WS - Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Captain Yang had already gone to the opposite platform, and Zhao Da alone couldn't argue against six guests.
Song Shiyue's request wasn't excessive. Zhao Da hesitated for a moment, then agreed to help Song Shiyue loosen her safety rope.
Having gained Zhao Da's agreement, Song Shiyue didn't wait for him to act. She adjusted the equipment herself, and the safety rope was lengthened.
Zhao Da was a little surprised, since they hadn't yet taught this adjustment on platforms where the safety rope needed to be loosened or tightened. But after visually checking the length Song Shiyue had loosened, he didn't ask any more questions.
Song Shiyue could handle it herself without his help, and the length she loosened was exactly what he had agreed to... This left Zhao Da with a rather unexpected feeling.
In the apocalypse, people just used whatever materials they could to build ropes for sliding, so safety ropes like this certainly didn't exist. This professional zipline gear was Song Shiyue's first time seeing it, but having traversed so many platforms already, she had long since figured out the simple equipment.
"Is this adjusted correctly?" Song Shiyue refastened her safety rope and looked up at Zhao Da.
Oh, so helping her loosen the safety rope just meant having a look...
Zhao Da stepped forward, examined it carefully, gave it a tug, and nodded.
After fixing her own safety rope, instead of rushing onto the rope bridge, Song Shiyue slightly loosened Yu Nianbing's and Ning Chuyang's ropes as well, expanding their range of movement on the bridge later, then pushed them both in front of Zhao Da for inspection.
Zhao Da: "..."
Fine, even the leader can't out-stubborn them, let alone a bodyguard like me.
After helping check Yu Nianbing and Ning Chuyang, without waiting for them to speak, Zhao Da proactively loosened the other three's safety ropes as well.
It had to be said, in terms of perceptiveness, Zhao Da was much stronger than Captain Yang.
This move smoothed over the small friction from their earlier disagreement, and greatly improved Zhao Da's image among both the guests in the livestream and the viewers watching.
Poor Captain Yang, waiting on the opposite platform, could only see the group on the platform below clustered around, talking about something, with no one coming up.
But Captain Yang didn't feel like rushing them anymore.
Take it slow then. If they can't finish the fifty platforms before dark, they can just walk the rest of the way.
Walking the distance would of course tire Captain Yang too, but thinking that the other guests, less fit than him, would be twice or three times as tired, he felt less tired himself.
The idea Captain Yang had in the morning — to temporarily set aside the guests' attitudes, do his job as leader first, and slowly reconnect with them — officially dissolved after the two frogs, the missing trekking pole, being squeezed by Song Shiyue into not helping the female guests, and that pile of wood blocks with envelopes.
After the group's safety ropes were adjusted, Song Shiyue didn't delay. She went straight to the edge of the platform, climbed onto the rope net, moved just two steps to the left, and was at the far left side.
Song Shiyue clung to the rope net, stuck her head out to glance behind it, then pulled her head back and continued climbing...
Captain Yang, standing on the opposite platform, finally understood what they had been dawdling about below, and his brow immediately furrowed again.
Song Shiyue...
It's always this Song Shiyue...
Why does every off-track thing involve her!
If the safety rope was let out long enough to reach the edge of the rope bridge, why rely on luck? Just poke your head out and look, like Song Shiyue did. With a bit of luck, you might spot a nearby yellow-centered bead.
This isn't playing by the rules at all; it's just a sneaky trick...
Captain Yang felt somewhat displeased and instinctively looked around.
The spacious platform held only himself...
Right, Director Zhang and the others aren't here...
The Production Team, whom Captain Yang was unconsciously hoping for, was at that moment leisurely sliding in the cable car towards the opposite mountain.
Wang Daming sat next to Director Zhang, watching the director's floating screen, and voiced an objection much like Captain Yang's: "If they all peek at the rope bridge before climbing, won't they know where the benefit beads are? Without relying on luck, didn't we make all those fully transparent beads for nothing? We won't be able to capture the guests' disappointment when they touch a bead and find no yellow center. Won't it become pointless?"
