WS - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

"Once you're steady, move to the side, don't block the people coming behind." Captain Yang, hands behind his back, spoke with a slightly stern face.

Captain Yang's usual attitude, but this time it was timely.

Snapping out of her brief daze from her racing heartbeat, Yu Nianbing reached to remove the carabiner hanging on her iron cable.

But Song Shiyue was a step faster; as Yu Nianbing reached, she had already leaned over and unclipped the carabiner for her.

The two were already very close, with one supporting and the other leaning; when Song Shiyue leaned forward to help untie the hook, it was even more...

Even though the distance quickly widened once the carabiner was off, Yu Nianbing somehow couldn't bring herself to meet Song Shiyue's eyes just then; she simply followed Song Shiyue's pull and stood near the edge of the platform, eyes downcast.

"It's fine now, this zipline is quite sturdy. When I slid over, I saw that the trees on both sides seem to have been trimmed. At a glance, even if you stretch out your arms and legs, you can't reach them-the branches are far away. Of course, for safety, you shouldn't make any big movements, but you don't need to be too nervous." Song Shiyue assumed Yu Nianbing's quiet was still due to zipline nerves, and naturally spoke to soothe her.

But luckily, the person beside her wasn't gasping or shivering; it was probably just a moment of tension, not fear. As Song Shiyue spoke, her mood wasn't heavy, and she finally had the mind to properly survey this platform.

The wooden platform, built without any cover atop the trunk of a large tree, was very steady underfoot, supported by the solid trunk beneath and thick branches around.

There was nothing on the platform, except that the section of trunk poking through the middle anchored the ziplines on both sides.

Just as Song Shiyue was about to walk over and check the zipline on the other side, Ning Chuyang's voice came from the direction they had come.

A loud "Ahhh," but it sounded more excited than nervous.

Song Shiyue turned to look and saw that Captain Yang, who was supposed to be watching over the guest sliding over, was standing where he was, hands behind his back, looking their way.

"..." Song Shiyue's heart stirred; she had actually managed, for once, to tune into Captain Yang's wavelength.

Ning Chuyang had some experience with this sort of thing and used the handbrake well, but her first step onto the platform was a little unsteady.

But it didn't matter; a pair of strong hands reached out in time, steadying her with a firm lift.

Ning Chuyang steadied herself, but before she could say thanks, she heard Song Shiyue, who was supporting her, turn to Captain Yang beside them and say, "Men and women are different; I'll help Captain Yang take half."

Still a bit disoriented after just landing, Ning Chuyang unclipped herself and followed Song Shiyue over to where Yu Nianbing was, somewhat confused. Was it just her imagination, or did she feel that Song Shiyue's words to Captain Yang carried a hint of unfinished coldness?

If it were Yu Nianbing, a little chill in her words would be normal; even if it were as sharp as ice shards, it wouldn't be surprising.

But this was Song Shiyue...

Even though everyone was unhappy with Captain Yang, Song Shiyue had always spoken to him normally and politely. Why would she suddenly be like this...

So had she missed something? Ning Chuyang scratched her face in puzzlement.

Yu Nianbing stood to one side, arms folded. The warmth the person had left on her arm moments ago seemed not yet completely dissipated.

However... Yu Nianbing's gaze lingered on those hands of Song Shiyue that had briefly supported Ning Chuyang, and a trace of coolness seemed to spread through her wildly beating heart, calming her down.

Yu Nianbing thought that the further drop in Song Shiyue's attitude toward Captain Yang was definitely related to Captain Yang's carelessness when Ning Chuyang came over.

After all, the production team had arranged Captain Yang and Zhao Da at front and rear precisely to look after the guests. Other times might be forgivable, but at a moment like this, Captain Yang's carelessness was a bit too... Perhaps Song Shiyue could certainly have saved Captain Yang the trouble and handled everyone coming behind. But even with little experience, Yu Nianbing knew that indulging Captain Yang like this wouldn't do. If the leader didn't take the people behind seriously, transferring all the responsibility onto the guests, who knew what other things might need attention on the dozens of platforms ahead? If Captain Yang mentally washed his hands of it, problems could arise.

Yu Nianbing's guess was correct, only missing a part.

