Deserted Island Game (2)

But deep down, there was a hint of imperceptible melancholy—which didn't quite match her consistently sunny image.

"Your campsite is built so well," Honami Ichinose said, looking at the Class D facilities with envy. "It's much more organized than ours."

"Just luck," Tang Yu said modestly, then suddenly had an idea. "By the way, we have spare Water Purification Device units. If Class B needs one, we can lend it to you."

Honami Ichinose's eyes lit up: "Really? Thank you so much!"

"In exchange," Tang Yu continued, "if you notice any unusual movements from Class C, could you let us know? Information sharing is beneficial for everyone."

Honami Ichinose hesitated for a moment: "This... alright, if it's to avoid conflict."

The two exchanged a few more words and agreed to meet by the stream again in the evening to hand over the Water Purification Device. After Honami Ichinose left, Horikita Suzune immediately walked over to question him: "Why did you take the initiative to help Class B? They are our opponents."

"Just temporary allies," Tang Yu explained. "Facing the threat of Class C, cooperating with Class B is in our best interest."

"A wise choice," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka appeared beside them out of nowhere. "Divide and conquer."

[Confusion from Horikita Suzune +50]

[Approval from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka +30]

In the afternoon, Class D split into several groups to carry out different tasks. Tang Yu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were responsible for exploring the island, looking for potential resource points and mission points. The two walked silently through the dense forest, each remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

"You took the initiative to approach Honami Ichinose, not just for an alliance, right?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka suddenly spoke up.

Tang Yu did not answer directly: "What do you think Ryuen will do next?"

"He will test Class A first," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka analyzed. "Katsuragi Kohei is too conservative and easily becomes a target. After weakening Class A, he will go all out against us."

"I suspect he will use a two-pronged approach," Tang Yu said, pushing aside the branches in front of him. "While sending people to deal with Class A, he will also harass our supply lines."

"That's why we need Class B's intelligence network," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded. "However, Honami Ichinose is not good at strategy games; her kindness might become a weakness."

Tang Yu stopped in his tracks: "You seem to know the leaders of the other classes very well?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression remained calm: "Just basic observation."

The two reached a high point where they could overlook most of the island. The Class A camp was built on the beach, neat but lacking concealment; Class B was on the other side of the woods with a scattered layout; Class C was near the Freshwater Lake, the best location but with weak defenses.

"Look there," Tang Yu pointed to a small hill in the center of the island. There was a faint reflection on the top, which should be a mission point.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took out his binoculars to observe: "Confirmed. There is a flag and a Mission Box there."

"Let's go take it tomorrow morning," Tang Yu proposed.

"Too conspicuous," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka objected. "Let the other classes fight for it first, we should conserve our strength."

The two had a disagreement in strategy, the first since the Leadership Group was formed. Tang Yu activated Emotion Perception and found that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's Emotion Cloud was in a rare state of activity—he wasn't just opposing him, but testing Tang Yu's reaction.

"How about this," Tang Yu proposed a compromise. "Tomorrow, we send a reconnaissance team to monitor the mission point, but we won't participate directly. We'll strike only after they have both suffered losses."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "That works."

Returning to the camp in the evening, Class D had already prepared dinner. Simple grilled fish and wild vegetable soup, but it was considered a feast under field conditions. Tang Yu took the Water Purification Device to the stream, and Honami Ichinose arrived as promised.

"Here you go," Tang Yu handed over the device. "Did you find anything today?"

Honami Ichinose hesitated for a moment: "Someone from Class C is scouting the food storage point of Class A. Ryuen might be planning to steal their supplies."

"Thanks for the heads-up," Tang Yu said sincerely. "Is there anything else your camp is lacking?"

"Actually..." Honami Ichinose looked a bit embarrassed. "We aren't very good at making fire, so we've been eating cold food today."

Tang Yu smiled: "I'll send someone to teach you tomorrow morning. In exchange..."

"Information sharing, I understand," Honami Ichinose also smiled. "You really know how to do business."

The two sat on the rocks by the stream and chatted about the situation in their respective classes. Tang Yu found it comfortable to talk to Honami Ichinose—she was sincere and unpretentious, completely different from the feigned friendliness of Kushida Kikyo.

"Actually, I'm a bit worried," Honami Ichinose suddenly said in a low voice. "This test is very important for Class B. We lost quite a few Class Points earlier due to some mistakes..."

Tang Yu's Emotion Perception captured the anxiety and pressure in her heart. On an impulse, he activated the newly unlocked "Emotion Resonance" ability, wanting to understand the inner world of this sunny leader more deeply.

In an instant, a torrent of complex emotions flooded into Tang Yu's consciousness—the heavy pressure brought by a sense of responsibility, the fear of failure, the loneliness of being a leader... Most surprisingly.

Deep inside, Honami Ichinose hid a deep sense of inferiority, as if she felt she didn't deserve her current position.

[Emotion Resonance complete]

[Honami Ichinose Psychological Profile updated: Hidden sense of inferiority stems from a major past failure]

The ability lasted for a very short time, but the amount of information was huge. Tang Yu withdrew the ability and pretended to adjust his shoes to hide his abnormal reaction.

"It's getting late," he stood up. "See you tomorrow."

Honami Ichinose seemed to have recovered from her brief melancholy and put her smile back on: "Yes, thank you for your help."

Returning to the Class D camp, Tang Yu found the Leadership Group discussing the plan for tomorrow. He told everyone the intelligence that Class C might attack Class A's supplies, sparking a discussion.

"Should we warn Class A?" Hirata asked.

"No," Tang Yu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said in unison. The two looked at each other, and Tang Yu continued: "Letting Class C exhaust Class A is beneficial to us."

"But that's not fair..." Hirata frowned.

"This is the essence of the test," Horikita unexpectedly supported Tang Yu. "Strength is supreme."

After the meeting, Tang Yu was responsible for the first watch. The night sky was filled with stars, and the sound of waves came from afar. He sat on the lookout tower, reviewing the gains of the day—the direct confrontation with Class C, the initial alliance with Class B, unlocking a new ability...

[Current Emotion Points: 9650/10000]

[Special Reminder: Increased attention from Katsuragi Kohei of Class A detected]

The system prompt made Tang Yu alert. He activated Night Vision (exchanged previously with Emotion Points) and scanned the surrounding darkness. Sure enough, in the bushes outside the camp, a tall figure was silently observing the Class D camp—it was Katsuragi Kohei of Class A.

"It seems tonight won't be boring." Tang Yu whispered to himself, gripping the Alarm Rope in his hand tightly.

On the first night of the Deserted Island, undercurrents were surging. The game between the four classes had just begun, and Tang Yu knew that the real challenge was still to come. He looked up at the starry sky, a confident smile curling at the corners of his mouth—he was determined to win this game.