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A single battle could reveal the level of a team. As the saying goes, a minute on stage takes ten years of practice offstage.

Those who were soldiers relied on their constant efforts so they could have a chance to win and survive on the battlefield.

After sending off a batch, they also supplied Kate with thirty team members.

The morning sun was splendid, and various beautiful flowers bloomed gorgeously in the mountainous woods.

Kate counted the number of people and continued to advance.

Meanwhile, the teams undergoing assessment by the International Alliance were reorganized. Twenty-two people were divided into two teams.

Gu Xiaoxi and another handsome-looking man became the captains of the two teams.

"Hello! My name is Kang Wei, please take care of me in the future!" the man actively greeted Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi nodded, "Likewise!"

Gu Xiaoxi didn’t know what special ability he possessed, but being a team captain, he naturally must have been observed by Kate and possessed strong leadership abilities.

Since others were friendly to her, she had no reason to make enemies.

By last night, Gu Xiaoxi’s team members and Kang Wei’s team members were relatively intact.

All five were present! And from other countries, at most, only two remained.

Gu Xiaoxi had five people on her team, plus the three from Willy’s team and three other individuals who had entered alone.

Although those three remained, their spirits were lacking without the comrades who were able to fight alongside them.

On the road, Kate kept consulting the map, wanting to find the place referred to by the mayor where his team members had previously lost contact.

As they moved into the dense, deep forest, the insects and various animals became more and more numerous.

Fist-sized spiders, venomous snakes flicking their red tongues.

Huge spider webs, and flocks of crows, colorful parrots.

This was a paradise for animals.

Kate led the team members, speaking with a grave expression, "Logically, if the giant rats’ nest is here, they shouldn’t have gone so far to harm people, right?"

"Could it be that we’ve got the wrong place?" Feng Shuo, the squad leader of the International Alliance accompanying Kate, said with a solemn expression.

"Very likely!" Kate analyzed with the map in hand, "It’s very likely that the real danger is actually on the outskirts of the city. We’ve been searching the wrong place and have wandered into even greater danger. That’s why none of the people sent previously by the mayor were able to return."

"That’s just speculation! With the speed of the giant rats, it’s not difficult for them to traverse this forest," Feng Shuo explained.

"You’re not wrong! It seems I’m too worried about accidents happening," Kate said, feeling the rhythm of her heartbeat becoming erratic and the whole person uneasy. The deeper they went into the forest, the less safe she felt.

"Everyone, still, be careful, and don’t let sneak attacks happen. You are all elites, and if an elite is injured, they get dismissed from the International Alliance," Kate said loudly.

Clearly, these words were meant to motivate everyone.

Naturally, Gu Xiaoxi was being cautious, and nobody dared to be negligent.

The team’s pace was not fast, as they were being cautious and on guard.

"Ah!" Suddenly, someone screamed in agony, startling everyone to turn back and look.

It turned out someone had stepped on a snake and got bitten, which coiled around their leg on the spot.

Kang Wei had the quickest reaction, pulling out his dagger and moving forward quickly, directly seizing the snake’s vital point to slice open its body, remove the snake gallbladder, and feed it to the person who was bitten.

The snake died and was discarded.

This was a small incident along the way, and as they ventured deeper, there were more and more little snakes, ants, and locusts.

By the afternoon, the weather became misty, with signs of impending rain.

Kate felt that such conditions were highly unfavorable to them.

Fortunately, the communicators always maintained contact with the outside.

As the day grew darker, Kate and her people still hadn’t found a cave to rest in.

With the rising damp mist, the forest became more and more stuffy and hot. After a moment, when the mist cleared, a strong wind arrived.

Kate clenched her fist and cursed vehemently, "Damn it, of all times, it has to rain now!"

The weather in Lan State was still cold at night.

The rain not only made the paths harder to navigate but it also diminished everyone’s ability to perform at their best against the Giant Rats, both psychologically and environmentally.

Pat pat pat!

The large raindrops quickly fell from the sky, stinging the skin on impact.

Kate swore furiously at the wretched weather while donning a raincoat. As if to spite him, the harder he cursed, the heavier the rain fell.

In contrast to the irritable members of the International Alliance, the soldiers who were left behind for evaluation remained very calm.

The soldiers dispatched by Lan State Country, however, were clearly struggling to keep up physically.

In the end, the combination of darkness and heavy rain made it impossible to go on.

So, Kate decided to have everyone rest where they were.

They would wait for the rain to stop and for daylight, then continue their journey.

Gu Xiaoxi had looked at the map earlier and knew that they were still more than twenty kilometers away from their destination.

With unknown dangers ahead, stopping was the best choice for everyone at the moment.

Gu Xiaoxi still preferred to have everyone shelter on the tree branches. Despite the relentless rain, everyone was covered in raincoats, which turned out to be fairly effective.

However, the night was torturous. Everyone sat on the branches, listening to the rain and keeping watch over their surroundings.

They didn’t even dare to doze off.

Gu Xiaoxi took a bite of the beef jerky. The rain-soaked jerky was just right and even saved her the need to drink water.

Being a soldier is tough!

It was something everyone knew, but it was only during harsh conditions that they realized how necessary all their past training had been.

Without that tough training, how could they stay composed in this environment?

Without that tough training, how could they endure this hardship? How could they prevail over others and become true champions?

Yun Xiao looked at Gu Xiaoxi with a heart full of joy.

Looking back now, they had gone through so many tough moments together.

Back then, they trained in the rain, not even intimidated by the chilly autumn showers.

They lived without food, their Physical Strength depleted, yet they still had to accomplish their missions.

Little by little, they gritted their teeth and persevered.

When they looked back, they couldn’t believe how far they had come without realizing it.

From unknown soldiers to world-renowned members of the International Alliance.

They represented their country’s honor, proving their capabilities.

Gu Xiaoxi patted Yun Xiao on the shoulder and smiled at her, gesturing in lip language, "We can definitely do it!"

Then she passed a piece of beef jerky to her.

Yun Xiao nodded, took the beef jerky, and smiled happily in return.

She also believed that they could make it.

Because Gu Xiaoxi was there!

The rain fell all night, finally clearing up in the early hours of the morning.

Kate was in a foul mood. Perhaps it was the anxiety in his heart that made him increasingly irritable.

He led everyone out here, responsible for everyone’s safety, and at the same time, he wanted to accomplish the mission.

Various reasons contributed to his bad mood.

"Everyone gather up, get ready to move out!" Kate shouted to the group.

Gu Xiaoxi and the others had already packed up their gear, lined up neatly, and were ready to depart at any moment.