After the day's events, Wang Daming now understood Director Zhang's current inclination. Unlike the previous day, when he still wanted to support Captain Yang in bringing the team back on track, today Director Zhang cared only about the show's watchability. So Wang Daming naturally spoke to the point that concerned the director.
"Pointless?" Director Zhang glanced at Wang Daming and actually smiled. "With Teacher Song around, how could it be pointless."
"But..." Wang Daming wanted to continue, but seeing the director turn back to the screen, seemingly not inclined to explain further, he hesitated and obediently shut his mouth.
Director Zhang's comment was enthusiastically endorsed by the StarNet livestream viewers.
Not to mention anything else, just the sweet moments between Song Shiyue and Yu Nianbing supported half the show's foundation. Together with Song Shiyue's various unexpected moves along the way, she was practically the show's pillar!
Speaking of unexpected moves, Song Shiyue's current actions on the rope bridge were also somewhat baffling.
"Why does Sister Song keep climbing a few steps then sticking her head out to look behind the rope bridge? Even though I saw a close-up of a yellow-centered transparent bead not far from her earlier, why didn't she take it?"
"Not just one, I've seen two, but the second one is a bit far."
"Let me guess, Song Shiyue is leaving the closer ones for the people behind?"
"Maybe because we see the close-up shots, we can see the yellow center clearly. I feel like Song Shiyue might not have seen it."
"Right! How can those beads be so small? Using the rope as a reference, the bead is only the size of a thumbnail? You can't see it from a few ropes away, can you?"
"Then it's better to just do what the production told us, feeling our way while climbing. Each person takes a lane to climb, and with some luck you might feel one."
"??? Why is she suddenly climbing sideways?"
"Whoa... the way she's climbing sideways without stopping, I didn't notice before when she was climbing two steps and pausing to look... she's that fast?"
"Spider-Man is nothing compared to this, haha. No wonder Song Shiyue isn't in a hurry. Two minutes, just a burst of effort and she's up in tens of seconds."
"So she climbed halfway and didn't see a single bead? She's heading to the other side to check?"
"It's really pitiful, heartbreaking, and funny at the same time, haha."
...
Leaving aside the livestream viewers' speculations about Song Shiyue's progress, the others on the two platforms were also stunned by Song Shiyue's move — climbing halfway from the far left of the rope bridge, suddenly crossing horizontally to the far right, then climbing a few more steps, and glancing behind.
"Song Shiyue... hasn't she seen any yellow-centered beads at all?" Ning Chuyang felt regretful. "I knew we should have just stuck to the production's method. Now she doesn't even have the chance to touch a few more beads to test her luck... It's all my fault..."
"How can it be your fault? This approach was something we all agreed on." Zhuang Jiachuan consoled her.
Guan Yongyi also nodded: "Yeah, we should blame the beads for being too small."
Yu Nianbing didn't say anything; her entire focus was on the person hanging from the rope bridge above.
But she didn't think Song Shiyue had seen nothing and moved for that reason...
Yu Nianbing had some guesses in her heart, but feeling her thoughts were too far-fetched, she naturally didn't voice them.
At one minute fifty-two seconds, Song Shiyue made it to the platform above. Like a nimble Spider-Man, she had climbed back from the far right to the middle of the bridge before heading all the way up.
In her open palm before Captain Yang was a round, tiny, transparent bead with a yellow center.
Fine, at least after I purposely added that rule, she couldn't bring back a handful. Captain Yang thought to himself.
But Captain Yang's self-comfort was far too early.
After getting Captain Yang's confirmation of the benefit bead, Song Shiyue crouched back by the rope bridge edge and called down to the nearby platform: "Vertical fourth rope from the left, horizontal ninth rope from the bottom."
Captain Yang: "..."
Wang Daming: "..."
The group below: "..."
StarNet livestream page viewers: "..."
Yu Nianbing, who was just fastening her safety clip onto the rope above, couldn't help taking a deep breath.
As expected... so it's like that...
Since Song Shiyue had gone this far, even if Yu Nianbing thought it was a bit much, she wouldn't waste Song Shiyue's effort. She naturally went to the left side of the rope bridge and started counting ropes.
