Not only Sian, but everyone else was awake at this early hour of the morning. It wasn't like they could sleep peacefully anyway.
Lan Qisheng was holding a meeting with his team members, discussing their next plan of action. They had to protect the contestants while simultaneously rescuing the other hostages. To make matters worse, there were those cameras that recorded their every move. Even though they were called "drones," they weren't actual aircraft. They were merely small black boxes containing high-definition cameras. They were incredibly fast, capable of reaching the speed of a car, and their batteries could last for a week or more. These drones were expensive, but Director Han insisted on using the best quality for his show.
"We can't get rid of the cameras. Everything we say right now is reaching the terrorists' ears. Damn it," Zhao Ling cursed angrily.
"So, we're at a dead end," Liu Weiji said in a dejected tone. They couldn't even move freely without risking the lives of the other hostages. This was the worst-case scenario.
"Sir, should we head to the cabin as planned, or…?" Ren Yi adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and asked Lan Qisheng, "Apologies for saying this, but sitting here and whining won't help. Both of you need to stop getting angry—we need to move. We don't have all day."
To the audience, these soldiers seemed to be arguing amongst themselves, appearing highly unreliable. Some even began doubting if these people were truly special forces as they claimed.
However, Sian wasn't blind. He noticed how those who seemed to be quarreling sat close to each other. If one focused on their movements carefully, they'd notice their hands brushing against each other at times. It was subtle, but Sian's keen observation caught it.
[Not bad. I bet they're communicating with each other using some kind of code. As expected of special forces.]
Of course, they wouldn't just sit and lament their misfortune. The military often used various secret codes between teams. You could compare it to Morse code, which law enforcement also utilized, involving the transmission of text through long and short signals representing specific letters or numbers. It was an effective way to prevent the terrorists, who were likely watching the live broadcast, from uncovering their plans or movements.
Sian turned his head away, uninterested in poking his nose into the military's problems. To be honest, he was afraid of being detained and interrogated. After all, even he had to admit that it was suspicious for a mere idol to possess such exceptional combat skills. Even the incident with the wolves earlier—he shouldn't have done that. Now, all Sian could do was pray he wouldn't end up locked in some laboratory and turned into a human test subject.
A shiver ran down Sian's spine.
[Forget it. Everything will be fine. Once I'm out of this cursed forest, I'll go on a trip and enjoy this beautiful world. I still want to eat lots of different foods and savor my new life.]
Sian felt a pang of sadness as he thought about food. He couldn't help but curse his luck. Back in his original world, he never got to enjoy good food, and now, even after being reincarnated into this beautiful world, a whole day had passed—and now the second day as well—without any proper meals. All they had were a few canned rations left behind by the film crew in their bags before entering the forest. Sian sighed heavily.
"Sian, here, take this."
Sian turned his head to see Tong Xiao holding out his hand. In it was a small, round piece of chocolate wrapped in transparent white foil.
Sian was slightly surprised and, at the same time, his mouth started to water.
"This…" he said, wiping at nonexistent drool. It wasn't his fault—he hadn't eaten anything like chocolate in years and had forgotten what it even tasted like.
Tong Xiao smiled sweetly and said, "It's for you. I secretly hid it when we entered the forest. The film crew didn't see me. I wanted to give it to you."
"Really? Is it okay for me to take it?" Sian knew he shouldn't taken the food of the silly boy Tong Xiao, but what could he do? He really wanted that chocolate. Besides, the other person had offered it first, so refusing would be rude, right?
After a moment's hesitation, Sian's conscience vanished. Within two seconds, he reached out, grabbed the chocolate, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth—all in one swift motion.
Tong Xiao watched as Sian smiled contentedly after eating. He couldn't help but imagine a small, adorable squirrel happily stuffing its cheeks with nuts. Sian bore an uncanny resemblance to such a squirrel.
"So cute," Tong Xiao murmured under his breath, trying to hide his smile.
"Huh?"
