Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Lu Shiyu—who would normally be preparing ingredients at this hour—stood at the shop entrance carrying a massive travel backpack. Tang Zeyu kept his promise and arrived early to find her. After confirming that her supplies were complete, Tang Zeyu led Lu Shiyu toward the base gates of their sector.
Tang Zeyu took Lu Shiyu’s backpack and led the way. Feeling curious, Lu Shiyu asked:
“Captain Tang, may I ask what the mission is for this excursion?”
Yesterday, Lu Shiyu’s mind had been entirely occupied by the creatures she might encounter outside. Only now did she remember to ask about the purpose of the trip.
Tang Zeyu looked back at her. Lu Shiyu, thinking this might be classified information, immediately added that it was fine if he couldn’t say.
“It’s nothing secret. After all, you’re coming with us, so you have the right to know the mission details,” Tang Zeyu said. “The base high-ups said they’ve detected an unknown object located within the Northern Forest. However, because the trees there are too dense, satellites cannot observe the target directly from above. Therefore, we have to use the most primitive method: sending people to perform an on-site observation.”
“An unknown object?” Lu Shiyu tried to imagine it. “Is it some kind of creature?”
“Uncertain. The information I received is also very sparse. In short, we’ll know once we get there.”
Lu Shiyu’s shop was not far from the base gate, which was one of the reasons it was a popular dining choice for exploration squads. Within the time it took for a brief conversation, the two had already arrived at the heavily guarded base entrance.
Several fully armed individuals were already waiting for them at the gate.
One of them actively waved to Tang Zeyu. Tang Zeyu led Lu Shiyu forward and introduced them one by one.
“This is Shao Xingyang.”
“Hello, hello, hello!” Shao Xingyang shook Lu Shiyu’s hand with great, familiar enthusiasm.
“Hello.”
After Shao Xingyang let go, Lu Shiyu flexed her palm, thinking to herself that this man’s grip was incredibly strong.
“This is Yan Hong.”
A woman with a high ponytail reached out to shake Lu Shiyu’s hand. Her expression was so stern that it made the gesture feel somewhat formal.
“This is Chen Yunliang, the squad’s doctor.”
“Hello.” The man with squinted eyes smiled as he shook Lu Shiyu’s hand. With that, Lu Shiyu had finished her brief introductions to the entire team. Finally, it was time to introduce Lu Shiyu.
“This is Lu Shiyu. I’ve hired her to serve as our chef. She will be acting with us this time. This is her first time outside, so please look out for her on the road.”
Shao Xingyang immediately crowded forward, curiously peppering Lu Shiyu with questions. Meanwhile, Yan Hong pulled Tang Zeyu aside and spoke in a low voice.
“Captain, are we really taking her along? She’s just an ordinary person with no abilities and no combat power. She’s too much of a burden.”
“I’m aware of what you’re saying. However, the place we’re going this time is further than ever before. If no one in the squad can cook, it will be very difficult to endure.”
“But,” Yan Hong was still somewhat resistant, “haven’t we always just carried dry rations before? We could just bring more this time.”
Tang Zeyu looked at her and said, “Do you want to eat choking hard-tack or dry-as-dust crackers for two months straight?”
Yan Hong thought about it and fell silent.
Once gathered, they were ready to depart. Tang Zeyu walked at the very front, with Shao Xingyang and Yan Hong on either side. Lu Shiyu and Chen Yunliang followed at the rear. After completing the registration at the gate checkpoint, the group headed out.
As they stepped out of the base gates, a breeze blew against them. Lu Shiyu stared at the scenery outside, completely stunned.
Compared to the unchanging appearance of the base, every corner outside seemed to overflow with vibrant life. Lush young grass was everywhere, with dewdrops still hanging from the tips. As people passed by, the dew would dampen their pant legs. The air was saturated with freshness. Lu Shiyu had not seen the outside world for far too long; now, everything in her eyes was full of allure.
Ultimately, it was Chen Yunliang who smiled and patted her shoulder.
“If you don’t move, you’re going to fall behind.”
Only then did Lu Shiyu snap out of her daze. The others in front had already walked a distance while she was still staring blankly. Reacting quickly, Lu Shiyu hurried to catch up to prevent herself from being left behind right at the start.
Yan Hong, seeing Lu Shiyu’s behavior, felt even more worried.
“Are we really going to let someone with zero experience outside follow us?”
Shao Xingyang, with his hands behind his head, said nonchalantly, “Whatever. It’s normal to have casualties when going out anyway. Besides, didn’t the captain say he would take primary responsibility? Don’t worry so much.”
The group walked from morning until noon. As the sun reached its zenith, Tang Zeyu looked at the sky and finally announced a break. They found a spot sheltered by a giant boulder to rest.
This was the first time Lu Shiyu had walked such a long distance in one go. Her legs were so numb she could barely squat down.
Tang Zeyu took a canteen from his backpack and handed it to the panting Lu Shiyu.
“Ah, thank you.”
Lu Shiyu took the canteen and drank deeply. They hadn’t stopped since they set out. Fortunately, the weather wasn’t particularly hot; otherwise, she really might not have been able to hold on.
“Drink slowly. It’s normal that you can’t keep up your first time out. You’ll get used to it in a few days.”
“Mhm.”
Lu Shiyu held a mouthful of cool water, swallowing it bit by bit, her eyes fixed on the direction of the base. Even though they had walked for so long, she could still see the silhouette of the base in the distance.
After resting for a moment, Tang Zeyu saw that enough time had passed. He stood up and said it was time to go. The others in the squad stood up and shouldered their packs, but Lu Shiyu looked at them with a face full of confusion.