One minute forty-seven seconds later, Yu Nianbing stood before Captain Yang with a yellow-centered transparent bead.
"Vertical ninth rope from the left, horizontal twenty-first rope from the bottom."
"Vertical thirteenth rope from the left, horizontal seventh rope from the bottom."
"Vertical tenth rope from the right, horizontal fifteenth rope from the bottom."
...
Song Shiyue remained crouched by the rope bridge edge, not getting up for a long time, welcoming back companion after companion, each with a yellow-centered transparent bead in hand.
Captain Yang had gone from initial surprise, to waiting for Song Shiyue to forget or make a mistake, to a completely blank expression.
Six people, six yellow-centered transparent beads.
When Zhao Da came up, he saw Captain Yang holding six yellow-centered transparent beads, silent.
"So what's the benefit this time?" Ning Chuyang asked for the third time since she came up.
This time, Captain Yang didn't say "wait a moment".
"Each yellow-centered transparent bead represents an air mattress." Captain Yang said calmly, then started walking to the next zipline.
"Oh my god, does this mean we almost had no beds tonight?" Guan Yongyi patted his chest as if startled. "Good thing I didn't climb too slowly, and when I miscounted, I hurried down and counted again, just barely scraping by."
Zhuang Jiachuan was both amused and exasperated: "Right three up twenty-five and you still miscounted... even climbing most of the way and going down to recount, you nearly cost yourself the bed."
"Thank goodness the earlier wooden bridge had pillows. Without pillows you could wad up clothes, but without a bed do you just sleep on the floorboards..." Ning Chuyang, a girl who likes cleanliness, naturally still had lingering fear about the earlier incident.
"Not necessarily sleep on the floorboards." Mu Xingzhou looked over at Captain Yang, who had already walked to the side of the platform where the next zipline was. "Maybe directly on the ground."
"Then I really couldn't survive..." Ning Chuyang imagined it and couldn't help shivering.
But, Ning Chuyang suddenly realized that ever since they started the zipline, after initial excitement, Mu Xingzhou's mood seemed to dip again, talking less and less. She didn't know what was up with him again.
Well, whatever.
The oddness about Mu Xingzhou just slid through her mind, leaving no particular concern.
After all, they were just a CP for show.
"Pillows, bed, what do you guess the next place's benefit will be?" Song Shiyue asked Yu Nianbing.
"Blanket, or... house?" Those two seemed to Yu Nianbing to be the more reasonable guesses.
Song Shiyue nodded, smiling: "I think so too."
This fellow... really just brushed aside the matter of her having looked at all the yellow-centered beads on the whole net by herself, remembered them, and accurately called them out!
Yu Nianbing's gaze at Song Shiyue held some helplessness, but even more, a habitual indulgence.
What can be done about it? This person is just like this, soft-hearted and kind.
Song Shiyue, who considered herself to have been cold-blooded for many years, of course never imagined that she bore such a gentle and bright image in Yu Nianbing's heart.
Both of them had certain gaps in how they perceived each other, but it didn't hinder them at all from feeling that the other was truly a wonderful person.
Several more ziplines were crossed one by one.
Seeing the sun sink further in the west, and calculating that they hadn't even covered half of the fifty platforms, the joy of getting the air mattresses gradually faded, replaced by a heavy sense of exhaustion.
Admittedly, the zipline, which looked like just hanging from a rope and sliding around, seemed very easy. But once you were actually on it, sliding on over ten consecutive ziplines, both your waist and legs, as well as your constantly tense arms, began to ache.
Compared to walking up and down the mountain, the zipline was certainly less strenuous, but it also wasn't as effortless as they had initially imagined.
At another platform, Captain Yang went ahead.
Ning Chuyang took advantage of the gap to sit down on the platform's wooden boards and started massaging her legs.
Mu Xingzhou also sat down, arching his back and stretching his waist while asking: "So, compared to the one you did at Amusement Planet, which was more fun?"
Ning Chuyang, already exhausted, replied without much good humor: "There's no comparison. This is way more tiring than the one at Amusement Planet. I'm about to drop dead... and you ask if it's fun..."
