Zhou Xuan then asked, "Who's touching it now?"
There were five people left: Roger, the Wolf and Daniel brothers, Zhang Ya Ge, and Zhou Xuan himself. Except for Zhou Xuan, the other four were trembling.
Wei Xiaoyu also tensed up and quickly said, "Zhou Xuan, you go first."
Zhou Xuan understood Wei Xiaoyu's meaning. If he went first, there was no danger at all. However, if he was last, the danger would be greater. If none of the people who went first were caught, and Zhou Xuan was last, then there would be no point in even trying; it would be his turn directly.
However, as soon as Wei Xiaoyu spoke, the other four people immediately reached out their hands and started talking.
"I'll catch it."
"I'll grab it first."
...
These people all understood that the person who grabs first has a chance of grabbing the red button, but the earlier they grab it, the lower the probability, and the later they grab it, the higher the probability.
Seeing that all four of them had extended their hands, Zhou Xuan spread his hands out and said, "We can't all come at once, can we? Let's line up in order."
Seeing that everyone was saying the same thing, Zhou Xuan simply stopped mentioning that he should grab first. He had a special ability, so no matter how he grabbed, he would always be in a position of initiative. Even if there were only two people left and only a 50% chance, he would still be able to grab first without making a mistake.
Zhang Ya Ge was in front of the four of them. It was hard to decide who would go first, so they just went by order. Besides, no one was sure who would get the red one.
The group immediately tacitly allowed Zhang Ya to draw lots first. Zhang Ya closed his eyes, made a gesture of praying to Buddha, and muttered a few words that no one could understand.
Zhou Xuan guessed that he was chanting "Amitabha" or something similar. All seven people's eyes were on Zhang Ya Ge. Zhang Ya Ge reached into his diving suit, fumbled around for a while, and like An Guoqing, pinched a button with trembling hands.
Zhou Xuan's heart sank. Zhang Ya Ge squeezed and released the button, then squeezed it again, but finally grabbed the red button. Of course, Zhou Xuan couldn't make any move. If he wanted to, he would have liked An Guoqing to touch the red button.
Zhang Ya Ge slowly opened his palm, his hands trembling. Under everyone's gaze, his eyes fell on a bright red spot in his palm, as red as blood. He was immediately struck dumb, as if by lightning.
Roger, Wolf, and Daniel, who remained, all breathed a long sigh of relief. They were happy, but also heavy-hearted. There was a 50-60% chance that the person who jumped over would die. However, everyone hoped that the person who jumped over would succeed, otherwise they would have to continue drawing lots.
Zhang Ya was under immense pressure and genuinely terrified. Zhou Xuan gently patted him on the shoulder, comforting him, "Old Zhang, don't worry, have confidence. We'll tie the rope around your waist again, and you can sprint with all your might. Actually, with a little more force, jumping four meters isn't impossible. If you don't make it, we'll pull you back with all our might at the same time. As long as you time it right, suspending you above the lava isn't difficult."
Zhang Ya Ge muttered, "That's not difficult, but everyone knows that the temperature above lava can kill people. Even if I hadn't fallen into the lava, I'd probably have been burned to a crisp by the high temperature. No matter how fast you grab me, you can only save my upper body at most; my legs will probably be burned off."
Everyone else expected this outcome, but Zhou Xuan still comforted him: "Old Zhang, I'll handle the high temperature problem. Just focus on jumping. Didn't I solve your problem of diving deep in the pool? Let me tell you, I can not only protect you from the cold, but also from the heat."
Zhang Ya Ge just shook his head. Anyway, he was going to die, and words of comfort didn't cost anything; anyone could say them. He thought for a moment and wanted to discuss it with the others, but then he suddenly fell silent, looked up at Zhou Xuan, and asked strangely, "You...did you do this?"
Zhou Xuan nodded and smiled, "Yes, Lao Zhang, didn't I tell you? You just need to jump as high as you can to the other side, and the seven of us on this side will hold the rope tightly to ensure your safety. I don't need to hide this from you. Of course there are dangers, but as long as we do our job well, we can eliminate them."
Zhang Ya was overjoyed, because he had suddenly felt a chill all over his body, and the unbearable heat had suddenly disappeared. Judging from what Zhou Xuan had just said, Zhang Ya knew that the temperature in the cave had not dropped automatically, but that Zhou Xuan had definitely done something to it.
Volume 1, Chapter 401: Ruthless and Cruel
When Zhou Xuan secretly helped Zhang Ya Ge cool down, he used his ice-energy ability. It wasn't just to keep him warm and cool, but to use his ice-hair ability to directly lower the temperature of one side of his body to about five or six degrees.
Zhang Ya Ge was suddenly plunged from the sweltering heat to the freezing cold. This was unlike the feeling of winter, where the temperature was constant and you would feel cold. But now, he was enduring temperatures of over forty degrees Celsius, which was unbearably hot. Suddenly, the temperature around him dropped to five or six degrees Celsius, just like a super-powerful air conditioner had brought down the temperature. The feeling of comfort was indescribable!
