CH 74

After leaving the swamp forest, Xiao Yu led the crowd through three relatively dangerous areas, which they had to traverse with great caution. Although the journey was not smooth sailing, there were no major hazards along the way, and another group of monsters, comprised of several batches of elementary monsters, was successfully repelled.

The entire team has been through repeated battles, and their strength has grown substantially, yet since the dangerous encounter in the swamp forest, they haven’t met another first-order monster. The majority felt relieved about this. After all, if a first-order monster appeared, nine times out of ten, it would deal considerable damage to the team. Only Han Kexin and Wang Chao felt disappointed as they were eager for another chance encounter against a first-order monster as soon as possible. Especially Wang Chao, who yearned to prove himself after being teased to death by Jiang Xiaowen.

Upon seeing Jiang Xiaowen, Wang Chao was like a mouse meeting a cat. He did everything in his power to steer clear of her way, too intimidated to talk much. He also refrained from showing off anymore. Only by reaching the first order would he regain his lost dignity. Fueled by this newfound determination, Wang Chao was now more eager to become stronger, brimming with an unparalleled fighting spirit.

…………

This continent of chaos was devoid of any civilization, and there was no evidence of intelligent life in its forests. For thousands and thousands of years, this world had followed the most primitive law of the jungle—”the strong preys on the weak.” When humans arrived here, many were doomed to fail, and only a select few survived, possessing exceptional adaptability, survival skills, and a touch of luck. These survivors had the chance to become stronger than ever.

Tall, ancient trees towered overhead, their lush foliage blocking the sun’s rays. Over a hundred people, dressed in tattered clothes, hurried through the jungle’s dense branches and trees. They’ve been trekking through the sweltering forest for ten days straight after leaving the underground cave. The grueling journey had taken its toll; even the cleanest among them, Han Kexin and Jiang Xiaowen reeked of the many sweaty, bloody battles, big and small, fought along the way.

If any of them were taken back to the modern world, he or she would be regarded as a beggar, a native savage, or something of the sort.

After a ten-day jungle survival journey, everyone had gained extensive experience and knowledge in survival skills. They could distinguish between poisonous plants and edible fruits, knew the safest sources of water, and had become skilled hunters. They were no longer the same frail people they used to be.

Jiang Xiaowen led Huang Jianmin, Yunyun, and other members of the Hawk Team to open the way ahead, clearing away some small obstacles along the road. The Hawk team’s standing had greatly risen since she became a first-order expert, as her fighting power was second only to that of Jin Shi and Xiao Yu.

It was true that Jiang Xiaowen’s combat strength may not be on par with Jinshi’s, but she more than made up for it with her mental prowess. Her dream dust ability could disorient a small number of elementary monsters, and her mind manipulation could control most of them. With her leading the way, as long as it wasn’t a first-order monster that came in, almost without exception, she could effortlessly stop any incoming danger.

Because of Jiang Xiaowen, the Hawks also killed the most monsters. The two vice-leaders, Yun Yun and Huang Jianmin were already at the peak of the elementary realm. Therefore, the overall strength of her team was inclined to outperform the other two teams.

Jiang Xiaowen was pleased with the situation. She always had a childish attitude, and her lighthearted approach prevented her from overthinking things. The Hawk squad, one of three teams, was given to her by Xiao Yu. So she aimed to make the Hawks stronger than the Tigers and Bears in order to earn his recognition. And as the strength of the Hawks grew, it heightened the competition between the Tigers and Bears and raised the fighting spirit of the entire team.

More than a hundred people continued walking in the forest.

Suddenly, a human cry sounded from the forefront.

Jiang Xiaowen was stunned for a moment, and Huang Jianmin quickly made a gesture so they could hear the other party’s footsteps.

Three frantic figures burst from the woods, wounded and panicked. Some unseen terror was pursuing them. The largest of the three, a burly man with a scraggly beard, spotted Huang Jianmin, Yun Yun, and several others in front of him while running before frantically waving his arms, shouting loudly, “Run away! A monster’s after us!”

Huang Jianmin cast a cursory glance across the running individuals.

Upon discovering that one of the four individuals was a woman, with a crying eight- to the nine-year-old girl behind her, he firmly stated, “Go and help them.”

Without hesitation, three Hawk team members quickly rushed out in three directions, covering the three adults.

When he saw the others running toward them, the burly man waved his hands even more forcefully and said, “Don’t come here, don’t come here!”

“Roar–!”

Following a few powerful roars, three towering, earthy yellow beasts with long spears emerged in everybody’s field of vision. Although they looked a bit like bears, they walked upright on two legs and stood three meters tall. Jiang Xiaowen’s eyes locked on them, and she swiftly summoned her spiritual energy to take control of one of the monsters. She then manipulated it to turn its head and collide with the other two, causing them to tumble into a heap and halt their pursuit.

Yunyun fired a rocket-like flaming arrow piercing through a monster’s chest. Several members of the Hawk team swiftly rushed over, armed with swords and spears, and easily took down another giant bear. Then the monster under Jiang Xiaowen’s control directly slapped a palm on his head, committing suicide on the spot.

Jiang Xiaowen exhaled deeply. This monster had reached the peak of elementary level, and its mental strength was quite powerful, making it difficult to control.

