“Screech—?!”, the relief that had just ignited on Silk Jingjing’s and Silk Yingying’s faces instantly froze. Their chubby bodies trembled violently, nearly falling from mid-air.
Two hundred?! They had just said “one more trip will do,” so how did it suddenly become two hundred?!
It wasn’t empty behind the door, but those weren’t cabbages; two hundred meant dealing with two hundred “big guys.” Just finding them would take a lot of time!
Their four eyes, originally full of drive, were now only left with confusion and blankness, like two crystal beads that had instantly lost their luster. The “one trip” Da Bai Tu mentioned was truly long.
Next to them, Wood Jingjing and Wood Lingling simultaneously gasped. Their leaf-shaped wings instantly wrapped their bodies more tightly, revealing only two pairs of round eyes, filled with the indignant despair of “as expected, nothing good ever happens” and deep sympathy for Silk Jingjing and Silk Yingying, those two “greenhorns.”
Hotuntun and Hotutu subconsciously shrank their necks.
Pangdudu and Yuanguangguang, with a “whoosh,” retreated another half-body into the void, leaving only four constantly darting eyes.
Earth Nini and Earth Shasha uneasily rubbed the wood shavings on their claws against each other.
Black Fanfan’s and Hei Tantan’s big eyes also stopped spinning, staring fixedly at their two companions who were about to “brave fire and water.” Even Ying Xingxing and Shadow Yueyue forgot to feign weakness, curiously poking their heads out.
Da Bai Tu seemed not to notice Silk Jingjing’s and Silk Yingying’s instantly stiff expressions, nor the varied reactions of the surrounding little beasts. She maintained her harmless, gentle demeanor, even thoughtfully adding a reminder:
“Oh, and remember to be quick; Big Sister needs them. After all…”
She drew out her words, her gaze meaningfully sweeping over the White Phoenix Beast, which had unsealed only its head and was tilting it curiously, observing everything.
“…we have several other little darlings at home waiting for ‘dinner.’”
Silk Jingjing and Silk Yingying stiffly wiggled their ring-like bodies, exchanging glances. Both saw enormous question marks, as if the sky had fallen, and the ensuing despair in each other’s eyes.
Behind that door… two hundred thirteen-striped zombie crystals?!
Had they agreed too hastily just now?
Is it too late to go back on their word now?
Da Bai Tu’s smiling eyes were like invisible shackles, tightly binding them.
Silk Jingjing’s and Silk Yingying’s plump bodies seemed to be struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly shrinking a section, and the original lustrous glow on their bodies dimmed considerably.
Their “squeaks” became thin and weak, filled with aggrieved and incredulous accusations, as if saying: “Two…two hundred?! How long will that take to kill? The area behind the door is huge, and those big guys are hard to deal with!”
Wood Jingjing and Wood Lingling simultaneously covered their small heads, their leaf wings trembling, their translated voices choked with tears: “Squeak…squeak squeak! Squeak—!” (They meant to say…two hundred is too many!)
Da Bai Tu (Yun Qianqian)’s smile remained undiminished, even softening a few degrees. She leaned slightly forward, her fingertips gently tapping the armrest, making soft thudding sounds, each one seemingly tapping on the fragile hearts of the little beasts.
“Oh, Big Sister knows you’re very capable,”
Her voice was sweet and syrupy, with an undeniable encouragement.
“Didn’t you easily bring back one last time? If it’s really too difficult, you can make a few more trips. Think of White Phoenix, think of Black Dragon…they’re all waiting to ‘eat.’”
Her gaze swept over the young White Phoenix in the coffin, which could only move its head and still blinked innocently, then over the two sealed Black Dragons and another White Phoenix companion beast in the corner, finally resting on Silk Jingjing and Silk Yingying. The expectation in her eyes almost materialized into tangible pressure.
“You wouldn’t bear to see your new little companions stay half-asleep like this, would you?”
