The foreign creature lay fallen, its menacing patterns resembling that of a malevolent spirit.
As Shen Zhuofeng approached the entity, his steps came to a sudden halt. Remembering the ongoing recording, he decided to proceed and deal with these matters. Lifting his arm, he discovered a subtle tremor coursing through him.
Fortunately, the magnitude was not significant enough to be discerned through the camera.
Taking a deep breath to regain composure, Shen Zhuofeng managed to handle the corpse of the foreign being before continuing forward.
As he pressed on, a sense of unease began to creep over him.
No insect chirps, no bird songs—just an unsettling silence.
As something appeared, Shen Zhuofeng swiftly evaded an attack from behind by tilting his upper body. The membranous wings vibrated, producing a buzzing sound that resonated painfully in his ears.
Raising the sharp knife in his hand to ward off the assault, Shen Zhuofeng took the opportunity to escape outward. Filtering through relevant information in his mind, he pondered on the appropriate course of action.
Meanwhile, Chu Qianze sped through the forest in a vehicle, observing the incessant flashing of red lights on the communication device. He sighed, “Understood, understood. I’ll be there soon.”
“Boss, you find it troublesome to handle all the new recruits, so you only assigned Shen Zhuofeng to me. You better keep a close eye on him.”
Hu Jia earnestly pleaded on the other end. Since Shen Zhuofeng and others were all encountering the foreign creatures for the first time, anything unexpected could happen. The leader was covertly monitoring from the shadows to intervene promptly in case of trouble.
But what about Chu Qianze? He was comfortably seated in the cabin, casually sipping water and watching the surveillance as if on vacation.
When he learned about this, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood in disbelief.
Do I look like someone like you? Do I? Please, spare me some peace of mind, Boss!
“I’m not saying he’s not doing well, does he need someone to keep an eye on him? At least he’s at the top of the team. If he can’t handle these low-level creatures, there’s no need for him to stay; he might as well go home early.”
Chu Qianze sharply turned the steering wheel, causing the car to drift slightly as he sighed, “On the other hand, the treatment for new recruits these days is really good. They even have an early simulated assessment. Thinking back to our time, we knew nothing, just charged in with a knife. Those who survived became stronger.”
And those who couldn’t make it through stayed behind.
Thinking back to that time, Hu Jia’s temper mellowed, and he fell silent for a moment. “…It’s all in the past, Boss Chu.”
Chu Qianze chuckled but didn’t respond further.
“Boss, it seems like you have a good opinion of Shen Zhuofeng, right? I think he’s not bad either!” Hu Jia changed the subject.
“Who said I have a good opinion of him? If your hearing is bad, you should get it treated. It’s not right to conceal an illness and avoid a doctor,” Chu Qianze remarked.
“If you didn’t value him, why train him so intensively?” Hu Jia laughed lightly.
Being strict right now to endure a bit more hardship. It’s better than trouble later on.
“I simply find him unpleasant. Even using connections to get close to me, it’s irritating.”
“You’re still being stubborn about it.” If you really don’t like him, just kick him out. No need for all this complexity.
Observing the road conditions, Chu Qianze suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a stop just before a giant tree.
The path ahead was blocked due to the fallen tree, making it impossible to proceed.
“Can’t you let me save some effort…” Muttering to himself, Chu Qianze spoke on the other end, “We’ve arrived. Stop chatting. Hurry up and make sure your trainees are well-protected!”
“Alright, Boss,” Hu Jia shifted his gaze and happened to see the trainee circling back again. “Oh, for goodness’ sake, he’s been walking in circles at the same spot. Is this kid foolish or what?”
“Haha, just keep a close eye on him.”
Chu Qianze closed the communication device, stood up, descended from the vehicle, closed the door with a lift of his foot, and then leisurely disappeared into the forest.
Passing through a certain area, he halted his steps, turning to approach a clump of grass.
To prevent the fresh blood of the foreign creatures from attracting unwanted attention, it was better to handle them before moving on. What Chu Qianze was currently observing was the place where the corpses of the foreign creatures were being dealt with.
The person handling it seemed a bit unpracticed, but they covered all the necessary points.
“Passable,” Chu Qianze murmured as he bent down to inspect the area. Straightening up, he continued walking forward.
The sounds of a skirmish echoed from not far away. Instead of immediately appearing, Chu Qianze leaped onto a few trees, crouching to observe the ongoing fight nearby.
In the distance, Shen Zhuofeng was locked in combat with a foreign creature, displaying skillful and well-practiced movements. Two other creatures lay defeated beside him.
