"Sorry, I'd like to train on my own." Su You lied without batting an eye. His life-and-death adventures with Zhang Yue were a secret, and he hadn't mentioned them to anyone.
"On your own?" Li Zhong nodded, then smiled and turned down Fan Xuemei's invitation as well.
Qiao Lizheng sighed inwardly and said with a smile, "Junior Sister Xuemei, I'll ask a few friends to join us in a bit. Then we can team up."
Fan Xuemei was delighted and quickly agreed.
A little while later, the image on the cabin screen changed, and a video began to play. A middle-aged man stood beside the screen and pointed to the footage as he said:
"Everyone, get ready. This is the Sahara Desert as it is today, the most dangerous of the world's three great danger zones. There aren't many different kinds of monsters here, but most are quite rare, and they're much harder to deal with than ordinary monsters. I'm sure you've all read plenty of material before coming here."
"There are also many King-level Monsters here, but as long as you don't provoke them, they can't be bothered with you. The greatest threats to you are beast hordes and Lord-level Monsters."
The War God Rank instructor explained how to deal with the various common monster hordes one by one. Most of the students listened intently. Although they had gathered some information beforehand, it clearly couldn't compare with the Elite Training Camp's materials.
About half an hour later, the plane landed and the cabin doors opened. The students and War God instructors quickly filed out.
Su You stepped out of the cabin and looked around. The Passenger Aircraft had landed in a patch of green, though it wasn't very large. Beyond it stretched an endless expanse of yellow sand.
One of the War God instructors stepped forward and called out, "All students, use your Communication Watches to record the exact coordinates of our current location."
"It's 11:23 a.m. on August 1, 2054. Your task is to survive in the Sahara Desert for 28 days. Our Passenger Aircraft will return here at noon on the 29th to take you all back to Hongning Base City."
"Now, your life-and-death adventure officially begins!"
After the instructor finished speaking, he and the other War God instructors returned to the Passenger Aircraft. It slowly rose into the air, then vanished in the distance as a streak of blue light.
On the oasis, the 186 students gathered in groups of three or five and formed teams. For students without War God Rank strength, surviving alone in the Sahara Desert for 28 days would be extremely difficult.
Su You was powerful, so quite a few students wanted to team up with him. But after turning down the first invitation, he walked straight out of the oasis and strode into the boundless desert.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yue waited in place for a while before heading in the opposite direction from Su You. A few students behind her quietly noted which way she went, then rejoined their own teams and set off along their chosen routes.
About half an hour later, Su You and Zhang Yue both changed direction. They didn't meet up until more than an hour later, over a hundred kilometers from their starting point.
Huaxia Country, Kyoto Base City, main urban district, the Wang Family.
A middle-aged man in luxurious clothes sat on a sofa with his eyes closed. He was Wang Wenyou, the eldest son of the Wang Family's second generation and its leading heir.
Across from him sat a man with a somewhat sinister look: the infamous third young master of the Wang Family, Wang Wenyun, known as a human sowing machine.
Wang Wenyou said with a stern expression, "Third Brother, once this mess is settled, you'd better keep your head down and rein in your temper."
"Big Brother, you can't blame me for all of it. That bitch had it coming when she refused to know her place."
"So you thought you could just beat her to death?" Wang Wenyou's expression darkened.
Wang Wenyun shrugged, seemingly unconcerned, and asked casually:
"How many people did you send this time? Are they sure they can kill that little bitch? I've been stuck at home for over a year."
"Hmph, it's better for you to stay home. That way you won't go out and cause more trouble." Wang Wenyou snorted. "I spent ten billion Huaxia Currency to hire three War God Rank fighters: one Mid-level War God and two Low-level War Gods."
"Ten billion? Was that really necessary?" Wang Wenyun exclaimed. "That little bitch is at most a high-level Warlord. You could've just hired a Low-level War God. Why spend so much?"
Wang Wenyou glanced at him. "Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength. Besides, I'm also worried that..."
Before Wang Wenyou could finish, a middle-aged man who looked like a butler hurried over.
Wang Wenyou immediately asked in a low voice, "Uncle Liu, what happened?"
"Eldest Young Master, we can't confirm Zhang Yue's location anymore."
"What?" Wang Wenyou furrowed his brows and asked sternly, "Why not?"
Uncle Liu grimaced. "Eldest Young Master, her Communication Watch shows her at the Elite Training Camp, but according to what we've learned, she's already in the Sahara Desert. That means she must have changed her Communication Watch."
Wang Wenyun ignored the situation and sprang to his feet, pointing at Uncle Liu as he berated him. "Useless! You can't even handle such a small thing. I—"
"Shut up!" Wang Wenyou glared at him, then frowned and said, "The only option now is to get through to her on the phone. Once we do, we'll be able to pinpoint her location."
"Eldest Young Master, I've already contacted the students we're on good terms with at the Elite Training Camp. They've asked around too, but not one of them knows Zhang Yue's new number."
Wang Wenyou thought for a moment, then asked, "Isn't there anything else we can do?"
Uncle Liu hesitated. "We do know which direction Zhang Yue headed in when she set out, but she'll surely change course if she's on guard."
"Why not put out a bounty?" Wang Wenyun suggested.
"A bounty for what? To kill a member of the Elite Training Camp? The state expressly forbids warriors from killing each other. Normally, we turn a blind eye only when there's no other option. If you put out a public bounty, you'd be practically asking to get caught."
Wang Wenyun curled his lip and fell silent.
"We'll have to try, even if it's a long shot!"
Wang Wenyou sighed, then instructed him, "Uncle Liu, contact the mercenaries. Give them all the information we have and tell them that if they kill Zhang Yue this month, we'll pay them fifty billion Huaxia Currency."
"Yes, Eldest Young Master."
After receiving his instructions, Uncle Liu immediately left the hall to contact the mercenaries.
"Big Brother, why not send the War Gods our family keeps on retainer? Isn't this just throwing money away?" Wang Wenyun asked, puzzled.
Wang Wenyou smiled faintly. "The Sahara Desert is dangerous even for War Gods. They might not be willing to go. If money can solve a problem, there's no need to send them."
Wang Wenyun nodded, then asked, "Which mercenary group did you hire?"
"The Demon Blade Legion!"
Before you continue