At around four in the morning, the darkest hour before dawn, four lit minibuses sped along Su City's ring road.
Inside the warm, dark bus, muted whispers could be heard. Most of the students were still asleep. Shao Zifeng sat by the window seat, with a medium-built boy leaning back in the seat beside him, snoring softly and rhythmically.
Shao Zifeng, who was seldom this close to others, leaned further against the window as the snoring continued in his ear.
He gently rested his head on the windowpane. "Qiuqiu... should be asleep by now."
Shao Zifeng had been unable to contact Qiuqiu for a while, and the constant snoring in his ear only heightened his already growing irritation.
Struggling to restrain his negative emotions, he repeatedly convinced himself that Qiuqiu was merely asleep.
...
The minibus continued to drive through the darkness. Originally, there had been four buses, but now only the one for Class Four remained; the other three classes had taken different routes at earlier junctions.
The sophomore students of Su City University's Combat Training Department were assigned different outdoor training areas.
Shao Zifeng's Class Four was headed to a place called Wutong Mountain. Rumor had it that there was an ancient temple on the mountain, where a mythical phoenix supposedly perched upon a thousand-year-old parasol tree.
Of course, due to the unpredictable risks in the wild, only the villages near the city still had residents. Most villages, towns, and even remote county towns had been abandoned. This legendary temple had also long been devoid of visitors.
The eastern sky gradually brightened. In the deep blue night sky, the morning star hung quietly. The horizon began to show the undulating outlines of hills. Though they were merely small mounds, in the flat plains region around Su City, Wutong Mountain was considered a prominent landmark.
The road became increasingly bumpy, flanked by dense and dark forests. Fields overgrown with weeds and shrubs occasionally appeared, waking the sleeping students, who pressed their faces against the windows to curiously observe the scenery outside, occasionally exclaiming and whispering among themselves.
This generation had lived in the city since birth, well protected by the state and their parents, only seeing the wilderness through computers and phones. Encountering the real wild for the first time, they couldn't help but feel their hearts race with excitement.
"Look, look! There's a village at the foot of the mountain! It's so beautiful!"
The exclamation of a girl heightened everyone's curiosity, and they craned their necks, vying to see the view ahead.
Shao Zifeng also looked up and saw, not far away, rooftops peeking from behind the trees, covered in vines and plants that glowed with life under the morning sun, imparting a fairy-tale-like beauty to the artificially blended natural setting.
The minibus drew closer to the village. As they passed a vine-covered, rusty sign, they could vaguely make out the words "Chi Feng Village."
"Screech~"
The minibus suddenly braked at the village entrance. Several students, who had their faces pressed against the windows, banged their heads against the glass and groaned in pain and complained.
"Hahaha, didn't you enjoy my driving, kids?"
The driver's loud voice brought the complaints to a halt. All eyes turned towards the driver's seat in unison.
They saw a bald head slowly rise from behind the dashboard, reflecting the morning sunlight.
"Bang~"
"Damn it"
After driving all the way, the driver, Strong Bro, wanted to stretch but ended up bumping his head against the bus's ceiling, a customized bus that appeared painful even to Shao Zifeng.
Several girls couldn't help but burst into giggles, and the entire bus broke into laughter as a few boys joined in.
Strong Bro, rubbing his head, wasn't upset. He grinned widely at the now relaxed atmosphere inside the bus.
"Alright, you've had your laugh. Stop laughing now. Later, you'll be laughing in the wild. Grab your luggage and follow me off the bus." Strong Bro cheerfully addressed the students, knowing they would soon experience difficulty. He wasn't bothered by his earlier embarrassment.
With his backpack, Shao Zifeng stepped off the minibus and took a deep breath of the fresh air in the wild. His heavy mood lifted. In another time and space, although he could freely enter and exit towns, as a homebody, he never had the time to explore.
Wouldn't it be better to spend that time petting his snake?
They alighted in front of a vine-covered house, facing a small plaza that was likely a place for villagers to dry wheat, now overgrown with grass, inducing a sense of tranquility among them.
"21 students, none missing. As expected of my students, no cowards among you. Now, you can summon your pets." Strong Bro counted the students and nodded in satisfaction.
The students of Class Four couldn't wait and eagerly summoned their pets. Translucent rifts appeared, and out came small pets, jumping and frolicking on the grass, shattering the tranquility and making everything a bit messy.
Shao Zifeng observed, noticing that most of the pets were domestic animals like cats, dogs, chickens, and ducks. Over there, there were even a few mice and sparrows.
Most of their talents were in the one-star initial form, and he quickly lost interest.
Watching the chaotic scene on the plaza, Strong Bro grinned mischievously and made a slicing motion in the air.
"Roar~~"
From the rift in space, a deafening roar emerged. The playing pets instantly froze, trembling in place as if hit by a petrifying spell. Their owners weren't much better off, with a few students falling to the ground with weak knees.
Looking pale, Shao Zifeng's body trembled slightly. It felt like the night before, but the oppression was even stronger than that of the Blood-sucking Tarantula.
Suppressing his fear, Shao Zifeng looked towards Strong Bro.
He saw a huge furry paw emerge from the rift, followed by a head, then the body. Finally, a giant bear appeared before Shao Zifeng.
"Roar~" The bear stood up and let out another fierce roar.
"Enough with the roaring. You're too full of yourself." Strong Bro kicked the bear's butt, and the roar stopped abruptly. The bear looked at Strong Bro, then at the trembling small pets, scratched its head apologetically, and sat down on the grass with a slight vibration.
Shocked, Shao Zifeng looked at the giant bear. It was unbelievably large. Standing over two meters tall, Strong Bro, who was beside the seated bear, seemed frail.
Slightly delayed, his golden finger automatically activated, and a light screen appeared.
[Name]: Giant Battle Bear
[Growth]: Mature phase
[Status]: Healthy, Hungry
[Strength]: Tier Four
[Phylum]: Chordata
[Class]: Mammalia
[Order]: Carnivora
[Family]: Ursidae
[Attribute]: None
[Potential]: ★★☆
[Talent]: Rage: The more severe the injury, the stronger the combat power it triggers. Alongside powerful combat abilities, it loses its reason.
[Skills]: Defense, Charge, smash, Tearing Claw Strike, Thousand-Pound Hammer, Mad Fist...
[Description]: Evolved from the northeast snowfield brown bear, generally mild-tempered unless you try to provoke it. If you do, it will show you what a battle madman is.
"So strong..." Shao Zifeng stared in awe at the massive creature.