Impressive skills.
Leaning on his chin with one hand, Chu Qianze crouched on the tree, watching the spectacle unfold.
After dealing with all the foreign creatures, Shen Zhuofeng, no longer concerned with appearances, sat down on the ground. Despite taking a moment to rest, he kept a firm grip on the long knife in his hand to maintain basic vigilance.
After a brief break, he turned his attention to the corpses of the foreign creatures, standing up and squatting down beside them, deep in thought.
Lifting the foreign creature, Shen Zhuofeng processed it briefly before engrossing himself in some task.
From the other person’s actions, Chu Qianze could roughly guess that this individual was creating bait to attract more foreign creatures.
Feeling that hunting alone was not exciting enough, was he now resorting to a waiting game?
Using the materials at hand to prepare the bait, Shen Zhuofeng looked around, considering where to take cover. Chu Qianze watched as he moved to a spot, covered his nose, then quickly ran out while coughing. His eyes were reddened. The plants there seemed ordinary but, in fact, emitted a stimulating odor to shield themselves. The smell was quite formidable, and Shen Zhuofeng seemed to have been affected by it quite significantly.
Silently chuckling, Chu Qianze was about to settle down for a brief rest when he noticed Shen Zhuofeng looking in his direction and swiftly approaching.
Shen Zhuofeng ducked into the grass, scanned the surroundings, confirmed the absence of dangerous plants, tossed the bait, and quickly returned to crouch and hide. He focused intently on the front, ready to charge at the slightest movement.
Chu Qianze squatted on the tree, looking down from above. The other person’s head was just below him, huddled in a small bundle, surprisingly appearing quite docile.
A faint sound reached Chu Qianze’s ears, and he raised his eyes. The foreign creature was a familiar one, capable of interfering with signals automatically.
The low-level foreign creatures had weak attack power, but they often appeared alongside another type with a shell.
The shell-type creatures had average strength but good defense. They tended to appear in groups, and given Shen Zhuofeng’s current skill level, he probably had a low probability of defeating them.
The worst mistake in such situations was to get caught up in prolonged combat. It was best not to think about taking out two and then retreating. When they teamed up against you, it was crucial to seize any opportunity to escape.
However, not everyone had this awareness—it also depended on one’s ability to read the situation.
Chu Qianze glanced at Shen Zhuofeng, and sure enough, the other person had already rushed out.
Youthful recklessness.
Sighing lightly, Chu Qianze tapped his chin with a finger, waiting for the distress signal to come.
Shen Zhuofeng also knew that these foreign creatures appeared in groups, but the assessment time was running out. The bait ingredients were only enough for one batch. If he didn’t deal with a few now, there might not be such a good opportunity later.
Having seen the records of previous years, Shen Zhuofeng was aware that he was only a little away from breaking the record.
Trying to accumulate as many points as possible and surpassing the previous records—would Chu Qianze take more notice of him then?
Shen Zhuofeng rushed towards the foreign creature, lifting the long knife and slashing down fiercely.
Clang.
The shell was tougher than he had imagined.
Retreating to avoid the counterattack, Shen Zhuofeng frowned slightly, simultaneously keeping a keen eye on the distribution of the foreign creatures.
Be careful, it’s fine. Shen Zhuofeng reassured himself.
With some difficulty, he managed to deal with one shell-type creature and quickly shifted position to ensure a swift retreat.
As time passed, his score increased, finally surpassing the previous record he had in mind. A new record was set.
However, before he could fully celebrate, he realized something was amiss.
The escape route he had kept for himself was blocked, and at some point, he found himself completely surrounded by the foreign creatures.
Several shell-type creatures lunged at him, their tentacles wildly thrashing as if in a frenzy.
Shen Zhuofeng dodged attacks, scanning the surroundings in an attempt to find an escape route, but nothing seemed apparent. He raised his hand to block an attack, and his movements were still precise, but not as steady as before.
Faced with the unexpected situation, he felt a bit panicked.
Call for help, little one.
Chu Qianze lightly tapped his chin with his fingers, his eyes showing a hint of indifference.
Shen Zhuofeng glanced at the distress button, gritted his teeth, but refrained from pressing it.
He crossed his twin blades in front of him, aiming to break through the encirclement first and then figure out a plan.
Unfortunately, after several attempts, he still failed.
One leaped from behind, pouncing toward Shen Zhuofeng’s head. Sensing the danger, he tried to evade, but foreign creatures were also closing in from all directions.
Nowhere to hide!
