Chapter 10

Chen Song said, "Isn't being cautious just being a coward?"

Xu Wenpei added, "This practical exam is testing how cautious we are. Otherwise, why would it be survival mode?"

Her retort caught Chen Song off guard, but he still snapped, "Anyway, I can't see anything special about her. She just got lucky with her Physique Points!"

The nine members of group 8 had already begun taking sides before the exam had even started.

Chen Song had 88 Physique Points and came from the provincial capital. He was well-off in every respect and had the highest number of Physique Points aside from Li Yang, so he really couldn't stand her.

Xu Wenpei came from a small city and had only 84 Physique Points. She had been a top student at her own high school, but after coming to the provincial capital, she no longer stood out as much. Still, she was proud and unwilling to curry favor with the examinees from the provincial capital.

Of the nine in group 8, the three from the provincial capital had naturally gravitated toward one another. Of the remaining six, three had huddled together with Xu Wenpei for warmth, while the other three had sided with Chen Song and his companions, hoping to enjoy the shade beneath a great tree.

More than twenty minutes had passed, and Chen Song was growing impatient. "Does she not want to sign it?"

The middle-aged teacher said, "Seven minutes left."

Chen Song folded his arms and snorted. "What future can someone like her have?"

Even Xu Wenpei, who had spoken up for Li Yang earlier, found it hard to say anything. It really had been too long. Twenty-three minutes had passed already. Could she really not want to sign?

Li Yang might have 90 Physique Points, but her circumstances really were unusual.

An ordinary person like her, who had never undergone systematic training, might really be frightened at being thrust into a two-star special quarantine zone and confronted with these "entry instructions" full of dangers.

It couldn't be helped. Not everyone had the courage to face life and death.

Twenty-five minutes.

Twenty-six minutes.

With two minutes left, Chen Song rolled his eyes. "If she wants to give up, she should hurry up and do it instead of wasting everyone's time!"

The middle-aged teacher said, "She isn't wasting anyone's time. The rules allow thirty minutes, and everyone will leave for the quarantine zone together when time is up."

Li Yang had pretty much memorized it, but since time wasn't up yet, it couldn't hurt to go over it some more.

With thirty seconds left, the middle-aged teacher gave her a reminder.

Only then did Li Yang quickly sign her name and add her fingerprint before getting up and handing it to the proctor.

The middle-aged teacher looked at the "entry instructions" before him and gave a meaningful smile.

The two sheets of paper were densely covered in underlining, with important points marked and question marks scribbled here and there.

Compared with everyone else's pristine "papers," Li Yang had practically taken the "entry instructions" apart and chewed them to pieces to grasp every detail.

The middle-aged teacher suddenly asked, "What's the sixth point?"

Li Yang was still reciting it silently, so she answered instinctively, "Point six: the ground in the quarantine zone isn't necessarily safe either. Damp areas are breeding grounds for fungal organisms. If you encounter a two-star mutated fungal plant, please press your rescue device as quickly as possible..."

The smile in the middle-aged teacher's eyes deepened, but he said nothing more.

Quick-witted Xu Wenpei asked in surprise, "Li Yang, did you memorize the 'entry instructions'?"

Li Yang: "..."

The rest of group 8 were startled and swiveled their heads toward her.

The middle-aged teacher coughed lightly. "Time's up. Let's head to the quarantine zone together."

It wasn't just their group. The other groups were setting out too.

They boarded the vehicles in groups of ten, and proctors took them to the quarantine zone entrances.

The twenty groups entered through different entrances, which showed just how large the quarantine zone was.

On the way, Xu Wenpei couldn't help asking Li Yang, "Li Yang, did you really memorize the 'entry instructions'?"

Chen Song said coldly, "She's never learned anything about quarantine zones, has she? She even had to memorize common knowledge like that word for word."

Hearing that, Li Yang suddenly understood.

So that was it. No wonder everyone else had handed theirs in so quickly. All of that was common knowledge to them.

Of course. She came from a small city and had seen and heard so little.

Sure enough, beyond every person was someone better, and beyond every sky was another sky. One had to be humble and keep a low profile.

Li Yang said, "I really don't know much about quarantine zones, so I wanted to read it more carefully and know what to expect."

She sounded sincere, like a naïve sweetheart.

The examinees who had been watching her curiously all settled back into their seats.

She really didn't know anything.

So what if she had 90 Physique Points? She didn't even know the basics!

But a few people were muttering to themselves, especially the examinees who had read it carefully once or twice. They mulled it over: What did those "entry instructions" say again...? It really was all common knowledge about quarantine zones, wasn't it? The main thing was to press the rescue device.

Even Chen Song wondered if he had missed something.

The group soon arrived at the quarantine zone entrance.

The proctor repeated the safety instructions, placing particular emphasis on one point: "If you press your rescue device, a teacher will definitely come to your aid. Please put safety first and cherish your lives."

