NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 179 - Training Exercise 27
Seeing the humans appear in the oasis, the Starlight Team continued to go about their business, seemingly ignoring them. However, inwardly, they were all on high alert.
They wouldn’t let their guard down just because the opponents’ cultivation levels were lower than theirs. Who knew if these people had firearms? A single shot could be enough to make them regret it.
Seeing that the group was ignoring them, the woman decided to take the initiative and spoke up. However, she didn’t speak in the common language of the Blue-Black Empire but in some other language.
The Starlight Team, not carrying any translators, blinked in confusion, clearly indicating that they didn’t understand, nor did they seem interested in understanding, and they continued with their work.
The arrogance of the Starlight Team, acting as though the others didn’t exist, seemed to irritate the two men.
However, the woman stopped them with a look and continued speaking in the same language to the Starlight Team.
Ren Guang, feeling something was off, shot the woman a suspicious glance. Despite them clearly showing that they couldn’t understand her words, why did she keep speaking to them?
Whether it was because of Ren Guang’s suspicious gaze or because the woman realized that the Starlight Team didn’t want to engage, she glanced at them one last time before abruptly leading her companions away.
Moreover, not only did the woman leave with the two men, but the people lurking in the shadows also followed them.
The Phantom Team had initially thought they were going to fight, but these people from the oasis suddenly appeared and just as suddenly disappeared, as if they were playing a game.
“They left so easily. Why did they even bother appearing in front of us?” Shi Zimo said with suspicion.
“They definitely had a purpose. Didn’t you notice? That woman had a light brain in her hand,” Ren Guang replied.
“What do you mean?” Shi Zimo asked, somewhat confused.
“The captain means that while that woman was talking to us, she was probably using the light brain to take pictures of us,” Ye Weilai, the only female member of the Starlight Team, explained.
“Why take pictures of us? We don’t even know them,” Yuan Hong said, puzzled.
“This can’t be anything good. The instructors told us that there are still many humans on Liva Star, and without any regulation, no one knows how many interstellar wanderers have entered this planet. The local Leva people might be fine, but those interstellar wanderers could very well be from some organization,” Ren Guang said.
As Ren Guang spoke, his heart sank. He recalled the assassination attempt on Mai Dongzi by a killer organization before they came here for training. After the attempt, Mai Dongzi had been in a medical capsule for three days, showing just how serious her injuries had been.
This woman, whether it was her cultivation, clothing, appearance, or demeanor, didn’t seem like a native of Liva Star, and her approach to them likely had ulterior motives.
It wasn’t scary if they were filmed; after all, none of them were on any assassination bounty list. But if Mai Dongzi was filmed, it would be dangerous. If people from that assassin organization saw her, she would be at risk. This was an uncensored, lawless planet.
But there was nothing Ren Guang could do; no matter how anxious he was, he couldn’t contact Mai Dongzi to warn her to avoid the Liva natives as soon as she saw them.
“The instructors told us not to interact with the humans on Liva Star,” Ding Chenghao said.
“Regardless of their intentions, we’ll just take the water and leave. Everyone, stay on high alert during the process,” Ren Guang said.
Ren Guang’s words were met with agreement from the Starlight Team, and they quickened their pace.
However, despite the urgency, it took the Starlight Team a full three hours to finish everything.
The Starlight Team also used animal skins as water bags. In their space devices, the only things they had were the thirty or so exotic beasts they had hunted today, along with a few stones.
They didn’t need to think hard about it; they immediately thought of using animal skins as water bags to hold the boiled water.
Mai Dongzi had intentionally shared some wilderness survival knowledge with Ren Guang during their meals together, and just last month, she had talked to both Ren Guang and Shi Zimo about how to process animal skins.
However, both boys hadn’t paid much attention, and neither could remember the exact method. After combining their memories, they concluded that the process involved cleaning with water, roasting with fire, and rubbing with wood ash.
Though they couldn’t recall the specific details of the process, they knew the general idea from hearing the names of the steps. After experimenting, the Starlight Team was pleasantly surprised by the results.
The processed animal skin water bags, though not quite leather yet, were much more acceptable in both appearance and smell compared to the original animal skin.
During these three hours, the people from the oasis hadn’t reappeared. However, the Starlight Team didn’t believe that the oasis people had truly lost interest in them. More likely, they were secretly watching them from somewhere.
Everyone felt that the oasis was unsafe. After they had boiled enough water to last for a month, the Starlight Team, despite not having rested since arriving on the planet, decided to leave the area first.
They didn’t relax their guard just because the oasis people had not reappeared. They decided to leave by the same path they had come and then determine their next course of action.
Because they were cautious, just as they were about to pass the edge of the oasis, Ren Guang, who was at the front, made a hand signal to stop and then stepped back. Suddenly, he took out the gas mask from his combat suit’s pocket and put it on.
Seeing the captain’s actions, the entire Starlight Team followed suit and put on their gas masks.
“Captain, what’s going on?”
“There’s a very pleasant smell of plants and flowers. We didn’t notice this scent when we entered,” Ren Guang said.
Although no one knew their captain’s sense of smell was so sharp, no one doubted his judgment. Their captain was known for his keen observations in the combat department, and he was quick to notice details others missed.
In past training, the captain had led them through numerous dangers, relying on his sharp eye for details.
Unbeknownst to the Starlight Team, as they skirted that area and exited the oasis from another direction, Instructor Yan, who was in the invisible flying vehicle, let out a sigh of relief.
In the flying vehicle, Instructor Yan and Instructor Fang had naturally noticed what the group of oasis people had done.
The two men and one woman had approached the Starlight Team for direct contact in order to divert their attention.
When the two men and one woman from the oasis tried to engage with the Starlight Team, the team believed that others who were in cahoots with them were lurking around. In reality, those people had scattered something around them.
Additionally, some others had set up traps in the desert along the path the Starlight Team had taken to enter.
From the perspective of the two instructors, if the Starlight Team had fallen into the traps, some of them would definitely have been eliminated.