48: Chapter 48 Leap of Faith

Lin Ye crouched at the edge of the cliff and threw a fist-sized rock down.

One second, five seconds, ten seconds.

He didn't even hear a sound.

It was a pure, bottomless abyss; if you fell, not even a scrap would be left.

Inside the Great Xia Live Stream, the audience was anxious.

"It's over, this is a dead end, right?"

"Other contestants crossing islands at least have a vine as a makeshift bridge. What is this in front of Brother Eye?"

"The USA is even more ridiculous; they have a big iron chain!"

"Why is it completely bare on Brother Eye's side? This isn't fair!"

"Exactly, Brother Eye is being targeted, right? This is just a dead end!"

Meanwhile, those overseas IDs and "run-people" immediately started celebrating in the live chat.

"USA: God is fair. When your luck runs out, you can only wait for death."

"Island Country: Yoshi! The Great Xia people should be trapped and die on that broken island!"

"USA (Great Xia Language): Heh, let's see how he fakes it. Can he sprout wings and fly over?"

"USA (Great Xia Language): Let's go, what's the point of watching a cripple stare blankly? Might as well go watch Scott fight monsters."

The Great Xia audience was grinding their teeth in anger, but the reality was right there; they couldn't just make Lin Ye grow wings.

...

At the edge of the cliff.

Lin Ye simply sat cross-legged at the cliff's edge, narrowing his eyes to scan the sea of clouds below.

Worrying blindly was useless. Although the "Endgame Simulation" was full of pitfalls, crisis always accompanied opportunity.

"The cable length of the Wind-Chasing Claw definitely isn't enough; I have to use external force."

Just then,

about fifty meters below the Floating Island, a small patch of clouds suddenly showed something unusual.

The clouds began to bulge upward.

Three seconds later.

"Boom—!"

A stream of air broke through the cloud surface, shooting straight into the high sky!

This airflow only lasted for a moment before quickly dissipating, and the sea of clouds returned to calm.

Lin Ye rubbed his chin.

He reached back and pulled a short spear from his backpack.

He waited for a few minutes.

The clouds in that area bulged again.

He exerted force with his arm and threw the short spear hard toward that airspace.

The short spear traced an arc and fell into the clouds.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

"Boom—!"

The airflow erupted as expected!

The short spear, which had been falling, was lifted by the airflow and shot rapidly into the high sky.

In the blink of an eye, the short spear flew over Lin Ye's head, reaching the height of the Level 3 Floating Island!

Lin Ye raised an eyebrow, a crazy thought popping into his mind.

He immediately stood up, turned around, and ran into the forest behind him.

Great Xia Live Stream.

"What is Brother Eye going to do?"

"What was that just now? A tornado blowing in reverse?"

"That's an updraft; tornadoes rotate!"

Two minutes later, Lin Ye returned to the cliff edge carrying a dozen or so tree branches as thick as an arm.

He stared at the time on his wrist terminal.

Waiting.

The clouds began to bulge.

He threw a branch with force.

The airflow erupted.

The branch was ejected into the sky.

Lin Ye looked down at his terminal and noted the time.

After a while, the clouds expanded again.

He continued to throw branches.

Eruption.

Continued recording.

Repeatedly.

The 4th time, the 7th time, the 11th time...

He even adjusted the angle of his throws, tossing them into different parts of the airflow.

After more than a dozen consecutive tests, Lin Ye finally stopped.

"As I thought..."

He licked his dry lips, his eyes showing a hint of excitement.

"This is an intermittent updraft."

"The eruption interval is 7 minutes and 30 seconds."

"It only lasts for 9 seconds."

This was the opportunity left for Lin Ye.

A fleeting wind path.

Great Xia Live Stream.

"This is a natural updraft! Brother Eye is measuring data!"

"Wait, he doesn't intend to... rely on this thing to fly up, right?"

"But the problem is, a person isn't a wooden stick; how can he be lifted by the airflow?"

