I Run Away with the Earth to Save the World [Unlimited Flow] - Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Once again, the Prince logs in and stays silent

After a few more casual exchanges with the Earth, Jing Qizhen gradually drifted into sleep.

The next morning, when he went downstairs, he saw that the foreigners were sprawled awkwardly on the sofas in the living room.

They were already awake but when they heard footsteps and turned to look at him, their eyes reflected exhaustion and weariness.

Jing Qizhen instinctively wanted to say good morning but the words got stuck in his throat. He blinked and instead asked, “Are you all okay?”

Caroline wobbled to her feet, her hair a tangled mess draped over her shoulders. She muttered, “Still alive…”

Jing Qizhen watched as the lady put on her high heels, yawned while covering her mouth, and swiftly regained her composure. She walked steadily into the bathroom, closing the door with a bang. The sound of running water soon came from the sink inside.

Jing Qizhen: “…”

What could he say? Something like, ‘No wonder you’re the elite partygoers who can stay up all night and be ready to keep going after just a quick face wash the next day’?

After Caroline, Angelina, Professor Jones, and McCain also started moving.

In no time, they all seemed refreshed and energetic again, as if the exhaustion Jing Qizhen had seen when he came downstairs earlier was just an illusion.

Only Joyce, who had shamelessly followed his cousin Wilcox yesterday, seemed different. With someone he trusted by his side and no need to stay overly guarded, he had finally managed to get a good night’s sleep.

As they ate the lavish breakfast prepared by Si Jiayang and the Filipino maid, the group, with plates in hand or sandwiches directly in their grasp, gathered around, either standing or sitting, to seriously discuss their next steps.

Jing Qizhen: “We already tried flooding the rabbit hole but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect. As I recall, neither the March Hare nor the Knight of Heart appeared wet when they emerged from the rabbit hole. Instead, they were completely dry.”

Jin Guijuan: “That makes sense. Honestly, that little bit of water was only enough to water a patch of land. Farms use way more than that when irrigating crops.”

Jing Qizhen: “I get it… It’s like when firefighters use high-pressure water cannons to put out a fire but they never end up flooding the surrounding area.”

Jin Guijuan: “…”

That analogy left her at a loss for words.

Manman: “Let’s stop with the water, then. First, it’s slow, and second, if we eventually need to set that fairy tale book on fire, flooding the fairy tale kingdom with water will just make that harder.”

Jing Qizhen nodded in agreement.

After seeing how the Knight of Heart reacted to flames, everyone had already leaned toward using fire as the solution. The key was to be cautious and avoid getting caught in the blaze.

Jing Qizhen: “There’s one more thing. Regardless of where ‘Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland’ fits into that ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’, the Knight of Heart’s appearance in the story hasn’t yet reached the conclusion.”

Gu Leshan didn’t quite follow the hint. “What do you mean?”

Sensing that Jing Qizhen might be revealing something important, everyone paused their breakfast to listen.

Except for Yun Shuanghua who remained unfazed and continued eating heartily.

Jing Qizhen glanced at him briefly before continuing, “The March Hare is a key character early in the story, while the Knight of Heart comes later. So far, the March Hare feels very real but the Knight of Heart still carries the scent of ink and freshly printed pages.”

Lu Lingxi suddenly understood and blurted out, “The fairy tale kingdom was transformed from that ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’ into reality but it’s incomplete. The later characters are still being ‘printed’ into existence. The ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’ hasn’t fully materialized into reality yet!”

Caroline’s face lit up in realization as well, though she made a point to add, “The March Hare is on the cover of the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’.”

Jing Qizhen: “Exactly. So the March Hare should be the most ‘real’ character in the story right now.”

Manman joked, “To see how real it is, we could just pull out some of its fur and set it on fire.”

Jing Qizhen nodded. “Right. When the March Hare returns, we’ll test whether burning its fur produces the same reaction as burning paper. If everything aligns with our expectations, our next task will be to find the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’ and destroy it completely.”

Professor Jones frowned. “But how will we find it?”

Si Jiayang, standing beside Manman, placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, “By entering the fairy tale world through the rabbit hole? But if the rabbit hole is directly connected to the book, going in might be dangerous.”

Jing Qizhen blinked. “We already have a method we discussed yesterday. Books are flammable, remember?”

Before anyone could react, Jing Qizhen turned to the foreigners. “The idea came from you guys, to throw explosives down the rabbit hole. Once the fire and explosions start, the fairy tale kingdom formed from the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’ will naturally be reduced to ashes.”

Gu Leshan pulled out a half-finished solid explosive from who-knows-where. “Got it.”

The foreigners: “…”

Last night, these people were looking at them like they were terrorists!

