Captain Zhao by his side asked Zhou Lin.
Zhou Lin had not spoken from the beginning. He had been observing the giant centipede, always feeling that something was wrong, but unable to pinpoint what it was.
He was lost in thought.
Everyone around was waiting for Zhou Lin, and even the giant centipede remained still.
In the live stream.
"Damn, this giant centipede is so much bigger than the ones we saw before. It's truly massive."
"This centipede looks really black, I've never seen a centipede this dark. Is it the angle?"
"Probably not, maybe it's armor. This thing looks very imposing. Perhaps the big boss will pull out some mysterious weapon? Let's wait and see."
"Your Great Xia's things are truly bizarre. This centipede looks so poisonous, it's terrifying just looking at it."
"Isn't it? It's terrifying just looking at it."
"The most poisonous thing is your hearts. We are living beings. You are worse than this giant centipede. At least looking at us brings joy. You are all disguised giant centipedes."
...
In the deans' conference room.
Everyone was eagerly watching Zhou Lin's skills, wondering what treasure he would produce next.
"What's wrong with Zhou Lin? What is he thinking? Shouldn't he make a move first?"
One of the experts was somewhat disappointed.
"He's probably thinking of a strategy. After all, this thing is so big, he has to figure out what to do."
Professor Hu speculated.
"Do you believe that? I don't. Zhou Lin's principle is 'never back down, just do it.' How could he be thinking for so long? This theory doesn't hold."
Professor Wen, who understood Zhou Lin somewhat, disagreed with this explanation.
They were all waiting, waiting to see what Zhou Lin would do next.
The dean watched the big screen without a word.
Inside the tomb.
Zhou Lin calmly took out some water from his bag, took a sip, and then, under everyone's gaze—
Pfft—
He sprayed the water from his mouth onto the centipede.
The centipede, which had been so spirited moments ago, now had some parts of its body becoming wet.
The centipede, seeing its body gradually changing shape, became furious, let out heavy breaths, and was about to attack Zhou Lin.
"Do you dare to come closer? Do you? If you come any closer, I'll turn you into white paper. Do you believe me?"
Zhou Lin also took out his water bottle, ready to act at any moment.
As if understanding him, the giant centipede dared not approach Zhou Lin.
It then turned its gaze back to the crowd.
Huo Qi felt a shiver down his spine and also took out his water bottle, raising it high.
"If you come here, there's only one outcome."
Huo Qi was still a bit nervous. He had always been the one being humiliated and bullied, and now he finally had a chance to retaliate.
The metaphysics professor and the other students followed suit, as if daring the giant centipede to approach and get sprayed.
Seeing these people, the giant centipede knew its weakness had been exposed. It was about to leave, its body slowly retreating, about to return to the abyss below, when Zhou Lin spoke.
"Stop."
Zhou Lin looked at the giant centipede and said without politeness.
The centipede's movements immediately tensed up, and it quickly stopped.
"Take us across. This bridge is not safe right now. If you have any tricks up your sleeve, I'll kill you. You can try me."
After speaking, Zhou Lin raised his half-full water bottle.
Upon hearing his voice, the centipede dared not speak. It could only offer its body as a bridge, waiting for them to cross.
"Let's go. Now we have a bridge. Who would walk on an unsafe one? This one is absolutely safe, absolutely wide."
Zhou Lin said with a smile, looking at the students and professors beside him.
Everyone was stunned. They had expected a fierce battle, but they never imagined that the conflict would be resolved so easily.
No, it wasn't a conflict, it was a crisis.
"Everyone, I've solved a problem. So, the toll for crossing the bridge will be deducted from your diamonds. That's not too much to ask, is it?"
Zhou Lin's words almost made Huo Qi lose his footing and fall into the abyss.
What the heck?
A toll fee!
Is he crazy for money?
The students and professors beside him looked at Zhou Lin strangely. Were they hallucinating? Was this something a person would say?
In the live stream.
"Holy crap, I thought there was going to be a fierce battle, but I didn't expect it to be resolved with a bottle of water?"
"What kind of centipede is this? Afraid of water?"
"No, why aren't the centipedes I encounter afraid? They're more active when they encounter water than when they encounter me."
"But isn't the strangest thing the big boss? Why is he asking for money? There's a toll fee?"
"Maybe the big boss had some preparations. It's hard to say."
"I think the biggest preparation is for money."
In the deans' conference room.
Everyone was dumbfounded. No fighting, no danger, just a bottle of water to solve it so easily?
"Dean, isn't this the safest Zhou Lin has been since he entered the tomb?"
Professor Wen found the quietness almost unacceptable.
"It should be. But this familiar pattern... it's just that the money he's asking for is a bit steep. If they don't get out soon, won't they be left with no money at all?"
The dean smiled wryly, looking at Zhou Lin.
Only then did everyone remember. It was hard to say, perhaps it would indeed be like that.
In the end, all the money would fall into Zhou Lin's hands.
Inside the tomb.
Zhou Lin took the next step to leave, with Huo Qi and the metaphysics professor behind him.
Finally, the people from Sakura Country, they still felt uneasy. This thing... did all the diamonds go to Zhou Lin just now?
After they crossed, would they have to give him a diamond?
Zuo Lin and the metaphysics professor walked onto the centipede's body, as if stepping on steel plates. But even such a hard surface was afraid of water.
Could it be that one must overcome hardness with softness?
But they still felt a little worried. What if they suddenly fell halfway across?
That was a bottomless abyss.
"Professor Zhou Lin, what's going on? Why do you trust this giant centipede so much?"
Huo Qi asked in a low voice.
"Why shouldn't I trust it? It won't cause any trouble. In the face of life and death, everything else is fleeting. Humans have their little thoughts, and centipedes naturally do too."
Zhou Lin explained nonchalantly.
Huo Qi felt that Zhou Lin's perspective was very insightful, but...
Why was the smell of ink so strong? It smelled so foul, with a hint of ink fragrance.
When everyone reached the other side, many breathed a sigh of relief, their legs trembling. It wasn't for anything else, but the fear that they might be thrown down, the mere thought was terrifying.
In the live stream.
"Phew, we finally made it across. I was so worried."