The four survivors were shocked as they clearly witnessed the formidable strength of the bear monsters firsthand, yet the other party effortlessly defeated them. Right afterward, a group of nearly a hundred individuals emerged from the woods, each of them exuding an aura of exceptional power. It was evident that they were not ordinary people, and the survivors were immediately dumbfounded.

Yun Yun looked at the furbolgs’ corpses on the ground and immediately shouted: “Uncle Sun, today’s food is settled; quickly come and cook them for us.”

Sun Dazhu, the renowned chef and vice-leader of the Bear team, immediately stepped out, taking two assistants to deal with the furbolgs’ bodies.

A young girl, around eight or nine years old, was among the three rescued individuals. She watched in horror as people appeared from all around them and clung to the scruffy, bearded man, leaning against him with a look of fear on her face.

Huang Jianmin stepped forward and soothed her fear, “Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you.”

“Thank you, thank you for saving us.”

The scruffy-bearded man, who appeared savage-looking, was relieved upon seeing that the group before them was mostly made up of women with youthful faces. They did not look like malicious people, so he somewhat relaxed his vigilance. The little girl lying on his back lifted her head, revealing a dirty yet delicate face. Her large, black and white eyes were highly alert, scanning her surroundings.

“What a cute little girl,” Jiang Xiaowen thought as she felt warm in her heart. She took out half a piece of chocolate from her pocket and offered it to the child. “Little sister, would you like some?”

The little girl stared straight at the chocolate; her face was still full of tears, but her eyes were full of longing. But she didn’t dare reach out to take it.

Jiang Xiaowen said with a smile, “Come on, call me big sister, and I’ll feed it to you.”

The little girl called out sweetly, “Big sister.”

Jiang Xiaowen was very happy and gave the chocolate directly to the little girl.

The man with the scruffy beard finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to introduce himself: “My name is Tian Hongguang; this is my daughter Tian Tian, my wife Sun Qian, and my brother-in-law Sun Fei. “

Huang Jianmin asked, “Are there just a few of you?”

Tian Hongguang shook his head and said, “We were originally ten in total, but a group of bear monsters caught up to us, and we couldn’t fight back. Most of us didn’t make it, but thankfully we encountered you, or we would have been turned into meatloaf by those bear-looking monsters.”

Huang Jianmin inquired about the matter with Du Tao as he gave back a report, and the latter agreed to let the team of four smoothly join their group. Their power was neither big nor small. Except for the little girl, the other three were all elementary warriors, ranging between the low and middle stages

The arrival of the four was just a minor event. Everyone took a break as planned, and the Hawks went out on a scouting mission to investigate the area. They discovered a few bloody corpses and encountered some wandering furbolgs, which they defeated before returning.

Tian Hongguang was once an affable office worker with a bright personality and a very easygoing disposition. His wife, on the other hand, had common facial features and remained wary of the others, only caring about her daughter. Moreover, she was not very talkative. In contrast, Sun Fei, Tian’s brother-in-law, had a cheerful and optimistic personality, which allowed him to quickly blend in with everyone, especially since he was around their age. As an elementary warrior with agility enhancement talent, Sun Fei was drawn to the Hawks, and after he noticed that the said team was mostly comprised of young and beautiful girls, he entertained the idea of joining their ranks.

Everyone stopped to rest for a while.

They had trekked hundreds of kilometers these days and were already feeling quite exhausted, so they slowed down their pace a bit to take a break.

The group’s chef, Sun Dazhu and Xiao Yu, roasted the tasty bear meat and quickly distributed it among everyone.

Sun Fei just took a bite and immediately shouted excitedly, “This is the most delicious barbecue I’ve ever eaten! Brother Xiao Yu, Uncle Sun, you both are really amazing; I may as well ask you to teach me some culinary skills.”

Sun Fei might not be very competent, but he had a way with words. Unlike Wang Chao, he didn’t come across as audacious, which still allowed him to make others feel good.

Xiao Yu didn’t say anything.

Sun Dazhu chuckled and said, “Times have changed. What’s the point of learning this now? It’s better if you were to pick up some combat skills from Xiao Yu.”

“Fighting is fighting, but eating is also very important.” Fei Fei paused and continued, “Uncle Sun, I heard that you used to be a chef. Look, your surname is Sun, and I am also surnamed Sun. We have strands of destiny linking us, so you might as well pass on those culinary skills to me, and with two chefs, everyone will definitely eat more food.”

Sun Dazhu had no reason to refuse him, so he accepted the guy as an apprentice.

It rained heavily that night, and the sound of thunder resonated in the dark sky.

The relentless rain made washing off the dirt and grime on everyone’s bodies easy. But the ground was soaked and offered no safe refuge. In the end, they stumbled upon a few large tree holes previously inhabited by furbolgs and managed to squeeze in as over a hundred individuals barely managed to settle down. Han Kexin was positioned next to Xiao Yu in one of the several large holes. The cramped space, filled with over a dozen people, brought the two of them close together, nearly embracing one another. They could distinctly feel each other’s body warmth in these close quarters, and their faces were just a few inches apart.

Everyone remained silent as they listened to the sound of heavy raindrops pelting the leaves with great force. The furbolg tree holes were littered with decaying leaves and bones, exuding a pungent, fishy odor. On top of that, everyone felt wet and uncomfortable, making it difficult for anyone to sleep.