```
In Dragon Temple, the black fog had dissipated quite a bit, making it easy to discern directions.
The surviving tourists were all sprinting towards the east, eager to reach Lotus Lake the fastest, pick wildflowers, and offer them to the great dark Buddha.
"Can you guys hurry up?"
Sima Mu complained to Zhang Ju.
She was holding a child, which was too slow; the old lady also couldn't keep up, gasping for breath after running for a while.
"So... sorry!"
Zhang Ju apologized.
"Is sorry going to help?"
Sima Mu was anxious; he was about to scold someone, but when he saw Lin Baici's stern face, he swallowed his words back down.
Zhang Ju was a clever woman, noticing Lin Baici's kind heart and thus bringing her daughter over to him.
She became a burden straight away.
"Ah, Little Linzi is still a student, hasn't experienced society's darkness, maintaining this kindness, but might suffer a big loss!"
Sima Mu sighed.
He didn't dare to persuade Lin Baici to give up on Zhang Ju because that would make him seem heartless.
"Let me carry her!"
Lin Baici reached out; if it were just Zhang Ju alone, he wouldn't care, would lend a hand if he had the strength, wouldn't abandon her, but facing a three-year-old innocent little girl...
He couldn't harden his heart!
Moreover, that little girl at Xiang Ji Kitchen had warned them not to listen to that treacherous old man's words, that the monster cook would kill those who left their seats.
This was a kind little girl.
"No need! No need!"
Zhang Ju refused, she still had a sense of propriety, aware that following Lin Baici was already troublesome enough, letting someone carry a grown woman would be too much.
"Give her to me!"
Lin Baici firmly took the little girl and placed her on his back.
She wasn't heavy, just over twenty pounds, and with Lin Baici's stamina, it had no effect; he was still running faster than the old lady and Kim Myungjin.
"If only I hadn't helped those people, better if they all died!"
Sister Xiao Li regretted.
"There are still more than 200 people left, right?"
Sima Mu didn't count specifically.
"271, if only 30 can survive, that's about one in every nine!"
Kim Myungjin calculated quickly.
Sss!
Hua Yue Yu took a sharp breath, her scalp tingling.
'That's not how you calculate it; nobody knows what accidents might occur during the process of picking flowers, having more people means more cannon fodder!'
This thought emerged in Lin Baici's mind at the bottom of his heart.
He saved people not only because of years of education and morality but also with this thought in mind.
The more people there are,
the more chances there are to learn by trial and error.
Lin Baici's group of eight passed through an archway and entered a large garden, sprinting across the tender green grass.
There was a large lake to the east.
The emerald green lotus leaves formed a vast expanse, swaying with the breeze, resembling a cradle in a mother's hands, full of children's dreams.
Several dragonflies settled on the pink lotus flowers, like a still ink painting.
"There are no wildflowers here either?"
The old lady, panting and sweating profusely, looked around, but aside from green grass, there were no wildflowers.
"On that island in the lake!"
Kim Myungjin's eyes were sharp; amongst the lotuses in the lake, about fifty meters from the shore, was a small island with a gleaming field of wild chrysanthemums.
Faint sunlight penetrated the fog, sprinkling upon them, squeezing out the scent of summer.
"How do we get there? We can't possibly swim over, can we?"
Sister Xiao Li was both panicked and anxious because she couldn't swim.
"Over there!"
Kim Myungjin pointed: "There's a pier!"
There were boats on the pier, three of them—two small and one large.
The small ones were sampans that could barely seat four people; the large one was a covered boat that could accommodate about a dozen people.
The tourists all rushed towards that pier, the ones who arrived first already fighting over the three boats; after all, whoever got on first could live.
"Let's hurry!"
Sima Mu broke into a sprint, and even though one hand was bandaged and hanging in front of his chest, he ran quickly.
Only thirty people could live, so without anyone urging them, the tourists were all desperate.
Gurgle!
Lin Baici's stomach growled again.
Hunger arose.
"I knew it wouldn't be that simple!"
Lin Baici was no longer in a rush.
Feeling hungry indicated that there were Taboo things nearby this pond, and with those things around, it wasn't just about who could run fast or who could pick the wildflowers.
Lin Baici and his companions arrived at the pier.
Aside from about twenty elderly tourists, everyone else had made it.
The ownership of the two sampans and one covered boat had already been determined—it was Jiang Hong and the hawk-nosed man who had claimed them.
These individuals totaled about fifteen, all able-bodied and looking strong.
On the ground lay about twenty unlucky people who had been injured, some of whom were covered in blood without a breath left in them, showcasing the ferocity of the others' actions.
"Young man, let's go together!"
Jiang Hong called out to Lin Baici after he had secured a boat, staying back to wait for him.
"Buddy, let's go!"
The eagle-hooked nose man didn't like Lin Baici, but he recognized that the student clad in a Manchester United jersey was quite formidable; having him meant greater security for everyone.
Swish!
The gazes of the crowd on the shore converged on Lin Baici.
There was envy, jealousy, and also anger.
However, they admitted that Lin Baici had the qualifications; if they had boats themselves, they would have called for the strong young man to join them.
"Bai Ci!"
The old lady's voice trembled with fear that Lin Baici would leave.
Although Hua Yue Yu hadn't spent much time with Lin Baici and wasn't clear about his character, her intuition told her that Lin Baici wouldn't leave.
```
"Asiba!"
Kim Myungjin felt depressed, "He was the man I had my eye on first, you all just buzz off."