"Nothing, nothing. So, are we about to move?"
"I don't know. That depends on those soldiers."
Speak of the devil, Lan Qisheng approached the two with a dark expression. He had witnessed their interaction and felt an even stronger dislike for Tong Xiao, who hovered around his dear Xian like an annoying fly.
Unaware that he had become someone's "dear," Xian:"..."
Lan Qisheng glared at them for a moment before speaking in his gruff, hate-filled voice. "We're about to move. We'll head to the cabin as planned. Instead of playing the affection games, why don't you pack your things?"
Tong Xiao shivered under Lan Qisheng's deathly aura. This man always looked at him as if he were his mortal enemy who had killed his mother… Damn it, better to flee for now. Tong Xiao quickly left to inform the others in the cave.
This left Sian alone with Lan Qisheng, a realization that made the latter's lips curl into a faint smirk. Just as he was about to take advantage of the moment to talk to Sian more, the latter said, "Oh, I should go grab my bag too."
And with that, Sian left Colonel Lan standing there alone, wind swirling around him...
Zhao Ling, who had been watching the scene from afar, couldn't contain his laughter and burst out laughing, the other team members quickly shut him up and dragged him to a spot where their leader couldn't see him. They didn't want the captain to explode in anger—he might beat that fool Zhao Ling senseless, and worse, they might get caught in the crossfire. The captain's fury had always been something terrifying.
A few minutes later, everyone, including Marco, gathered and exited the cave, making their way toward the cabin. Truth be told, the cabin wasn't that far. If not for the incidents they encountered on the way, they would have reached it yesterday. Since it was now morning, they estimated it would take no more than three hours to arrive.
After walking for a while, exhaustion began to set in among the group. To make matters worse, rain started to fall.
Considering it was the rainy season and they were in a rainforest, it was pure luck that it hadn't rained the previous night. But today clearly wasn't their lucky day. The rain, initially light, grew heavier within minutes.
Lan Qisheng frowned and urged everyone to quicken their pace. A few more minutes passed under the pouring rain when Bang Zhou suddenly shouted with excitement, "Look! Look over there! There's a light! It must be the cabin!"
A bright light was visible in the distance, shining through the dense trees.
Everyone's faces lit up with relief. They had been afraid they might freeze to death instead of getting killed by the terrorists.
Just as the group prepared to rush toward the light, Lan Qisheng raised his hand to stop them. "I'll go with my team to check it out first. No one moves until we confirm it's safe."
Though reluctant to stand in the rain any longer, the rest of the group hesitated at the thought of potential killers waiting ahead. Swallowing their complaints, they nodded in agreement.
Lan Qisheng selected three of his subordinates to accompany him, leaving Zhao Ling and Wu Hao behind to guard the others.
Sian didn't even consider joining them. He found a tree with enough foliage to shield him from the rain and sat beneath it.
Everyone else was tense as they waited, their nerves growing with each passing minute. Even Lan Qisheng's subordinates, who were usually calm, wore anxious expressions.
Just as the group was on the verge of breaking formation to follow their captain, the bushes in front of them rustled. Zhao Ling and Wu Hao immediately assumed defensive stances, only to lower their knives when the familiar faces of their captain and the others emerged from the undergrowth.
The group collectively exhaled in relief.
Lan Qisheng spoke calmly, "The cabin is empty. There's no one around. For now, we'll rest there."
The team quickly moved toward the cabin, their steps hastening with eagerness to escape the rain.
Sian, however, lingered for a moment. His eyes narrowed sharply as he gazed at a specific spot on a tree a little further away. Then, just as suddenly, his expression turned completely calm, as if nothing had happened. Without a word, Sian followed the group, heading toward the cabin.
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Erato's Space:
Hey there, my dearest readers! Get ready for today's thrilling chapter! I can't wait to hear your thoughts—who do you think will make a surprise appearance in the next installments? Share your wild ideas! And what could Sian possibly have seen? The anticipation is building!
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