Chapter 254

Chapter 254

Just that?

Is this all it is?

The students, filled with sorrow and indignation, lowered their heads and ate their skewers, regretting their humiliation. The phrase "people are truly different" that others had once thrown at them finally came back to haunt them like a boomerang.

People really are different.

Three days before the two-month deadline, the ship carrying the Duchess finally arrived. On board were the crew members who had brought her, along with three peculiar entities that had insisted on coming along.

The doctor had accumulated enough fame to enter on its own, but as rural entities, the White Wolf and the Snake Woman needed someone else's help.

"So you're temporarily bound?" Ji Xinghai sensed two additional forces emanating from the Duchess that did not belong to her.

"Binding requires trust, even if it's just a little bit," the Duchess said helplessly. The White Wolf and the others did not trust any other humans, and the chosen high-ranking officials did not trust an entity either. In the end, she bore the burden of everything.

"Only one human?" Ji Xinghai asked again.

With the fate of the world at stake, was it too hasty to send a team of only four people, three of whom were entities? Wasn't this too reckless?

"The Bird Island opens only twice a year, and for so many years, there have been no incidents. But on the mainland, entities are expanding everywhere, posing a more immediate threat. So they decided to clear out the nearby entities first, wait until their strength grows, and then deal with the Bird Island."

Speaking of this, the Duchess felt even more helpless.

It wasn't that these people were shortsighted; after all, the Bird Island had remained secluded for so long, quiet and low-key, not looking like a harbinger of doom.

Moreover, many of them scoffed at the idea of a time loop, believing those who believed in such theories were 'naive' and 'cute.'

So they pushed the responsibility onto the Duchess, asking her to test the waters. If she proved that this place was indeed a major problem, they would send reinforcements later.

Although production had just resumed, some people already acted like leaders, expecting subordinates to pave the way with their lives.

"Let's seize power when we get back," Ji Xinghai suggested, understanding the underlying implications.

"I've already gathered my former colleagues," the Duchess replied. She wasn't one to endure mistreatment silently; only a good person wouldn't be fit for the position of the North District's chief. Years of losing companions had smoothed her edges, making her seem vulnerable.

"Then let's prepare and set foot on the island in three days," Ji Xinghai ordered, and no one dared to object. He was undoubtedly the center, and even the newly encountered students were convinced by his authority.

In fact, others were also on their way, occasionally entering the physical food stores where students discussed how to obtain entry qualifications for the Bird Island. Unfortunately, being late meant being late.

Ji Xinghai's entire equipment was stored in the Ten Miles of Red Makeup, and the food truck could also enter the Equipment Card as a staff member. Other students had also prepared themselves for entering the 'Bird Island.'

On the day the Bird Island opened, a thick fog enveloped the sea. This fog, formed by water vapor, was different from the white mist brought by entities. Breathing it felt only slightly cold due to excess moisture, without the choking sensation.

The Duchess's ship set sail, with Ji Xinghai and Qin Yu standing aboard. The Duchess stood at the bow, gazing at the island that appeared and disappeared in the mist. Ji Xinghai and Qin Yu played cards, while the three entities caused mischief nearby.

The buildings on the Bird Island were covered in vines, and the rest looked abandoned, nothing like the domain of an entity.

The other three students traveled in their respective vehicles: a fishing boat, a raft, and a small plane.

Their relationship was complex; they were collaborators with the same stance but each had their own considerations, so they avoided unnecessary 'team-ups.' Taking advantage of others made one indebted. However, the entities didn't care about such things; they took what they wanted.

As the ship and plane entered the mist, the Bird Island seemed almost within reach, but it began to transform like a colorful soap bubble, with swirling lights and varying densities of mist. The originally unremarkable island transformed into a massive golden birdcage as the mist cleared.

"The Bird Island has opened," the Duchess said, gripping the railing. This was the final form of the Bird Island entity. Entities originated from life but transcended it.

