Page 325

The night was pitch black, and Gu Xiaoxi led everyone at a running pace through the jungle.

An hour later, they finally arrived at a dense primordial forest.

Everyone stood at the entrance of the forest and breathed a sigh of relief.

In Huaxia, there are 280 million hectares of forest, of which sixty percent is ancient forest, bearing countless creatures that people couldn’t even imagine.

The location where Gu Xiaoxi was now was just the outermost edge of the forest, where dangers were relatively fewer.

But the night was still not safe, with wild beasts frequently emerging.

At that moment, roars of beasts could be heard in the forest around them, making everyone involuntarily shudder.

They thought they would be safe after crossing the swamp, but this place turned out to be even more terrifying than the swamp.

"Gu Xiaoxi, I’m scared! Was that the howl of a wolf just now? I think I heard Big Bear roaring," Huang Xin and Guo Qiwei, back to back, trembled with fear.

It was then that a squad came through the dense jungle. Because they wore standard military uniforms, they did not appear to be ambushers.

"Huang Xin and Guo Qiwei, please come with us!" the squad leader said coldly.

"Why?" Gu Xiaoxi stepped forward and asked the man, puzzled.

"Because this place is no longer suitable for him to survive.

Staying would only add to your burden. This is an order from above.

" The captain spoke sternly. Everyone who had made it this far was exceptionally talented, and for those without talent, even if they wanted to stay, it was no longer an option.

Guo Qiwei and Huang Xin exchanged glances, showing expressions of regret, but they also deeply understood the gap between themselves and the others.

They were more than just one level behind Gu Xiaoxi and the others, and staying would have been too much of a stretch.

"This is a place for the survival of the fittest, as you’ve seen with the abundance of wild beasts.

To survive here is not easy. To reduce unnecessary casualties, those who feel insufficient can also withdraw voluntarily, without any penalties.

Additionally, what I can leave with you all are two magazines of live ammunition, a bayonet, and a detailed map.

To traverse this forest and cross over the mountains, you have four more days.

After four days, victory will be declared.

Remember, ambushers are still out there, and your way of fighting is combat.

All blank rounds will be confiscated. The remaining bullets can only be used against wild beasts. "

Gu Xiaoxi stood there, quietly watching as a team of people took Huang Xin and Guo Qiwei away.

They left everyone with two magazines and a bayonet each. These were combat tools, which meant they had entered a dangerous zone filled with killing.

Yun Xiao passed two magazines and a bayonet to Gu Xiaoxi, "There’s four more days, and our journey spans more than 120 kilometers."

Because the map indicated that 120 kilometers was the diameter. If they had to cross over the mountains, they would need to walk at least three times that distance.

This infuriating final match had additional tasks, as well as increased difficulty.

Gu Xiaoxi accepted the dagger and magazines, and at this point, it was too late for any objections—what had come had to be dealt with.

"Bring over the map and let’s calculate the time to prepare. We should rest when we need to and not advance without a plan." Gu Xiaoxi said.

Everyone found a relatively clean boulder and shone the only flashlight they had; Gu Xiaoxi saw that, minus the fifty kilometers they had already covered in a straight line, there were seventy kilometers left.

According to the height of the mountain ranges and multiplying by three, that equated to a distance of 200 kilometers.

Under normal circumstances, one could cover 160 kilometers in eight hours. But now, with the presence of wild beasts and numerous dangers, and having to search for hostages and explosives, the pace would be slowed by two-thirds, and the distance relatively increased by half.

Evening things out, they could only walk six to seven kilometers an hour.

If they walked for more than ten hours a day, they could cover seventy kilometers. For the remaining 200-plus kilometers, four days were definitely doable, which meant they would still have time to rest at night and midway.

"We’ll set off at six in the morning and rest at ten at night.

During the journey, we’ll rest for two hours every four hours.

With these calculations, we can conserve our physical strength in the best way.

What everyone needs to do now is find a safe place to rest well tonight and set off promptly at six tomorrow morning.

" Gu Xiaoxi looked at everyone, "Any objections? "

"No objections!" Everyone nodded. They fully accepted Gu Xiaoxi’s arrangements without condition. Her calculations were very precise, ensuring the timely completion of the mission and reasonable allocation of time for everyone to recover their strength and balance work with rest.

"I see a stream ahead on the map; let’s wash there and then light a fire to dry our clothes. Wearing wet clothes all day has been unbearable," Zhuang Xiaomeng didn’t have the energy to babble endlessly, clearly too exhausted to keep going.