To be precise, when Yu Nianbing had been upset with Song Shiyue on the hilltop earlier, she hadn't noticed the change in Captain Yang's attitude toward her, and when she came to this platform, her attention had mostly been on Song Shiyue, so she didn't see the strange, overly attentive look on Captain Yang's face as he reached out to receive her.

This matter accounted for more than half of Song Shiyue's increasingly cold attitude toward Captain Yang.

Song Shiyue's seemingly casual remark about "men and women are different" went in one ear and out the other for others, but to Captain Yang, who already harbored a guilty conscience, it struck like a thunderbolt.

Naturally, he didn't reflect on it; he only secretly resented it.

Hateful that Song Shiyue's light little remark had dragged the matter and responsibility onto the table, so even though Captain Yang was very displeased, he could only focus his attention and wait for the remaining people to come over.

Song Shiyue had said that, but she remained standing not far from the zipline's landing spot, still keeping much of her attention on the zipline.

Her warning to Captain Yang was never about trust. Song Shiyue still hoped that on this most unsafe stretch since entering the wilderness, everyone could get through safely.

Not long after, when Zhao Da at the very rear also stepped onto the platform, the group, led by Captain Yang, once again clipped onto the next zipline in order.

After clipping on and off and sliding across several platforms like this, regardless of what Captain Yang thought, at least on the surface he complied with Song Shiyue's intention: whenever a female guest came over, Captain Yang did not offer his hand.

As for whether there was an expectation in Captain Yang's heart to see Song Shiyue slip up, that was hard to say.

In any case, moving across several platforms went rather smoothly. Apart from the always-exuberant Ning Chuyang and Mu Xingzhou, who soon became excited too, the others relaxed considerably as the number of slides increased.

Except, of course, Song Shiyue.

After crossing five medium-length ziplines and one extra-long zipline, they finally arrived at a platform whose other side was not a zipline.

"Look under that bridge-aren't those envelopes?" As soon as she stepped onto the platform, Yu Nianbing noticed something odd beneath the wooden bridge connecting this platform to the next one. She only spoke after waiting for Song Shiyue to take in Ning Chuyang.

This platform was lower than the next one they needed to reach, so the wooden bridge connecting the two appeared slightly inclined upward from where they stood.

However, recognizing those things swinging beneath the bridge as envelopes did require some keen eyesight.

At that moment, Mu Xingzhou hadn't yet slid over from behind, so Song Shiyue took advantage of the gap to glance at the wooden bridge and nodded, confirming Yu Nianbing's observation.

"I'll go take a look." Ning Chuyang, whose eyesight was only average, walked toward the bridge.

"Those envelopes are probably the challenge or reward they mentioned earlier, right?" Yu Nianbing frowned slightly. "Hopefully it's not too dangerous a challenge."

By the time Mu Xingzhou slid over, Ning Chuyang had returned from the bridge, and the news she brought wasn't good.

Ning Chuyang dusted off her hands and said, "They're envelopes, hanging from ropes. Quite a few are around the middle of the bridge. If you go to get them, the bridge will probably sway a lot."

"That's probably why, even though there's a wooden bridge, they also strung an iron chain above it... The envelopes likely contain rewards directly, without having to do other challenges," Yu Nianbing said, looking at the bridge.

That upward-slanting wooden bridge had sparse planks and not even a proper railing, only a thick rope on each side that might serve as a handrail or guardrail. With no one on it yet, it was already swaying slightly in the wind...

"So annoying. This is definitely one of those things where you have to get your own, and no one can help," Ning Chuyang glanced at Captain Yang nearby and muttered under her breath.

That was certainly the case, or it would be too easy.

However, Yu Nianbing took another look at the envelopes swinging under the bridge and felt there seemed to be more than six.

But soon they wouldn't need to keep guessing.

Once everyone had reached this platform, Captain Yang didn't hurry onto the bridge. Instead, he pulled something like a timer from his coat and leisurely explained the rules for obtaining the rewards.

"In a moment, you will need to cross this wooden bridge one by one to the next platform ahead. Only one person can be on the bridge at a time, and there's a set time to cross. For such a short bridge, the allotted time is one minute. You can choose to cross slowly within that minute, or move faster and leave time to grab the envelopes under the bridge." Captain Yang said, pointing at the wooden bridge.