"Because we've already walked a day and a half of mountain paths, our bodies are somewhat fatigued, so now we're just completing it as a task. Of course it's not as comfortable as doing it for fun when fully rested." Guan Yongyi said with a sigh, then turned and saw Song Shiyue, who had already fastened her safety clip to the zipline. "Teacher Song, why haven't you gone yet?"
Song Shiyue, who had been gazing at the opposite mountain slope and the clearly visible cable car route the Production Team was using, turned her head and looked at Zhao Da standing behind her.
Zhao Da, who had just taken a drink from his water bottle and hadn't swallowed yet, keenly sensed Song Shiyue's gaze and quickly put the bottle down.
"Excuse me, how many benefit points are there along this zipline route?" Song Shiyue's question was very polite, but her burning gaze on Zhao Da carried a determination that politeness couldn't hide — she absolutely wanted an answer.
How can he just say that? Isn't that giving away answers...
Yu Nianbing, hearing Song Shiyue's question, after glancing at the extremely surprised and hesitant Zhao Da, thought for a moment, then looked into the distance where Song Shiyue had been staring after fastening her safety clip.
"What's so secret about the number of benefit points? It's not like we're asking for a shortcut to get the benefit." Ning Chuyang's temperament was somewhat willful; when her body was fine it just seemed bold and lively, but now that she was extremely tired, that capricious streak was getting harder to suppress.
While Ning Chuyang was speaking, Yu Nianbing, who was looking into the distance, suddenly had her eyes light up.
"Originally, as we walk along, we would eventually find out how many benefit places there are. Now we just want to ask in advance because we're really getting tired. We just want a bit of news to lift our spirits." Yu Nianbing, with her guess in mind, looked at Zhao Da with a gentle smile. "We're not asking about the situation at the upcoming benefit places, nor what the next benefits are. Just asking how many more places with benefits remain, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
When Song Shiyue asked earlier, Yu Nianbing noticed that Zhao Da hesitated, which meant he did know, and in his view, it was probably not something he absolutely couldn't say.
Some things fall between can say and cannot say, depending only on whether the person is willing to say it.
In the past, when Zhao Da followed the Production Team and had little contact with them, that was one thing. But along the zipline today, Zhao Da had been quite polite and friendly to them. Although he didn't smile constantly like Wang Daming used to, he also didn't seem like Wang Daming, who in his heart was wholly loyal to the Production Team and only saw the guests as filming tools.
Of course, what Zhao Da was really like, Yu Nianbing had no way to know.
But in this situation, it was enough to just go by appearances.
Sure enough, Song Shiyue's politeness made Zhao Da hesitate, and Yu Nianbing's gentleness seemed to further soften him.
"There are two more places where you can get benefits," Zhao Da said, somewhat helpless.
Alright, that settles it, blanket, house.
"Good man!" Ning Chuyang, sitting on the ground, gave Zhao Da a thumbs-up.
Zhao Da wiped his forehead and showed a somewhat simple, honest smile.
Having gotten an answer, Yu Nianbing also felt a bit relieved. If the pattern of five short and one long, six ziplines followed by a bridge with benefits, continued, they would soon reach the next benefit point, and the one after that wasn't far off either. Then they could...
Unlike the others who just listened for the news, Song Shiyue didn't feel as relieved as Yu Nianbing, who had also thought of that.
According to her calculations, two benefit points were still too many.
Song Shiyue's thoughts were unknown to the others for now. They just continued in sequence, sliding two more ziplines, until they came to a place...
A platform with no next zipline?
But the tree supporting this platform was somewhat low, and trying to set up another zipline from here didn't look feasible.
"Next we'll descend from the tree and switch platforms." Captain Yang said this without much explanation, just walked to the platform edge, fastened his safety clip onto a protrusion on the edge, and jumped down.
"Whoa..." Ning Chuyang couldn't help exclaiming. Despite her aching legs, she quickly ran to the edge where Captain Yang had jumped and looked down.
The others reacted just as fast, hurrying after her.
They saw Captain Yang's safety rope drawn long, and he was now standing steadily on what looked like a dusty gray mat below.
