The Mole

"Just do your best," Lin Chuan comforted him softly. He had not expected that group to get addicted to killing. Once they found someone unwilling to go along with them, anyone with a higher number would probably be killed.

"No, let's gather a few more people and fight back. What do you think?" Terai looked at Lin Chuan, then at Number Thirty, who had narrowly escaped death, as well as Shin and Sai, whom he had discovered beforehand.

"I don't care. You arrange the people you bring in." Lin Chuan felt that, with his current strength, dealing with two or three peers would not be a problem. But if more than ten people surrounded him, he would have to run too.

"I'll listen to you." Number Thirty had an injured arm. If he was left alone now, he would undoubtedly die, so he planned to stay here and recover.

"We'll listen to you too." Shin stopped Sai and gave him a reassuring look before stepping forward and nodding lightly. These two did not seem as malicious as that group, so they were worth trusting.

"I'm going to sleep first." Lin Chuan yawned and gave Sai and Shin one last look. Both had appeared in the anime, and Sai was even an important supporting character. His hands itched to test himself against them, but unfortunately, they were not enemies.

Morning of the twelfth day.

Terai went out in the morning, this time with someone accompanying him. Shin knew his strength was lacking, and since he could not just sit around doing nothing, he proposed going out with Terai to find people.

The two went out for another full day and brought back five people this time: Torune and Kaede, along with Numbers Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Seven, and Twenty-Five.

Those who came over generally had higher numbers. That group simply refused to accept higher-numbered peers as companions. Whenever they saw one, they would gang up and try to kill them.

That night, everyone sat together to discuss matters. There were now ten people gathered here, so they no longer needed to fear that group.

Looking at the results of the past two days, Terai proposed, "We have ten people now, enough to fight them. I suggest we start tomorrow..."

"I think we can still find a few more people. What if their group has grown stronger over the past two days?" Shin suggested being more cautious.

"If we're looking for more people, leave it to us." Torune Aburame wore black-rimmed sunglasses, so no one could see his expression, but everyone knew he came from a clan that controlled insects.

"Alright." Terai glanced at Lin Chuan. Compared to these outsiders, he trusted Lin Chuan more. Seeing Lin Chuan nod lightly, he agreed.

Lin Chuan knew that the Torune and Kaede combination was excellent at finding people. One could control insects, while the other could sense others. They would be much faster at locating people than Terai's blind search.

Then came the thirteenth day. This time, there was an additional search team. The first team was still Terai and Shin, while the second was Kaede and Torune. Lin Chuan and the others naturally stayed behind to guard the base camp.

They searched until evening. Terai brought back only one person, while Kaede and Sai brought back three. They were all peers numbered in the twenties. Including the original group, they now had fourteen people in total.

Adding the dozen or so people in the group that had been hunting others, along with the more than thirty surviving in the wilderness, everyone had basically split into two groups. A major battle was now inevitable.

Everyone sat down together again to discuss tactics. They planned to get a good night's rest, then on the fourteenth day of wilderness survival, seek out the other group for a decisive battle.

But things were never that simple. Everyone had fallen asleep on the tree trunks when Lin Chuan slowly opened his eyes and watched someone beneath the tree quietly leave the camp. He was probably going to tip them off, planning to wipe them all out in one go under cover of night. These kids' schemes really were simple.

Terai and the others had dragged in anyone they encountered. Who could guarantee that none of the people they brought in were moles? What was the point of looking only at their numbers? Couldn't they change clothes?

In the end, if they could not solve the issue of trust, they would never truly unite. Gathering together merely made them living targets, convenient for the enemy to wipe out all at once.

"You noticed the mole long ago?" Terai appeared soundlessly beside Lin Chuan. Watching the shadow beneath the tree move farther away, he could not help asking in a low voice.

"The way you recruit people is too crude. It would be strange if there weren't any moles." Lin Chuan complained helplessly. Though he did not oppose the idea, joining forces would not accomplish much.

That group had managed to unite because they had lived together for ten days and had already adapted to one another. But this group had only gathered for two or three days, yet they wanted everyone to trust each other. How could that be possible? Trust was not that cheap.

"Is that so? I thought they would stab us in the back during the day. I didn't expect them to be so impatient that they would strike at night." Terai was not stupid either. After gathering everyone together, he had realized they were just a disorganized rabble. During last night's discussion, everyone had held different opinions.

Numbers Thirty and the others who had been attacked would be afraid when facing that group. Once a fight began, they would definitely lose their nerve and run. These people could not be trusted. They would suspect one another and were completely unreliable.

He and Lin Chuan were fairly familiar with each other and could barely trust one another. Shin only wanted to protect his younger brother Sai, while Kaede and Torune would not listen to him. His head ached, and he could only ask Lin Chuan, "How do we break this situation?"

"Keep following the plan you made. Even though you recruited a mole, it isn't useless. As the group with the highest numbers, we can scatter and flee when the time comes. The chances of them choosing to pursue us will be the lowest..."

"If they want to take us down, they'll have to send at least six people after us. That way, they won't have the manpower to deal with the others. If they spread their numbers too thin and only send four people to hunt us, it's still uncertain who will live and who will die..."

"That's true." Hearing that his efforts had not been in vain, Terai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had spent three days on this. If it had all been useless, Lin Chuan would have laughed him to death. He did not want another embarrassing Fire Release incident.

Suddenly, the two noticed the mole returning, but no one else was with him. Lin Chuan chuckled quietly. "Looks like you guessed wrong. They want us to sleep a little longer. With more people around, they can at least get a good night's sleep..."

"True enough. Sleep, then." Terai returned to his tree trunk, slowly sat down, and closed his eyes to rest. But Lin Chuan ran toward the edge of the camp.

"You're still sleeping? Sleep my ass, hurry up and run." Lin Chuan shot a speechless glance at Terai, who followed after him. The two quietly moved away from the camp, and not long after, they had their Shadow Clones return to keep pretending to sleep while their real bodies fled.

In truth, many people had noticed the mole. After all, no one trusted each other. With the mole's suspiciously obvious departure, how could vigilant ninja possibly fail to notice?

"Ahhh—"

Before dawn on the fourteenth day, everyone was jolted awake by a scream. As soon as they woke up, they saw the mole had stabbed an unlucky person who had been alone. Signals for a coordinated attack came from the surrounding forest, and dozens of figures closed in.

Seeing this, Lin Chuan and the others quickly revealed themselves and appeared beside the victim. Looking at Number Twenty-One, who had died miserably, then at the mole who had retreated behind the enemy, Lin Chuan could only marvel at how vicious he had been.

Even though wilderness survival had no rule forbidding them from killing one another, this group had still grasped the rules of the game: use mutual slaughter to eliminate others and secure their own advancement.

"You go. I'll hold them off," Lin Chuan said, turning and waving them away. He presented them with a tall, stalwart back as he decided to stay behind and stop the enemy.

In reality, he did not want to deceive these walking experience packs into staying behind to die—especially Sai, Shin, Kaede, Torune, and the others. He would rather personally stab them himself.