Race Against Time

When Chen Xiaolian rushed into the submarine cabin, everyone had already stood up.

And Young Will, who had been sitting in the corner all along, had fainted, with Qimu Xi standing by his side, looking helpless. Seeing Chen Xiaolian enter, Qimu Xi quickly said, “I, I don’t know what happened, he suddenly passed out…”

Chen Xiaolian nodded at Qimu Xi, then looked at everyone.

“Did everyone see the system’s message?”

The team members silently nodded one after another.

Everyone’s expressions weren’t very good, especially Roddy and Qiao Qiao, who looked at Chen Xiaolian hesitantly.

Chen Xiaolian took a deep breath. “Roddy, change course… full speed!”

Roddy didn’t hesitate and immediately went to the control console.

Chen Xiaolian didn’t mention the change of course destination, but Roddy naturally understood.

All the team members understood!

There was only one course… as indicated in the system prompt, the final mission of this Instance, that Demon Island!

Looking at everyone’s expressions, the atmosphere was heavy. Chen Xiaolian slowly said, “Everyone, there’s no need to be too pessimistic.”

Chen Xiaolian tried to make his tone more uplifting and continued loudly, “Instances, they’ve always been this troublesome, never making things easy for us. We’ve experienced situations like this before, and this time is no different. Since this Instance is causing us trouble, we can only face it head-on!”

Lun Tai, as the team’s vice Guild Leader, spoke up at the right moment to support Chen Xiaolian, clenching his fists and saying loudly, “Exactly! The Guild Leader’s words are just what I wanted to say! While the situation may not be as optimistic as we initially planned, this darn system has always been like this. There’s no need for everyone to be disheartened. It’s just a matter of dealing with the challenges as they come, adapting to the circumstances! Moreover, as the Guild Leader has already analyzed, there may still be a chance for a turnaround. Before the final mission, the system will surely allocate camps again, and we may not be the only ones in the demon camp.”

Listening to Lun Tai’s words, Qiao Qiao and Roddy exchanged a glance.

Looking at it from the perspective of Chen Xiaolian’s personal friends, Qiao Qiao and Roddy had to admit that Chen Xiaolian’s choice of appointing Lun Tai as the Guild Leader was indeed very wise!

Lun Tai had also consistently performed his duties as vice Guild Leader exceptionally well.

Besides taking command when Chen Xiaolian was absent, Lun Tai also paid great attention to maintaining Chen Xiaolian’s Guild Leadership authority.

Lun Tai’s cautious and meticulous nature was evident in many details.

For example, Lun Tai was significantly older than several of the younger team members. So, during casual conversations, he would occasionally refer to Chen Xiaolian as “Little Face” to show camaraderie.

However, in formal settings or during team decisions, especially within Instances, Lun Tai never used the informal “Little Face” and instead addressed him as “Guild Leader” in a very formal manner.

This difference in addressing Chen Xiaolian was a subtle but smart detail that showcased Lun Tai’s intelligence.

The words of the two team Guild Leaders raised morale slightly.

Chen Xiaolian gave a serious look to Lun Tai, nodded to him, and then spoke loudly, “Alright, let me analyze the current situation.

First, the system has officially designated Young Will as a demon candidate! This is crucial information, and I believe it will have a significant impact on the upcoming plot.

Furthermore, Young Will’s life weakening effect has a duration of 59 minutes… Well, we currently have 56 minutes remaining.

However, the second phase of this Instance has not yet ended.

Our original plan was to bide our time until the end of the second phase, and then we could easily and naturally leave the Instance. But now, Young Will’s impending death threat has completely shattered that plan.

In any case, we cannot allow Young Will to die. We definitely cannot afford to bear the loss of having two team members randomly eliminated!

So, my decision is to immediately change course and head to the final location of the Instance’s mission, that Demon Island. We must activate the so-called magic array before Young Will’s death!

We have no other choice.

Additionally, I have found some information in the system’s message that might be useful.”

“Oh?” Xia Xiaolei looked at Chen Xiaolian curiously. “Guild Leader, what did you discover?”

“The threat to Young Will’s life is because other teams have completed the second phase of the mission, which is arriving in Tel Aviv and activating some kind of light force according to the plot.

The system’s hint also contains more information: the countdown for the second phase has not yet ended, and there are still more than ten hours left in the countdown.

I speculate that there are still many participants in this Instance who have not completed the second phase of the mission and are on their way to Tel Aviv!

You see, the system’s hint also says: once the second phase ends, participants who have not completed the second phase of the mission will be forcibly removed from the Instance and considered a mission failure, subject to punishment.

The condition for the end of the second phase is either for us to land on Demon Island and activate the magic array, or wait for the countdown to run out on its own.