Jing Qizhen remained calm. “The fairy tale kingdom is an offshoot of that book. As long as we destroy the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’, the fairy tale kingdom will naturally vanish. It’s essentially the same thing.”

Angelina took a deep breath, then a few more, trying to steady herself before her emotions got the better of her.

After breakfast, Gu Leshan pulled Lu Lingxi aside to brainstorm how to throw explosives into the rabbit hole in a way that would guarantee the destruction of the fairy tale kingdom and most importantly, obliterating the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’.

Yan Hong stood nearby, occasionally offering his thoughts and considerations.

While Manman and Si Jiayang had plenty of experience using various explosives for destruction in video games, they knew those were merely physics simulations and not quite the same as real-life scenarios. Naturally, they avoided getting involved in the high-risk and technically challenging discussion.

The foreigners, meanwhile, seemed to fall into a fresh wave of anxiety as they waited, their expressions alternating between gloom and uncertainty.

Caroline picked up her tablet again and sketched out a simple map of the villa area. Using the explosion radius discussed by Lu Lingxi and the others as a reference, she began fretting over whether detonating the rabbit hole might impact the surrounding area.

Close to noon, there was finally some movement in the rabbit hole near the ruined villa.

A pair of rabbit ears suddenly popped out from the hole.

Jing Qizhen, who had been examining a banknote while mentally discussing with the Earth the changes in the erosion area and how to handle the upcoming unusual scenarios, instantly became alert.

Jing Qizhen: “The March Hare is back.”

With that simple sentence, everyone froze for a moment before springing back into action.

Gu Leshan waved his hand. “The explosives on my end are ready.”

Jing Qizhen stood up. “I’ll go check on the March Hare.”

Si Jiayang casually tossed him a bottle of seasoning. “Take this.”

Jing Qizhen chuckled at the gesture and joked, “Given what happened last time, I can’t tell if the March Hare now sees seasoning as a psychological nightmare or if it’ll go straight into berserk mode.”

Si Jiayang paused in thought, then replied confidently, “Trust a chef’s instincts on this.”

Jing Qizhen laughed. “Alright, I’ll trust you.”

He shook the seasoning bottle, then turned to Yan Hong. “Can I borrow a lighter?”

Yan Hong casually pulled a standard plastic lighter from his pocket and tossed it over. It was a cheap kind you’d find at a street food stall for about one Yuan.

Jing Qizhen pocketed the lighter and walked out of the villa, heading straight for the March Hare, who was standing amidst the ruins and looking around.

Yun Shuanghua, who had been leisurely eating with an appetite seemingly connected to another dimension, paused for a moment before following him. Even then, he was still holding a small plate of cheesecake slices that the housemaid had baked earlier.

Manman watched Yun Shuanghua’s retreating figure with a slight frown.

Once Jing Qizhen and Yun Shuanghua had left the villa, Si Jiayang turned to Manman, leaned in close, and whispered, “Baby?”

Manman gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, deciding to temporarily set aside her doubts about Yun Shuanghua. Everything could be dealt with once they safely left the erosion area.

In the ruined area, the March Hare, who had been looking around, visibly relaxed when it spotted Jing Qizhen in the distance.

From its neatly groomed red jazz vest, it pulled out its golden pocket watch. Then, from another perfectly flat pocket that didn’t even look like it held anything, it produced a handkerchief and carefully wiped the glass surface of the watch. With its three-part mouth, it mumbled, “I was just wondering, now that the castle has collapsed, where are you all planning to sleep tonight?”

Jing Qizhen replied casually, “If we don’t sleep, we could always have a bonfire party instead!”

The March Hare exclaimed in shock, “How could a princess not sleep at night?!”

Jing Qizhen answered as though it was the most natural thing in the world, “The Prince’s banquet lasts until midnight. By the time they get to bed, it’ll already be past the middle of the night.”

The March Hare: “…”

At that moment, the March Hare noticed Yun Shuanghua walking behind Jing Qizhen, holding a tray and a silver spoon in one hand. Instantly, it cried out excitedly, “Ah, His Highness the Prince!”

Jing Qizhen exhaled quietly, thinking to himself, ‘As expected!’

Yun Shuanghua lifted his head to look at the March Hare with an expression that was cold and indifferent, devoid of any ripples of emotion.

The March Hare’s excitement quickly turned awkward due to the Prince’s icy demeanor.

The March Hare stared blankly at Yun Shuanghua for a while before hesitantly whispering, “Your Highness Prince?”

Yun Shuanghua: “…”

The March Hare’s red eyes filled with confusion. Yun Shuanghua still said nothing.

The March Hare: “…”

Can someone tell me what I’m supposed to do next?

Jing Qizhen: “…”

Great. Once again, the Prince logged in and stayed silent, leaving the entire script unable to proceed.