Chapter 13: Mud
Thud.
A muffled sound came from the rear of the cabin. A contractor's seat opened beneath them, and they were ejected directly from the plane.
"Ah!!"
The cries faded away as the plane began deploying the contractors.
"Hey, wait, I don't have a parachute. Paradise, I'm begging you, can't you give me one for free?"
The contractor without a parachute had a pale face, his eyes filled with extreme terror.
Thud, thud...
One by one, contractors were thrown from the plane, soon reaching the one without a parachute.
He looked at the hole in the seat beside him. Below was a sea island, quite large in size, surrounded by ocean on all sides.
"Hold on, Paradise, listen to me. I've completed so many tasks for you..."
This contractor was overthinking things. In Su Xiao's view, Reincarnation Paradise adhered to treaties and regulations. It wouldn't favor anyone; you got as much benefit as you contributed.
The parachuteless contractor felt the seat beneath him start to loosen.
"Wait, I..."
Thud.
The seat opened, and the contractor without a parachute was thrown from the plane.
"Reincarnation Paradise, I R N M M P P!!!!!"
The voice grew distant. Su Xiao figured this guy was done for. Maybe he'd turn into a Scarlet Card upon landing?
This was 4,000 meters up. Surviving without a parachute wasn't likely.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang beside him was very nervous. After all, he'd never even heard of skydiving before.
Su Xiao wasn't too tense. This was the thrill of exploring Reincarnation Paradise. Without a strong heart, you couldn't make it here.
Thud.
The space beneath Su Xiao's seat gave way, and he and Bubu Wang were ejected from the plane.
Falling rapidly, Su Xiao and Bubu Wang weren't far apart. Even with different weights, their landing time would be roughly the same: h=1/2gt², the laws of physics.
Su Xiao descended quickly, a strong wind rushed toward him, blowing his short hair.
Below was a very large island, at least several hundred kilometers in diameter. Calling it an island was more like calling it a small country.
"Bubu, glide toward that direction."
Su Xiao pointed to a small town below. From above, it was at most the size of a cigarette pack.
Screech!
A sharp bird cry came from above. Su Xiao looked up into the high sky, his pupils contracting sharply.
A black eagle, at least five meters long, was circling high above. It looked majestic, its black feathers like forged steel.
This black eagle circled in the sky. Just by its size, you could tell it was no ordinary creature.
The black eagle flew over Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang was so scared his butt nearly went cold. It was coming for him.
"Oww~."
Bubu Wang let out a dry howl. The black eagle paused.
"Screech!"
"Oww~, woof woof!"
"Screech~."
A dog and an eagle actually started 'negotiating.' Judging by the situation, it wasn't going well. The black eagle charged at Bubu Wang aggressively.
Su Xiao drew the black and white pistols from his thighs. Just as he aimed at the black eagle, Bubu Wang did something unexpected.
"Screech!"
Please don't misunderstand. This time, it wasn't the black eagle calling, but Bubu Wang.
The diving black eagle was a bit confused. It started circling near Bubu Wang, as if trying to figure out what species this was. That cry just now sounded a bit like one of its own.
Bubu Wang, in a miraculous turn, had made peace with the enemy. Heaven knows how a dog made that sound. It seemed he was pushed to the brink.
"Ahhh~!!"
A long, drawn-out scream came from nearby. Su Xiao looked toward the source. It was actually the contractor without a parachute.
This guy had already pissed himself. Free-falling from high altitude without a parachute was a desperate situation. If he somehow survived this, he'd definitely keep several parachutes on hand from now on.
"Brother, save me! We can share a parachute and still land."
The parachuteless guy tried to get closer to Su Xiao but failed after several attempts.
"Goodbye. No, forever."
His cries attracted the black eagle's attention. Bubu Wang had already made peace with the enemy, so the eagle wouldn't attack him for now. And Su Xiao looked like trouble, so the eagle was drawn to that contractor.
"Forever? What do you mean?"
Due to the angle, the parachuteless guy didn't see the black eagle.
A sharp whistling sound came. By the time the parachuteless guy sensed the danger, it was too late.
Sharp eagle claws pierced through his body. Bloody talons emerged. The black eagle's beak struck down, its hooked beak tearing into his neck, ripping off a strip of flesh.
