Chapter 25

As night fell, a vast snow forest was enveloped in howling cold winds, stirring up layers of snow, creating a scene reminiscent of ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

Outside the cave, it was pitch black and freezing.

Inside the cave, however, it was a different story.

In the spacious cave, the five-person team had already lit a bonfire. The flickering flames not only brought light but also warmth.

Above the bonfire, a small pot was placed, cooking a mushroom and meat soup.

Both the pot and the soup were provided by the school, especially the military rations soup, which emitted a fragrant aroma, making everyone's mouths water.

Xu Taiping had not shown up all day, and now that night had fallen, Rong Taotao was naturally more vigilant.

He held the Fangtian halberd in his arms, leaning against the cave entrance, absorbing the ice and snow elemental soul power, trying to improve his soul technique level, while also keeping a watchful eye on the outside environment.

By the bonfire, Sun Xingyu was nestled in Li Ziyi's arms, whispering something.

Sun Xingyu's roommate, Zhou Ting, would often steal glances at the two, her eyes filled with envy.

"Rong Taotao."

"Hmm?" Rong Taotao turned his head and saw Lu Mang, who was holding a long sword.

Lu Mang: "Let's assign the night watch shifts. We still have to survive for 7 days, and we need to take turns to ensure everyone's physical and mental strength."

"Hmm..." Rong Taotao nodded. This was also the reason he had to form a team and seek cooperation for mutual benefit.

The snowy forest at night was far more terrifying than during the day.

"I'll take the first shift." From deep within the cave, Li Ziyi's distinctive duck voice echoed.

Rong Taotao found it unbearable to listen to and said, "Hey, can't you grow up faster? If you can't, at least get your voice to mature. It's a waste of your face."

"The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is." Li Ziyi let out a cold snort and tightened his grip on his "empress"...

What the hell?

This kid's verbal skills have really improved?

Just as Rong Taotao was about to say something, a voice from the distant forest called out, "Is anyone there?"

Rong Taotao and Lu Mang exchanged glances and tightened their grips on their weapons.

At the same time, the three inside the cave also stood up.

"Great! Wonderful!" With a voice full of joy, several figures holding flashlights quickly approached the cave with the flickering firelight.

"Hello, hello! It's so great to see someone else!" A student stepped forward, his face showing immense excitement even with the large goggles on.

His face wasn't flushed with excitement but rather pale, and his body was shivering, clearly from the cold.

Rong Taotao remained silent, observing the students who had just emerged from the snowstorm, his mind racing...

"Can we stay here? The wind outside is too strong and too cold, and it's so dark. If we continue like this, we'll easily be attacked by soul beasts." The student pulled down his goggles and looked at Lu Mang with a pleading expression.

Rong Taotao was leaning against the cave entrance, and at this moment, Lu Mang was standing in the "C" position.

The opposing team consisted of six people, clearly also a cooperative survival team like Rong Taotao's.

"Let us stay here, please. Help us." From the back, another voice pleaded.

Lu Mang turned to look at Rong Taotao, who shrugged and turned to look inside the cave.

At this moment, Zhou Ting, who was standing by the bonfire, averted her gaze from Rong Taotao and remained silent.

In such an extremely special environment, there was no such thing as "neither yes nor no." Zhou Ting's lack of nod or any indication already represented her inner resistance.

For these middle school students, such an evaluation method was indeed challenging.

On one hand, they had to cooperate to survive, but on the other hand, all the participants were competitors.

Sun Xingyu and Li Ziyi exchanged glances and then turned to Rong Taotao, saying, "The cave is spacious. You decide."

"Can you give us an answer? We're freezing to death!" A female voice came out, clearly impatient, but was quickly silenced by someone beside her.

The situation was more powerful than the people. The new team was exhausted from their journey, barely able to stand, let alone fight or seize the cave.

They had no choice; seeing the firelight was like seeing hope, and they approached without hesitation.

With no way out, they didn't even consider whether Rong Taotao's team would harm them.

Rong Taotao tilted his head towards the cave and said, "Rest here, but I have to say this upfront: we'll only let you stay for one night. Our team is already complete, and you'll have to find another place to stay in the morning."

"Hmph, treating this like your home..." The girl pouted, her voice not low, and took a step forward.

These top students were clearly all strong-willed.

Moreover, these were children who had yet to enter society, and if they were spoiled at home, it wasn't surprising what they might say.

Of course, it wasn't just children. In this bizarre world, there were also many adult babies, always some rotten people who took others' help and charity for granted.

Rong Taotao was always soft on the outside but hard on the inside. He held the Fangtian halberd and pointed it in the direction of the voice, "If you don't want to stay, you can leave."

The male student from the front quickly stepped forward, his trembling hand gently pressing down on the halberd's shaft, "Hey, buddy, it's a misunderstanding. We're frozen stiff, and our bodies are almost numb."

"We've been walking all day, and we're all stressed out. Sorry, sorry, we'll leave in the morning, we'll leave in the morning..."

Hearing the specific words and apologies, Rong Taotao smiled and put down the halberd.

The new team members entered the cave one after another, quickly moving towards the flickering bonfire.

"Xing'er." Rong Taotao suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" Sun Xingyu, who was watching the new team members warm themselves by the fire, turned to look at Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao: "Talk to them about the night watch shifts. Since they're staying here, everyone needs to share the responsibility for tonight's safety."

