Reconnaissance

"Kiyotaka, remember this: having the ability but choosing to do nothing is an incredibly foolish act."

Ayanokoji opened his eyes: Was I dreaming? That man again...

Ayanokoji glanced at Zhuge Linghao, who was still fast asleep, pondered something for a moment, and then got up to walk out of the tent.

Day 2 of the exam.

The forest in the early morning was intoxicatingly beautiful.

Morning dew clung to the drooping branches, crystal clear and shimmering like beautiful pearls.

Sunlight pierced through the towering trees, illuminating the winding path and intertwining with the morning mist, as if forging a thriving fairyland.

In this emerald forest, the singing of birds and the babbling of the stream wove together into a melodious symphony of nature, making one feel refreshed and at ease.

"Hey, look! We caught a lot of fish!"

Sudo and Ike held up their fishing nets, unable to resist showing off their 'great achievements.'

At this moment, the girls from Kushida's group also returned carrying a large amount of fruit and vegetables, heading toward Hirata to await instructions.

Hirata held a stack of empty bottles and said, "Thanks for your hard work, everyone! Could I trouble you two, Ike, to get the campfire started?"

Hirata continued to give orders in an orderly fashion: "I'll leave the food management to you, Kushida! Thank you!"

Hirata took out empty water bottles and handed them to the surrounding students: "Can those of you who are free help collect some drinking water?"

Hirata was truly the central figure of Class D; he was exceptionally capable within his scope of influence!

"Huh? I'm so sleepy! Is it lunchtime? Oh! You want me to help take over a base? Alright, just wait a second."

While waiting for Zhuge Linghao to finish washing up, Ayanokoji said to Horikita Suzune, "Let's go scout other classes later, and while we're at it, we can survey the terrain. I'm planning to make a simple map."

Horikita said coldly, "That's rare. I didn't expect you to take the initiative."

Ayanokoji replied, "I'm idle anyway, might as well pass the time."

Horikita crossed her arms: "Scouting is a good idea, but I really don't want to waste too much energy."

Ayanokoji answered, "I understand how you feel, but staying cooped up won't change anything."

Ayanokoji suddenly brought up a point: "Besides, I don't think you can just sit and wait for your doom. I believe Ryuen will launch an offensive soon."

Horikita deliberated: "Fine."

The Class B base was located next to a large waterfall; Ichinose's class was also close to a water source!

Ichinose led the three of them to tour the layout of the Class B base, showing no guard at all.

Ichinose said energetically, "There's fruit everywhere around here, we can fish in the river, and the waterfall solves our water supply problem."

Looking at the thriving scene, Horikita remarked with emotion, "As expected of Class B; they are even more united than I imagined."

Ichinose smiled: "It was tough for us at first, too. But we came up with many solutions and finally overcame most of our difficulties. We're doing alright now!"

Zhuge Linghao said with a grin, "Ichinose, we're still in a cooperative relationship, right?"

Ichinose turned her gaze to Zhuge Linghao and said sweetly, "Yes, let's hope for a pleasant cooperation!"

Zhuge Linghao looked toward a blonde boy with glasses and bangs: "Strange, that student's armband is different from the ones in your class."

Ichinose explained, "His name is Kaneda Satoru. It seems he had a falling out with someone from Class C and was kicked out of the main Class C camp."

Zhuge Linghao said loudly on purpose: "Doesn't that make him a spy sent by Class C? Ichinose, you really need to keep your leader well-hidden!"

Hearing Zhuge Linghao's shout, Kanzaki Ryuji, who was not far away, frowned.

Ichinose smiled: "Thank you for the reminder, Zhuge-kun. We will be careful."

Hearing someone calling her from afar, Ichinose said, "Sorry, I have to go help out. You're welcome to come visit again!"

Finally, Horikita gave her overall assessment of Class B: "Their class is just an upgraded version of ours."

Horikita asked, "Is that cave with the curtain the Class A base?"

Zhuge Linghao replied, "It should be. I saw that green-haired guy, Totsuka Yahiko."

Horikita didn't have binoculars and said, "I can't see what's going on inside from here."

Ayanokoji stood up and said, "Let's walk over and take a look. Even if they are Class A, we can't accomplish anything by hiding here."

Zhuge Linghao suddenly said excitedly, "Right, Ayanokoji-bro, let's charge in and take them down! You can take on all forty of them by yourself!"

Ayanokoji said with a deadpan expression, "Hey, even if I were a superhero, I couldn't beat them all..."

Horikita said coldly, "What on earth are you two trying to do? Exposing our identities so easily is not a wise choice."

Zhuge Linghao grinned: "How about this: you keep squatting here, and we'll head out first?"

Horikita snorted, then slowly followed the footsteps of the two in front.

The Green-haired guy stretched his back, then suddenly turned alert and said, "Zhuge Linghao? Are you guys from Class D? What are you doing here?"

Horikita replied as a matter of course, "We're here to scout. Is there a problem with that?"

Taking advantage of the Green-haired guy being distracted, Zhuge Linghao shamelessly charged into the Class A base camp!

The scene inside was actually... (left to the reader's imagination...)

"Hey, Zhuge Linghao, what are you doing! People who aren't from Class A aren't allowed inside!"

The Green-haired guy pointed at Zhuge Linghao and accused him, looking extremely angry.

At this moment, Zhuge Linghao had already retreated to the side of the cave curtain; he only needed to poke his head in to see the layout inside.

Zhuge Linghao put on an innocent face, planning to deny everything to the end: "Which eye did you see me go in with? Do you have any evidence? By the way, Horikita, Ayanokoji, did you see me go in?"

Horikita and Ayanokoji held back their laughter and said, "No... we didn't!"

"What is all that noise outside? I believe I gave instructions that we could host guests here."

The Green-haired guy's expression turned tense, and he stopped speaking.

Zhuge Linghao grinned and said, "So it's you, Baldy. Not bad at those pull-ups last time!"

Katsuragi the bald guy said, "Zhuge? What are you here for?"

Zhuge Linghao said in an annoyed tone, "We're in the middle of a debate! I said I didn't go in, but this Green-haired guy insists I did, and he can't even provide proof! Look at this, what are we supposed to do?"

The bald guy smiled and said, "You are free to look around, but you should also be prepared. Since this base is currently occupied by Class A, we have a responsibility to protect this camp. So, are you trying to start a class war?"

Watching the people gradually surrounding them, Horikita and Ayanokoji dared not act rashly, instead falling into deep thought.

And Zhuge Linghao once again committed a death-defying act.

He stood in place, frantically bobbing his head in and out of the curtain while loudly and repeatedly howling, "I went in, and now I'm out, do you have any evidence? I went in, and now I'm out, do you have any evidence? I went in, and now I'm out, do you have any evidence?"

Everyone: "..."

Dozens of seconds later, Zhuge Linghao had seen the layout inside clearly.

He stopped his shameful actions, his face turning bright red as he bowed 90 degrees to apologize: "I'm so sorry, my neck was cramping!!!"