Gu Xiaoxi, carrying the heavy backpack, was nearly at her limit for the day. And as for the others, they indeed needed a good wash, as their feet were covered in black mud and their shoes were barely recognizable.

Their clothes were so wet they could wring out water, and it was fortunate that she was protected by Spiritual Energy; otherwise, she would have caught a cold long ago.

By the stream, Gu Xiaoxi and Yun Xiao sat on a rock, removing their shoes.

By this time, the entire foot had turned white from blisters, especially a large one that had formed on the sole of the foot.

Gu Xiaoxi tossed her shoes into the creek to wash them, feeling as if her feet didn’t belong to her anymore.

"Hiss!" Yun Xiao also took a sharp intake of breath when she took off her socks. "This day has been torture."

Just like Gu Xiaoxi, she hadn’t escaped unscathed, her feet having developed several blisters.

The male soldiers downstream weren’t faring any better, with some having sprained their ankles and others finding their feet bleeding upon removing their socks.

But all worked in silent agreement, washing their shoes and rinsing the mud off their bodies.

"Actually, I had thought it would be tiring before coming here, but I never expected it to be this exhausting." Zhuang Xiaomeng sighed, lamenting over his pretty feet, which he had twisted yesterday and today had even rubbed raw to the point of bleeding.

"Before Greater China was established, our predecessors worked even harder. They traveled tens of thousands of miles to secure a peaceful and happy land for us! As long as we persist, nothing is impossible," Fu Xi said with an icy look in his eyes.

No one questioned his words, the group agreeing by default.

Because to become excellent soldiers, they had to surpass themselves and overcome various trials.

Gu Xiaoxi concentrated a bit of Spiritual Power in the palm of her hand, then wrapped it around her foot. Moments later, the blisters on her foot peeled away, and the wounds healed as if new.

"The effect is actually not bad. Yun Xiao, come here, let me try it on you," Gu Xiaoxi said with a smile. She cast out a ball of Spiritual Energy, enveloping Yun Xiao’s foot.

The thin Spiritual Energy, tinged with specks of gold, was absorbed by the wound in an instant, and the wound miraculously healed.

"I think you could be a doctor, saving lives and aiding the injured," Yun Xiao remarked, touching her smooth feet which not only stopped hurting but also felt as if they had been massaged.

"Hahaha!" Gu Xiaoxi laughed out loud three times. "Then I might just steal Ai Xiang’s job."

At night, a fire was lit, and everyone supported their clothes on racks to dry them next to the fire.

Gu Xiaoxi brought back plenty of game with the military dogs and began to roast the skinned meat on the racks.

The dinner was very abundant, and everyone was looking forward eagerly.

Gu Xiaoxi sat to one side, resting with her eyes closed, alert to her surroundings.

After all, such indulgence made them an easy target for wild animals and ambushers.

Suddenly, Gu Xiaoxi opened her eyes and said with a cold gaze, "Put out the fire. Everyone be on your guard, get into the trees, all climb up. I sense someone is heading our way."

They had been hoping against hope to have a little fire, to dry their clothes, but now even that wish was dashed.

No sooner had they extinguished the fire and hidden in the trees, than the next moment, ambushers in black tight-fitting outfits came marching in a long line.

The person leading the group frowned at the recently snuffed fire. "They can’t have gone far," he said.

Gu Xiaoxi, hiding behind the bushes, watched with a cold gaze. They were not only close by, they were right beside them.

"What now? They have twelve men! We have live rounds, but no blanks," Yun Xiao asked.

Gu Xiaoxi let out a cold laugh, "They don’t have weapons either, do they? Let’s take out our bayonets and see who is stronger."

Fu Xi was already prepared, his bayonet at the ready. "This arrangement is very sensible! A fair duel!" he said.

Baili Tao waved his solid arms, ready for battle.

"Military dogs, stay put. Each of us will have to take on two people. Don’t let your guard down; if we can’t deal with them, don’t expect to sleep well tonight," Gu Xiaoxi whispered.

"Then what’s the hesitation for, attack! I’m so tired, I just want to rest soon," Zhuang Xiaomeng shouted.

Gu Xiaoxi looked toward the Jiao Yue, the sparkling creek beside them, as the seven of them slowly emerged from the darkness and appeared before the ambushers.

"Fellas, are you looking for us? Disturbing our rest is violating one of my taboos!" Zhuang Sheng played with the knife in his hand, his tone more serious than it had ever been.