Chapter Fifty-Four: Falling Behind

This period of intensive training had conditioned them to react defensively at the slightest hint of movement. Especially now, in the perilous wastelands outside the city, their senses were heightened. Yet Zhang Yongming quickly recalled, “Didn’t Instructor Chang say that the demon ghosts had already been wiped out by the City Patrol?”

“No, there’s a faint scent of blood,” Du Huaishan said, gripping the hilt of his military sabre at his waist as he edged closer to the source of the sound. He carried three weapons today: his cavalry rifle hung from the left shoulder of his pack, the Crimson Marrow spear was slung diagonally across his waist, secured in a metal slot, its tail resting on his right shoulder with the tip protruding from his left hip.

Of course, this was not designed specifically for him; all armor was equipped with such slots to facilitate carrying long weapons—like the Miao sabre Chang Sui’an had drawn at the start.

Du Huaishan’s military boots had hard soles; even with careful steps, they still made a faint creaking noise that startled the target.

A shadow suddenly leapt from the ground into the air, bounding quickly onto a nearby tree trunk—it was a squirrel.

Tan Hai exhaled in relief.

But then he noticed, in the snowy patch where the squirrel had just been, lay a blood-soaked animal corpse. Its head and chest had been torn open, blood pooled beneath, evidently dead for some time, the gore and limbs frozen solid.

Li Anqi gasped, covering her mouth, “Its heart and brain are gone...”

“It’s the work of a demon ghost!”

Unexpectedly, Xu Yuan suddenly clenched her jaw, drawing her sabre. Her pale gray face was contorted with rage, veins bulging, and a fine down seemed to sprout along her cheeks.

“Xu Yuan! Conserve your strength!”

Du Huaishan saw her agitation and quickly reminded her.

Xu Yuan glanced at him, her blue-gray eyes burning with hatred, gradually cooling again. “Sorry.”

She sheathed her sabre, reduced her integration level to one percent, and strode ahead without looking back.

Du Huaishan narrowed his eyes. “Let’s go.”

With a whir, they used their zip lines to cross the slope ahead. Looking down, they encountered a squad climbing through the ravine below—the same group Li Anqi had seen earlier, using their mobile zip lines.

“That’s the Thirty-Fifth Training Squad; looks like they’ve run out of gas.”

“Haha, Du Huaishan is always prepared,” Chen Jun laughed loudly.

Du Huaishan’s planning skills were indeed formidable. When they reached the first supply point, his two gas tanks were just finishing up.

“Disperse the demon ghost power, rest, and recover your strength.”

At the supply truck, Du Huaishan signed for two new gas tanks, then took out a water bottle and two potatoes from his pack, biting into one.

On the road, the potatoes had been frozen rock-hard in the cold of Yingzhou; Tan Hai nearly cracked his front teeth. But if you didn’t eat now, you’d only go hungry.

Xu Yuan leaned against a tree, eating her potato silently, gazing northward as if looking toward her hometown: Weakwater.

Du Huaishan said nothing. Everyone had their own past, and he and Xu Yuan weren’t close enough for heart-to-heart concern. Besides, this was an evaluation, not a storytelling session.

He headed to the logistics area, inquiring about the time and the progress of other squads.

It was now a quarter past ten in the morning; two squads had already reached the checkpoint before the Eighth Training Squad, and one had just left.

This was within Du Huaishan’s expectations. After all, among the more than three hundred elite trainees, he couldn’t be the only one skilled at managing gas reserves.

With Tan Hai and Lin Sizhi’s weaker stamina slowing them after leaving the city, their pace had indeed lagged.

For this reason, careful planning of demon ghost power usage was all the more crucial.

“Hey! Huaishan, Tan Hai, you beat us here!”

Climbing the slope, several figures appeared—it was Guo Tingyu and the Seventh Training Squad.

Tan Hai’s expression changed instantly upon seeing Xing Zhenhao and his sidekick.

But the Seventh Squad was undeniably strong; five of its eight members were skilled fighters. Xing Zhenhao even carried an extra pack for his weaker teammates.

