Qingyu from escaping.

However, seeing their defensive stance, Jiang Qingyu didn’t show the slightest panic.

Instead, she smiled.

“If none of you are going in, fine, I’ll go first.”

The three watched as she pushed open the infirmary door without hesitation and walked in.

“Something’s not right.”

“Something’s really not right.”

Klaus frowned slightly.

Logically, Jiang Qingyu couldn’t possibly be unaware of what the infirmary signified.

Yet she walked in so calmly?

It was supposed to be a situation where they had her cornered, but this “cornered prey” was… way too proactive!

It was as if she couldn’t wait to get inside.

In an instant, it turned into a “trap for the hunter.”

Now, they were the ones hesitating.

What should they do?

The three exchanged a glance.

Of course, the answer was-

“Go in!”

But the moment they stepped inside, they were dumbfounded.

In the infirmary, there was actually… a doctor?!

Dressed in a crisp white coat, a mask covering their face, and wearing gold-rimmed glasses a standard doctor’s attire.

The person was bent over, writing something in a medical record, their movements so natural it seemed as if they had been working there for a long time.

Klaus blinked instinctively.

It wasn’t an illusion.

And Jiang Qingyu…

She stood casually to the side, arms crossed, looking as if she was watching a show.

As if she had already expected a doctor to be here.

“Wait…” Zhou Tinlin’s voice wavered, “Wasn’t this place just…”

There was no doctor here earlier!

But now, what was going on?

He reacted the fastest, immediately stepping back to check the sign at the door.

Yes, it was the infirmary.

Even the font was exactly the same as before!

But something was off, seriously off!

There was no doctor here the last time they came!

Asuka Amakawa silently gathered her divine power.

It worked.

She pursed her lips, her expression grave.

“Divine power can still be restored.”

This further confirmed that this was indeed a real infirmary, not some illusion.

But where did this doctor come from?!

Could it be that killing a guardian would make a new doctor appear?

How absurd!

Just then, the doctor looked up and asked bluntly, “So, which one of you is sick?”

The three of them:”…..”

What the hell!

Asking who’s sick right off the bat-what kind of play is this?!

Klaus didn’t answer, his divine power surging, a holy light emanating from him—

In an instant, he immediately sensed something different and said:

“Something’s wrong with this doctor.”

“No… this isn’t a doctor, it’s an examinee!”

The angelic holy light showed no reaction, which clearly indicated this wasn’t an anomaly.

That left only one possibility: an examinee.

Moreover, looking at the familiar features above the mask…

Why did they seem so familiar, as if he’d seen them somewhere before.

Wait, isn’t that Su Fu?!

“Su Fu?!”

He immediately reacted, “It’s you!”

The others also quickly realized, even though she was wearing a mask, those eyes and brows unmistakably belonged to Su Fu, whom they had briefly encountered before!

Moreover, she was standing too close to Jiang Qingyu.

This kind of intimate distance clearly indicated they were familiar with each other, which could only mean she was Su Fu, their teammate from the same high school!

“Holy crap!” Zhou Tinlin was thrilled, “I’ve run into a fellow enthusiast!”

And indeed, he often played the role of a pharaoh, even mimicking the Egyptian accent flawlessly.

He never expected Su Fu to share the same hobby!

Her portrayal of a doctor was incredibly convincing!

Asuka Amakawa:”…..”

She frowned, her voice grave, “No, it’s not an act.”

“She is a doctor.”

These two concepts were clearly different.

Asuka continued to explain, “An act is just a facade, not recognized by the rules-it’s merely a deceptive trick.”

“But the latter is different. She is a doctor, recognized by the rules, possessing the corresponding rules or permissions. The distinction is significant.”

This meant she had all the authority of a doctor.

And in the rule-based dungeon, authority was everything.

The three of them immediately became wary.

They had thought their speed was impressive, but Su Fu…

She had directly transformed into a doctor!

She had become a staff member of the prison!

They were too curious-how on earth did she obtain this doctor identity?

Most importantly, she had come from the main prison to the smaller one!

This was the most terrifying part.

It meant she knew everything about the smaller prison and its connections.

But when did she discover the smaller prison?

And to what extent had she already conquered the main prison?

And-

What exactly was she here for?

The more they thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

This Su Fu…

She was something else.

Behind the desk, Su Fu sighed silently.

Shouldn’t these three, being top-tier students, be astonishingly sharp?

Logically, if a doctor suddenly appeared in an empty medical room, shouldn’t the first reaction be fear?

Wondering where this person came from?

What they wanted?

What threat they posed?

But them?

Klaus almost instantly used his divine sense to confirm she wasn’t an anomaly but a candidate.

Then, Zhou Tinlin and Asuka Amakawa quickly dug out her true identity with just a few words.

This was too tricky.

Su Fu couldn’t help but adjust her mask.

Being exposed like this was a bit embarrassing.

She had wanted to play the doctor role, but the act was busted before it even began.

Damn it!

Su Fu glanced at Jiang Qingyu standing beside her, then slowly removed her mask.

With a hint of helplessness and a tone full of affectionate reproach, she said to Jiang Qingyu,

“I told you, this was unnecessary, didn’t I?”

As if this whole plan was Jiang Qingyu’s idea.

Jiang Qingyu, suddenly burdened with a huge blame: “???”

Wait, what?

Where did this blame come from?

Why was Su Fu looking at me like that!

Whose idea was this anyway?!

But now was clearly not the time to argue, or rather, explain, because the three across from them were already glaring intently at the two.

Zhou Tinlin wore an expression of mixed emotions. “Jiang Qingyu, I thought your confidence meant you had some incredible trump card. Turns out, it was just because Su Fu showed up.”

He continued, “……NX? Just the two of them trying to resist the three of us? Isn’t that just a pipe dream!”

Even Klaus seemed to relax a bit, realizing he had been overly worried earlier.

Asuka Amakawa flexed her wrists and said coldly, “Just two of them? Let’s take them all out!”

The killing intent from the three of them was almost palpable!

Meanwhile, in the small prison cell block.

Pi Chu Xi was using the divine skill 【Raven’s Eye】 to transmit the scene from the medical room back to them.

Raven’s Eye, a skill that allowed one to scout the battlefield through the perspective of a raven, was sealed in Pi Chu Xi’s right eye.

Using divine power, he projected the image into the air.

Seeing this, Ming Yue Shuang and Shan Yue Hua from the neighboring cell eagerly leaned in, not wanting to miss the excitement.

“Klaus and the others definitely have this in the bag. Three against two-it’s a guaranteed win,” Ming Yue Shuang said with confidence.