Translator: 549690339
In the fifth round, everyone burrowed into snail shells, leaving the mudfield quiet.
The sound of Jin Qiu’s impacts ceased, and no one came out.
Soon after, a frog emerged from the mud, croaking twice. With no bugs to eat, it lay idle in the mud.
Shen MO, under the cover of the snail shell, watched the frog. He noticed its bulging eye had healed somewhat, but a scar was still present.
This indicated his attack had worked.
If the injury was bad enough, it would be difficult to recover. Perhaps next time he could target a different area…
No one came out to find the ball, and the frog didn’t attack either, so the situation turned into a stalemate.
Someone took the initiative to start a conversation. Everyone began chatting across the snail shells—
“The mud collapses too quickly. If only we could make the ball bounce less, that way with fewer holes, it would be easier to find.”
“How can it be that easy? There are so many snails. Unless we can push them aside, um…” The speaker seemed to be putting in effort, then commented a moment later, “So heavy! But I can move it.”
“Don’t waste your energy, there must be over a hundred snails in this hole. Even if you can move them, can you really push every single one aside? The ball will either hit this one or that one, this method won’t work.”
“So what do we do? Once the frog rolls in mud, its wound heals by half. How could we possibly kill it…”
“Let’s just hold out for now and see what we can do in the next round…”
Everyone engaged in hushed discussion, with Tan Xiao leading the conversation and Brother Hui and Monkey occasionally chiming in.
The fifth round passed without any major incidents.
When the countdown for the sixth round began, Teacher Chang woke up.
Although he was awake, he seemed dazed. Seeing himself half-submerged in mud, he spoke in a daze: “What difference does it make where one ends. I entrust my body to the mountain. Ah, my life seems to be coming to an end…”
Tan Xiao didn’t understand him, but courteously tapped a big snail shell and said, “Old man, come here! There’s plenty of room!”
Chang Weicai turned his head at the sound and saw Tan Xiao. Despite his rough appearance, Tan Xiao was still spirited, which stirred mixed feelings in him.
“I’ve grown old, and I just can’t be as positive and proactive as you youngsters when things happen. I should learn from you all.”
He shook his head and sighed, then slowly lifted himself off the ground with effort, wading through the mud to reach Tan Xiao.
Impatient as Tan Xiao was, he took a few steps to meet him halfway, scornfully carrying Chang Weicai on his shoulder: “You’re not that old yet. Quit dragging your feet and act like an old man. Let’s hurry up! The countdown is almost over!”
Chang Weicai just hummed as he was jounced around on Tan Xiao’s shoulder.
The snail shell that Tan Xiao found was large, providing ample space for both of them. They had just gotten comfortable when the thumping of Jin Qiu from outside started.
One of the impacts precisely hit the snail shell they were in, with a loud bang, sinking the whole shell!
Mud suddenly poured into the snail shell, nearly choking Tan Xiao. He quickly crawled deeper into the shell, swearing, “Fuck!”
Chang Weicai, who was positioned above, didn’t end up in the mud. However, the sudden impact still left him stunned.
After the mud surged in, the air in the snail shell quickly turned turbid. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. About 20 seconds later, the surroundings began to tremble. A force bubbled up from below, and the snail shell flipped back to the surface of the mud—
Choking on the stale air, Tan Xiao quickly poked his head out.
He saw the frog, complacently squatting in the mud. Frustrated, he exclaimed, “That damned frog is back. Dammit! The injury on its eye is healed!”
Chang Weicai also took a peek, and said, “…Huh?”
‘”Huh’ what? Stop crowding here and watch out! It might bite you!” Tan Xiao pulled him back inside.
Chang Weicai seemed to realise something, “Xiaotan, I think our position seems the same as before.
“So what if it’s the same?” Tan Xiao replied impatiently, “The damn ball always smashes the snails into the mud, and the frog always pushes the snails out. Anyway, from what I can see, the positions are pretty much the same!”
Chang Weicai suddenly became serious: “If the position doesn’t change, as long as we know the initial point, it should be possible to calculate where the ball will land!”