Chapter 6: Stranded in the Forest During an Outing Xu Lingzhao and others are trapped in the forest...
After a month of physical training, Xu Lingzhao began his formal courses at Sandhurst. He preferred practical training to theoretical courses, sparring with Pei Zhenwei every day in the training room. Xu Lingzhao always dominated Pei Zhenwei, and this time was no exception.
"Ahhh! I'm not convinced! Why are your reflexes so fast? You're definitely cheating!" Pei Zhenwei twisted and turned wildly on the ground, protesting the injustice.
"You're cheating again." Xu Lingzhao laughed and released her grip on Pei Zhenwei. Unexpectedly, He Zaining suddenly attacked Xu Lingzhao and was knocked to the ground, lying side by side with Pei Zhenwei.
Lu Qianxue, who was standing next to them, picked up the unfolding light brain screen and showed it to them: "We have been enrolled for half a year now. I heard that in our second year, we will run into the military academy league that the Federation holds once every ten years. Should we participate?"
"We'll join!" the four said in unison, but Lu Qianxue frowned: "My specialty is command, the three of you are individual soldiers, and we're still missing a mech pilot."
Xu Lingzhao smiled wickedly: "I have someone in mind to choose mecha pilots."
"But haven't we started the mecha course yet?" Pei Zhenwei asked peacefully, lying on the ground with her eyes closed.
“Those who need to participate in the competition can learn in advance, and the holographic mecha training ground is always open,” Lu Qianxue added.
So the four of them immediately decided to participate in the military academy league. Xu Lingzhao opened her personal terminal: "We can also participate in some missions issued by the military region to improve our teamwork." Her finger traced on the screen and stopped at a mission: "Follow the planetary army into the wormhole to obtain precious medicinal materials. We meet the requirements to participate in this one, and the time is just in time for the weekend."
Early Saturday morning, the four of them, fully armed, boarded the military vehicle. Upon boarding, they discovered that many students from the same grade were already on board. Xu Lingzhao noticed a helmeted head leaning against her shoulder. Looking down, she saw Lu Qianxue leaning against her, He Zaining leaning against Lu Qianxue, and Pei Zhenwei leaning against He Zaining. ...Why are they all making up for it as soon as they get on the bus? Xu Lingzhao turned on her personal terminal to look at something to pass the time, but for some reason, she inexplicably clicked into her chat box with Chu Jingze.
Although they were in the same school, they were in different grades, and one was an Alpha and the other an Omega, so the chances of them meeting were almost zero. They were also both busy with their own things and would only exchange a few words occasionally. However, their last chat was half a month ago. Her fingers tapped on the light screen: "Maybe he went on a special mission?"
The vehicle bumped along until it reached a forest. Everyone was equipped with wireless communication devices, locators, and tools for digging herbs. Xu Lingzhao's team was assigned to a planetary military unit. Before setting off, her temporary leader specifically instructed: "Don't wander off. Stay with the group. There are hallucinogenic plants in this forest."
When Xu Lingzhao and his three companions first arrived, they found it quite novel. However, after walking through a dark and damp cave for four or five hours, their interest waned. Xu Lingzhao frowned and said, "Wasn't this wormhole supposed to be safe? This means the route should be clear. Why have we been going around in circles for so long?"
She looked back at Lu Qianxue, whose expression was the same as hers. Xu Lingzhao slowly adjusted the positions of the four of them until they reached the very end of the group. Her gaze fell on the back of the team leader in front of her. She had a feeling that something was wrong with this person. Water droplets from the rock wall fell into the puddle in front of Xu Lingzhao, making a slight sound. Xu Lingzhao looked down and saw that what was on the ground was not water at all!
Looking up again, her pupils contracted. The team leader was gone. The team had arrived at a fairly spacious area, but it was surrounded by a maze of passageways. The team, including the four of them and the missing leader, totaled 13 people. Xu Lingzhao gestured for them to retreat, and sure enough, a thick, long, purplish-black tentacle emerged from the passageway. It pierced the heart of a planetary soldier and dragged him into the passageway, causing them to retreat rapidly.
"Run!" Xu Lingzhao shouted, quickly spreading her mental energy to avoid the sudden tentacles. At this moment, Xu Lingzhao tried to take out the wireless communication device but found it was broken. "Damn it." Xu Lingzhao slammed it backward. They didn't have any firearms either, because the mission was to dig up precious herbs, and it was said that this wormhole was exceptionally safe, so they couldn't be equipped with firearms.
Who exactly is setting this up? Xu Lingzhao adjusted his breathing to calm himself down: "Turn to the left."
"To the right."
......
Xu Lingzhao still remembered the way they came. She ran at the very back of the group, directing Qian Peizhenwei to lead the way. When they finally ran out of the wormhole, the tentacles stopped chasing them, but the scene in front of them stunned them. The exit was no longer the same as when they came. The car was gone, replaced by towering trees and dense bushes.
She looked up; the leaves were blackened. Was this an illusion, or...? Xu Lingzhao felt this place was extremely dangerous. They knew nothing about this place, and a careless move could very well cost them their lives.
Xu Lingzhao took out a rope from her backpack and had everyone tie it around their waists to form a line. Now that there was no communication disruption or loss of contact with the outside world, their situation was extremely dangerous, but they could not stay in one place. Xu Lingzhao used her mental power to explore the area as much as possible to avoid risks.