"Oh, then I can start now," Ji Xinghai said, appearing beside the Duchess. He spread his hand, and the cards he had been playing with flew out. But instead of their usual colorful designs, they were now black text on white paper, the words moving around, causing eye strain upon closer inspection.

The Duchess was startled, unsure of what Ji Xinghai was doing.

As the cards flew out, invisible lines drew a circle around the birdcage, which began to rotate counterclockwise at a rapid pace. The seawater on either side of the circle exhibited different flow patterns.

But by then, the people on the ship and plane had already triggered the Bird Island and entered the giant birdcage.

A small fish approached but was flung away by an invisible wave. The circle's speed increased, surpassing the speed of light, and the magnetic field flipped, causing a silent yet dramatic change in the world.

Caught up in this force, everyone was about to enter an open black hole, which suddenly vanished, causing them to fall from the sky in various postures.

Ji Xinghai and Qin Yu held umbrellas, floating down like dandelion seeds and landing steadily. Others had their own methods, and none of them looked clumsy; everyone landed gracefully.

When they landed, Ji Xinghai looked up. As they appeared inside the golden birdcage, it seemed as though enormous golden birds were taking flight, breaking free from the cage.

"What's going on? It feels like being thrown out of a washing machine."

The students had encountered many entities before, but this was their first mid-air crash. Ji Xinghai seemed to sense something but merely smiled and pulled out a handful of lollipops, giving one to himself and one to Qin Yu, putting the rest back in his pocket.

"..." The others thought they might get some, but got nothing.

"Miserly," the White Wolf stared at the bulging pocket, knowing there were plenty left.

Ji Xinghai, sucking on his lollipop, ignored the comment.

Duchess: ... Why pull out a handful? To show the difference between insiders and outsiders?

After regaining their footing, they surveyed their surroundings. The opened Bird Island was a massive metal cage, with a classical design that looked incredibly intricate. Between every two metal bars were beautiful stained glass windows, depicting classical paintings in various colors.

At first glance, it resembled a magnificent cathedral built with immense effort, but upon closer inspection, the exquisite stained glass paintings depicted exceptionally evil themes.

A woman with her belly slit open, bleeding on the ground, reaching out to a benevolent elder.

A children's horror scene, with two naked children in terror, held by an elderly man.

An upside-down man, with blood and hair covering the ground, corresponding to a man looking up to receive dew, his lower half decayed wood, but new sprouts growing above, his face in ecstasy.

There were many more such scenes, each more elaborate and horrific than the last.

The Duchess frowned, feeling deeply uncomfortable with these stained glass paintings. The more beautiful the images, the harder it was to accept emotionally.

The students were the same, for they all had human appearances, shared a similar civilization, possessed basic moral values, and could empathize.

"If I had gone through all of that and died tragically, I might have evolved into something even more terrifying," the chief couldn't help but say. If those scoundrels appeared before her, she would want to raise her axe and send them to their doom.

"I can understand why they want to drag the entire world into hell. Since I'm already gone, what's the point of this world existing? Let's die together."

"Indeed. It's perfectly normal for them to wish for the destruction of this world."

The Duke glanced sideways. Although these words weren't wrong, the fact that they could be spoken so candidly indicated that their mental states were far from healthy.

After all, although she often had such self-destructive thoughts, they remained just thoughts. She still loved this world and its inhabitants. However, these individuals spoke without any hesitation, indicating they truly meant it rather than just venting frustrations.

In comparison, she seemed like a "pushover" for being able to temporarily tolerate unreasonable superiors.

"Hmm? Did we fail to meet some condition? Why has nothing happened after so long? Where are the domain rules? The death trials?"

The snake woman, as an anomaly, wasn't interested in human affairs; she only wanted to know why there was no sign of the expected activity within the domain.

"Ao-oo." The massive silver wolf, unable to find a target, could only respond with a puzzled howl to its master's inquiry.

Indeed, the white wolf not only came to join but also brought its family along.

The white wolf groomed its companion's fur, then looked at the doctor: "I didn't sense any other energy entities. What about you? You're more sensitive to subtle things."

