NOVEL WEB Chapter 158 - Training Exercise 6
“I noticed that too. When we landed, that star was almost in the center of the sky. Now, three hours and twenty-five minutes later, it has moved to the halfway point between the center of the sky and the horizon,” Yu Guangxi (The moonlight team member) said.
Yu Guangxi had contributed the most effort during the cave digging, with Zhuang Huaiya following closely behind, as the two of them had the highest cultivation levels aside from Mai Dongzi.
“Based on this timing, we should enter the night in a little over two hours,” Durant added.
Mai Dongzi nodded; Yu Guangxi’s observations were similar to her own.
“The wind has been steadily decreasing since half an hour ago. When we landed, the wind speed was about level eighteen, and now it has dropped to around level sixteen,” Zhuang Huaiya shared his findings.
“The daytime temperature here is only fifteen degrees. It’s likely to get very cold at night,” Wang Yiyi added immediately after.
After Wang Yiyi spoke, Tony shared his observations, followed by Yu Lan and Chen Xinhe.
Each of them had carefully observed the surrounding environment and the sky, and there were a few things that Mai Dongzi hadn’t noticed.
“Everyone performed very well,” Mai Dongzi said with satisfaction, not minding giving them a little motivational pep talk. “The Phantom Team is not a team of one person; it belongs to all of us. Each person has their own unique observations, so we need everyone to work together.”
After giving them a motivational pep talk and seeing that everyone seemed much more energized, Mai Dongzi outlined her next plan:
“Since it’s likely that it will get dark soon, we need to split into two groups. I’ve found traces of the mutated beasts, so Zhuang Huaiya and I will go hunt them. Yu Guangxi, you lead the others down the hill to the lake. There are mutated fish in that lake, so see if you can find a way to catch them. Be careful not to get too close to the water; we don’t want to encounter any large creatures lurking there. Also, pick up any large rocks or any dead branches and leaves you come across along the way—basically, grab anything useful,” Mai Dongzi instructed.
Although there were many mutated fish in the lake, she didn’t sense any more powerful beings nearby, so as long as they stayed away from the water’s edge, they should be relatively safe.
Yu Guangxi, as a senior and a former team leader, was technically a backup member, but in reality, Mai Dongzi regarded him as her deputy leader.
Mai Dongzi had heard Yu Guangxi describe his previous experiences during survival training and knew that he was quite capable, which is why she planned to have him lead another small team.
As she looked at Yu Guangxi, he met her gaze with determination and confidence. Mai Dongzi simply said, “Safety must be our top priority in all actions.”
Mai Dongzi had noticed that the location of the mutated beasts was relatively far from their current position; it would take about half an hour to reach it directly, and climbing over the various hills would only take more time.
Initially, she had intended to go on her own, but after some thought, she decided to take Zhuang Huaiya along, as she didn’t feel completely at ease without him.
Zhuang Huaiya was like a fledgling bird with wings that weren’t quite strong enough yet, but was ready to take flight.
Mai Dongzi wanted to give Zhuang Huaiya more training within a controllable range so that his wings could harden quickly, allowing him to fly faster and better when the time came.
To save time, Mai Dongzi didn’t slow her pace like before for everyone’s sake. Instead, she pulled Zhuang Huaiya along with one hand, leaving at almost a jog.
Seeing Mai Dongzi holding Zhuang Huaiya’s hand, Durant couldn’t help but ask, “They seem pretty close; are they really not a couple?”
“No, Zhuang Huaiya is the captain’s cousin,” Yu Guangxi dropped a bombshell.
Wang Yiyi and Yu Lan were dumbfounded, completely unable to comprehend this revelation.
However, Chen Xinhe and Tony remained calm, showing no signs of surprise, clearly indicating that they already knew.
“You guys figured that out how?” Wang Yiyi couldn’t help but ask.
“Didn’t you notice? Zhuang Huaiya and the captain look very much like siblings. Plus, Zhuang Huaiya has accidentally called her ‘sister’ several times. Even I, who joined later, noticed that,” Chen Xinhe said, looking at them as if they were very slow.
Wang Yiyi suddenly realized, “I’ve heard Zhuang Huaiya call her ‘sister,’ but I thought he just said it casually.”
“Do you guys ever call the captain ‘sister’ when you’re being casual?” Chen Xinhe asked.
“From their interactions, it’s obvious they’re siblings,” Tony added.
Yu Lan remained silent, shivering a little; she hadn’t forgotten how she had looked down on Zhuang Huaiya when she first joined the Phantom Squad. Luckily, Instructor Fang warned her, and she toned it down; otherwise, it would have been so embarrassing.
“Your observation skills are impressive, Guangxi; you figured it out so quickly,” Durant exclaimed.
He had indeed noticed that Mai Dongzi took special care of Zhuang Huaiya and that Zhuang Huaiya listened to her closely, but he hadn’t considered their relationship as siblings.
“I knew about this before I joined the Phantom Squad,” Guangxi said.
His father, knowing that the instructor wanted him to join the Phantom Squad for the survival training group competition, immediately investigated the backgrounds of all the squad members.
Unbeknownst to them, while Mai Dongzi and Zhuang Huaiya were already far away, the members of the Phantom Squad had already figured out their relationship.
The two were taking a shortcut, and with Mai Dongzi using her mental power to help scout the way, they could spot shortcuts from a distance, making their speed quite fast.
Mai Dongzi had collected nearly every stone in sight, clearing out the space ring given by the Xi family, which allowed her to store many stones.
Not only was she collecting them for herself, but she also encouraged Zhuang Huaiya to gather some as well.
“Sis, can your space device hold that many stones?” Zhuang Huaiya asked.
On the surface, he was worried that the space device might not be able to accommodate them, but in reality, he was questioning the usefulness of collecting so many.
“Stones can be used both as tools and as weapons. After we gather various types of stones, you should sort them and think carefully about how to use them to fight against the exotic beasts,” Mai Dongzi replied.
Originally, Mai Dongzi had planned to spend over an hour getting close to the exotic beasts, but she didn’t expect the beasts to be so eager to greet them.
As soon as the five exotic beasts noticed the two, they happily charged toward them as a family unit.
The two leading beasts were level five, while the other three varied in size, with one being level three and the other two only level two.
Mai Dongzi suppressed her aura even lower than Zhuang Huaiya’s, so the exotic beasts charged toward them without hesitation.
Zhuang Huaiya, holding a stone about the size of his fist, was just about to smash it toward one of the level five beasts when he saw Mai Dongzi flick her wrist. A small, finger-sized sharp stone shot out at high speed, hitting the forehead of the highest-level beast.
The stone pierced through the beast’s forehead and embedded deeply within it, leaving a bloodied hole.