The Silly Prince Successfully Cancels the Engagement, But the Fiancée is His Childhood Sweetheart - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Passion-Leaf Team (Bǎi Xiāng Yè)

After three hours of high-speed transit, the Passion-Leaf Team finally reached Giant Forest Island.

The team name, “Passion-Leaf” (Bǎi Xiāng Yè), was Ye Sheng’s spur-of-the-moment idea during the journey.

The inspiration came from the passion fruit-infused water he was drinking, which he brought from home.

He instantly felt he was a genius and immediately shared the good news with Bai Qing. Bai Qing, with a speed only seen when he was piloting a mecha, expressionlessly replaced the original registered team name, “Thirteen Spice” (Shísān Xiāng), with the current “Passion-Leaf” (Bǎi Xiāng Yè), seemingly quite fond of the new name.

Xiang Zhuo didn’t have much reaction to the team name change, apparently unaware that the “Xiāng” (Fragrance/Xiang) in the name represented him.

The wilderness drill on Giant Forest Island was to last fourteen days. During this time, they would be completely cut off from the outside world, relying entirely on themselves for food, water, and medicine. After the airship landed, they were not allowed to carry any supplies off the ship. That meant anything brought from home or the academy could not be taken away.

The only things permitted to leave the airship were the personnel and their intelligent guides.

If a life-threatening situation arose, each team was allowed to use the intelligent guide’s emergency distress function only three times. Exceeding this limit would immediately end the team’s drill, and all scores would be invalidated.

Bai Qing was the first permitted to disembark. As he stepped out of the airship, he was instantly dazzled by the glaring sunlight of Giant Forest Island.

Giant Forest Island is far from the administrative center of Hela, an extremely primitive, undeveloped island. Before him was a vast, boundless ocean. The beach sand under his feet was coarse and scalding hot. Behind him was a massive forest with towering trees, likely harboring countless poisonous insects and snakes.

Humans seemed insignificant on this island. It was estimated that the probability of the three of them encountering other students over the next fourteen days would be very low.

Xiang Zhuo and Ye Sheng disembarked simultaneously. At this moment, the three of them were simply three “humans,” relying entirely on their own abilities for survival.

The moment they stepped off the airship, the academy transmitted the drill mission to their intelligent guides.

The mission required a fixed minimum of $20$ kilometers of load-bearing trekking, carrying $20$ kilograms, every day. They had to reach the end of the designated route within ten days, defeat the monster at the endpoint, and, since they landed at noon, they needed to return to the airship before noon on the fourteenth day to complete the drill and return to the academy.

The academy allocated four days for all students to return to the airship, and thankfully, they did not need to carry the load during these four days.

The Military Academy was truly merciless. This island was so primitive that it lacked everything, yet load-bearing blocks were conspicuously placed everywhere.

Ye Sheng timely suggested: “How about we solve lunch first?”

The scarcest resource on the island was fresh water. Fortunately, the academy didn’t want to completely wipe out the freshmen. At the material distribution points where the load-bearing blocks were placed, basic personal supplies were available, such as flint, one 500ml bottle of fresh water per person per day, a small knife, a waterproof tarp, and some seasonings.

Ye Sheng was highly motivated. After receiving approval from Bai Qing and Xiang Zhuo, he immediately fashioned a spear and rolled up his trousers to go fishing.

Xiang Zhuo went to the material point to retrieve the basic supplies.

Bai Qing stayed put to create a water collection device.

Once the actual training began, the mere $500text{ml}$ of fresh water per person per day would be far from enough. The academy was well aware of this, encouraging them to use their knowledge to collect as much water as possible.

The Passion-Leaf Team’s assigned route led them into the mountain forest, requiring them to trek through the dense woods and move toward higher altitudes. The total route was $234.7$ kilometers. They needed to advance a minimum of $24$ kilometers daily to meet the academy’s requirement.

This meant they would leave the beach on the second day. The beach was the easiest place to desalinate seawater, meaning they would immediately lose one method of water collection.

Ye Sheng quickly speared many fish. In addition to solving lunch, they could process the remaining fish, air-dry them, and carry them as jerky. Coupled with the need to collect water, the three unanimously decided not to rush today, but to divide today’s required distance across the next nine days.

Although it was the first time the three had teamed up, they were remarkably in sync. Xiang Zhuo had spent time in the military. He didn’t even consider these conditions to be harsh, as the academy still provided basic supplies. In the military, landing on a deserted island meant life and death were entirely up to fate.

Xiang Zhuo, with a keen eye, selected a shelter. This spot was shielded from the wind and a perfect safety zone, naturally enclosed by rocks on three sides. It was a moderate distance from the dense forest, meaning that poisonous insects and snakes wouldn’t easily wander in, and their departure the next day would be relatively smooth.

Dinner was over, and night had fallen. The three currently held different opinions on one matter.

Whether or not to cover the shelter with the waterproof tarp.

Ye Sheng played with the salted fish jerky and said casually: “I don’t think we need to. We’re only sleeping here for one night. Laying down the tarp is a waste of energy, and it will delay our departure time tomorrow.”

Indeed, when they arrived at Giant Forest Island at noon today, the sky was perfectly clear, making the probability of rain very low. Furthermore, the intelligent guide hadn’t indicated any rain.

However, the weather by the sea is unpredictable, and weather forecasts are often inaccurate.

“But if it actually rains and we haven’t prepared anything, the loss will be too great,” Bai Qing said, folding the banana leaves in his hand into a “V” shape, making about ten small freshwater collection devices in one go. “You agree, don’t you?”

