Chapter Eleven: Danger Approaches

Faced with such an abrupt remark, Chen Diwen seemed to have said nothing, yet also everything. Chen Cao was momentarily taken aback, then quickly put on a smile. "You're the captain; naturally, this team is yours to lead. You must know that besides you, everyone here is a novice when it comes to wilderness survival—including me. My life is in your hands; how would I dare cause any trouble!"

"Stop pretending. Everyone here earns their place by skill. In this team, only the two of us are the eldest. Moreover, I can see your leadership is at least as strong as mine. There's no need for the facade." Chen Diwen turned his face, his expression chilling and severe.

Chen Cao turned away, breathed deeply, and without turning back, said to Chen Diwen, "Our goals are different. I'm just here to raise pigs, believe it or not. Besides, I imagine we'll only be together for seven days. After that, we'll go our separate ways. If you want the credit, take it."

With that, Chen Cao clutched his head, waved his hand, and slowly walked out of Chen Diwen's sight.

Chen Diwen's eyes, once cold, grew heated at Chen Cao's arrogance.

Was what my father told me true? I can't see any advantage he has over me, yet why did he warn me to be doubly cautious around someone named Chen Cao?

Chen Cao lay down again against a stone. The jungle remained tranquil, but he himself had lost his peace, unable to find sleep.

At that moment, Bao Li lay down beside him. Having practiced breathing techniques with Master Tang since childhood, Chen Cao instantly sensed Bao Li's breathing—steady and long, clearly a master of internal martial arts, and his skill exceeded what his age should allow.

"Seems this place truly is a den of hidden dragons—these half-grown youngsters are all freaks," Chen Cao mused.

"Chen Diwen told you not to cause trouble, didn't he?" As Chen Cao gazed into the dense forest canopy, lost in thought, Bao Li spoke.

Chen Cao turned to Bao Li. "He said the same to you?"

Bao Li's voice was steady. "No. He doesn't see me as a threat."

"Alright, I admit, he said that to me. But how did you know?" Chen Cao continued to study the boy's still youthful face.

"Lip-reading," Bao Li replied simply.

"I see. Hard to imagine, at your age, you should be in school. I suppose your family has a military background. Why come to this godforsaken place?" Chen Cao shifted the topic.

"To advance my martial arts," Bao Li said, kneading his calloused hands.

Chen Cao saw it then—the image of a boy, trained harshly as a martial prodigy since early childhood.

A breeze swept through, and suddenly he understood the meaning of "lifelong plan" spoken by the female instructor Guo Qianshuang. Those generals and marshals who had walked through battlefields littered with corpses trained their descendants from childhood, sparing no effort to send them into elite units, all for the sake of national belief and bloodline inheritance. In their veins flows the blood of soldiers.

This is the spirit of sacrifice the textbooks always speak of.

After the breeze, Chen Cao hugged his shoulders, shivered, and felt a small surge of excitement.

"Everyone up, time to move!" The voice of Chen Diwen sounded in his ear, resolute and unquestionable. Clearly, he possessed the qualities of a leader.

Including the two girls, except for Chen Cao, all were children raised in military families. At the order, they rose from the ground with practiced discipline, their gazes converging on Captain Chen Diwen.

Chen Diwen waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit, then took a seat on a patch of sandy earth. When all were seated, he began drawing on the ground with a branch. "According to the brief map I have of the jungle, we covered less than ten kilometers yesterday, and the destination is at least a hundred kilometers away in a straight line," he explained, marking as he spoke. "And that's not even counting the mountainous terrain we'll have to cross. At this pace, we won't finish the task within a week."

Chen Cao watched as Chen Diwen spoke and drew, clearly adept at terrain simulation. The sand on the ground formed neat little mounds under his stick—quite impressive.

During Chen Diwen's briefing, no one spoke. Without doubt, each had been trained in various skills, but as for true military expertise, they were all rank novices.

Chen Diwen said, "To speed up our march, we'll need to divide the work."

Without waiting for a response, he continued, "I've already decided: Bear and Bao Li, you two have the best physical strength, so you'll clear the path with machetes. Zhou Hongye, Yu Hongxiu, and Wu Lanqian will handle logistics. I'll be responsible for rescue, assistance, and rotating in for path clearing. Any questions?"