Blood splattered in the high sky. The intense pain nearly made the parachuteless guy pass out.
But he was still a contractor who had completed his promotion mission. Even facing certain death, he didn't give up.
"Ice Touch."
Crack, crack, crack.
Ice encased the parachuteless guy and the black eagle. The two froze together and began to fall.
This showed how dangerous the survival trial was. They hadn't even landed yet and were already facing a crisis.
Conservative estimate: that black eagle had at least 40 points in Agility, and its Strength wasn't low either.
This was just a random encounter. There were bound to be even more terrifying creatures on the island.
Su Xiao and Bubu Wang fell rapidly. When they dropped to 500 meters, their parachutes automatically deployed.
The descent slowed. Su Xiao went from a rapid fall to a gentle drift.
Su Xiao had been overthinking things earlier. He'd planned to land in a small town, but skydiving wasn't that simple.
His landing point was now random. Below was a vast grassland with a few tall trees scattered about.
Su Xiao couldn't control the parachute. He could only pray he didn't get caught in a tree. Those trees were mysteriously tall, at least several dozen meters high.
There were five trees on the grassland. Su Xiao flew straight toward one of them and crashed headfirst into its branches, snapping a large number of thin twigs.
Rustle, rustle.
Su Xiao broke through the branches. The parachute nearly got caught several times. Though thrilling, he miraculously landed without getting snagged.
This put Su Xiao in a good mood. Given his luck, even though there were only five trees on the grassland, he was the type destined to get caught.
Cutting the parachute straps, Su Xiao stepped onto the ground.
Free-falling from the sky wasn't a good feeling. It was hard to deal with attacks. Having solid ground under his feet was reassuring.
Looking around, Su Xiao searched for a while but couldn't find Bubu Wang.
"Woof!"
A familiar bark came. Su Xiao craned his neck to look. Bubu Wang was hanging from a tree, looking like he was 'self-hanging from a southeastern branch.'
The parachute strap was tight around Bubu Wang's throat. He was rolling his eyes, his expression seeming to say: 'Master, come save this Wang. This Wang is stuck.'
Su Xiao estimated the height Bubu Wang was hanging at. At least ten meters. Climbing up wasn't a great option.
Not only was climbing the tree not easy, but this tree was sure to have plenty of snakes, insects, rats, and ants.
Dragon-Slaying Flash was drawn. A pale blue blade aura shot out.
The blade aura precisely passed above Bubu Wang, cutting the strap. Bubu Wang yelped and fell to the ground.
Thud!
Bubu Wang landed face-first, planting himself like a carrot.
Bubu Wang was dazed from the fall. He got up and charged straight for that tree, chomping down with a crack, crack, sending wood chips flying.
Given Bubu Wang's temper, he wouldn't stop until he chewed that tree down. After all, it had started it this time.
Su Xiao didn't pay much attention to Bubu Wang gnawing the tree at first. But a few seconds later, he sensed something was wrong. A terrifying feeling came from directly beneath him, like a needle stabbing his brow.
"Bubu, run!"
Su Xiao ran toward Bubu Wang. Bubu Wang immediately stopped gnawing and sprinted toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao swung onto Bubu Wang's back, quickly pointing out a direction. Bubu Wang fled for his life without hesitation.
Boom!
Cracks spread across the ground. A massive, blood-red maw burst from the earth, filled with sharp fangs, densely packed in several rows.
Without looking back, Su Xiao threw an Alchemy Bomb. It exploded, echoing across the grassland with a towering blaze.
Using the blast's shockwave, Su Xiao and Bubu Wang escaped far away.
A centipede, two meters in diameter, poked its head out of the ground. Its full length was unknown.
After Bubu Wang had run a long distance, Su Xiao's mind felt dizzy. A few seconds later, the scene before him began to change.
[You have broken free from Perceptual Misguidance.]
Reincarnation Paradise's notification told Su Xiao what had just happened. The scene before him had now changed. It was still the same grassland, but the soil had turned blood-red.
Earlier, in Reincarnation Paradise's introduction, Su Xiao clearly remembered this sentence:
[Tip: Hunters, do not enter the Red Soil Area. The Red Soil Area's difficulty exceeds Lv.17.]
Su Xiao's landing point was right in the Red Soil Area!