A strong sense of crisis surged, and fear finally found an opening. Seizing the opportunity, it crawled out from the deliberately ignored shadows, rapidly spreading from the spine to the scalp, dominating the entity named Shen Zhuofeng.
Can’t move… Why can’t I move?
Despite the extensive preparation, numerous simulated scenarios, and self-assurance of mastery through theoretical study, when faced with the life-and-death choice, he realized he was still just a novice.
A complete rookie.
This was bad.
Watching as the grid-like compound eyes reflected his own face, the foreign creature opened its saw-toothed mouth to attack. The sharp wind blew against his cheeks, stinging his eyes.
Shen Zhuofeng tightly shut his eyes.
The rushing wind came to a halt, and the anticipated pain didn’t materialize.
The foreign creature’s eardrums vibrated violently, emitting a sharp scream. Shen Zhuofeng suddenly opened his eyes and saw the gleam of a blade cutting through the air, dispersing fragments of the creature’s shell. The handsome and stern face of Chu Qianze was revealed.
It was Chu Qianze. He had saved him again.
“Closing your eyes during a fight, giving up on life?”
Chu Qianze pulled out the curved knife, shook it disdainfully, and finally didn’t bother putting it back into the sheath.
“Commander Chu, thank you…” Shen Zhuofeng quickly approached, making an effort to force a smile.
“Why didn’t you press the distress signal?” Chu Qianze turned around, his expression as cold as his tone.
Shen Zhuofeng’s attempt at a smile froze, and the previously joyful and respectful expression faded.
“…Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing to me for? I can’t afford this apology.”
With a contemptuous chuckle, Chu Qianze walked a few steps closer to Shen Zhuofeng. The cut on his cheek still bled. His gaze swept over, noting injuries on the knees, arms, waist, and abdomen—basically, any visible part had wounds.
“When you realize the situation is out of control, you should escape immediately. Why are you still lingering here? Do you think you’re so powerful that you can handle a wave of them? Hm, willingly marching to your death is indeed quite impressive.”
Shen Zhuofeng opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. He simply lowered his head in silence.
“You don’t even value your own life, and you’re thinking about how long you can survive? If you step onto the battlefield, you’ll be among the first to die.” Chu Qianze spoke without a hint of mercy.
Seeing Shen Zhuofeng remaining silent, expressionless, Chu Qianze couldn’t help but click his tongue. Ignorance could sometimes be a self-inflicted punishment.
Not willing to waste more words, Chu Qianze went straight to the point. “Due to a significant error in performance, the outcome is pending. Any issues with that?”
The pending outcome implied that the assessment hadn’t been passed, which meant being unable to proceed to the battlefield and possibly being reassigned elsewhere.
Under Chu Qianze’s gaze, Shen Zhuofeng pressed his lips tightly together and lowered his head, murmuring, “No… issues.”
“Very well.” Chu Qianze tugged at the corner of his mouth, taking the lead and walking forward. After a while, realizing that Shen Zhuofeng hadn’t caught up, he turned around and shouted, “What are you dawdling for? Move… on.”
The last word was spoken very lightly, almost bordering on disappearance.
Shen Zhuofeng stood still, his body trembling uncontrollably. He clenched his hands tightly, his gaze filled with suppressed emotions and stubbornness.
He was trying hard to restrain his emotions, to keep himself calm, to avoid losing control.
But it was futile.
He had persisted for so long, training from dawn to midnight every day, reviewing until dawn before assessments, scoring at least an A in every subject— all to stay here, all to make you look at me a bit more.
But now, all of that was gone. I’ve ruined everything. Did I make you hate me that much?
Shen Zhuofeng finally couldn’t hold back. Tears streamed down from his eyes, leaving tracks on his dirty face, revealing the original color of his skin.
Chu Qianze blinked, rare hesitation showing in his eyes. “Why are you crying…”
“It’s nothing.”
However, under this inquiry, Shen Zhuofeng’s fragile emotions instantly collapsed. He cried even more bitterly, feeling embarrassed. He wiped away the annoying tears, but they wouldn’t stop. After wiping several times with no success, he had to lift his arm to cover his eyes, at least making himself unable to see.
“I accept the pending outcome… just leave me alone for a while, please. Don’t bother with me… please.”
I don’t want to make things more embarrassing.
Muffled sobs filled with sadness and grievances.
Did I push too hard?
Chu Qianze was at a loss, scratched his head, and finally sighed softly.
He raised his hand and turned off the camera. Walking over, he pressed Shen Zhuofeng into his arms, patting the other’s back gently. His tone softened, “Stop crying.”
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