"The path up the mountain is only so wide. To compete for a spot, those with good stamina and those with poor stamina will spread out, but since they all have the same goal, they will inevitably run into each other sooner or later. For that one and only fifty points, they will fight each other in advance, exhausting each other and being wary of one another. By the time they reach the top of the mountain exhausted, they may have already suffered heavy casualties before they even see the red flag."
Listening to Su Tang's calm analysis, Chen Xiaocao broke out in a cold sweat.
Su Tang pointed to the swampy forest they were in: "Everyone is crowding up the mountain. Do you think anyone would come to a place that looks dirty and dangerous?"
Chen Xiaocao suddenly realized, and her eyes lit up instantly. "So it's relatively safe for us to look for the flag at the foot of the mountain now."
"Not bad, you have some understanding." Su Tang nodded approvingly, but then added, "However, our goal is not just to find the flag."
Chen Xiaocao: "Huh?"
"Alright, stop spacing out. You'll find out soon enough." Su Tang looked at Chen Xiaocao with intense gaze.
"Now, it's your turn. Little Grass, forget your marksmanship, forget your hand-to-hand combat. From this moment on, this forest is your domain. Use your eyes and nose to tell me, what's unusual here?"
Reminded by Su Tang, Chen Xiaocao seemed to be awakened and instantly recovered from her shock.
She took a deep breath, and her instincts were awakened. She stopped looking at the unsettling shadows and mud and focused all her attention on the surrounding plants.
She closed her eyes, her nostrils flaring slightly as she carefully discerned the mixed scents in the air.
A few seconds later, she suddenly opened her eyes and pointed to an inconspicuous bush to her left.
"Su An, over there!"
Chen Xiaocao's voice carried a hint of suppressed excitement.
“That thicket of bushes is ‘Bidens pilosa’, and I… I can smell the distinctive, green aroma of its crushed fruit.”
She tried to keep her voice steady, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner excitement.
This was the first time Su An had completely handed over the initiative to her. She felt her blood boil, both afraid of betraying this trust and eager to prove herself.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and put into practice the observation methods Su An had taught her.
“And look at the edge of the bushes,” she said in a low voice, pointing to unnatural creases on a few leaves. “There are signs of being rubbed against them, very fresh, which means that at least one person passed by there not long ago, and in such a hurry that they didn’t bother to part the bushes.”
Su Tang looked at her and couldn't help but admire her.
That's too perceptive.
This kind of keen observation of the environment cannot be taught through conventional training; it is a talent ingrained in one's very being!
Choosing her back then was definitely the right decision.
"Well done," Su Tang praised softly, not holding back her affirmation. "Go and take a look."
Upon receiving Su Tang's affirmation, Chen Xiaocao's eyes lit up instantly, a light that shone from the depths of her heart after being recognized.
She nodded vigorously, straightening her somewhat thin back.
The two moved quietly, like two nimble raccoons, approaching the bushes without making a sound.
Pushing aside the waist-high beggar-ticks, the sight behind made Chen Xiaocao gasp in shock.
Under a half-grown pine tree, a lone green flag was planted!
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