The two squads locked eyes.

With a whir, another zip line soared in, accompanied by familiar laughter, “Haha, I knew it—following Huaishan’s pace never fails!”

“Old Wu?”

Tan Hai hadn’t expected Wu Ming to arrive with the First Training Squad, just as their last gas tank was spent. “I get it! Wu, you’ve been tailing us the whole time, copying Brother Huaishan’s route plan!”

“Heh, all’s fair in war!”

Wu Ming swapped his empty tank for a new one at the supply point.

He said it lightly, but Du Huaishan knew copying his plan wasn’t so simple. The squads were separated by enough distance to be out of sight; Wu Ming could only analyze traces to match their zip line usage rhythm—a skill honed from years of hunting.

It seemed Wu Ming had some real talent. I must find time to learn wilderness skills from him.

“Wu, Tingyu, we’re moving ahead!”

Du Huaishan swallowed the last chunk of potato, brushed the crumbs from his hands, bade farewell, and led Tan Hai, Xu Yuan, and the others onward.

For the second leg, he calculated even more precisely, leaving a full gas tank in reserve, which allowed Xing Zhenhao and Guo Tingyu’s Seventh Squad to catch up midway.

He remained unhurried.

At the supply point, Du Huaishan replaced his gas tank, stowing the spare in his pack’s side pocket.

Bang! Rat-tat-tat!

Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the north, drawing their attention.

“Looks like the patrol unit.”

“Probably a demon ghost nearby...”

Zhang Mingcheng felt no fear; instead, knowing someone was protecting them brought reassurance.

“The last stretch now. We’ve been overtaken by two squads. By two o’clock, the artillery will bombard Bluestone Mountain. Du Huaishan, are we still conserving high-pressure gas?”

“No change in strategy.”

“...Alright.”

Li Anqi couldn’t understand it, but decided to trust Du Huaishan’s judgment.

Thus, the group resumed their demon transformation, running ahead.

Another squad caught up and passed them; Chen Jun finally grew restless. “Du Huaishan, we’re now behind five squads! Still rationing gas?”

“Yes.”

Du Huaishan spoke sparingly.

Looking at Xu Yuan, Tan Hai, Lin Sizhi, Sun Tian, and Li Anqi, who all showed no reaction, Chen Jun had no choice but to relent.

The snow fell heavier and heavier.

Half an hour later, they finally saw the towering Bluestone Mountain in the distance.

At the mountain’s base, numerous supply vehicles, soldiers, and mounted instructors were gathered; Lai Yanlong and his team had arrived early for the final evaluation of the elite trainees.

“Well, at last we see Du Huaishan...”

Lai Yanlong lowered his binoculars, raised his pocket watch, and shook his head. “Much slower than I expected—probably because he looked after his teammates. That’ll set back his score, not sure if he can make the top three.”

Chang Sui’an frowned, spotting Du Huaishan sprinting with demon horns atop his head, clearly puzzled by his lag.

But Zhou Zhong’ai noticed their spare Crimson Marrow tanks, smiled, and said, “Don’t rush. Sometimes, being too fast isn’t a good thing...”

Lai Yanlong: “Oh?”

At the mountain’s base, Chen Jun caught glimpses of figures darting through the woods, growing anxious, “Du Huaishan, time’s running out!”

“Du Huaishan!”

Zhang Mingcheng joined in.

“Swap tanks!”

After several urgent shouts, Du Huaishan finally stopped, replaced his gas tank, lifted his side armor, and with a hiss, inserted a fresh one.

“I get it!”

Near the mountain, Lai Yanlong and Chang Sui’an exchanged glances.

Through the binoculars, Xu Yuan, Tan Hai, and Li Anqi had all geared up—both high-pressure tanks full!

Clang!

Du Huaishan drew his sabre, exhaled a cloud of white vapor, his demon ghost eyes glowing dark red, fixed on the forest ahead: “Eighth Training Squad, all members—attack!”