“Um,” Lu Shiyu asked cautiously, “aren’t you going to eat?”
Hearing Lu Shiyu’s words, everyone turned their heads to look at her in confusion. Shao Xingyang found it strange and said, “Eat? It’s a bit too early to eat now, isn’t it?”
“Huh? But it’s already noon.” Lu Shiyu still hadn’t grasped the situation, her face full of doubt.
Yan Hong poked Tang Zeyu with her scabbard. “Hey, Captain, don’t tell me you didn’t tell her?”
Lu Shiyu suddenly had an ominous premonition. “Tell me what?”
Tang Zeyu also realized that he indeed hadn’t mentioned this to Lu Shiyu. He said somewhat apologetically, “I’m sorry, I forgot. Because exploration squads are always on a tight schedule, we only eat one meal a day—usually before the sun sets in the afternoon.”
“What?” Lu Shiyu was incredulous. “You walk for so long every day but only eat one meal? Won’t you really faint from hunger?”
Tang Zeyu looked a bit embarrassed. “Although there’s only one meal, we eat a lot. You’ll get used to it over time.”
Seeing that the others didn’t react, Lu Shiyu had no choice but to accept the tragic reality that there would only be one meal a day from now on. She packed her bags and continued forward.
The base was built on level ground, and the surrounding terrain was relatively flat. Therefore, the day’s walk wasn’t particularly difficult—at least there were no major obstacles.
The group arrived smoothly at the edge of a forest. Just as they were discussing where to set up camp, Yan Hong suddenly signaled for everyone to be quiet.
The sound of discussion stopped abruptly. Lu Shiyu, who had been breathing heavily, held her breath even more tightly.
Everyone looked at Yan Hong, but she ignored them, focusing intently as if she were sensing something. Having seemingly found what she was looking for, Yan Hong turned and walked into the thicket behind them. The others exchanged looks and followed.
As Lu Shiyu pushed aside the branches and leaves, she felt something on her face. She reached up to touch it but felt nothing. Fireworks-like patterns appeared before her eyes. The sun couldn’t reach behind the thicket, making it almost pitch black. Lu Shiyu’s eyes didn’t adjust immediately. Before she could see anything clearly, she heard a flurry of fighting. Unfortunately, her eyes still couldn’t see. By the time her vision cleared, the battle was already over.
Yan Hong sheathed her long blade and turned sideways. “It’s settled.”
Lu Shiyu looked at Yan Hong’s feet. It was actually a giant spider the size of a small child!
Lu Shiyu’s first reaction was for her hair to stand on end, but that was immediately followed by immense curiosity. she poked her head around, trying to see the giant spider clearly.
Shao Xingyang let out an “Aiya.”
“A spider this big—if it hadn’t been discovered, it might have actually ambushed us.”
Yan Hong snorted. “If you could get ambushed by this, you might as well pack up and leave the squad.”
While the two were bickering, Lu Shiyu noticed the spider didn’t seem entirely dead. Suddenly, she saw a scorpion tail rise up from the back of the spider, preparing to strike at Yan Hong.
“Watch out!”
Just as Lu Shiyu spoke, the spider’s tail was severed by the long blade. Yan Hong didn’t even need a second look to accurately cut off the tail. Lu Shiyu watched with intense admiration.
“So amazing!”
Chen Yunliang walked over and plucked a spiderweb from Lu Shiyu’s hair. “Of course. Yan Hong is a mercenary who’s considered highly sought-after in the base.”
“A mercenary?”
“Noisy.”
After saying that, Yan Hong walked around the two and out of the thicket. The group simply set up their tents there to stay for the night.
Once the preparations were complete, Shao Xingyang plopped down on the ground and asked Lu Shiyu when they would eat and what they were having.
“I can cook right away, but what I make depends on what ingredients you’ve prepared.”
The moment Lu Shiyu finished speaking, everyone’s movements stopped. Lu Shiyu sensed something was wrong and looked at Tang Zeyu.
“What is it now?”
“You…” Shao Xingyang spoke hesitantly, “you didn’t bring ingredients?”
Lu Shiyu’s eyes widened. “Wasn’t it that you would prepare the ingredients and I would just be responsible for the cooking?”
The squad members looked at one another, their gazes eventually focusing on Tang Zeyu, who was responsible for the negotiations. Tang Zeyu covered his face.
“I’m sorry. When I went to see you, I forgot to discuss this.”
“Dammit!” Shao Xingyang jumped up. “Captain, how did you miss so much this time? This is no different from not saying anything at all!”
Tang Zeyu lowered his head in silence, too much in the wrong to speak.
“So what now? We didn’t buy any dry rations before coming out this time, and the food we have on us isn’t enough to support this mission,” Yan Hong said.
Chen Yunliang thought for a moment and suggested whether they should head back, stock up, and then set out again.
“If we turn back now, we’ll waste three days. It’s too inefficient,” Yan Hong disagreed.
“Then what else can we do? Without food, we’ll probably starve to death before three days are up.”
Shao Xingyang lay flat on the grass, looking as if life had lost its meaning.
“I want to eat~”
Tang Zeyu sighed. “It’s my fault. Although it will waste some time, there’s no other way but to go back now. Without food, we can’t move an inch.”
Even Chen Yunliang agreed there was no other way.
“Um,” Lu Shiyu raised her hand silently and said, “why don’t we just use what’s available here?”
“Use what’s available here? What materials are here for us to use? Gnawing on tree bark or eating grass?” Shao Xingyang answered weakly.
“There is something. Didn’t we just kill a spider? Let’s eat that.”
For a moment, everyone stared at Lu Shiyu with strange looks, as if they were looking at a monster. It was eerie.
“Have you already gone mad with hunger?”