"Wait, Captain, I have an objection!" Zhou Hongye protested, his round face anxious—clearly, few would want the logistics job.

Chen Cao found himself excluded from the plan, something he didn't appreciate. But in these rugged mountains, unity was paramount. Otherwise, this group of half-grown novices would never escape the jungle.

So Chen Cao made no comment when Chen Diwen assigned roles; whether they completed the task was secondary to him. After last night's snake encounter, he truly understood the jungle's peril—getting everyone out alive would be achievement enough.

Chen Diwen ignored Zhou Hongye's complaint, turning instead to Bear and Bao Li to prepare tools. Zhou Hongye, usually considered easygoing, now pouted unhappily. He had come to forge connections, wanting to get along with everyone, but working logistics with two girls was not his preference. Though the girls came from distinguished backgrounds, he preferred a mobile role—connections were secondary, self-improvement mattered most.

Just then, Chen Cao pulled Zhou Hongye aside, grinning. "Well, Fox, looks like your plans went awry."

"It's nothing. He's only a little better than me now. Once I've finished all my schooling, he won't be babbling here," Zhou Hongye replied, though his voice was low and his hands busy packing.

Chen Cao looked at Zhou Hongye mysteriously. "Not necessarily. But let me ask you something."

"What?" Zhou Hongye slung his pack over his shoulder, eyeing Chen Cao's mysterious grin.

"Why are you here? Of course, to fulfill your ambition—building connections. Don't forget your father's training. You're destined to be a top intelligence officer, and connections are vital. Now's your chance—why not seize it?" Chen Cao chuckled.

Fox Zhou Hongye was indeed clever, grasping the idea instantly. If he passed the seven-day assessment, the school would surely groom him for intelligence. An excellent intelligence officer doesn't have to stay in the army; after entering society, connections are indispensable. As they say, connections open every door, and they are built steadily through daily interactions. Chen Diwen would hardly do all the rescue work himself; he saw his main role as command, so the miscellaneous tasks would fall to Zhou Hongye. Helping wounded teammates, lending a hand—this is where relationships are forged!

Thinking this, Zhou Hongye's face brightened. "Thanks, Brother Chen. My gifts weren't wasted—next time I'll give you more... uh!"

He hadn't finished before Chen Cao silenced him, fixing him with a furtive, fierce glare. After glancing at Yu Hongxiu and Wu Lanqian packing in the distance to make sure they noticed nothing, he lowered his voice menacingly. "Remember this, kid. I know you're great at gathering intelligence, but if you dare leak even a word about the condoms you gave me, I'll slap you!"

And so, this band of mismatched novices finally began their first formal march through the vast, primordial forest.

Jungle travel proved far harder than on ordinary ground. Thorns and brambles blocked their way. Bear and Bao Li hacked the path with machetes, but progress was slow, requiring frequent rotation. Even Chen Cao, whom Chen Diwen had deliberately sidelined, joined the path-clearing effort. When Chen Diwen opened the map, everyone's spirits sank—the route covered less than five kilometers, though it felt like dozens. Their arms grew sluggish and heavy with each swing.

"I can't go on!" Zhou Hongye plopped down, tossing his machete aside and gasping.

Chen Diwen, sweating, sat down as well, ignoring Zhou Hongye's complaint but reminding him not to misplace the blade. He then cast a strange look at Chen Cao.

Chen Cao felt as if his arms no longer belonged to him. Though he'd grown up learning knife skills from the expert Chen Qingzhi and was no stranger to blades, he'd never felt so exhausted. The machete was heavy, and the military version, specially forged, was even heavier. In the days of the War for Freedom and Democracy, the old-timers must have wielded similar blades. Though Chen Cao tried to use skill over brute force, the relentless swinging left him unable to lift his arms.

It was midday, with the sun blazing overhead. Fortunately, dense foliage shielded them from the heat, though the muggy humidity of the forest made everyone feel sticky and uncomfortable.

As the group drifted toward sleep, deeply discouraged, a sudden series of footsteps caught Chen Cao's attention, a sense of unease rising within him.