Chapter 288: If He Didn’t Say No, It’s Allowed
The two of them froze, worry flickering in their eyes, as if a cloud of anxiety suddenly shrouded their gaze.
"A lot of people are leaving the Dungeon right now to pick up their family members. Should we tell them to hold off for a bit?" Their tone was urgent and anxious, brows furrowed tightly together.
Right now, the perks on their side were already out there—those big buses for free movement could shuttle people around.
But if someone dies now, that would be a slap in the face for Jiang Che.
If residents from other territories see this, they’d probably never spend money to ride their bus again. If your life isn’t safe, you might as well just stay in your own territory.
That would mean all their previous efforts and hard work would go up in smoke, and the reputation they worked so hard to build would be ruined in an instant.
"No need for that." Xiong Jie took a deep breath, as if trying to steady the excitement in his heart.
"Actually, that’s the other message I want to tell everyone." His voice rose a notch, barely able to hold back his excitement.
"From now on, people from our territory entering the Dark Forest won’t need the Dark Bus, or need anyone above Thirteenth Rank to lead them." Xiong Jie looked straight at them, every word crisp and forceful.
"Whether you’re zero-rank or first-rank, you can move around freely in the forest."
As soon as he finished, Zhou Ang and Flying Tiger Sister exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other’s eyes.
Their mouths opened slightly, as if wanting to say something, but the sudden news just left them speechless and stunned.
They had no clue what was happening—Xiong Jie’s news was simply too shocking. If people from other territories heard about it, god knows what kind of storm it would stir up.
"Is this something we can make public?" Zhou Ang asked cautiously, voice trembling with uncertainty.
His eyes were full of worry; if it couldn’t be made public, he’d have to be extra careful to remind everyone to keep it strictly secret when heading out—one slip and the consequences would be disastrous.
"Jiang Che didn’t say anything, so I guess we can make it public." Xiong Jie paused, realizing he’d been so caught up with sharing this bombshell, he hadn’t even thought about whether it was okay to go public.
Because Jiang Che really hadn’t given him any instructions about keeping it secret.
Jiang Che might not have much experience in the world, but when it comes to crucial matters, he handles things meticulously.
Every decision is carefully thought through, every arrangement organized without a hitch.
For him, it’s simple: if he says don’t do it, it means don’t; if he doesn’t say, then it’s fine.
"Forget it, let’s not think too much. We’ll ask when we eat tonight." Xiong Jie waved it off, a bit helpless—he felt like this wasn’t the most important thing right now anyway.
"I’ve never tried the Lord’s cooking before, so let’s get this straight—no matter what the food tastes like, everyone only says one thing: ’Delicious.’" Xiong Jie instructed with a straight face, his eyes darting between Flying Tiger and Zhou Ang, worried they’d brush it off.
"Relax, we’re not idiots!" Flying Tiger Sister rolled her eyes, sounding a bit peeved.
This basic social etiquette was obvious to her—no need for Xiong Jie to harp on it.
"I get it, too!" Zhou Ang made an ’okay’ gesture, grinning confidently as if promising nothing would go wrong.
Xiong Jie took a deep breath. He knew no one would slip up, but he was still worried things might go sideways at a critical moment.
After all, facing the Lord, everyone gets nervous. If anyone says the wrong thing even by accident, that’d be a real headache.
"Don’t worry, I’ve had dedicated training for this." Flying Tiger Sister smirked confidently, her smile brimming with determination and fearlessness.
"Back in the Dungeon, to survive, I’ve eaten tons of stuff—bugs and all. I can eat them without even flinching." Her eyes sparkled with memories.
She’d gone through specific wilderness survival training—no matter how nasty something was, she could eat it with a straight face.
She’d had special wilderness training. No matter how revolting the food, as long as it gave her energy to survive, she’d shove it right into her mouth without a second thought.
No matter how hard something was to swallow, she could just eat it calmly.
For her, it’s just the taste at the moment it enters her mouth. If she swallows fast enough, it goes down the hatch and it really doesn’t taste all that bad.
"Flying Tiger Sister, can I get a bootcamp session from you?" Zhou Ang looked a bit worried, his gaze pleading for help.
It’s not that he didn’t trust Ding Ning’s cooking, but just to be safe, he wanted to prep both mentally and physically.
"I want a bootcamp too." Xiong Jie inhaled deeply, face serious and focused, like he was gearing up for a grueling trial.
"Sure!" Flying Tiger Sister nodded hard, agreeing without a trace of hesitation.
She strode to the back, quick and efficient. She grabbed a small knife and stabbed it right into a chunk of rotten wood nearby.
The territory these days was full of this man-made decaying wood—meant to create proper nature scenery.
In nature, it’s not scenic trees you see most, but rotting wood and fallen leaves everywhere.
She reached in and pulled out three plump, white bugs, popping one in her own mouth before casually saying:
"It’s all protein—tastes like chicken, crunchy as hell."
"Chew slowly, take your time." While munching, she still managed to coach Zhou Ang and Xiong Jie.
Xiong Jie took the bug from her—it was about as thick as his finger—and immediately felt chills race up his spine, straight to his brain.
He suppressed the sourness rising in his stomach, face turning pale in an instant while beads of sweat sprang up on his forehead.
As his teeth closed down, the juices burst open in his mouth—the thick, slightly fishy liquid flooding every corner.
His brows were knotted tight, his face twisted up in pain.
He couldn’t help but gag, but forced himself to chew desperately, trying to hurry and swallow the nasty thing.
Zhou Ang looked better; he’d gone through plenty of hardship, so eating bugs was gross but bearable.
"Wow, your tolerance is seriously low!" Flying Tiger Sister shot Xiong Jie a look of disbelief.
Xiong Jie was helpless. He’d always lived the fancy life, never eaten anything like this.
"Again!" He wanted to push his limits before dinner tonight.
He’d later watched Jiang Che’s first Dungeon livestream again, and still couldn’t believe how Jiang Che managed to eat that stuff back then.