Arc 3, Chapter 181—A Familiar Face Returns
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So far... so good...
Levon released a sigh of relief when the peculiar butterflies left his cabin with no major alarms. In the end, his cabin was okay, but the sa couldn’t be said for others.
In another cabin, one of the butterflies landed on the bridge of an unfortunate person’s nose. Then in the blink of an eye, almost 10,000 butterflies landed on the infected person’s body.
And then— Ahhhhhhh!!!!~
The unfortunate Bloodren bellowed in agony til he could scream no more. Everything happened too fast, in under 4 seconds. And when the butterflies pulled away, all that was left of the Bloodren was his clothes.
Heck! Not even his skeleton was left behind!!!
Many felt a shiver grow up their spines the longer they stared. The checks went on for 45 minutes till finally, the train poured out of the tunnel, bringing them to yet another breathtaking scenery—It was a vast prairie with dandelions and daisies growing about.
For a mont, it looked like they had stepped into the quaintest little countryside. The only things missing from the scenery now were farrs and cattle.
They say when the universe wishes to grant you an answer, it never cos directly as one would like.
After 4 days of battling for their lives, the group of Bloodrens erged out of the tunnel into more open lands with no trees in sight.
The grass stalks should be no taller than their ankles, and the flowers looked to be ordinary in size too.
Beautiful....
The trains traveled across the simple plains for another 20 minutes.At this point, everyone had already gotten out of the trains and stood on the roofs to have a better look of where they were going.
But what’s this?
"Hey! Check it out!" Soone exclaid, pointing towards another train heading tehri way.
In fact, the train they were on, and this newly-seen train, were moving in a V-Shaped formation, closer and closer to each other.
Soon, they began travelling alongside each other, at a distance that was fairly close... close enough for both sides to jump from one train to another.
So of the Old 10s in the group seed to recognize a few others in the new train too.
"Hey... that guy... I’ve seen him before. He was there 2 years ago when I joined the Organization. Yes... YES! I can’t be mistaken. He and I joined at the sa ti. And last year, this guy finally made it past the phase 1 competitions... but that was the last I saw him..."
Thinking of the situation deeper, the speaker sneered arrogantly. "Who would have known he would have failed the phase 2 competitions last year and would be taking them the sa ti as I? Hmph! What was the point of going on ahead of last year, only to get stuck in the sa position again?"
Sure enough, slow and steady wins the race!!!!
The speaker was arrogant, as did several other Old bloodrens who noticed people from a year ago, 2 years ago and even more.
Listening to the rowdy talks, Levon concluded that those on the trains were a collection of people who failed the Phase 2 competitions. But how co he has never seen them before?
Levon frowned. ’They must’ve been placed in another location different from those who failed Phase 1.’
Levon felt that all Phase 1 failures and punishnt takers who haven’t taken the Phase 1 competitions, must have been moved to the rickety-estate they once visited.
Moving on, anyone who received punishnt after passing Phase 21, must have been sent to the sa location these Phase 2 people ca from. So those who passed but got punishnt by Clara or Phix, were sent over there to be housed with those who failed Phase 2 over the years.
Levon massaged his chin thoughtfully. ’Knowing the Order, although the estate these people co from will be rundown and in dire straits, it should still be in a sowhat better state than the one Batista and the old Bloodrens ca from.’
Levon figured it out.
DRMMMMM~
With both trains running side by side, everyone knew it would only be a matter of ti before they reached their final destinations. They also noticed that the train’s speed was way slower than it was during their past 4-day trip. After exiting the tunnel, it was running really slow but acceptable.
Everyone was cleaned up and well put together while observing the strangers beside them. They had to admit that compared to them, the train the strangers used, was so terribly done that it looked like a badly made dupe.
Well, the Order was ruthless.
So you expect them to survive 4 days in such a run-down wagon you call a train?
Many shuddered, realizing that perhaps the more tis one will take on the Phase 2 competitions, the more danger they will face. Obviously, their journey had taken the sa ti as these strangers. But... just look at how dirty and badly put together these people were.
That is... was there even running water in that train? Did it have a shower at all? Maybe the only thing available is a toilet!!!
Hey... who knows if they even gave them one?
Terrible. These guys look like they ca out straight from the slums. Their bellies were grumbling louder than the train’s churning, and their eyes shone viciously with a primitive light.
’4 days, huh?’ Levon licked his lips thoughtfully, but soon pulled his attention away when seeing an exquisite sight approaching.
WOW!!!!~
Several others also had their jaws dropped. The upcoming territory looked like a Fantasy Castle on its own. The structures were like nothing they’ve seen in the history books, but are more in line with fairytale castles and towers.
They dared say the scene before them was more magnificent than anything they could dream of. It looked like a bustling Castle-like city that spanned out for as far out as the eyes could see.
After staying for so long in the Order’s confines, it was often hard to tell what season it was in the outside world. While in here, so places snow permanently, while other places are always hot and boiling.
So places resemble a ti-capsule of everything Autumn, while other places are vibrant in color consistent with the rains they bring, like Spring.
One minute, you crave a jacket, and the next, you feel thankful you didn’t think of one in the first place.
The closer they approached the majestic structure, the hotter the weather grew. The sun was shining so bright several people had no choice but to squint.
DRMMM~
The trains continued churning rhythmically till it began to slow its pace even more.
The train headed straight for the station ahead. And then, they saw a familiar figure they hadn’t seen for 4 days now—Winhest.
Soon, both train’s ca to a complete halt in a quaint train station not too far from the towering walls. The station wasn’t even anywhere bigger than a normal house in the outside world.
Choo-chooo~
The steam powered trains finally ca to a halt. Winhest was waiting in front of the station, with his ever creepy smile.
"Well, well, well... it seems you had more fun than anticipated. So how was it?... How was your little holiday?"
Winhest chuckled with amusent when scene the scrunched up faces of the surviving Bloodren 10s now gathered before him.
"Hey now, don’t look so down... After all, you are all in the BLOOD LINE."
"That being said, before I welco you in, how about we see who has passed and who hasn’t?"
Welco to the Blood Line...
Winhest’s words sent many spiraling in thought. The Blood Line? What the hell was that?
Despite their confusion, no one uttered a word.
On the roofs, no one moved. Instead, they waited for Winhest’s instructions. After making it this far into the examination, no one dared to cough, sneeze, or even take a dump, for fear that they’ll disqualify themselves without even knowing it.
Even those from the other train who didn’t know who Winhest was, dared not ss around unless told otherwise.
Fufufufufu~
’how cute.’ Seeing how cautious they were, Winhest seed to be in a better mood. "Now now, little kittens... All I need you to do is stand right where you are. Congratulations on making it this far."
The mont they heard congratulations, many smiled arrogantly, while others let out sighs of relief, knowing they’ve made it this far.
A majority of people still remained expressionless, waiting for Winhest’s next orders.
If those who celebrated were smart enough, they would have noticed that despite his Congratulating them, he didn’t actually say anything about whether they passed the Phase 2 examinations or not.
Sure enough, Winhest’s smile grew even creepier. And those who initially felt relaxed, now tightened their buttock muscles in anticipation.
"Well, congratulations to everyone for making it this far alive." Winhest continued. "That said... from here on out, you will be separated into 2 main groups."
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m
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