deltrittennovels Chapter 446 New Mission: Carrying the Corpse
Chapter 446 New Mission: Carrying the Corpse
Half an hour later, the chosen ones finished their meal.
The crowd gathered in the open space in front of Zhaixin Hall, talking in hushed tones.
Soon, Xia Ning's figure appeared gracefully.
She stopped in front of everyone and slowly scanned the room with her gaze.
The noise gradually subsided.
"Today's training tasks are as follows."
She paused for a moment, as if giving everyone time to hold their breath.
"Go to the snow-capped mountains, carry back the two corpses, and return them to the temple."
As soon as he finished speaking, a murmur of discussion arose from the crowd.
Xia Ning ignored her and continued speaking:
"The two bodies belonged to a couple, both around twenty-five years old."
"A few days ago, the two were attempting to summit a snow-capped mountain when they were caught in an avalanche and thrown into a crevasse, where they died of hypothermia."
"The families of the two individuals have appealed to the temple, pleading with us to retrieve their remains and perform the necessary rituals and cremation within the temple."
"The temple, taking into account human sentiment and morality, ultimately granted the request."
"And now—"
Her gaze swept over the crowd once more.
"This task falls to you."
These words immediately sparked a flurry of whispers among the crowd, and unease and fear spread rapidly through the hushed voices.
Xia Ning raised a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
"This task may take a long time."
"Given the harsh environment of the snow-capped mountains, the temple will provide each person with a supply pack in case of emergency."
As soon as he finished speaking, two black-clad stewards carried over a cardboard box.
The two placed the cardboard box on the open ground in front of everyone, and opened the lid—
Inside, backpacks were neatly stacked.
The backpacks are dark red, made of rough and thick fabric, and each backpack has a black rope tied around its drawstring.
Two black-clad butlers bent down, took backpacks out of the cardboard box, and distributed them to everyone.
Lin Feng took one, and it was heavier than he had expected.
He untied the straps, opened the bag, and glanced inside.
On the top layer were a bag of compressed biscuits and a bag of dried meat. Next to them were two water jugs, one large and one small. The large jug contained drinking water, and the small jug contained warm ginger and brown sugar water. The sides of the jugs were still slightly hot, so they must have just been filled.
There was a roll of bandage, a small bottle of iodine, and a pack of adhesive bandages tucked into the side pocket of the backpack.
At the very bottom, there was a pair of gloves with non-slip rubber granules sewn into the palm.
Lin Feng tied the bag back up. There weren't many items, but they were practical enough.
Xia Ning's voice rang out again, this time with a tone several degrees deeper than before:
"Now I will announce the mission rules, which consist of five points. Everyone listen carefully, I will not repeat them."
Everyone immediately perked up their ears.
"Article One—"
"You currently have 28 people remaining, and you need to divide into two groups of 14 people each."
"Each group is responsible for one body and transporting it from the location of death back to the temple."
"Article Two—"
"In each group, two people are sent out to carry the body each time."
"The team members who carry the corpse will be purified by the power of the temple and will not be contaminated by the eerie energy of the snow mountain."
"Article Three—"
"A strange atmosphere pervades the snow-capped mountains."
"There were no problems on the way up the mountain, but once we started to descend, the eerie atmosphere followed us like a shadow, infiltrating layer by layer."
"If it is not purified, the evil energy will invade the bone marrow in thirty-five minutes, at which point it will be impossible to purify it."
"Therefore, the team must rotate the personnel carrying the body every five minutes."
"In other words, each group needs to arrange the rotation order in advance."
"We must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be purified, but we must also ensure that no one is physically exhausted from carrying corpses for too long."
Some people have already started counting on their fingers.
Article Four—
"During the process of carrying the body, it is necessary to soothe the body regularly and continuously suppress the degeneration of the remains."
"Once bluish-black spots appear on the skin of the corpse, it means that the attempts to appease the body have failed."
"That's a sign of things getting out of control. You won't have more than ten breaths to react."
"At that time, the corpses will suddenly spring up and indiscriminately attack the living people around them."
"In other words—"
Her gaze suddenly sharpened.
"If the corpse isn't properly appeased, it will turn into a living zombie and kill you all!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in chaos.
A gaunt young man, his face deathly pale, stammered, "Ten breaths? Just ten breaths? That's no time to run!"
"Will...will they chase after people and kill them?" A short-haired girl subconsciously took a half step back, as if a suddenly standing corpse was already standing in front of her.
"This isn't carrying a corpse, it's carrying a bomb!" A black man gritted his teeth, his voice distorted.
Xia Ning's voice continued:
"The fifth and final point—"
"Both bodies must be transported back to the temple before sunset. Failure to do so within the time limit..."
She paused slightly, her voice turning even colder:
"All chosen ones, a part of their body will be randomly erased. It could be a finger, a foot, or even their head... who knows?"
"Anyway, it won't be fatal."
"But I won't let you have it easy either."
After saying that, Xia Ning raised her right hand and waved it gently.
The left steward behind him immediately stepped forward, holding a cardboard box with a fist-sized hole at the top.
"To ensure fairness—"
Xia Ning's gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces.
"Grouping will be done by drawing lots."
Lin Feng nodded to himself.
If no lottery is drawn and everyone is allowed to form teams on their own, the old, weak, sick and disabled chosen ones will only end up together, and the only outcome for each group will be total annihilation.
Although drawing lots is also a gamble, at least... it leaves that unfairness to luck.
"Now everyone take turns coming forward and taking a piece of paper from the box."
"The slips of paper are labeled 'Group A' or 'Group B'. Whichever group you draw, you'll be assigned to that group."
"Group A is responsible for the male corpses, and Group B is responsible for the female corpses."
"After we finish drawing lots, Group A will stand to my left, and Group B will stand to my right."
"Now--"
She stepped slightly to the side, making room for her.
"start."
The chosen one standing at the very front was a young girl with shoulder-length short hair.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and reached into the box.
After groping around inside the box for a moment, he pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it with trembling hands.
"Group A... Group A."
Xia Ning nodded slightly: "Group A, stand to my left."
The girl exhaled and quickly walked to stand to Xia Ning's left.
The second person to step forward was a middle-aged man. He reached into the box and, almost without hesitation, pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and read:
Group B.
The third, the fourth, the fifth...
One by one, the chosen ones stepped forward, reached out, drew, unfolded, announced the results, and went to their respective positions.
When it was Lin Feng's turn, he didn't hesitate. He reached in, randomly pulled out a card, and unfolded it.
Group B.
Wasim followed closely behind, reaching into the box, pulling out a bill, unfolding it, and immediately grinning:
"Haha, I'm in Group B too!"
Then Evelyn.
She rummaged around in the box for a while, pulled out one of the cards, and unfolded it.
Group B.
Evelyn smiled and tilted her head at Lin Feng: "You're in luck today!"