Every additional minute of silence reverses Jun Beibei's obsession value clearance progress by one point.
We can't let her fall into negative emotions.
They must wait hopefully...
Wait for what?
Wen Nan didn't know.
He looked up at the scorching white light source covered in mist above him, making him feel dizzy and disoriented.
He felt like he had forgotten many things, but still firmly believed that there would be a chance encounter at some point.
But before this opportunity arrived, he couldn't let Jun Beibei fall into despair, so he tried to find a topic:
"Beibei, shall we make a deal? I'll tell you the story of Supreme Treasure and Zixia Fairy, and in return, you tell me what "running with the ball" means?"
Jun Beibei lifted the hem of her drooping skirt and looked at Wen Nan quietly, without responding.
Wen Nan continued on his own.
After hearing the story, Jun Beibei stayed silent for a long time, murmuring, "The person I like is a great hero who will come to rescue me on a colorful cloud?"
Wen Nan nodded, "It seems you've grasped the essence of the story."
"I understand," Jun Beibei said earnestly, "Ye Shenshen, don't worry. Even though I don't have a colorful cloud, I'll surely save you from suffering."
Wen Nan: ?
No, Beibei, you seem to be confused about the gender and misaligned the characters, right?
Though Wen Nan inwardly criticized, he glanced at the nearby shell and saw a line of numbers, feeling relieved —
[Candidate: No. 1; Testing Phase: Second Phase; Obsession Value Clearance Progress: 58%.]
Great, the clearance rate has risen significantly.
However, before he could fully exhale, a thunderous sound came from above.
Both Shen and Beibei looked up simultaneously, seeing the scorching "sun" hanging above them suddenly start to shake.
It was as if the sky was about to collapse.
Jun Beibei instinctively moved closer to Wen Nan, seemingly ready to shield him with her shell.
Yet the "sky" didn't fall; instead, the "sun" rapidly moved away from them.
Steam suddenly gushed up into the sky, and the oppressive heat around them swiftly cooled.
The "dome" covering their heads was lifted.
A pillar reached down into the water, beginning to stir the surface.
Jun Beibei frowned, intently staring at the rotating, approaching metal pillar.
Calculating its trajectory, it would eventually stop at the point closest to Jun Beibei and Ye Shenshen, then retract back into the "sky".
If they could seize this opportunity to jump onto the pillar, they could leave this boiling seafood pot.
This was their last chance and only chance.
Thinking this, Jun Beibei stared determinedly at the slowly approaching pillar.
Ten meters, five meters, two meters... the time was now!
One side of Jun Beibei's skirt held a cooler, while the other tightly grasped Wen Nan's spine, leaping to stick onto the pillar.
"Sizzle," a sound akin to squid searing on a hot plate reached Wen Nan's ears.
Wen Nan's heart tightened as he looked up, seeing the white Arctic Clam tightly clutching the pillar with its shell.
Where the skirt met the pillar's surface, it was gradually turning milky white from semi-transparency due to the heat.
The aroma of roasting shells filled the air.
"You idiot!" Wen Nan shouted at her, "Let go! Do you want to become grilled shell meat?"
This overbearing hitchhike certainly wouldn't work; the giant "ladle" had been stirring in the scorching pot bottom too long, transferring heat swiftly through the metal, making even the handle extremely hot.
Jun Beibei clinging to it now would likely perish before leaving the pot bottom.
No matter how Wen Nan shouts, that shell stubbornly clings to the handle, refusing to let go despite trembling with heat.
Wen Nan looked at the white shell, now losing its particle effect sheen, revealing clear numbers —
[Candidate: No. 1; Testing Stage: Second Stage; Obsession Value Clearance Progress: 69%.]
Her obsession was to "leave this world", knowing she's nearing it; she'd risk anything, even becoming a flying corpse.
Wen Nan's pale words couldn't sway her; staring at the numbers on her shell, finally, Wen Nan opened his mouth to bite the tender soft flesh.
The sudden pain triggered a "withdrawal reflex"; Jun Beibei's skirt swiftly retracted into the shell.
The originally tightly held, hanging sea cucumber fell like a leaf, landing back on the dormitory building, bouncing off the window twice.
"Ye Shenshen!" Jun Beibei called below, trying to extend her skirt, but couldn't reach the sea cucumber.
[Candidate: No. 1; Testing Stage: Second Stage; Obsession Value Clearance Progress: 49%.]
If she couldn't leave with Ye Shenshen, her obsession would never be completely fulfilled.
She could lose her life but not Ye Shenshen.
Eventually, the shell let go, falling from the heated handle.
Wen Nan ran forward two steps at full speed, his spine extending out to catch the shell accurately in his arms.
Jun Beibei lay in Wen Nan's arms, her eyes locked on the slowly receding metallic pillar, saying, "It's gone, no chance now, we can't get out..."
"It'll come back," Wen Nan said firmly.
Jun Beibei turned back to look at the sea cucumber, "You... how do you know?"
Wen Nan placed the Arctic Clam by the window, then quickly ran to the far edge of the dormitory building, jumping in the direction of the giant ladle.
The sea cucumber's jumping power was remarkable, resembling a brown bouncing ball, drawing attention within this pot of boiling seafood soup.
Sure enough, the ladle's movement ceased, then turned towards their dormitory building.
In a flash, the sea cucumber turned around, rushing straight to the Arctic Clam.
A spine hooked the cooler, another tightly grasped the Arctic Clam, while the sea cucumber jumped at full speed into the soup outside the building.
Jun Beibei didn't understand why the opponent wanted to jump into the boiling pot bottom at this time, but she trusted him, closely following.
The rapidly approaching metallic ladle pressed onto Wen Nan.
The heated metal surface pressed against Wen Nan's skin, enveloping him in sharp pain.
"Ouch, damn it." Wen Nan cursed painfully.
He thought to himself, if he, who wasn't afraid of pain, was scorched enough to grimace, how did Jun Beibei endure it?
But now wasn't the time to think about that, because with the help of the boiling metal ladle behind him, Wen Nan managed to "carry the family and kids" into mid-air.
Clearly, the ladle's purpose was just to scrape remaining "ingredients" into the pot bottom, so after ensuring the sea cucumber and Arctic Clam were off the "plate," the handle followed suit, retreating towards the "sky".
This turn successfully swung a long rope hanging from the handle, throwing it in Wen Nan's direction.
And that "long rope" was Wen Nan's initial target.
It was a piece of seaweed.
A strip of seaweed attached to the handle, untouched by the soup bottom, cool and moist.
Seeing the end swing to Wen Nan, "Now's the time!"
He tossed the cooler to Jun Beibei, then used the freed spine to grip the seaweed's end tightly, "Got it!"
Thus, the seaweed below pulled a sea cucumber, which held an Arctic Clam, followed by a Sea Gourd, like three stars slowly drifting towards the outside world.
Wen Nan hung his head, proudly asking, "Impressive, your Shen brother?"
The Arctic Clam was silent, but its shell's reading surged —
[Candidate: No. 1; Testing Phase: Second Stage; Obsession Value Clearance Progress: 90%.]
As they were about to break through this world's membrane, Jun Beibei lifted her face to the figure showered in light ahead,
"Ye Shenshen."
"Hmm?"
"After we leave, let's fall in love?"