“Squeak…”
Silk Jingjing let out a short, desperate sound, its plump body wriggling weakly.
Silk Yingying, on the other hand, simply curled her entire body tighter, like a gray ball of yarn.
Da Bai Tu seemed not to notice their dejection. She stood up, satisfied, and clapped her hands:
“Then it’s settled! Big Sister believes in you! Go quickly and come back quickly. Be careful on the way, and don’t let those ‘big guys’ hurt you.”
She paused, then, as if remembering something, added,
“Oh, and if you encounter a particularly, particularly big, particularly, particularly powerful ‘big guy,’ don’t fight it head-on. If you can’t beat it, run, understand?”
This seemingly caring admonition was more like an insinuation that their target was not just two hundred, but possibly even bigger “prey.”
Silk Jingjing and Silk Yingying were completely silent, unable to even let out a whimper of grievance.
They hovered stiffly in mid-air, their silkworm-like bodies trembling slightly. Da Bai Tu’s gentle, almost cruel smile was reflected in their compound eyes, as if they saw a bottomless abyss, and they had just jumped into it without hesitation.
The other little beasts nearby dared not even breathe.
Wood Jingjing and Wood Lingling had already wrapped themselves into two green cocoons with their leaf wings, leaving only a slit to peek through.
Pangdudu and Yuanguangguang had completely retreated into the void, leaving only two faint specks of light to prove their existence.
The flames flowing within Hotuntun and Hotutu extinguished, turning them into two glazed stones.
Earth Nini and Earth Shasha huddled together, the freshly cleaned wood shavings on their claws rustling down again.
Black Fanfan’s and Hei Tantan’s big eyes stopped spinning, staring fixedly at their two companions who were about to rush to the “execution ground.” Even Ying Xingxing and Shadow Yueyue forgot to continue feigning transparency, their small bat silhouettes frozen in mid-air.
The entire room fell into a dead silence, only the young White Phoenix occasionally letting out a curious “Squeak?” as it tilted its head, observing the frozen scene.
Da Bai Tu’s lips curved into that all-controlling, unsettling smile. She naturally didn’t genuinely intend for Silk Jingjing and Silk Yingying to retrieve two hundred thirteen-striped zombie crystals. When a boss sets goals for their working beasts, they naturally set them high.
“Squeak squeak!” At this moment, Silk Jingjing suddenly bared its teeth and cried out, spitting dozens of silk threads into the air, entangling all the other little beasts. Da Bai Tu was startled by this scene, thinking she had pushed them too hard and this working beast was about to revolt.
But the next second, Da Bai Tu suddenly understood: Silk Jingjing wanted to express the sentiment of sharing blessings and hardships together.
It was going to drag all its companions into battle! They wouldn’t get to bear this “glory” alone.
“Squeak squeak squeak—!”
The little beasts, caught off guard and entangled in the silk threads, instantly erupted into chaos!
Wood Jingjing and Wood Lingling, wrapped in their wings, let out terrified “squeals,” like two green little balls caught in a net.
Pangdudu and Yuanguangguang were forcibly “whooshed” out of the void. Their two pairs of round eyes were wide with terror, filled with “Who am I? Where am I? Why am I being caught?”
The flames within Hotuntun and Hotutu reignited with a “poof,” but their color turned a startled, sickly green. Their glazed bodies twisted frantically, trying to burn through the silk threads wrapped around them—but alas, the threads seemed impervious to fire and water.
Earth Nini and Earth Shasha huddled together, squeezed into two lumps of earth by the silk threads.
Black Fanfan’s and Hei Tantan’s big eyes spun wildly, trying to use their “rebound” ability to bounce off the silk threads, but Silk Jingjing’s threads were clearly more “bouncy” and difficult to deal with than they imagined, instead tightening even more.
Ying Xingxing and Shadow Yueyue had nowhere to hide, their small bat silhouettes flapping futilely in the silk threads.