The sunlight here was blocked by the leaves on the trees, making it very dark. The woods were also very damp, and Xu Lingzhao felt sticky and uncomfortable. She looked back at her three roommates, whose faces were full of bitterness.
Xu Lingzhao sensed someone ahead. She drew her Tang sword from her back and cautiously moved forward. The moment she parted the dense bushes, she was somewhat surprised, because the person in front of her was none other than Chu Jingze!
They both saw shock in each other's eyes and blurted out almost simultaneously, "What are you doing here?"
Xu Lingzhao looked behind Chu Jingze and saw that the person behind him was Huo Qi. They both had a rope tied around their waists, but there was no one else. After the initial shock, Xu Lingzhao became somewhat wary: "How can you prove that you are Chu Jingze?"
“Border forest, spider with a human face,” Chu Jing said softly.
Xu Lingzhao nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. They quickly exchanged information. It turned out that Chu Jingze had been missing for half a month because he was trapped in this forest. This place was very strange. The terrain would change silently, which meant that no matter what, there was no way out. It was a place where you could only go in and not out. This place could also cause mental pollution.
Xu Lingzhao's expression was grave: "Have you encountered any tentacle monsters? Right there in the wormhole?"
"Yes, that's where we came from." Chu Jingze's voice was weak and feeble. Xu Lingzhao could tell that his physical and mental state was not good. Huo Qi behind him was the same. It was really not easy for them to have held on until now.
Xu Lingzhao handed a piece of rope to Chu Jingze: "Tie it up and follow me." Her tone gave people a sense of security. Perhaps because of her poor mental state, Xu Lingzhao felt that Chu Jingze was particularly well-behaved at this moment, without the aloofness and arrogance she had when they first met. She looked back and saw that her roommates' faces were not good. She used her mental power to explore the way and found a shallow cave that could accommodate six people to rest.
She decided to rest here for a while and then make further plans. Xu Lingzhao found some dry wood in the cave. After lighting a fire, everyone sat together to dry their clothes. Xu Lingzhao looked around at everyone's faces. Although she herself had not been affected by any mental pollution, the others were obviously on their last legs, especially Chu Jingze and Huo Qi, whose eyes were sometimes clear and sometimes blurry.
Her three roommates were also in a state of confusion, but Lu Qianxue was in a relatively better situation. Xu Lingzhao felt that things were a bit tricky. Night fell quickly, and Xu Lingzhao was sitting at the cave entrance keeping watch. The temperature dropped sharply at night, but luckily they had brought compressed sheets. She looked at Chu Jingze's face and saw that he seemed to have not rested for a long time. Her gaze turned to the forest again. The leaves swayed in the wind, and she felt that an insectoid creature might rush out at any moment.
Suddenly, Xu Lingzhao felt someone leaning on her shoulder. She thought it was Lu Qianxue and the others, but when she looked down, she saw it was Chu Jingze. He was wrapped in a snow-white sheet, his eyes were glazed, and there was a blush on his face. He leaned on Xu Lingzhao's shoulder and looked at her with affectionate eyes.
"I'm cold." His words carried a hint of coquetry, catching Xu Lingzhao off guard, especially with the faint pheromones lingering around her nose: "Hot period?" Chu Jing didn't answer her, but instead snuggled closer to her.
She reached out and touched the glands on the back of Chu Jingze's neck, which were slightly swollen. With this action, Chu Jingze snuggled into her arms and buried his head in the crook of her neck. Her touch made Chu Jingze let out a very soft groan. Xu Lingzhao felt her face getting hot. She quickly took out an inhibitor from her pocket, injected it into his glands, and then applied an inhibitor patch.
Although the scent of pheromones had disappeared, Chu Jing still seemed completely indifferent. Xu Lingzhao began to wonder if her pheromones had leaked out without his knowledge, thus triggering his arousal? Xu Lingzhao looked at Huo Qi, who had his eyes closed, and found him looking at her with his eyes slightly narrowed.
...Okay. Xu Lingzhao felt she was the culprit. She pulled Chu Jingze out of her arms, helped him steady, and then got up and walked towards Huo Qi.
She crouched down to look him in the eye: "Turn around, I'll give you an inhibitor." Huo Qi's expression was cold but he was surprisingly obedient. He turned around, and the scent of pheromones wafted over. Xu Lingzhao held her breath, quickly administered the inhibitor and applied the inhibitor patch, and then stood up deftly.
Although she didn't consider herself a gentleman, she wouldn't take advantage of someone in distress. Excluding one possibility, Chu Jing seemed to be clinging to her; he leaned in as soon as she sat down: "Hmm... is it okay to hug him? He initiated it; I'm a good person, just trying to keep him warm."
Xu Lingzhao placed her hand on Chu Jingze's shoulder as she pondered a solution. Unconsciously, her hand rubbed Chu Jingze's round earlobe, her calloused fingers caressing it. The person in her arms shook his fluffy head affectionately. She lowered her head to look at him, like a big golden retriever.
A note from the author:
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Waaaaah, it took me seven hours to write these 3,000 words [crying][crying][crying][crying]. It's nothing compared to the despair I felt after writing 10,000 words in 19 hours only to find it's gone off-topic and became a scrap. Multitasking is so hard! And I'm not feeling well today either [crying][crying][crying][crying][crying][crying]
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