Everyone was now standing quite close to the wooden bridge, and the nearby envelopes were clearly visible.

Seeing everyone's eyes shift to the bridge, Captain Yang put down his hand and continued, "There are twelve envelopes hanging under the bridge in total. Six contain a small reward, while the other six are blank. Whether you manage to get an envelope with a reward in the time you spare depends on both your skill and your luck. But most importantly, even if you grab an envelope with a reward, if you can't set foot on the opposite platform within one minute, that reward will be useless."

Hearing this, the group, who already thought the rickety wooden bridge didn't look very sturdy or safe, had even less confidence about getting an envelope.

"Although the six rewards aren't all the same, I believe they will still be quite useful to you all." This time, Captain Yang wasn't just an announcement machine reciting rules, but actually tried to persuade them a bit before adding, "Still, there are some things we need to say up front. Before, at yesterday's camp, you formed three teams. Teammates share honor and disgrace. Even if one person gets a reward and crosses the bridge within a minute, if the other teammate can't cross within a minute, the reward the first person obtained will also be void."

All right, all right. Upon hearing this, apart from Song Shiyue, everyone basically lost any hope for the envelopes.

Not to mention what the guests present thought upon hearing Captain Yang's words.

In any case... it was completely different from what the viewers watching the livestream were thinking.

It started when, in Yu Nianbing's livestream window, amidst a torrent of danmaku complaining about the production team being too harsh-that after risking their lives to get the envelopes, half were blank-there appeared a stray comment: "Since the show started, I've suddenly developed a bit of a liking for Captain Yang,"

What now?

Since Captain Yang appeared the day before, his various god-tier maneuvers had shocked people one after another. Captain Yang's livestream window had already fallen to the point where there wasn't a single neutral comment, let alone any positive praise.

Yet now, in Yu Nianbing's livestream window, this one danmaku appeared.

Even buried among a flood of rapidly scrolling complaints, it was instantly caught by sharp-eyed viewers.

"Who said they like Captain Yang up there! Come out and get beaten!"

"Captain Yang actually has fans? Paid trolls?"

"Hahaha, did Captain Yang's bought trolls finally arrive after a thirty-six-hour delay? And they went to the wrong channel!"

"If you want to cause trouble, just shout it loud and clear, the Little Ice Buckets will line up and keep you company!"

"Exactly, if you like Captain Yang, why not go back to his livestream window? Why come here? To stir up trouble?"

"As a passerby, I can tell we'll soon witness this window's traffic explode even more."

"Wait... don't start flaming... I just forgot to add a doge emoji! - from an innocent little mooncake who just said she liked Captain Yang but didn't have time to finish her sentence before her elbow got knocked by her cat at home, sending the unfinished danmaku out!"

"???"

"Alright, I scrolled up, and that line did end with a comma..."

"Here's your chance to finish your sentence! Hope you're not fishing for our patience."

"StarNet is this magical, you never know if your online friend is just a cat, is that the meme..."

"As another little mooncake, I just want to say, if you can't explain clearly, just take the beating honestly. Don't push the blame on the cat and say the cat typed that line too."

"Since the show started, I've suddenly developed a bit of a liking for Captain Yang. Did none of you notice that Captain Yang said 'you've already formed three pairs'? I don't care, it's 'pair,' I'm gulping this candy down, no objections! - from an innocent little mooncake who finally typed the full sentence with a cat clamped between her legs!"

"..."

"?"

"At first I thought it was a traitor, then I thought it was a double-agent, now it seems... just a loyal fool?"

"Crazy, crazy, another kid driven mad by candy deprivation..."

"Candy from Captain Yang... you'd dare eat it..."

"If anyone but Captain Yang had said it, I could eat it, but well... it really is sweet, yet I really can't swallow..."

"Every kid who chews on glass shards for candy is a warrior!"

"If I may be blunt... Captain Yang can't even be called a glass shard anymore..."

"I seriously want to donate money and beg the Song-Yu CP to hand out some proper candy. Look, a perfectly good kid, driven to what state!"

...

Admittedly, the diversity of the audience and the breadth of their imagination meant that even Yu Nianbing, whose heart had already been stirred, couldn't keep up with their train of thought.

