Adventure World Online (AWO)

On the other side…

"Are you insane? The phone call connected, and then you went and hung up—why?"

Thankhun groaned, just as exasperated as Oliang on the other end. The entire trip had been filled with nonstop bickering between Chang Long and Little Jade, making his head throb with stress. They had not even heard the phone ring as she accidentally hit the accept button without realizing it.

"Well, you said phone, so I answered it. What's wrong with that?"

Chang Long retorted with a pout, equally feeling the headache.

"The problem is you answered it without knowing, and then you hung up. If this isn't the definition of being a dummy, what is?"

Thankhun glared at her.

"None of your business. If it's important, they'll call back anyway."

Chang Long shot back dismissively, rolling her eyes before turning to glare at the endlessly complaining Little Jade. Their argument was clearly about to enter round two, leaving Thankhun with only one free hand to block his ears.

.....

Aswa and his team had painstakingly made their way through the treacherous trials of Pirate King Roche Roger. The first obstacle they encountered, after descending hundreds of dizzying spiral stairs in the tower, was a massive pool of water. At first glance, it seemed harmless. The next door was 500 meters away on the opposite side. Fortunately, they did not have to swim across, as there were large logs floating horizontally that they could use as rafts.

The water also had scattered circular planks bobbing on the surface. However, these planks were spaced far apart, requiring them to jump from one to another. Worse, these planks might flip or sink upon impact if they did jump. On one side of the pool was a narrow pathway with no visible obstacles. Lost Martial Artist ventured forward to inspect it but quickly leapt back as a leather whip with a spiked ball at its tip lashed out at him violently.

Click… clickclickclickclick

The sound of awakening mechanisms echoed. What initially appeared to be the safest path along the wall revealed an ambush. Out stepped what could only be described as clown-like figures—or, more accurately, decrepit remnants of clowns. They bore grotesque, unnerving grins and swung their spiked whips chaotically in front of them. Meanwhile, the logs in the water began to spin and drift apart slowly. Aswa hurriedly instructed his team to jump onto the logs and jog in place to avoid slipping and falling off.

SPLASH...

The horrors were not limited to the clowns. In the water below, a swarm of seals swam, some leaping above the surface to disrupt the group. These seals were equipped with terrifyingly long fangs. One after another, they jumped and swished their tails at Aswa's group, trying to unbalance them and send them plunging into the water, where their companions waited to finish the job with glee.

The first casualty of this stage was Rose, the only woman in the group. One of her guildmates lost their balance and accidentally knocked her into the water. Her companions turned pale, calling her name in panic. Rose sank below the surface and never reappeared, as a swarm of seals descended upon her body with terrifying speed.

There were no screams, no last words—only a white light as Rose's body vanished, leaving behind a pool of blood that stained the water red, making it impossible to see beneath the surface. Some players managed to land on the small floating planks, which were only 50 centimeters in diameter, and tried to maintain their balance. Others were not so lucky, tipping over and falling into the water. By the time Aswa's group reached the opposite side, their numbers had dwindled. From an original 5 teams of 12, only 46 players remained. Fortunately, Aswa had brought many high-level players, ensuring enough strength to tackle the next challenges.

The following trial awaiting the prospective heirs of Pirate King Roche Roger was the maze and mechanic doors. The first task was to locate the mechanic door leading into the maze, a process that required significant time and effort. Some doors unleashed attacking beasts, most of these beasts were marine beasts. Once they entered the maze, they found themselves navigating a narrow path, only wide enough for one person to walk at a time. Below them, over seven meters down, was deep blue seawater, with faint glimpses of life swimming just beneath the surface. Above them, complete darkness loomed, giving the impression of a cavern with a towering ceiling. Though they could not see what was up there, they could sense the movements of something massive.

The maze's paths were dauntingly expansive. Although there were no tall walls to block their vision, navigating was still difficult. Anyone who attempted to leap across the gaps between parallel paths quickly became prey for the jumping aquatic beasts below, dragged into the water with horrifying speed. Players who tried to jump high into the air to scout the path ahead were snatched by unseen creatures in the darkness above, disappearing from view. The agonized screams of those taken added to the terror of the group.

Aswa's team lost a significant amount of time trying to navigate the maze. The challenge lay in the unavoidable need to jump across broken paths or leap upwards to scout the route. Players used every skill they had to protect teammates who had to jump, but despite their best efforts, some were helplessly pulled into the water or snatched from above, vanishing before their eyes. All they could do was endure the gut-wrenching screams of their friends as they were taken.

Finally, after an immense effort, Aswa managed to lead his group to a resting point before the next stage's gate. Everyone's faces were pale, and their bodies were covered in wounds. The horrifying events of the previous trial continued to haunt them—the screams, the blood raining down that indicated to them what monstrous fate their friends who had been snatched into the darkness must have faced.

Aswa instructed his subordinates to tend to their injuries and tried to lift their spirits with words of encouragement. He then walked toward the gate to inspect it. The sound that greeted him from behind the door made him frown in surprise—it was laughter. Not just one voice, but many, all laughing in eerie harmony. Aswa could only wonder what awaited them beyond the door. One thing was certain—it would not be an easy path forward.

.....

Chang Long continued walking with her veins practically bulging, not just from the awkward necessity of acting sweet with a man she had only recently met, but also from the endless back-and-forth arguments with Little Jade. The mischievous dragon had been a thorn in her side ever since her last gaming session. Although Chang Long had dealt with someone with challenging personalities like Peach Blossom before, she had never lost it. However, this time was different. She was handling two stressful situations simultaneously, making it nearly impossible to keep her emotions in check. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady herself and addressed Little Jade in a tone that strained to remain calm.

