In the second round, at two in the morning, Long Yao quietly woke up. After gently letting go of Wang Dong, he came over to Xiao Xiao and He Caitou. "You two go rest for a while. I can keep watch alone."
When Long Yao's calm, gentle voice, carrying an unquestionable weight, drifted clearly into the ears of the two keeping watch like a whisper in the Night Wind, the tense, focused atmosphere by the campfire was instantly broken.
"Brother Long Yao! Th-this won't do!"
The one who reacted the most fiercely was that loyal and honest Soul Engineer, He Caitou. He sprang up from the stone he had been sitting on until it was warm, and his burly body cast a huge, powerful shadow under the flickering firelight. His eyes, which always seemed a little small, were now rounded wide with urgency and determination. He shook his head hard, and his muffled voice was filled with sincere concern from the bottom of his heart and disapproval.
"We're not tired! Really! Not tired at all!" He forcefully patted his chest, which was sturdier than a city wall, producing dull bang bang Muffled Sounds, as though he meant to prove that he was still full of energy this way. "You... you're the backbone of our team. You and Classmate Wang Dong worked the hardest in battle during the day. How can we let you stay up at night too? No! Absolutely not! Classmate Xiao Xiao and I will keep watch. You hurry and rest!"
His words were plain and unadorned, without the slightest affectation, yet they contained the purest, simplest respect and protection toward their leader. He knew that ninety-nine percent of the credit for this team's current battle results and such powerful cohesion belonged to the unfathomable Captain before him.