Lin Ye took off his backpack and pulled out the pair of worn-out long pants he had changed out of.

"It's time for you to serve your final purpose."

He drew his dagger.

He slashed open the crotch, then cut along the inside of both pant legs down to the cuffs.

The pair of long pants was dismantled into two large, wide pieces of fabric.

Then he pulled out the nylon fishing line.

He used his dagger to punch holes in the edges of the fabric and threaded the fishing line through them.

Finally, he tied the two pieces of fabric to his arms, waist, and the sides of his thighs!

Lin Ye stood up and spread his arms outward.

The two pieces of fabric stretched out between his arms and thighs, creating a beggar-style "flying wingsuit."

The Great Xia Live Stream exploded on the spot.

"Holy crap! What is he doing?!"

"No, no, no! Stop! Brother Eye, calm down!"

"How is this a wingsuit? This is a burial shroud, my dear brother!"

"Time for the funeral feast! Someone go tie him back! I don't want to watch a funeral livestream!"

"Brother Eye, don't do this, let's try another way!"

"Old Xu! Speak quickly! Hurry up and jinx him!"

The overseas live chat was laughing like crazy.

"John Bull: My God, is he trying to be funny?"

"USA: This Great Xia person is crazy! Does he think he's Batman?"

"Kangaroo Country: Jump already! I can't wait to see him fall into a pile of mush!"

...

At the edge of the cliff.

Lin Ye carefully checked every knot, tugged on the fishing line, and confirmed it was tied securely.

The fire axe was tucked diagonally into the side buckle of his backpack, and the dagger was sheathed.

The chest and waist buckles of the backpack were tightened to the max, clinging tightly to his back.

Everything was ready.

Lin Ye walked to the very edge of the cliff, the sea of clouds churning below his feet.

He raised his hand and glanced at the stopwatch on his terminal.

6 minutes had passed since the last eruption.

1 minute and 30 seconds left.

He began to step back.

One step, two steps... he left a full fifteen meters of distance for his running start.

Lin Ye took a deep breath.

His eyes were fixed on the jumping numbers on the terminal.

He counted down silently in his heart.

"5..."

"4..."

"3..."

The muscles in his calves bulged, and his feet pushed off the ground.

"2..."

"1!"

The countdown hit zero, and he sprinted with all his might!

The fifteen-meter distance vanished in an instant.

He rushed to the edge of the Floating Island and stomped his right foot on the rock!

Lin Ye leaped forward with his whole body!

He dove toward the sea of clouds below.

A strong sense of weightlessness washed over him as he spread his arms and legs in the air.

The wingsuit fabric tied to his body flapped loudly in the wind.

The sound of the wind filled his eardrums.

His body plummeted rapidly.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds—

Directly below, the clouds bulged upward right on time!

"Boom—!"

The updraft arrived as expected!

This invisible wind column, several meters in diameter, slammed directly into Lin Ye!

The recoil force made his internal organs churn.

But the airflow successfully caught his falling body!

"Take off—!"

Lin Ye was pushed into the high sky by the airflow, and only the sound of the wind remained in his ears.

The Level 2 Floating Island was left far below his feet, and the rock layer at the bottom of the Level 3 Floating Island rapidly enlarged in his field of vision.

Four seconds...

Six seconds...

Eight seconds...

Time was up.

The airflow beneath him stopped abruptly and dissipated rapidly.

Losing its support, Lin Ye's body stalled in mid-air, and gravity took over once again.

But he had long anticipated the moment the wind would stop.

He raised his right arm.

"Bang—!"

The Wind-Chasing Claw shot out.

The grappling hook tore through the air and bit into a piece of inverted rock at the bottom of the Level 3 Floating Island!

"Hum!"

The cable pulled taut.

Lin Ye's rapidly falling body was yanked violently.

He grabbed the cable with one hand, hanging beneath the Floating Island above the sea of clouds.

He tilted his head back, looking at the rock layer above, and Lin Ye grinned.

"Level 3 Floating Island, here I come."