Zhou Xuan added, "Old Zhang, put your diving suit back on. It's quite effective at blocking heat, so you don't need to wear a hood, but it can block some of the heat from your feet. I'll protect you, so there shouldn't be any problem!"
Zhang Ya Ge nodded and said with a wry smile, "Alright, since we've drawn it, that's fate. I have nothing more to say. But I hope you guys can make the most of it, Xiao Zhou!"
"Don't worry!" Zhou Xuan nodded reassuringly. Zhang Ya Ge's hope that they could make it was obviously a matter of them grabbing the rope quickly if they couldn't jump over it.
After putting on his diving suit, Zhang Ya tied the rope securely around his waist, and then tied the other end of the rope to his body as well. Because the rope was long enough, even after being folded in half, it was still about ten meters long. The double rope would also ensure Zhang Ya's safety more steadily.
After Zhang Ya Ge was ready, Zhou Xuan used his ice energy to lower the temperature of Zhang Ya Ge's lower body by one or two degrees. Then, he held the rope in his hand, waved to everyone, and Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying immediately walked to his side and also held the rope.
An Guoqing was extremely anxious at this moment, so he quickly grabbed the rope. Roger, Wolf, and Daniel also stepped forward and held the rope tightly.
Zhang Ya Ge was at the very front. Because of Zhou Xuan's superpower, he didn't feel the heat. Although he was afraid of the lava in the deep pit, he felt a little calmer. He took a few steps back, then bent down and half-squatted, preparing to rush in.
Behind him was An Guoqing, and the remaining seven people lined up as close together as possible, leaving enough rope for Brother Zhang Ya.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't scared, but since I was the one being dragged into this mess, there was nothing I could do. If Brother Zhang didn't comply, then no one else would agree either, and then we might just have to stay here and wait to die.
Zhang Ya Ge took a few deep breaths, then mustered all his strength and charged forward. However, he was still afraid of the rolling red lava, and as he jumped, he involuntarily shrank back. It was because of this shrank back that Zhang Ya Ge only jumped a little over three meters before falling!
Zhou Xuan shouted, "Oh no! Pull the rope quickly!"
After saying that, he pulled hard backward, but because he was not at the front, when he pulled hard, he only pulled the brothers Wolf and Daniel in front of him, pulling them both upside down. An Guoqing, who was at the front, was surprised and couldn't exert any force for a moment. Fearing that he would be dragged into the lava pit by Zhang Ya Ge, he immediately let go.
Zhang Ya Ge cried out "Ouch!" and fell into the rolling lava. Zhou Xuan rushed to the front and could still feel Zhang Ya Ge's body sinking into the lava with his superpower. Because of his superpower, Zhang Ya Ge's body had not been swallowed by the lava and he was still alive. However, the rope made of the diving suit was burned through by the lava.
Zhang Ya Ge was swallowed up and disappeared by the lava right before Zhou Xuan's eyes. Because the incident happened so suddenly, Zhou Xuan's superpower only protected Zhang Ya Ge, but not the rope, so the rope was burned through by the lava!
This startled An Guoqing and the others, leaving them stunned!
Zhou Xuan stood by the lava rocks in a daze, feeling very guilty. Although Zhang Ya Ge had no relation to him, he was neither an enemy nor a match for him. To see a living person burned to death by the lava right in front of him was incredibly disheartening!
An Guoqing and his group were all extremely disappointed. Although none of them wanted to go themselves, they still hoped that the other person would succeed. If he failed, they would still be in danger.
An Guoqing and the others looked at each other, both frightened and disappointed. After a moment, An Guoqing gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Let's go castrate again, as usual, whoever's turn it is, that's who!"
Zhou Xuan stared at the molten lava, his eyes welling up with tears. After a moment, he slowly turned around and said in a low voice to An Guoqing and the others, "No need to arrest them, I'll go!"
Zhou Xuan's words surprised not only An Guoqing and the other three, but also Wei Xiaoyu and Fu Ying. Wei Xiaoyu immediately shouted, "No way! If we're going to go, let's make a scene. Let whoever is supposed to go go. We won't take advantage of anyone, and we won't let ourselves suffer any losses!"
Zhou Xuan volunteered to go himself, and An Guoqing and the other three were naturally overjoyed. This reduced the danger for the four of them, so they readily agreed.
Looking at these people's expressions, Fu Ying had mixed feelings.
This Zhou Xuan is truly incomprehensible. She had always refused to believe his words because there was absolutely no way she could fall for a complete stranger she had no recollection of. But ever since they descended to the bottom of this skylight cave, Zhou Xuan had shielded her from any danger. As long as it was within his capabilities, he wouldn't put himself in any danger. But this situation was clearly beyond his capabilities. Moreover, he could have used the method of grabbing the eunuch to prevent himself from grabbing the red button, but he unexpectedly refused and volunteered to do it himself. Why was that?
Everyone saw how Zhang Ya Ge died a horrible death, didn't Zhou Xuan see it? Aren't you scared?