"There are residual traces, but they're not here."

"Not here? Could it be because we haven't triggered the level yet?" the son-in-law speculated. He sensed special auras on the colored glass paintings; theoretically, each window represented a small instance.

The most logical path should have been that they triggered the Bird Island domain and were randomly thrown into one of these life-threatening instances, experiencing the agony of torture. But now, all nine anomalies, including a wolf, were here, confused.

It was quite baffling.

"Because they went out to seek revenge."

Ji Xinghai was the only one who knew the truth.

To be honest, he had prepared to persuade the anomalies to redirect their targets to the remaining enemies in this world. However, the moment they entered this world through the rift, the anomalies in Bird Island detected the presence of their enemies and transformed into golden birds, breaking out of the cage.

They were left behind, without triggering any levels.

"Enemies?!"

The students stared at Ji Xinghai in shock.

"What's wrong? Didn't I tell you we were sending Bird Island to another world? We're already in another world. Those people are still alive, so of course, they went to kill them. If they act quickly, they might save 'themselves,'" Ji Xinghai said, puzzled. He had told them this long ago, so why were they so surprised?

"What other world?" the Duchess asked, genuinely clueless, recalling the cards Ji Xinghai had distributed earlier.

"How did we get there? When did it happen?" The students were more confused than ever. Had they traveled through time? Why did they know nothing about it?

Oh, it seemed they really had traveled through time.

Ji Xinghai thought for a moment, then set up a long table, chairs, and tea utensils. As he waited for the water to boil, he began explaining:

"Because areas with high concentrations of white fog contain cracks and passages, Bird Island also has them. By expanding these passages, we could relocate the entire domain anomaly. Thanks to these natural conditions, it didn't take much effort to achieve our goal."

He poured a cup of boiling water onto the ground, and it instantly turned into mist. They saw the golden metal and colored glass fade away in the mist, revealing the island enveloped in white fog outside.

"Bird Island?" The Duchess looked around. This was indeed the Bird Island from pictures and videos, and they were in the center, in the courtyard of the largest villa, next to a clear swimming pool.

Unlike before, the buildings and facilities here were new, as if they had been maintained and used regularly.

"The two worlds' Bird Islands merged temporarily, but once we finish here, we'll need to return. It's essentially an anomaly possession, but this time, it's a domain anomaly."

Ji Xinghai explained his plan and methods, concluding, "I've never seen such cooperative entities. They acted without needing any prompting. It seems they hated their oppressors so much that they couldn't wait a second longer and didn't want to waste time on us outsiders."

"Manager, if we've returned to another world in the past, then I..." Even someone as calm as the Duchess couldn't help feeling a surge of emotion. Perhaps her companions were still alive in this timeline?

However, Ji Xinghai shook his head: "I regret to inform you that we are here as part of the Bird Island domain. Once we leave Bird Island and pass the test, we won't be able to return to our original world. Do you want to stay here forever? Although it's peaceful and safe, your personality suggests you wouldn't choose to stay." The Duchess's excitement faded upon hearing that leaving might mean they couldn't return: "So what do we do now? The anomalies of Bird Island have already left, and it seems we're not needed here."

She had come prepared to face formidable foes, but the situation was so simple it felt like playing house. The Duchess felt slightly unprepared.

"There's plenty we can do. The perpetrators on this island have been dealt with by the anomalies, but the victims who were imprisoned and controlled are still waiting for someone to free them. This is an easy opportunity to gain merit. Don't you want to take advantage of it?"

His words excited the students. How often did such a risk-free chance present itself?

Only a few anomalies looked disgruntled; they were here to consume energy, not to do good deeds.

"Does Prince's ability relate to signals? If possible, please spread this information. The victims have been anonymized, and their details blurred," Ji Xinghai handed over the computer and hard drive containing the perpetrators' high-resolution images and data.

"Let the people of this world handle the rest.

"They should know everything that happened here.

"Even if justice is delayed, it's better than no justice at all."