The examinees all grew serious and gave a somewhat uneven military salute.

The proctor returned a perfectly proper salute and said, "Take care!"

Li Yang looked toward the special quarantine zone. It was an enclosed stretch of jungle, surrounded by walls made of a special material, probably some kind of sturdy alloy, to prevent the mutated creatures inside from breaking out and endangering the surrounding towns.

With a click, a small door opened, and the members of group 8 lined up according to their Physique Points.

Li Yang stood first without question.

Was she the first to enter?

She was a little nervous.

Chen Song was right behind her and naturally saw her tense back and clenched fists. He couldn't help thinking disdainfully, Just as I thought, she's a coward who's never seen the world.

Seeing Li Yang like this dispelled the little unease he had felt.

There was nothing wrong with the "entry instructions." They were a test of mental fortitude. He had spotted the surveillance camera in the classroom long ago, and he had signed and handed them in decisively and briskly, without fearing life or death. That had to earn him extra points!

A soldier should have that kind of courage and resolve!

Li Yang let out a soft breath and strode into the special quarantine zone.

The air outside the door was fresh, but inside, it immediately turned murky. A damp, rotten smell hit her in the face, and Li Yang needed a moment to adjust before she could breathe easily. She raised her eyes and quickly surveyed her surroundings.

Jungle. Plants.

Li Yang had already learned this from the "entry instructions," and now delight lit up her face. "It really is a mutated plant quarantine zone!"

Chen Song had come in too, and the others from group 8 were following one after another. Xu Wenpei asked in surprise, "Where's Li Yang?"

Chen Song sneered. "She's probably run far away and hidden."

Xu Wenpei said, "Isn't she going to move with everyone else...?"

Group 8 had clearly split into two teams, one led by Chen Song and the other by Xu Wenpei.

Since this was survival mode, it would surely be better to travel together. There was strength in numbers, and if they looked out for one another, they would have a better chance of holding out in the quarantine zone.

Xu Wenpei had wanted to invite Li Yang onto her team, but to her surprise, Li Yang was nowhere to be seen.

Li Yang had indeed run far away. She had kept point nineteen of the "entry instructions" firmly in mind: "...the quarantine zone is highly sensitive to large concentrations of unfamiliar presences. If you encounter danger, please press your rescue device as quickly as possible."

At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about that, but on closer consideration, it meant: don't bunch up. Large concentrations of unfamiliar presences could easily attract danger.

Think about it further, and it meant: don't form teams.

Since Li Yang was the first to enter, she had a duty to set an example.

This was for her own sake as well as that of the examinees in her group, so Li Yang was the first to move away from the entrance, putting as much distance between herself and the others as possible.

Teaming up was out of the question. Surely the other examinees knew this piece of "common knowledge" too!

Chapter 10

Li Yang wasn't running around aimlessly, either.

She had spent that half hour not only memorizing the "entry instructions," but also applying the saying: read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself.

She had dug out all the information in those two sheets, whether it was stated plainly or hidden between the lines.

Li Yang had also reasoned out several possibilities of her own. For instance, the "entry instructions" were full of dangers, so did that mean anything not mentioned was relatively safe?

This was an exam, after all. The proctors might all have looked serious and made them sign a "life-and-death contract," but if she took a step back and thought about it, the authorities wouldn't really put a group of half-grown children in an unknown danger zone.

The authorities must have thoroughly mapped out this quarantine zone. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been such painstakingly prepared "entry instructions."

Since the authorities knew it inside and out, the things they hadn't included in the "entry instructions" were presumably relatively safe.

So Li Yang had stuck to things the "entry instructions" hadn't mentioned along the way.

Only after putting some distance between herself and her group members did Li Yang slow down and carefully survey her surroundings.

The soil beneath her feet was relatively dry, with a few fallen dead branches nearby. Great trees of an unknown species grew exuberantly, while the small shrubs beneath them struggled up through the gaps between the trees to drink in the sunlight.

The weather was lovely today, but the air was thick with dampness and decay, nothing like the fresh, oxygen-rich air of a normal jungle.

Li Yang studied the great tree before her, unable to resist reaching out to touch its rough bark and plump trunk. She sighed softly. "What a big tree."

Not every plant could mutate. It was a little like the monsters in supernatural tales, where spiritual potential and chance mattered a great deal.

The great tree before Li Yang wasn't a mutated plant, but it was so tall and large that she felt the urge to chop it down.

But she restrained herself.

For one thing, ordinary plants provided a limited amount of lifespan, so she would most likely spend more than she gained. For another, a great tree crashing to the ground would make too much noise, and if it attracted a powerful mutated creature, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Li Yang reluctantly withdrew her hand and said to the tree, "Keep it up!" When you mutate someday, I'll come back and chop you down.

A gust of wind rustled the leaves, making the tree look very much as if it were trembling with fear.