Chapter 68: 66 Camping
Chapter 68: Chapter 66 Camping
“`
The military training lasted for about twenty days, and though it became more relaxed in the later stages, the fierce midsummer sun was still brutal, especially for the girls. Everyone’s faces were tanned to a dark brown, and some students even started peeling.
Huo Sining and Luo Jinzhi’s complexions, however, remained largely unchanged throughout.
Huo Sining was naturally fair-skinned, and after so many days of training, she hadn’t gotten tan at all.
Luo Jinzhi’s case was even more extreme. Having grown up by the sea, she had somewhat reddish-brown skin to start with, but for some reason, over the past couple of days, she felt that not only had she not gotten darker, but there was also a trend of her skin becoming lighter.
“Ningning, have you noticed my skin seems to have become whiter and tenderer recently? I had a few pimple scars on my face and forehead, old marks from years ago, and I don’t know why, but they’ve started to fade quite a bit.”
Luo Jinzhi pulled Huo Sining aside secretively and began to mutter quietly.
Huo Sining just pursed her lips and smiled. The question that puzzled Luo Jinzhi could probably only be answered by Huo Sining herself.
First, the skincare set Su Qingqing gave her was a luxury brand from abroad, definitely effective beyond question;
Second, she had massaged Luo Jinzhi several times this month, and Spiritual Energy had seeped into Luo Jinzhi’s skin. Those old scars, blessed by Spiritual Energy, naturally began to fade away gradually.
However, Huo Sining would not disclose either of these reasons.
Luo Jinzhi was like Su Qingqing—a pure and innocent girl by nature, not prone to suspicion. Confronted with her bewilderment, she just mumbled a few words and then thought about it no further.
But gradually, some people began to notice something fishy.
Du Yanlin was by no means a fool; she had long felt that the packaging of Huo Sining’s two sets of cosmetics looked like genuine counter products. Yet at the time, Huo Sining told her they were knockoffs from a farmers’ market, and Du had never seen knockoffs of such quality. She had her suspicions, but she didn’t delve any deeper.
Now, seeing how Luo Jinzhi’s skin had become silky and fair, she immediately felt deceived. Du Yanlin felt angry about Huo Sining’s deceit, and her gaze towards the cosmetics set in Luo Jinzhi’s cabinet turned suspicious.
Since Huo Sining told Luo Jinzhi that the skincare set was a free gift, Luo Jinzhi didn’t pay much attention to it and just casually stuffed it in the steel cabinet in her dormitory. She didn’t have any valuables, so she didn’t even bother to lock her cabinet, unaware that her “gift” might attract unwanted attention.
As the military training was winding down, suddenly, there came good news—the instructors would be taking the students camping.
Upon hearing this, everyone cheered excitedly.
The past twenty-plus days of training had been tedious and boring, and many students had already become impatient. Now that an entertaining activity was finally on the agenda, it was no wonder everyone was thrilled.
But when the instructor announced the rules for camping, everyone’s excitement quickly turned to disillusionment.
This camping trip was far from what everyone had imagined; the so-called military training camp was in fact a wilderness survival training exercise.
At four in the morning, with the sky just beginning to lighten, the students followed the instructors on foot into a dense forest. After traversing a long stretch of shrubs without the cover of trees, they arrived at a range of rolling mountains.
“`
The dense forests were lush with verdancy, and the thick foliage blocked out the sky. Everyone was still caught up in the excitement of camping, with some squatting in the bushes and others leaning against large trunks to rest, when suddenly a helicopter flew overhead. Chen Deping, holding a megaphone, began to shout:
“Students, the gate to a new world has opened for you, and the camping training now begins. You have one day to reach the red mark on the map, which is our camping destination. Seize this opportunity. Whether you can earn the credits for military training depends on whether you dare to step out of this jungle. Good luck to you all!”
Hearing Chen Deping’s words, everyone was instantaneously dumbstruck. It was only then that they realized, somehow, the instructors who had been by their side had vanished without a trace.
With no water, no food, no breakfast, just a military water bottle and a map that resembled a simplistic sketch without even directional signs, all other necessities had to be obtained by the students themselves in the wild. This was the real military training for wilderness survival, also known as camping.
In this completely unfamiliar jungle, the map seemed to be of little use, with many not even able to discern north, south, east, or west.@@novelbin@@
With the instructor gone, some of the girls were so anxious they were about to cry, while even the boys wore panicked expressions.
Huo Sining was also taken aback, but she wasn’t used to relying on others. She quickly adjusted her emotions and, pulling her backpack closer, started walking forward.
Luo Jinzhi closely followed Huo Sining’s footsteps. For some reason, she always felt that Huo Sining was thoughtful and daring in her actions; following her couldn’t be wrong.
Like Luo Jinzhi, there were quite a few in Class Two who followed Huo Sining’s lead and quietly trailed behind her.
Xue Jingjing and Du Yanlin, on the other hand, were following Zhao Jun, the class monitor.
Zhao Jun had recommended himself to Instructor Wu as class monitor, and his leadership abilities were indeed strong. He was amiable and persuasive, which earned him the respect of many in Class Two.
Seeing the instructor gone, a group of students who felt insecure gathered around the class monitor, waiting for Zhao Jun to make a decision.
Zhao Jun did want to ask Huo Sining to join him; her fierce athletic prowess was well known to everyone. Even though Zhao Jun believed that he had the capability to navigate out of the jungle on his own, having Huo Sining, a formidable teammate, would increase his chances of success.
But what he hadn’t expected was that before he could speak, Huo Sining had tightened her backpack and left, taking seven or eight classmates with her. This left Zhao Jun rather displeased.
Zhao Jun felt that as class monitor, he should have the authority to arrange and command every student in the class.
Because he was the monitor, others should follow his orders, but Huo Sining had acted on her own without so much as a greeting. Zhao Jun felt his authority challenged and his expression immediately darkened.
“Class monitor, don’t worry about them. Let’s go our own way. There are so many paths, who knows which one is right. I think they’re just walking aimlessly. We have so many people, surely we can find the destination!”
Xue Jingjing really couldn’t stand Huo Sining’s aloof demeanor. Seeing Huo Sining walk away, she felt immediately relieved.
Even if Huo Sining had strong athletic abilities, what did it matter in the jungle where everyone was like a headless fly? It wasn’t just physical prowess you needed, but also a sense of direction and brains. There was no reason their large group wouldn’t do better than just one Huo Sining.
Zhao Jun actually wanted to follow Huo Sining, but he hesitated for a moment, and by then Huo Sining and her followers had already entered the jungle and completely disappeared from view.
Zhao Jun was somewhat irritated. He gave Xue Jingjing a deep look, furrowed his brow as he glanced at the map in his hand, and looked at the path ahead before casually pointing in a direction and saying, “Let’s go.”
What do you think?
Total Responses: 0