Earth’s Redemption: Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Question and Answer Amusement Park (9)

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

“Look, I guessed right again.” Ning Buwen picked up a card. “This is the joker, isn’t it? Go ahead, check it.”  

“You’re correct,” Black Cloak admitted without even glancing. He already knew Ning Buwen had picked the right card.  

But what baffled him was how Ning Buwen could pinpoint the joker among five cards with such precision. He didn’t even bother watching the shuffle.  

Black Cloak had no choice but to honor the bet. “Who do you want released?”  

“Let’s start with the first one, in order. Honestly, I don’t even remember their names,” Ning Buwen replied candidly. He genuinely couldn’t recall most of their names.  

Except for a few, like Zuo Qingcang, Ning Buwen found it almost impossible to match the many plain faces to their corresponding names.  

Black Cloak reluctantly took out a King card. “Fine, I’ll release him.”  

With that, Black Cloak tore the card in half. A beam of light in human form emerged from the card, landing on the ground and materializing into the first person who had been sealed away.  

The man wobbled for a moment before managing to stand upright. When he saw Black Cloak, his face turned dark with fury, but as he turned and saw Ning Buwen, he stopped himself from attacking.  

“You? Why are you here?”  

“Obviously, I’m here to win you all back.” Ning Buwen casually held up the joker. “All right, don’t bother me. Go outside and let everyone know you’re fine so they won’t worry.”  

“Got it.”  

When the man stepped out of the haunted house, he still seemed a bit disoriented.  

Thankfully, the cool night air quickly cleared his head.  

It was now clear that Ning Buwen was playing a game with Black Cloak, and the rest of them were the stakes.  

How had things escalated to this point?  

The man couldn’t wrap his head around it.  

When he looked around outside, he saw only a few people left—just a couple of stragglers in an otherwise empty area. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.  

“What happened? Out of the forty-something of us, only a handful are left? Where’s Luo Xiang? Where’s Zuo Qingcang?”  

“My God, you’ve been released?”  

“What’s going on? How did you get out? I saw Ning Buwen go in, and he hasn’t come back since.”  

“Did you see anyone else in there?”  

“What’s happening inside the haunted house?”  

…  

“Stop, stop, stop! One question at a time, please!” The man had to raise his hands in surrender. “I just got out, and my head’s still spinning. First, can someone explain what’s been going on here?”  

“Well, here’s what happened. After you went in, we…” 

By the time they finished explaining, the man had pieced everything together.  

“I get it,” the man nodded. “So right now, our only hope of clearing this stage lies with Ning Buwen.”  

“Uh, yeah, that’s about right.”  

“Then it’s clear.” The man affirmed, “When I was released, I saw Ning Buwen. He managed to correctly guess the joker, so Black Cloak let me go.”  

“And he hasn’t come out yet?”  

“No, it seems like he’s continuing.” The man thought for a moment before saying, “If I was released, it means the others can be freed too. Why don’t we wait and see?”  

That made sense.  

What else could they do now but wait?  

At this moment, Ning Buwen and Black Cloak were engaged in the second round of the game.  

“Looks like I’ve won again. Release someone,” Ning Buwen said.  

Though Black Cloak was reluctant, he had no choice but to comply.  

The second person was released, and like the first, they exchanged a few words with Ning Buwen before leaving.  

Then came the third, the fourth…  

Before long, Luo Xiang was also released.  

Surveying the surroundings, Luo Xiang murmured to herself, “So that earlier place was fake. I guessed right after all.”  

“Yeah, that’s correct,” Ning Buwen nodded. “Wait a bit; I’ll win the others back. You go on ahead.”  

“Understood.” Luo Xiang wasn’t one to overstay her welcome. It was clear this was a battle between Ning Buwen and Black Cloak, and she could do nothing to help.  

In fact, not causing trouble was already her way of contributing.  

“By the way, take the key to the next stage with you.” Ning Buwen handed a joker card to Luo Xiang, then turned to Black Cloak as if remembering something. “I can take this with me, right?”  

“You won it; it’s yours.”  

“Great.” Ning Buwen breathed a sigh of relief. “Take this card and lead the others through the remaining stages. It shouldn’t be too hard, but time is limited.”  

“Don’t worry, leave it to me.” Luo Xiang, holding the joker card, quickly left.  

“How exactly are you guessing so accurately?” Black Cloak finally couldn’t help but ask. “You’re not even looking at me.”  

“What an interesting question,” Ning Buwen laughed. “I’ll tell you once I’ve won everyone back. For now, though, sorry—not yet. Let’s keep going.”  

—  

Luo Xiang’s return was a massive morale boost for those waiting outside.  