Xiang Zhuo let out a soft laugh and didn’t participate in the discussion, instead supporting Bai Qing with action. He efficiently unfolded the waterproof tarp and replaced their simple canopy made of large banana leaves.

Ye Sheng knew very well that Bai Qing’s premonitions were always accurate. He had to concede.

He clapped his hands: “Fine, I know, I’ll listen to you—hey, Your Highness, we shouldn’t trouble you…” He threw a quick, sarcastic jab at Xiang Zhuo on the way.

The two Alphas quickly spread out the waterproof tarp. Xiang Zhuo even meticulously placed banana leaves at the corners to act as gutters, with containers underneath to collect rainwater.

Bai Qing also placed his banana leaves. After Ye Sheng laid down the tarp, he put his treasured salted fish jerky in the best spot.

For the first night, the risk factor was relatively low, so only one person needed to stand guard, rotating every three hours.

Just before dawn, as Bai Qing had predicted, it actually began to rain. The sound of raindrops hitting the waterproof tarp was particularly pleasant. No one felt like sleeping anymore. They quickly purified the rainwater, racing against time, determined not to waste a single second and collect every drop of rain possible.

The rain, though timely, was not heavy, but the collected rainwater was definitely enough for three days.

After dawn, they ate breakfast, inventoried their supplies, and checked their loads. The three officially set off.

The wilderness drill was much harder and more grueling than training on a training ground. On a training ground, the greatest danger was a muscle strain or injury to muscles or bones due to improper training.

But in the wilderness drill, inattention could truly cost a life.

Moreover, they had to spare mental energy to deal with sudden crises. The variables were numerous: venomous insects, poisonous plants. In this resource-scarce wilderness, even a minor illness could be fatal.

This was not only a test of physical quality but also a tempering of psychological fortitude.

The Passion-Leaf Team’s goal for the first day was $30$ kilometers.

$20text{kg}$. It was only when the weight was truly strapped to their backs that they realized how terrifying it was.

After walking six or seven kilometers, Bai Qing’s face looked unwell. His intelligent guide kept warning him that his physical condition was poor and required him to stop strenuous exercise.

Fortunately, the sound of the intelligent guide was inaudible to others. Bai Qing gritted his teeth, took a breath, and started taking even larger steps than he had at the start.

When it came to admitting defeat, he never did.

Xiang Zhuo was leading the way. Alphas have superior physical fitness, and his senses were sharp. He easily sensed that the breathing of the person behind him was becoming increasingly irregular. Even though the person behind him had taken suppressants, the faint wisps of sandalwood pheromones were like tempting snakes, eroding his rationality. He retracted his glance and quickly observed the surrounding terrain. They had just entered the dense forest and had not gone deep yet. The visibility was still relatively open, making a brief rest very suitable.

Ye Sheng, who was at the back of the team, also caught up and walked alongside Bai Qing: “I say, we’ve walked for so long. My shoulder is sore from carrying $20text{kg}$. How about we take a break?”

Bai Qing’s face was pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His silver hair seemed to have lost some of its luster, and his lake-blue eyes were slightly unfocused. The moment Xiang Zhuo turned and saw Bai Qing, his throat tightened, and his voice was low: “Exactly. The terrain here is relatively open. A temporary rest is appropriate.”

Ye Sheng raised an eyebrow, glanced at the surprisingly reliable Xiang Zhuo, and turned to Bai Qing: “Come on, Qingqing, let’s sit down. Do you want some fish jerky?”

Suddenly hearing Ye Sheng’s familiar address for Bai Qing, Xiang Zhuo looked at Ye Sheng in disbelief.

Ye Sheng generously handed him a piece of fish jerky: “What, do you want some too?”

Xiang Zhuo’s expression was complex: “You two have a good relationship.”

Upon closer inspection, his tone was subtly resentful.

Ye Sheng casually draped an arm over Bai Qing’s shoulder: “Of course! We even shared a pair of pants when we were kids.”

Xiang Zhuo: “Shared a pair of pants?”

Ye Sheng: “Of course. We slept together at night when we were little. All our clothes were piled together, so who could tell whose was whose?”

Xiang Zhuo gritted his teeth: “Slept together? And took off your clothes?”

Ye Sheng stated naturally: “Yeah! I never saw him as an Omega, and he never saw me as an Alpha…”

As if a downpour had soaked him, Xiang Zhuo stood up, unwilling to listen any further. Like an ostrich burying its head, he rushed to his backpack, which was placed not far away, pulled out a bottle of purified water, and rushed to Bai Qing’s other side. After Bai Qing finished quietly nibbling his fish jerky, Xiang Zhuo immediately offered a tissue and conveniently unscrewed the bottle cap, drawing all of Bai Qing’s attention to himself: “I just got this from the supply point this morning. It hasn’t been opened. Drink plenty of water and rest well.”

Bai Qing: “…” You really don’t need to be this attentive.

Bai Qing said his thanks and was about to drink the water when his expression suddenly changed. He frowned and looked behind him. Before he could react, he saw a black, startled snake shoot out like an arrow, heading straight for Bai Qing’s ankle.

At this critical moment, Bai Qing actually held back from shouting out. He quickly used his intelligent guide to take a photo of the snake. If the snake had been startled again, they wouldn’t have even gotten a clear picture of its actual appearance.

Xiang Zhuo reacted first. His breathing hitched instantly. In a flash, solidified mental power was unleashed by Xiang Zhuo. The snake was immediately struck at its vital point and went still. However, this terrifying mental force, like a giant wheel, did not stop. It ruthlessly crushed an area of ten kilometers around them. All the insects, snakes, rats, and ants he could sense were crushed without exception.

In an instant, vegetation was snapped, and a mist of blood spread everywhere.