From his pocket, Shao Tianming takes out numerous storage pouches, and raises them high into the air.
"You need only swear your fealty to the Ashen River Hall, and these storage devices—that are pre-filled, shall be gifted to you!"
Hearing this, Ye Chen presses a hand to his head.
Without turning his face towards the others, Ye Chen asks—
"Be honest with me now, how much stuff did you all bring?"
Everyone here has brought at least a backpack with them.
However, it is just as Shao Tianming had said, the amount an individual person is able to carry is very limited, and that is what makes storage devices so sought after in this situation, where the quantity of one's supplies is directly tied to the amount of time—that they can survive in this barren desert for.
"…Bottle of water and some dried meat."
"Crackers, water, two cups of instant ramen."
"Liquid food items mostly…"
"Water, a few bowls of self-cooked meals, and snacks."
Knowing that he'd be heading into a desert ahead of time, Long Hua had gone to the supermarket right after dinner with Bai Wen, and had brought as many meal kits as possible.
"Oh god, we're so fucking screwed…"
Hearing the items that everyone had listed, Ye Chen didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. He himself didn't bring anything different from the others.
Heaving a sigh, Ye Chen remarks—
"All of us have clearly underestimated this excavation…"
While Shao Tianming downs a bottle of water from having to talk so much, Wang Yongning steps forward.
Raising a megaphone of his own, Wang Yongning says—
"If you think you can pretend to swear fealty to our hall, then I'd suggest you—to give up right now."
From his pocket, Wang Yongning takes out a single piece of parchment, and says—
"Before we hand you these storage devices, you're required to sign this parchment."
"…?"
Other than Long Hua, pretty much everyone looks at the parchment with an expression of confusion.
(These guys, they even got pages from a contract book.)
Sensing the subtle rotation of a magic array emanating from that piece of parchment, Long Hua shakes his head. The other side is clearly well-prepared for this situation.
"Captain, what now? I still got a little sister to take care of, I can't die here."
Realizing how bad the situation is, Yu Ji's complexion is completely drained of blood. Had she known that things would end up like this, she would have spent a bit more time with Li last night.
"…"
Despite having a look of concern on her face, Qing Yue isn't too worried—due to the nature of her Relic.
"Hmm."
Looking at the piece of parchment—that is being held up by Wang Yongning, Ye Chen's instinct is screaming at him to not sign it.
Drawing in a light breath, Ye Chen says—
"Steal, that's our only option at this point."
"I heard that, Colonel Ye."
With a solemn expression on his face, Teng Hao walks over to Ye Chen's group with his own squad-mates, and asks—
"How do you plan to do this?"
"Head up front, and nab a pouch as soon as possible. Right after that, start booking it."
"They've got a car, though…"
Shrugging a shoulder, Ye Chen explains—
"Once people see us attempting to steal those pouches, they'll think to do the same. Those guys from the hall, we outnumber them by a vast margin, so they can't come after all of us."
Seeing the logic behind Ye Chen's words, Teng Hao nods, and asks—
"We got ten people with us, how do we split them?"
"We need three groups. One group for stealing, the other two will be in charge of opening an escape route."
"Alright, Shen Le, you and I are in the steal group."
"Understood."
Nodding her head, Shen Le's Relic—that is a single-handed sword of three feet, appears in her right hand.
"Guì Lián, Líng Yī, Cháng Yè, you three are a part of the path-opener group."
"Chang Ye, how about a competition to see who can beat the most people down?"
Asking this, is a youth with red hair and dark eyes, Ling Yi. Attire wise, he wears a black dress shirt with a pair of light-colored trousers, and short boots.
"Hmph."
Raising a cold snort, the youth with brown hair and yellow eyes, Chang Ye, turns the other way. His expression seems especially cold, as he hugs his Relic—which is a sword with a white tassel, sheathed in a brown scabbard, to his chest. Attire wise, he wears a white dress shirt with a black tie—coupled with a pair of dark trousers, and short boots.
"Knock it off you two. Stay focused on the main task."
Serving as vice-captain of the other team is Gui Lian, a woman with light purple hair and purple eyes. She wears a brown trench coat over a white dress shirt with a pair of dark trousers, and short boots.
"Second lieutenants, all of you—will go with Li Xue; you're all a part of the second path-opener group."
"Hmm, I'll have to disagree with this arrangement, captain."
Hearing that he'll be a part of the path-opener team, Long Hua is quick to raise his objection.
"Your reasoning, 2nd Lieut. Long Hua?"
Towards Ye Chen's question, Long Hua pulls out a ten-inch stick from his pocket, and spins it in his hand once. Inwardly, he thought—
(If I can steal a storage pouch off them, I can use mine openly in the future. That would make things much more convenient for me.)
"…?"
Noticing the hook—that is dangling at the end of the stick, Ye Chen looks to Long Hua with an odd expression on his face.
This black metal stick with a red and blue button is nothing more than a collapsible fishing rod. When fully extended, it measures at over a meter in length, other than that—it really isn't anything special.
"Are you planning to go fishing instead of stealing, 2nd Lieut. Long Hua?"
Instead of answering Ye Chen's question, Long Hua asks—
"Captain, do you trust me?"