Unknowingly, Luo Xiang, Zuo Qingcang, and Ning Buwen had become the three core figures of this temporary group.  

In any team, such capable leaders with strategic minds were rare. To have three appear simultaneously was an extraordinary stroke of luck—and likely the reason why they had only lost one person in the very beginning.  

As for those captured, it seemed increasingly likely that Ning Buwen would win them all back.  

“We can’t just sit around here,” Luo Xiang quickly stabilized the group after her return. “Our performance earlier was far from stellar, and we can’t rely entirely on others. Leave someone here to brief newcomers, and the rest of you, come with me to tackle the new stages. We can’t dump all the responsibility on others—we were chosen as elites from a large group, weren’t we?”  

“That’s right.”  

“Got it, Luo Jie. We’ll follow your lead.”  

“You stay behind. The rest of you, come with me.” Luo Xiang held the joker card firmly in hand. “Let’s go.”  

—  

Outside the gamefield.  

The Legion representatives watching the progress couldn’t help but smile as victory neared.  

They had long known that the success rates for rookie trials were low, but every life saved and every increase in the success rate was worth celebrating.  

After all, the Legions didn’t need every recruit to be a leader.

Those who lead others naturally require those willing to follow.  

Each person fulfilling their role, with clear divisions of labor, forming a cohesive group—this was the model they sought to establish. If everyone only pursued their own ideas and opinions, the group would fall apart like a pile of loose sand.  

“Ning Buwen is truly exceptional. If only he weren’t connected to Cheng Yuxue,” the representative of the Fourth Legion couldn’t help but sigh.  

If that weren’t the case, he’d even be willing to compete with the Second Legion for him.  

What a pity.  

Unfortunately, Ning Buwen had ties to that lunatic—and not just any ties, but a deep connection.  

“Zuo Qingcang is impressive too,” said the representative of Second Legion. “People like him are a rarity these days.”  

“Stubborn and serious types can be hard to deal with, but they’d rather harm themselves than hurt others. Trusting someone like that to watch your back is immensely reassuring.”  

“And Luo Xiang is both brave and resourceful.”  

“Even Mo Xiaoyou has potential. While his abilities need development, they’re highly practical. He could be considered a semi-strategic talent.”  

—  

After several trials, the representatives had gained a better understanding of the contestants’ strengths.  

Some contestants lacked intellect but made up for it with exceptional physical abilities or attributes. The early stages, which emphasized intelligence, had made them appear less capable.  

However, the later stages revealed their unique strengths.  

As expected, the next three trials relied heavily on brute force.  

With Ning Buwen continually having Black Cloak release the captured contestants, their collective combat capabilities grew. Fueled by pent-up anger from being trapped, they blitzed through the stages with overwhelming force.  

Almost presenting a crushing situation. 

For example, the fifth stage, [Hide and Seek], required finding a little gray bear hidden among a sea of white ones. The little bears could still attack people, but they were surrounded by these people before they could disperse.

The sixth stage, [Balloon Shooting], was cleared flawlessly by weapon-wielding newcomers demonstrating perfect marksmanship.  

The seventh stage, [Pirates of the Caribbean], saw the magic-wielding contestants unleash their powers, obliterating the opposing pirate ship until not even a splinter remained.  

“Fuck, this is the kind of strength we’re supposed to have,” a newcomer said, exhaling slowly. “Those earlier stages made me question my existence—like I was just here to mooch off the others’ experience.”  

“Exactly,” another agreed. “I’m supposed to be a super rookie who beat countless others to get here, and yet I was doubting my own IQ.”  

“No wonder lone wolves don’t last long.”  

“True. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.”  

“Nothing beats a life where you can solve problems with your fists and not words.”  

Their banter helped them regain their confidence.  

Seeing their bright, smiling faces, the Legion representatives were equally satisfied.  

“This superhuman ability is amazing—he can turn into a lion? Fascinating.”  

“…Calm down. A lion isn’t a cat.”  

“No, no, not a cat, but not far off either.”  

“Hehe.”  

“I think that magic-user’s ability is remarkable. Did you see the fireball he summoned? Our Legion already has a few fire-users and wind-users. If they form a team, their destructive power could skyrocket.”  

“Look at this one with [Infinite Ammo]. As long as he has a handgun, he’ll never run out of bullets—absolutely incredible.”

“…Don’t you all think this guy’s ghost summoning is fascinating?”  

“Not fascinating, thanks. The last time I was in a zombie instance, I got psychological trauma. Seeing a ghost summoner just makes me want to bash his head in.”  

—  

Everyone was busy eyeing their preferred newcomers, waiting for them to clear the trial so they could make their picks.  

At this moment, Ning Buwen and Black Cloak were still locked in their ongoing contest.  

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