Chapter 340: Real Bullets
The cave Chi Yan found was just two or three hundred meters away, so the group quickly relocated.
They had barely squeezed inside when the bombardment began.
Drones projected beams of light, strafing the forest at random for a full minute.
The cave wasn’t very large, and the beams of light occasionally swept across the entrance. As a result, over that minute, all ten of their wristbands showed a 10% to 20% drop in health.
Jiang Qingli’s health decreased by 15%.
’There are still three hours and twenty minutes left in the competition. It should be enough.’
The strafing would only become more frequent and intense from here on out. Going on the offensive before they were forced to take more damage seemed like a good option.
Just ten minutes after leaving the cave, they were ambushed.
Ke An’s group hadn’t found shelter. Instead, they had sacrificed three members with low health to act as shields against the strafing light.
It was no great loss, though. The student council had agreed that some sacrifices were necessary—leaving only the elite members gave them the best chance of victory.
The moment Jiang Qingli’s group appeared, Ke An and two others launched an ambush from their covered position.
After the firefight, the three who had provided cover were left with only 10% of their health. The rest of their team offered a few placating words before promptly taking their ammo and guns and retreating, leaving them to be eliminated by Jiang Qingli.
On Jiang Qingli’s side, everyone had taken damage to varying degrees, and they had lost one male and one female member.
Xia Qingqing’s face was full of apology. "I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have looked..."
Jiang Qingli had shielded her in an embrace, so she hadn’t been injured. But once the shooting stopped, she had curiously peeked up and was instantly eliminated by a spray of bullets to the head from Ke An, who had glanced back.
Jiang Qingli patted her shoulder. "It’s okay. You were tired anyway. This is a good chance to get some rest."
Xia Qingqing nodded, gave her gun to Jiang Qingli, and silently left with the robot that came to collect her.
The group found a small stream, drank some water, and rested for a bit.
Jiang Qingli thought for a moment and suggested, "There are eight of us now. We should split into two teams. A group this large is too big of a target."
There were still three hours left. This was indeed a safer bet to avoid a team wipe.
No one had any objections, so they split into two teams of four and set off to explore in different directions.
Jiang Qingli, Yuan Shiyao, and two other males formed one team, while Chi Yan led Lin Xiyue and two other members from the student council.
Their combat strength was divided pretty evenly. It was the fairest way to do it.
After dividing the ammunition from the three eliminated members, they went their separate ways.
The sound of rustling leaves came from behind them. Lin Xiyue turned back, watching as Jiang Qingli’s figure disappeared into the jungle.
"Stop looking. Your husband’s right here," Chi Yan said with a grin, patting the top of Lin Xiyue’s head.
Lin Xiyue rubbed her chin. "I was just thinking, it really seems like Yuan Shiyao has a thing for our Qingli..."
She had barely finished speaking when the other two student council members suddenly chimed in, "Right? You think so too!"
Lin Xiyue: ?
-
The situation on the other side was much more difficult.
Just half an hour after setting out, Jiang Qingli and her three teammates ran head-on into a five-person squad led by Ai Bin. Both sides lost two members in the ensuing fight.
The firefight had just ended when a random bombardment descended.
Jiang Qingli thought this was the end for her, but Yuan Shiyao suddenly threw himself over her, shielding her with his body. Then he grabbed the body of an eliminated player and dragged it on top of them for extra cover.
A minute later, Jiang Qingli’s health was at 55% and Yuan Shiyao’s was at 35%. Their other teammate had been eliminated. On the opposing side, only Ai Bin was left.
As Ai Bin tried to flee, Jiang Qingli shot him in the back, right over the heart, eliminating him on the spot.
Fearing the gunshots would attract more people, Jiang Qingli and Yuan Shiyao urgently relocated.
They walked deeper into the jungle for about half an hour and found a reasonably deep cave.
"You go in first," Yuan Shiyao said suddenly.
Jiang Qingli looked over at him, confused.
He was very serious. "My health is pretty low. I’ll keep watch nearby. If someone comes, I’ll attack first. You can just get away."
Jiang Qingli didn’t quite agree. "I think we’d be better off together."
Yuan Shiyao was about to say something when he suddenly froze and looked up at the sky.
DRIP.
A drop of water landed on his face, followed by more, falling in a light drizzle.
It was raining.
Jiang Qingli took the opportunity to pull Yuan Shiyao toward the cave. For some reason, a thought made her smile as she said, "Alright, let’s go. I know you cats don’t like getting your fur wet."
She seemed to have grabbed his hand without realizing it.
As her slender, soft fingers held his, Yuan Shiyao’s heart stirred, but her words also sparked an association in his mind.
’Those words just now... did my brother tell her that, too?’
’Their relationship is really good.’
’If... there was one more person, would it be even better?’
Yuan Shiyao followed Jiang Qingli into the cave. Before letting go, he gently squeezed her fingertips.
There were a few pieces of firewood in the cave, probably left there by the event organizers.
Yuan Shiyao picked up a piece and started a fire with a hand drill.
"You even know how to do this?" Jiang Qingli asked, a little surprised.
"Mhm," Yuan Shiyao said, watching the tiny flame. He thought for a moment before adding, "If my brother is the theorist, then I guess I’m the practitioner."
The rain grew heavier, like a thick curtain separating the inside of the cave from the outside world.
But in the dim cave, the flickering firelight turned the space into a warm, isolated island.
The two of them sat by the fire, watching the rain in silence.
After a few minutes, Yuan Shiyao turned his head to look at Jiang Qingli and asked, "Are you getting bored?"
"It’s fine."
Yuan Shiyao said, "If you feel uncomfortable being with me, I can imitate my brother’s voice and talk with you."
Jiang Qingli chuckled.
But when she turned to look, she saw Yuan Shiyao gazing at her, his tone gentle and earnest. He wasn’t joking in the slightest.
Jiang Qingli thought for a moment, a smile playing on her lips. "Actually, your impression of him isn’t very good at all."
Yuan Shiyao’s lips curved into a smile, the arc identical to Yuan Shimo’s. He crinkled his twin brother’s same jade-green eyes and asked in a gentle voice, "Oh? How so?"
If anyone who knew them had been there, they wouldn’t have been able to tell who was speaking without looking at Yuan Shiyao’s hair color.
But it seemed this trick didn’t work on Jiang Qingli.
"The feeling?" Jiang Qingli wasn’t too sure herself, but she could just tell them apart.
"Did you use your ’feeling’ to tell us apart last time, too?"
"Something like that. You’re two separate individuals, after all. Of course you’re going to be different in many ways."
Yuan Shiyao’s eyes widened.
The last time he filled in for Yuan Shimo as a teaching assistant, even his brother’s mentor of several years hadn’t noticed. But Jiang Qingli knew he wasn’t his brother with just a single glance.
It was hard to describe the look in her eyes when she realized he wasn’t his brother.
For as long as he could remember, their names had always been mentioned together, as if they were inseparable—as if they should have been a single person.
But only Jiang Qingli would say that they were unique individuals.
A warmth spread through Yuan Shiyao’s chest. Just as he was about to speak, a sound cut through the air.
He instinctively shielded Jiang Qingli, but felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, as if something had embedded itself in his flesh.
Bright red blood flowed from the wound, staining his camouflage uniform.
’—That was a real bullet!’