Chapter 447: Pojun

Joe Chan carefully weighed the pros and cons of the situation in his mind.

Should he take the risk to catch those “balls,” or should he try to avoid them as much as possible?

Would the rewards really help them survive the game better?

“Alright, I got it,” Joe nodded. “Let’s get started.”

“Good,” the Earth Horse signaled to the group. “Since there are many of you, please push the ‘Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse’ over here.”

Upon hearing this, the group lifted the small cart and slowly pushed it to the starting line of the track.

The Earth Horse then pulled out a flare gun from his pocket and said, “Once the gun goes off, the countdown begins. You must continuously make round trips. If the ‘rider’ gets eliminated during the transport, you’ll need to return to the starting point and switch to another rider.”

“Understood.”

“Now, the first rider, please board,” the Earth Horse added.

The group exchanged glances, and Joe was the first to speak. “Little Nine, you go first.”

“Me?” Bai Jiu blinked in surprise.

“How much do you weigh?” Joe asked.

“Weight? I don’t know in pounds, but I’m 86 jin (43 kg),” Bai Jiu replied.

“Jin? I’m not familiar with jin either, but you’ll do,” Joe said. “The first round is just a test. Since you’re light, we can control the cart better, and your small frame makes it harder for the flying ‘balls’ to hit you.”

“Joe… I can accept being called light,” Bai Jiu forced a smile, “but those flying ‘balls’—we have no idea what they—”

“I’ll protect you,” Joe cut in. “I don’t have many strengths, but I always keep my word.”

“P-protect me?”

“Yes,” Joe looked at Bai Jiu with unusually serious eyes. “No matter where the ‘balls’ come from, I’ll block any that you can’t dodge.”

Though Bai Jiu thought what Joe was saying was impossible, for some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.

“Then… then you should be careful too, Joe,” she stammered.

“I know. Get on the cart.”

Yun Nineteen and Chou Twenty gave her a hand, helping her onto the Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse.

At just over 40 kg, she was so light that the sturdy cart didn’t even wobble.

Once Bai Jiu was settled, the group spread out on either side of the cart and gripped it firmly.

Even though they had practiced earlier, facing the thick layer of ice still made them nervous.

“Everyone, remember one thing,” Joe reminded them quietly.

“What?”

“There are sharp glass shards on both sides of the track,” Joe said. “If you get injured here, it’s basically a death sentence. So if you feel yourself falling, curl up, push off with your legs, and try to flip forward to land safely.”

The group glanced at the straight track. The protruding glass shards on either side looked razor-sharp, but fortunately, there were only two rows.

“A forward roll sounds a bit too advanced…?” Chou Twenty said awkwardly. “If we had skills like that, we might as well be part of the combat team.”

“I don’t expect you to do it perfectly,” Joe replied. “But if you remember my words in a life-or-death moment, it might just save you.”

The group nodded silently.

“The game is about to begin,” the Earth Horse announced, pulling out a stopwatch and raising the flare gun. At the same time, an electronic clock on the gymnasium wall lit up, displaying a fifteen-minute countdown.

Joe crouched slightly and grabbed the cart. Thankfully, it was sturdy, with a crossbar on each side for grip.

The most nervous among them was Bai Jiu, perched high on the cart. Though the group surrounded her for protection, in a truly dangerous moment, everyone could abandon the cart—except her.

She felt like a living target, sitting at the highest point, waiting to be attacked.

“Ready…” the Earth Horse murmured before pulling the trigger.

With a small puff of smoke, the flare gun’s report echoed through the gymnasium, and the group stepped forward in unison.

The next second, a wooden crate in the distance slowly rose, bearing the characters “Pojun (Army Breaker).” A mechanical rumble sounded from inside.

“Be careful…” Joe warned under his breath. “Survival first.”

“Got it!”

The group carefully pushed the cart onto the ice. Within seconds, something felt off.

The wooden balls on the cart’s underside were too smooth. The moment they touched the ice, the entire cart seemed weightless.

Their grip weakened, forcing them to hold the crossbar even tighter. Every step became precarious—the slightest push could send the cart flying forward.

“We have time,” Joe reassured them. “Fifteen minutes for seven round trips, about fifty yards each… two minutes per trip. We can take it slow.”

Just as they started to relax, the mechanical noise from the crate stopped abruptly.

Then—**BOOM!**

A white sphere shot out from the crate’s opening, hurtling straight toward Bai Jiu on the cart.

In the split second everyone froze, Joe sprang into action.

Planting his feet, he launched himself into the air, tracking the ball’s trajectory. With a powerful kick, he intercepted it mid-flight.

**CRACK!**

The white sphere shattered into countless fragments, sending a chilling sensation through everyone.

Joe flipped midair before landing—but forgot the ground was ice. His heels slipped, sending him tumbling backward.

“Dang it!”

Twisting his waist, he flipped mid-fall and caught himself with his hands, steadying his landing.

“That was close…” He frowned, carefully standing back up.

Though it felt like a simple maneuver to him, the rest of the group stared in awe.

“Joe… what you just did…” Bai Jiu, still on the cart, had witnessed everything. Joe moved with inhuman agility.

Joe ignored the reaction, just brushing his hair and muttering, “Seems like an ice ball.”

“Ice ball?” The group finally processed it—the chilling sensation must have been from the shattered fragments.

A quiet girl behind Joe, who hadn’t spoken until now, slowly raised her hand, pinching her middle and ring fingers together as if calculating something.

“Pojun… ice ball?”

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