Chapter 114: Splitting Up
Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Splitting Up
The five members of the First Corps watched as the others bustled about in an orderly fashion. For a moment, the five of them just stood there, unsure of what to do.
Finally, their captain, Chu Bufan, walked up to Lin Jingjing and asked, "Is there anything we can help with?"
Lin Jingjing looked at the five strong young men before her, then pointed toward Mo Xuan. "Help him butcher the wild boar."
Having received their orders, the five of them went over to Mo Xuan and squatted down to help him butcher the wild boar.
Mo Xuan was so crowded by them that he could barely move his hands. The hand holding his dagger stilled, and he said, "Just two of you are enough. The rest can go help the others."
The five exchanged glances. In the end, the two women and one of the men left, leaving only Ke Wen and Chu Bufan to help.
The viewers online found the scene rather amusing.
It was like these five were here only to get in the way, throwing their well-organized work into disarray.
Although things were a bit messy, many hands make light work. Before long, the wild boar’s fat was in the pot, rendering into lard.
The barrel of cooking oil they had wouldn’t even last them half a month. Now that they had fatty pork, they could render some lard to avoid running out of oil later.
They gathered around, watching Lin Jingjing stir the contents of the pot with a wooden spatula. It wasn’t long before a fragrant aroma filled the air.
Smelling the aroma, their mouths couldn’t help but water.
"I can’t believe you can cook something so fragrant out here in the wilderness. You’re amazing!" said the woman with her hair in a topknot, her face beaming with excitement. Her name was Fang Zhiyun, and the Fang Family’s businesses spanned the entire Empire.
The maglev vehicles they always took to the city center were operated by her family’s company. The Fang Family was rich—impossibly rich.
It was just surprising that the young heiress of the Fang Family would actually join the military.
"Haha, it’s just an essential wilderness survival Skill," Lin Jingjing replied with a laugh.
The lard was rendered quickly. Shi Feng found a large basin and placed it nearby for Lin Jingjing to pour it into.
The basin was as wide as a person’s face, and the rendered lard filled it more than halfway.
Shi Feng looked at the lard and nodded in satisfaction. ’This will last us a long time.’
With the pork and chicken all prepared, Lin Jingjing didn’t waste any time and started cooking.
The leftover pork cracklings were passed around as a snack.
They sat on rocks, chewing the cracklings, their gazes fixed on the large pot.
Their eager, expectant expressions struck Lin Jingjing as rather comical.
’It’s not like I’m going to starve them.’
Mo Xuan and Feng He sat together, quietly processing chestnuts while wearing gloves.
Gu Kaiwen and Shi Feng were also sitting nearby. Gu Kaiwen tended to the fire while Shi Feng sat beside him, reading a book.
As the sky slowly began to darken, everyone got their mess kits ready and sat down, quickly shoveling food from their bowls.
Fang Zhiyun took a bite of the tender, slow-cooked wild boar, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"This is unbelievably delicious!" Fang Zhiyun exclaimed, looking up at them with excitement in her voice.
"Agreed!" the other woman chimed in. "Eating something this delicious out in the wilderness... it’s just incredible!" She gave them a thumbs-up.
’The main reason was that they had brought so much with them. Spices, pots, bowls, ladles—they had packed everything.’
’With the right spices, capturing their appetites was a cinch.’
’Without spices or proper cookware, things would have been much harder.’
They all ate quickly. The food was scorching hot straight from the pot, but they just blew on it a few times before digging in.
After finishing their meal in fifteen minutes, they started to pack. Once all the tools were put back into their Space Rings, they set off to deliver the food.
The members of the First Corps were shocked by their speed. "That fast?"
"Yep. Everyone needs to be fed by 7 o’clock."
The First Corps members quickly checked the time. Less than two hours remained.
No wonder they were in such a rush; they had to run to several different locations to deliver the meals.
"Understood," Chu Bufan replied, then lowered his head to continue wolfing down his food.
Lin Jingjing checked the time. They packed the meals into bags, and she announced, "We’ll split up to make the deliveries. It’ll save time."
Her team heard this and joined in packing. Once the meals were ready, Lin Jingjing raised her hand, and the four of them immediately lined up.
Lin Jingjing glanced at them and said, "Be careful after you split up. If you encounter danger, evade it if you can. If you can’t, do your best to get away."
"Your safety comes first. Second is getting the food to them safely."
"Do you understand?" Lin Jingjing asked, her voice grave.
The four answered in unison: "Understood!"
Lin Jingjing nodded, then looked at Shi Feng. "You’re with me."
Shi Feng pointed at himself. "Me? With you?"
"Shouldn’t Feng He be the one going with you?" Shi Feng felt like Lin Jingjing was looking down on him. ’I can deliver the food safely on my own!’
Feng He chimed in then, "It’s better this way. You’re a bit weaker than me."
Shi Feng looked incredulous. "How could I possibly be weaker than you?" he said, clearly unwilling to accept it.
"Enough," Gu Kaiwen cut in. "We’re running out of time."
In the end, Shi Feng had no choice but to trail after Lin Jingjing. But he shot Feng He a serious look and said, "When this competition is over, you and I are having a match."
"Deal." Feng He flashed an ’OK’ sign. "I’ll take the delivery for the Second Corps," she said, shouldering her camouflage pack.
The Second Corps was relatively close, so she chose that one.
"Then I’ll take the Third Corps," Gu Kaiwen said, raising his hand. Mo Xuan immediately followed up, "I’ll take the Fourth."
"Then Shi Feng and I will deliver to the Fifth and Sixth."
With the assignments set, they sprang into action. Lin Jingjing set off with Shi Feng.
The other three also took off running, unimpeded by the packs that weighed several kilograms on their backs.
The dense canopy blocked the light from the setting sun, causing the forest to grow dark much faster than the world outside.
Guided by light orbs, they made their way to the various corps and delivered the evening’s meal.
After finishing their deliveries, they returned to the rendezvous point. Gu Kaiwen staggered back, looking like he’d been through the wringer.
He was covered in scrapes and bruises, clear evidence of a fierce fight.
Mo Xuan was also grimy, but not nearly as battered as Gu Kaiwen.
Feng He had finished first. She hadn’t run into any beasts along her route, so she was completely unscathed. Having returned the earliest, she was sitting on a tree trunk, playing with her Star Ring.
"How did you two get so banged up?" Feng He walked over and looked at them. She gave the more battered Gu Kaiwen a look-over; thankfully, his injuries were all superficial, nothing life-threatening.
Mo Xuan only had a minor abrasion, which Feng He healed with a wave of her hand and a bit of spiritual power.
Gu Kaiwen’s injuries, however, were more severe, and it took Feng He a while to mend them.
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