"Hey… shouldn't you be making an effort to apologize to me? If you're not interested in regaining all that cultivation you worked so hard for, I won't stop you. Feel free to go back to that Wu Ming guy."

Her words made Little Jade freeze. The dragon, who had been snapping at Chang Long's every word, now stared at her in shock. Little Jade clenched her teeth in frustration, realizing that Chang Long was right. If she wanted to continue following Wu Ming, she needed to reclaim her cultivation. And to do that, she needed Chang Long's heartfelt forgiveness.

"Oh, is peace finally restored?"

Thankhun, whose ears were practically ringing from all the bickering between Chang Long and Little Jade, exclaimed with a mix of relief and surprise. He glanced at Chang Long's stoic face and then at Little Jade's expression of suppressed frustration, wondering how Chang Long had managed to silence the dragon. To him, it was nothing short of miraculous.

What had been a constant barrage of arguments turned into a heavy, awkward silence. Chang Long felt nothing of it—she had intended for this atmosphere all along. But for Little Jade and Thankhun, the quiet was suffocating. Thankhun opened his mouth several times to ask Chang Long, but every time he caught her piercing, murderous gaze, he quickly shut it.

During their journey, Little Jade volunteered to deal with any beasts that dared to attack them, leaving Chang Long and Thankhun without a chance to separate. As night fell, the two decided to set up camp near a fire. Little Jade took on the role of a dutiful bodyguard, keeping watch while staying a meter away from Chang Long. Whether it was because of the pressure from Chang Long's presence or a desire to avoid more arguments, the dragon seemed content to maintain her distance.

The atmosphere the next day remained unchanged. The three barely spoke to one another, each wary that the person who uttered the first word might set off Chang Long like a firecracker. As they continued westward, clues hinting at the secret military camp appeared sporadically but none dared to make a definite conclusion—rusted weapons, cooking utensils, tattered armor, and scraps of canvas. The farther they went, the more remnants they encountered: the ruins of tents, spiked wooden fences, and scorched debris from battles. Yet, they still had not found the camp itself.

"Maybe this is the secret military camp,"

Chang Long was the first to venture an opinion.

"It shouldn't be this deserted, though. If this were truly the secret military camp, there'd have to be someone here."

Thankhun countered, though he shared Chang Long's suspicion, there was not enough evidence to confirm it.

"Maybe they were attacked by a powerful enemy, which left the camp abandoned like this,"

Chang Long speculated, her tone thoughtful.

"That's possible. But if that's the case, what happens to our mission? If we can't find Zhi Yuan, we're stuck like this, joined at the hip."

Thankhun shot Chang Long a sideways glance as he spoke, watching her clench her teeth in frustration. Even he felt a chill run down his spine. He kept a straight face, not wanting her to know he was beginning to fear her.

"No way am I accepting that. Either way, this place is a key lead for us. Let's split up and search—it might not actually be the secret military camp."

Chang Long said sternly.

"How are we supposed to split up when we're literally stuck together?"

Thankhun started, but before he could finish, their bodies suddenly separated. The two stared at each other in realization, understanding why immediately. Little Jade's expression turned serious, while Chang Long and Thankhun drew their weapons, gripping them tightly.

Whoosh...

The sound of arrows slicing through the air erupted. Massive arrows, larger than usual and tipped with high-quality steel, were aimed directly at the group. The arrows were powerful enough to pierce even high-grade armor. Chang Long and Thankhun paled, unsure how they would survive the onslaught. Little Jade, coiled around Chang Long's wrist in her small dragon form like a bracelet, suddenly expanded to her full size. With one sweep of her massive tail, the volley of arrows was scattered like falling leaves.

"Dragon!"

Terrified cries echoed from all directions. The assault ceased immediately as Little Jade let out an authoritative roar, commanding the attackers to reveal themselves. But no response came from the hidden assailants. Moments later, a man clad in full armor emerged alone to confront them. His proud, imposing demeanor made Chang Long suspect he was their leader.

"You've trespassed into our territory. What is your purpose here?"

The man asked, his tone serious. His sharp gaze swept over the fifteen-meter-long jade fang dragon, then over Chang Long, before finally settling on Thankhun.

"We're looking for someone,"

Thankhun responded firmly, meeting the man's gaze without a hint of fear.

"Looking for someone. This is the territory of the secret military camp. No one is allowed to trespass without permission, even if they bring a high-tier creature like a dragon."

The man's voice remained fierce, his tone betraying no fear of the Jade Fang Dragon's power.

"This is the secret military camp?"

Chang Long repeated, her eyes widening with delight. The man turned to look at her fully for the first time, but just as quickly, he averted his gaze.

"This is only part of the camp. Where the main base is located, I will never reveal to you."

His voice softened slightly, but he still refused to meet Chang Long's eyes.

"Then Zhi Yuan must be here."

Chang Long pressed, her excitement growing, not caring for the man's reaction. At last, this absurd quest would come to an end. She was not sure how much longer she could endure the embarrassment of staying glued to Thankhun.

"Zhi Yuan?"

The man echoed, his head snapping back to look at her again. His face flushed when Chang Long nodded and gave him a sweet smile.

"We're here to find Zhi Yuan at the request of his fiancée..."

Thankhun said menacingly, noticing the man's reaction to Chang Long. The man shot a glare at Thankhun for his harsh tone before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Zhi Yuan disappeared during a major clash with a mysterious force. We believe he's dead, as no one has seen him since—not even his body."

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