At this moment, Yu Nianbing was entirely focused on the rules Captain Yang had laid out. She genuinely hadn't caught the homophone between "team" and "pair."

However, interesting things might arrive late, but they won't be missed.

This bite of candy with a strange flavor that some still couldn't help but nibble on was picked up by many mooncake clip editors for their candy compilations, becoming a rather peculiar entry. But that's another story for another time.

"How about this, when it's our turn, I'll go first?" Yu Nianbing thought for a moment, tugged Song Shiyue's sleeve, and suggested. "If I can't cross within a minute, then you won't even need to risk getting an envelope."

Getting an envelope was nothing; even if it couldn't be used, so what.

Song Shiyue was about to say that, but met Yu Nianbing's worried eyes.

Yes, going first certainly had its advantages. Whether testing the speed of grabbing an envelope or crossing the bridge, it could set an example for those behind.

But...

Likewise, if she herself obtained a reward envelope, it would put pressure on Yu Nianbing.

Perhaps letting Yu Nianbing go lightly would be better.

Moreover, the platform ahead was within everyone's line of sight, making it harder to play tricks than on the zipline, so it should be safer.

"Alright." Song Shiyue nodded in agreement, then added, "No need to hurry; just walk across slowly. It's fine even if you don't get an envelope."

Yu Nianbing also agreed, but inwardly she still wanted to try and grab at least one envelope.

Since Song Shiyue wasn't going up, the remaining three male guests couldn't just let Yu Nianbing go first on the wooden bridge; after all, they couldn't take it for granted that Song Shiyue would always lead the way.

They naturally rearranged the order; Zhuang Jiachuan and Guan Yongyi's team would go first.

Seeing that they were already arranging themselves, Captain Yang didn't bother explaining further. He turned, clipped his carabiner onto the iron chain above the wooden bridge, stepped onto the bridge, and headed to the platform ahead.

The moment someone stepped on it, the bridge swayed much more violently.

Even Captain Yang, who presumably had trained beforehand, wobbled as he walked. His right hand stayed on the safety rope connecting his carabiner, and when he reached the middle, his left hand couldn't help but grab the side rope.

Standing on this platform, everyone watched and counted in their hearts since they had no timer. They figured Captain Yang also took nearly forty seconds to cross. Of course, Captain Yang might have wanted to maintain his image and avoid accidents, so he walked cautiously and slowly-but that was still without attempting to grab an envelope.

"You go up and try. If it sways too much and you feel you can't make it in time, just give up." Zhuang Jiachuan turned and warned Guan Yongyi. "Don't take risks. Even with the safety rope, getting scraped up by rushing would be bad."

Apart from Song Shiyue, Guan Yongyi had the most strength among the guests, so he naturally stepped up, nodding and heading toward the bridge, already mentally preparing to count.

Unlike Captain Yang who took each step steadily, Guan Yongyi charged onto the bridge with a forward-leaning momentum, taking big strides as if three steps were two, making the bridge sway even more violently than when Captain Yang crossed.

When he reached the middle where the swaying was worst, Guan Yongyi slowed down, grabbed the safety rope with one hand, and crouched down.

Up close, Guan Yongyi realized that the ropes holding the envelopes were tied through small holes in the edges of the bridge planks, not at the very outer edges... and the gaps between the planks were only wide enough to slip a few fingers through, but couldn't reach the rope below, let alone the envelopes.

To get an envelope, you had to untie the knot, pull the rope up until the envelope came up, then use your fingers to yank the envelope out.

Guan Yongyi didn't hesitate to release the safety rope he was holding and free both hands to start untying the knot.

But... his earlier speed-chasing made the bridge sway heavily. As soon as he let go of the safety rope, even crouching, he felt like he could be tossed off.

Trying to hold still now to reduce the bridge's swing was clearly too late.

The number he was counting in his head had already passed forty, and he still had more than half the bridge to cross...

As a former athlete, Guan Yongyi had no hesitation in making trade-offs. He immediately grabbed the safety rope attached to him with one hand, braced his other hand against the plank beneath him to stand up, and as soon as he was steady, continued taking the biggest strides possible, half walking, half running toward the platform where Captain Yang stood.