So, theoretically…”

Chen Xiaolian spoke with determination, “So, theoretically, we must choose the first option! We must land on Demon Island and activate the magic array as soon as possible – not only to save Young Will but also because it may bring us another benefit: once we activate the magic array, the second phase will automatically end!

And at that time, perhaps many participants from the Light Camp have not had a chance to complete the second phase of the mission or reach Tel Aviv! This would result in their elimination.

Considering that we are currently the only Demon Camp, then… as long as we activate the magic array quickly and end the second phase as soon as possible, every eliminated participant from the other side weakens the strength of our opposing camp!”

This interpretation boosted everyone’s spirits!

Chen Xiaolian turned to Roddy.

“Roddy, how far are we from the coordinates of Demon Island, and how long will it take to arrive?”

“If I push this submarine to its maximum speed, it should take about thirty minutes,” Roddy thought for a moment, “but using maximum speed will increase our chances of being detected.”

“We’re going at maximum speed!” Chen Xiaolian decided immediately. “Time is of the essence right now!”

…

Tian Lie and Nicole received System Prompts simultaneously.

“System Prompt: Some participants have completed the second phase of the mission and arrived in Tel Aviv. The Sacred Light has been activated, and camp division has begun.

Participants who chose to kill the target character in the second phase are confirmed into the Light Camp.

Participants who chose not to kill the target character in the second phase will engage in camp trial battles upon entering the city limits of Tel Aviv. After completing specific tasks, camp division will occur again.

Participants from the same camp are not allowed to kill each other.

If the second phase countdown ends without completing the second phase mission, it will be deemed a failure, and participants will be forcibly removed from this Instance.”

Tian Lie chuckled, “It seems my guess was quite accurate. Indeed… the camps are going to be redivided. Keeping these two guys around was indeed useful.”

With that, he patted the sack containing the person on his horse.

Nicole’s expression turned serious, “We better find out which camp Chen Xiaolian and his team are in… Is there a way to contact them?”

“I’m more concerned about what we’ll do if we encounter them face to face and have to explain ourselves,” Tian Lie shrugged. “I assume you wouldn’t want to reveal our identities.”

Nicole hesitated for a moment.

Tian Lie picked up his phone and checked the GPS system, “We’re very close to Tel Aviv, only three kilometers until we enter the city… What’s curious is that we haven’t encountered any obstacles along the way. This doesn’t make sense. Normally, the tasks in the second phase wouldn’t be this simple…”

Tian Lie stopped abruptly as a cloud of dust kicked up on the ground ahead in the wilderness.

Nicole frowned, staring intently, and after a moment, she sighed, “You mentioned obstacles, and here they are.”

In the distance on the wilderness, where the dust was rising, there was a multitude of cavalry! Clad in what seemed like ancient armor, they brandished longswords, spears, or other melee weapons, forming a charging formation and thundering towards them!

Tian Lie furrowed his brow.

“Is this the test we must endure before entering Tel Aviv?” Tian Lie frowned. “If our target character dies during the fight, how will the system judge it?”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t even consider such a question. I’ll make sure to bring my target character into Tel Aviv alive no matter what!”

With that, Nicole snorted, bent over, and retrieved a longsword from her saddle. Then, she kicked her horse twice in the belly and charged headlong towards the approaching cavalry!

…

“How is he?” Chen Xiaolian sat beside Young Will, glancing at Qimu Xi, who was responsible for taking care of him.

“He hasn’t woken up yet, and there’s no sign of consciousness,” Qimu Xi looked a bit nervous. “I gave him a little water, and Lun Tai used some medication, but it didn’t work.”

“Well, there’s no need to waste any more medication,” Chen Xiaolian shook his head. “Since it’s part of the Instance’s plot, medications probably won’t help. When we land on the island, everyone should be prepared for battle at any moment. This final mission is likely to be challenging, and I don’t believe the island will be empty. The system won’t make it so easy for us to land and press a huge obvious button to activate the magic array… I think it won’t be that simple.”

After saying this, Chen Xiaolian glanced at Thirteen, who was sitting in the corner.

Thirteen also looked quite anxious.

He had already learned that the Meteor Rock Guild’s plans had changed… He originally thought that surviving the second phase and completing the deal with Chen Xiaolian would be his ticket out.

But now…

“Thirteen,” Chen Xiaolian looked at him, interrupting Thirteen’s contemplation.

Thirteen immediately looked up and saw Chen Xiaolian staring at him seriously. Chen Xiaolian spoke slowly, “Check your personal system. How long until the system reveals our coordinates to your Light Camp?”

“Approximately thirty minutes until the next coordinate reveal.”

Chen Xiaolian nodded, “Alright, if I calculated out time correctly, it’ll coincide with our landing on Demon Island.”