"How many people can I bring?"
Lin Baici asked casually as he was locating the position of the Taboo Thing through his hunger.
"Bro, as you can see, we don't have enough seats for so many of us, and some have to wait for the second round to make space for you!"
Jiang Hong explained.
"Dude, be content with what you have!"
The Hawk-nosed man glanced at Kim Myungjin and Hua Yue Yu, suddenly understanding Lin Baici.
These beautiful girls who score nine out of ten – the only point deducted because they're not my girlfriends – I'd want to save them too!
And as for Sister Xiao Li?
She looked okay, and the old lady still had her charm, but standing beside Hua Yue Yu and Kim Myungjin, she was just unconsciously overlooked...
"You guys go ahead, I'm not riding!"
Lin Baici refused.
Whoosh!
Lin Baici's choice took everyone by surprise.
What's this supposed to mean?
The Eagle-hooked nose man's face darkened, "Are you looking down on us?"
Lin Baici wasn't looking down on them; he just didn't like their way of doing things and didn't want to be with them. Moreover, the most important point was that the Taboo Thing hadn't been found yet. Who knew if getting on the boat would be safe?
These people were so eager to grab the boat and head to the island, they were perfect targets to scout the way.
Of course, Lin Baici wouldn't show this kind of thinking, or Jiang Hong and the others would definitely become suspicious, so he curled his lips.
"Heh!"
The meaning of this mockery was self-evident.
"You..."
The Eagle-hooked nose man was furious, but considering Lin Baici's previous performance and his own physique, he wisely opted not to start trouble.
"Row the oars, let's go!"
The Eagle-hooked nose man commanded.
"Wait a moment!"
Jiang Hong interjected.
"What's up, Mr. Jiang?"
The Eagle-hooked nose man was unhappy. If it wasn't for this guy guaranteeing him ten million, he wouldn't bother bringing this dead weight along.
"Something feels off. Based on this student's usual behavior, he doesn't seem like someone who openly shows his likes and dislikes. So why mock you?"
Jiang Hong's thick eyebrows furrowed.
Could it be that this kid senses danger on the island and just found an excuse not to get on the boat?
"Brother Zhou, let's wait for the second group to go to the island!"
Jiang Hong suggested.
"Wait for what? We should hurry and take the wildflower back, leaving this cursed place is the right thing to do!"
The Eagle-hooked nose man had a tough constitution, but he felt dizzy and nauseated, and his muscles were starting to ache and tingle, leading to fatigue.
He had heard rumors that in God's ruins, one might get contaminated by the radiation from God's bones, eventually turning into a puddle of unconscious, rotting flesh.
"What if there's danger on the island?"
Jiang Hong worried.
"The most dangerous thing is that only thirty people can survive!"
The Eagle-hooked nose man boasted, "Besides, picking the flower and running off is a matter of minutes!"
From here to Lake Heart Island, the distance was less than fifty meters. Even swimming across was feasible, and the island wasn't large, everything was in plain sight.
Aside from a field of golden wild chrysanthemums, there was nothing else.
"Haha, right!"
Jiang Hong patted the Eagle-hooked nose man's shoulder, "Then set sail!"
Everyone immediately started rowing.
Jiang Hong, however, was still uneasy. As he turned his head, he caught Lin Baici's calm eyes fixed on Lake Heart Island, and his heart skipped a beat.
This attitude,
was downright that of a scheming dog!
He was waiting for others to scout the path!
Jiang Hong suddenly lunged forward, leaping onto the shore.
"Mr. Jiang, what are you doing?"
The Eagle-hooked nose man was dumbfounded.
"I'll wait for the next trip!"
Jiang Hong offered an apologetic smile, quickly placating, "Don't worry, I won't shortchange you a dime of the money I promised!"
"Damn!"
The Eagle-hooked nose man knew that Jiang Hong obviously felt safer with the student.
I'm at a loss here!
All these big guys, are we really not as good as him alone?
In Jiang Hong's mind, the Eagle-hooked nose man and his crew could definitely take Lin Baici in a fight, but when it came to smarts, it wasn't so certain.
"Mr. Jiang, you're quite clever, aren't you? Do you think by waiting for the second wave to go to the island, you can avoid the risk and still easily make it into the top thirty?"
Sima Mu mocked, "But have you considered, what if someone decides to swim over?"
Jiang Hong shuddered violently, "Swim over?"
Damn it!
He had forgotten about that!
In fact, some people had already started stripping off their clothes, the impatient ones, confident in their swimming abilities, didn't even bother undressing and jumped straight into the water.
Splash! Splash!
At least thirty people entered the Lotus Lake.
Some tourists, who were still hesitating, saw the number exceed thirty and immediately became anxious and also started swimming.
"Why panic? After they pick the flowers and swim back, they'll definitely be nearly exhausted. By then, we'll just snatch the flowers from them!"
A man in his thirties, with a fierce look, was ready to kill in order to survive.
"Are you dumb? The grand Buddha said only the wildflowers picked personally will do!"
Hua Yue Yu was speechless. If Jiang Hong and the others hadn't figured this out, would they be rushing to the island?
Wouldn't it be better to rob others at the shore?
Many survivors on the shore harbored this dark thought, but now confronted with Hua Yue Yu pointing out the truth, realizing it was untenable, they were all stunned.
Some quickly got into the water, while many others turned to look at Lin Baici.
"Handsome, come up with something quick?"