Guan Yongyi gave up decisively and rationally. The moment he stepped onto the opposite platform, Captain Yang called out "fifty-four seconds."

"Wait, Teacher Zhuang, don't come up yet!" The instant he landed, before he could even steady himself or catch his breath after hearing Captain Yang's time, Guan Yongyi turned and shouted toward the opposite platform. Only after taking a deep breath did he yell again, "The rope holding the envelopes is threaded through the planks, can't be pulled up. You have to untie the knot first. I don't think there's time to untie it; maybe bring a stone knife up here to cut it!"

Zhuang Jiachuan turned to look at Song Shiyue.

"..." Song Shiyue gave a helpless chuckle. "Our backpacks were all left with the production team, where would a stone knife come from..."

Oh right... Zhuang Jiachuan smiled sheepishly.

He had only remembered that Song Shiyue had two stone knives, but forgot that their backpacks weren't with them.

Obviously, Guan Yongyi over there, who thought he had found a way out, was also too anxious and forgot about this.

Right now, their waist packs only held water bottles and portable toilet kits, oh, and jerky... nothing really useful.

"How about Teacher Zhuang tries to untie it? If you can't untie it, try pulling on it. The rope over there doesn't look particularly thick," Ning Chuyang suggested.

Zhuang Jiachuan looked around.

Well, if they were on the ground, they could still find a sharper stone or something, but right now on this tree platform, there was truly nothing useful.

Unfortunately, Zhuang Jiachuan's hands weren't nimble enough.

Because Guan Yongyi had already crossed, Zhuang Jiachuan spent quite a bit of time at the envelopes. Finally, figuring that it had already exceeded a minute, he leisurely walked the remaining half.

On the other hand, Mu Xingzhou, who went up next, perhaps with deft hands that could even handle needlework, actually managed to untie a rope and pull out an envelope. Although the envelope was twisted and crumpled from all the pulling and picking, he at least got it out, and barely crossed the bridge in time at fifty-seven seconds.

Unfortunately, nimble hands couldn't save a stroke of bad luck. A blank envelope nearly made Ning Chuyang double over with laughter, proving once again that teammate love would not spark between people who constantly bickered.

When it was Ning Chuyang's turn, it was truly a pity.

Having deliberately softened her steps, Ning Chuyang made the bridge sway the least of anyone before her when she reached the middle.

She had even untied the rope. It looked like if she stopped worrying about the bridge's sway for the second half and sped up her pace, there might still be hope to dash across within a minute.

But as a result... whether from too much nerves or too much excitement, before the envelope could be pulled up, Ning Chuyang's hand slipped, and the rope, along with the envelope, just fluttered down...

This time, it was Mu Xingzhou's turn to laugh uncontrollably. He even couldn't resist calling out to Ning Chuyang, who hadn't crossed the bridge yet, "Good thing I grabbed a blank one. You pause for a bit, recover, and then slowly come over."

Although the words carried a bit of sarcastic comeback, the concern was still there.

After all, Ning Chuyang was truly crushed. She crouched for quite a while before getting up to finish the remaining half of the journey.

"Not being able to untie it, or dropping it, none of it matters." Song Shiyue urged again before Yu Nianbing stepped onto the bridge. "Pay attention to holding the safety rope, don't be nervous. If there's a small problem, don't panic. Stop, calm down, and then continue walking."

Yu Nianbing naturally nodded.

Song Shiyue paused, but couldn't help speaking up again: "My hands are clumsy, so I probably won't be able to untie it. You just walk across slowly; it doesn't matter if it takes more than a minute. Besides, even if we don't get the benefit point given by the production team, if we really need something, we can find substitutes ourselves."

Ever since Captain Yang finished explaining the rules, Yu Nianbing had been nodding continuously. Now, hearing Song Shiyue's comforting words reach this extent, she genuinely couldn't help but laugh, raising her hand to lightly cover Song Shiyue's mouth: "Alright, why are you so naggy today? You aren't going to keep chattering until dark, are you..."

Song Shiyue smiled and shook her head, but did not retort.

"I'll wait for you to come over." With a smile and softened brows, Yu Nianbing let this sentence slip out naturally.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, even Yu Nianbing herself was momentarily stunned...

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