"Don't worry, this rappel is very safe. I'll teach you how to adjust the equipment." Zhao Da stood behind, his voice steady and solid, inexplicably inspiring trust.
Song Shiyue, at that moment, couldn't help but give Zhao Da an extra look.
The burly man who looked somewhat simple and honest on the surface, when meeting Song Shiyue's gaze, nodded and gave a reassuring smile.
In front, Ning Chuyang was quietly complaining that Captain Yang not finishing his words properly before jumping was terrifying, and that all along he was not as steady and helpful as Zhao Da...
And there was Guan Yongyi's agreement.
From the slight nods of Zhuang Jiachuan and Mu Xingzhou, they seemed to agree as well.
But...
Is Zhao Da really that good?
Song Shiyue admitted that along the zipline route, Zhao Da had been very friendly. He taught what needed teaching, helped when needed, and his eye contact was full of encouragement and support. He took the guests' safety seriously but wasn't rigidly controlling them, unlike...
If someone like that were the leader, it would indeed be much better than Captain Yang, who was like an unstable powder keg, liable to explode for no reason.
Of course, that was on the premise that he truly was such a person...
Perhaps it was because her apocalypse experience had taken up such a long time in her life, leaving such a deep imprint, that Song Shiyue could never quickly believe that a person was exactly as they appeared on the surface.
Like now, Zhao Da wasn't putting on a deliberate act; he seemed to be doing things instinctively, earning everyone's approval.
But Song Shiyue always couldn't help but recall that right after they got off the plane and encountered the king cobra, Zhao Da and Zhao Er had been hovering at a distance, only arriving belatedly when the matter was almost over. And all along that earlier route, they had followed far behind with the Production Team, hardly ever initiating any conversation with the guests...
Of course, that might just be like other members of the Production Team, unwilling to appear in the guests' camera shots.
But Song Shiyue still had reservations about Zhao Da's current behavior.
Still, this wasn't a pressing matter for the moment, since Song Shiyue no longer needed Zhao Da's instruction on this simple zipline equipment.
Other aspects were not an immediate concern.
As Zhao Da said, just have a little more trust in the equipment. The tree wasn't tall, and rappelling down was quick and safe.
But with this tree, going down was easy; climbing back up would be rather hard.
The group followed Captain Yang, rappelled down to the ground, and was led forward for over a hundred meters. Soon, two large trees appeared before them.
Captain Yang stood before the two trees, faced the guests again, and began introducing: "Now, it's time for you to make another choice. On the trunk of the left tree, there's a spiral staircase. Just walk up it, and you'll reach the next platform and can continue onward. Meanwhile, the platform on the right tree has Benefit Balls — six of them, none empty. But you must first climb up, retrieve the Benefit Balls, and then climb back down to consider the benefit obtained."
"Climb without a safety rope?" This time, the life-cherishing Zhuang Jiachuan was the first to exclaim in shock.
"Of course it won't be that unsafe." Captain Yang smiled. "We first go up the spiral staircase on the neighboring tree, then take the zipline to the platform on this tree. Next, we fasten our safety ropes, rappel down, and then we can start climbing the tree."
Zhuang Jiachuan: "..."
A combination of zipline, rappel, and tree climbing... All right, very Captain Yang.
"I don't think I can do it even with a safety rope..." Ning Chuyang felt exhausted. Yesterday's tree climbing was child's play; today's didn't look so easy to get past.
"Of course, there are two more points to note. Because the process this time is rather complicated, there's no time limit for obtaining the benefit. But you must still remember that if we haven't finished the platforms before dark, we'll have to walk to Camp." Captain Yang spoke with a hint of anticipation on his face, and continued, "Since there's no time limit, the difficulty will also be adjusted accordingly. This time, within the two-person teams, each person must retrieve a ball for the team to get this benefit. If one person fails to get one, then even if the other gets one, it's useless."
Before Captain Yang's words faded, the six exchanged glances in pairs, and the same two words surfaced in their hearts simultaneously... house.
Only for a house would it require both teammates to work together, not one each. That's what everyone was thinking.
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