"Okay." Sun Xingyu took on this task.

Clearly, in Rong Taotao's five-person team, Sun Xingyu was the best at "talking" and was the most suitable for diplomatic roles.

Li Ziyi said, "Use full names, no nicknames."

Rong Taotao was uncomfortable. He noticed that Li Ziyi didn't talk much, but when he did, it was either to protect Sun Xingyu or to challenge Rong Taotao.

Is Li Ziyi's mouth only for these two things?

Rong Taotao: "Li Ziyi, shut up!"

Li Ziyi: ???

Well, not only did Sun Xingyu get a nickname, but Li Ziyi didn't escape either.

"What about you? Haha." Sun Xingyu covered her mouth and giggled, her youthful and sweet appearance warming the cave's atmosphere.

A feast for the eyes.

Under the red wool cap, Sun Xingyu's beautiful big eyes blinked and said, "Are you Tao'er?"

Rong Taotao: "..."

Sun Xingyu's eyes suddenly lit up, pointing at Lu Mang, "You're Mango!"

Lu Mang's face stiffened slightly.

He is the "Mang" from "Fengmang," not the "Mang" from "Mango"... Well, it is.

"What about you?" Sun Xingyu looked at Zhou Ting, her little brain working hard to think of a nickname.

Zhou Ting awkwardly twitched her lips.

Rong Taotao timely intervened, saying, "Zhou Ting never expected to end up in this icy place, forming a team with a fruit platter."

Zhou Ting silently lowered her head, her shoulders trembling, trying hard not to laugh.

"Wow, it's so warm." From the other team, the girl finally revealed her face, taking off her goggles and staring at the boiling soup on the fire. She picked up a cup and poured herself a bowl of soup.

This scene, of course, was seen by everyone.

At the cave entrance, Lu Mang remained expressionless, while Rong Taotao slightly narrowed his eyes.

"Everyone, have some soup to warm up." Sun Xingyu, regaining her composure, called out without any additional comments.

The other team members then put down their backpacks and searched for cups.

At the cave entrance, Lu Mang turned around and looked at the dark, snowy forest outside, suddenly saying, "Since ancient times, peaches nourish people, apricots harm people, and plums bury the dead under their trees."

Rong Taotao was clearly taken aback.

What's this?

This kid doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's quite literary.

Rong Taotao looked at Lu Mang with a strange expression and said, "I nourish people? Who said that?"

Lu Mang: "Ancient wisdom."

Rong Taotao: "Ancient wisdom guides me to nourish people?"

"Tsk, tsk, I thought I'd never find a girlfriend in my life. If that's the case..."

"I'll have at least two girlfriends, one at home and one outside."

"Following the ancestors' teachings, I'll be ordered to have a mistress~ Perfect!"

Lu Mang glanced at Rong Taotao with a blank face, realizing their minds were on different levels. He didn't argue but said, "Wish you success."

Rong Taotao smiled, showing his white teeth, and gave Lu Mang a thumbs up!

"Hey, I'm Zheng Tianpeng." Behind him, a male voice spoke, the same student who had negotiated with Rong Taotao earlier.

Rong Taotao turned around, looked at the outstretched hand, and shook it.

Even with gloves on, Rong Taotao could feel the coldness of the other's hand.

"Thanks for letting us stay here." Zheng Tianpeng had a good attitude and smiled.

"Ah, no problem." Rong Taotao nodded casually.

Zheng Tianpeng: "Sun Xingyu has already assigned the night watch shifts. We'll each send one person, starting at 9 PM, and we'll switch every two hours."

Rong Taotao tilted his head, his gaze sweeping past Zheng Tianpeng's shoulder, and he gave Sun Xingyu a thumbs up.

Sun Xingyu's arrangement was very reasonable, with each side sending one person, providing mutual support and supervision.

"Our team member Wen Ying had a bad attitude earlier. It's been a really tough day. Please understand and be lenient." Zheng Tianpeng smiled.

Rong Taotao nodded casually, saying nothing.

Subtly, Rong Taotao felt a gaze on him and turned to see the girl named Wen Ying, who was holding a cup, turning away.

After Zheng Tianpeng left, Lu Mang stepped closer to Rong Taotao and whispered, "Why add trouble by letting them stay? Out of kindness?"

Rong Taotao: "The school hasn't given any evaluation criteria. Do you think, in this special moment, providing shelter to these students will earn our team points?"

Lu Mang nodded thoughtfully.

At this moment, at least 11 soldiers were guarding in the dark, and they would all witness this scene.

Rong Taotao's team's act of sheltering and protecting their fellow humans had a high probability of being a bonus point.

Of course, if this is a bonus point, then during the day, when Xu Taiping left due to a misunderstanding, it's unclear whether it would be a bonus or a penalty.

But it's hoped that the soldiers will make a fair judgment.

After all, Rong Taotao made it clear: they never intended to drive Xu Taiping away from the shelter; they just needed an apology.

Lu Mang looked at Rong Taotao silently and said, "I thought you were a sincere, friendly, and kind-hearted person."

Rong Taotao: "If you say so, I won't argue with you."

Lu Mang: "..."

...

There's another update coming.