When you're in the Wolf Pack, your ability to obey orders becomes stronger.

Chapter 218 This knife has killed people!

After dinner, everyone returned to the temporary camp, where nearly 10 of the original 36 beds were now empty.

The remaining 20-odd people had already gotten to know each other, and were now gathered around Kaiyuki discussing tomorrow's open courses.

"What does it mean to be bold, meticulous, and quick-witted? Kaiyoumu, can you explain it more clearly?" Zheng Tiannan asked, looking puzzled.

Kaiyumu: "I can't explain it clearly either. The content of their subjects is different every year. At first, the contestants would team up, but later each person was assessed individually."

"So what was your content last year?"

"First, we found the location based on coordinates and hiked dozens of kilometers along the border... I don't know about the later projects; they were eliminated early."

Kaiyumu briefly recounted the events of the previous incident.

Chen Wei frowned: "Why does this sound a bit like long-range reconnaissance?"

Others nodded.

"I don't think it's that simple. Their selection criteria are quite high. The elimination rate was over 30% on the first day, and I'm afraid there will be even more eliminations in the future!" Zheng Tiannan said in a deep voice.

"Their thinking is different from ours. Take the physical fitness test this morning, for example. Damn, I really didn't expect that we would have to run back to pack our bags."

"Do you think they'll pull this stunt again tomorrow morning?"

"Who knows? I think we'd better pack our bags beforehand tonight."

The group discussed it for an hour or two, but couldn't come to a conclusion.

Even though Xu Ge and Li Dongshui had met Thor so many times, they still couldn't guess how he planned to test everyone.

Since that was the case, everyone simply stopped caring and made their own preparations according to their own ideas, going to bed early as soon as it was light.

For soldiers, maintaining adequate mental and physical condition is of utmost importance at all times.

Just after midnight, Xu Ge, who was fast asleep, was suddenly awakened by the sound of footsteps on gravel. He immediately sat up and woke up Kai Youmu and Li Dongshui.

"What's wrong?" Kaiyu asked.

Xu Ge whispered, "Someone's coming!"

At this moment, several other contestants were also awakened by the noise and asked, "What's going on?"

"somebody is coming!"

"Really? What time is it?"

"It's just past midnight!"

"Holy crap! Get up, get up! It's already the second day!"

Everyone woke up and quickly got up to get dressed and put on their shoes.

Just as everyone was hesitating about whether to pack their bags, a sharp whistle sounded.

Beep beep!

"Everyone, gather at the entrance, bring your bags and water bottles!"

Hurala!
Everyone quickly grabbed their belongings and ran outside.

Xu Ge and his group were the first to come out, while Thor was standing outside with his hands behind his back.

"Eight people per group, find your own teammates, and after you've formed a team, choose a team leader and come to me to receive the mission!"

Zheng Tiannan, Chen Wei, and a few other familiar players quickly surrounded Xu Ge and his two companions.

"We're all here! Anyone have a problem with me being the group leader?" Zheng Tiannan shouted.

Everyone shook their heads in unison: "No!"

Zheng Tiannan immediately rushed towards Thor: "Report!"

Thor was somewhat surprised. He glanced over and casually tossed an envelope over: "You are the first group. Proceed to the Sirius camp gate and board the vehicle immediately!"

"Yes!"

The eight people immediately started running in the darkness.

Fortunately, the moonlight is bright enough tonight, and the visibility in the Gobi Desert is still acceptable.

When everyone finally trudged to the gate of Sirius, they found five cars already waiting there.

"This way! Hand over all personal belongings! Everyone! Come over here and collect a portion of dry rations and water!"

One of the Sirius team members shouted, "Get on the first bus after you've collected yours!"

The person in charge of distributing the rations was none other than Yuan Chuan, an old acquaintance. As Xu Ge was receiving his supplies, he asked in a low voice, "Why are there only five vehicles?"

If there are eight people per group, and each group has one car, then there should be ten cars here.

Yuan Chuan didn't think there was anything wrong with talking about this issue, and said with a smile, "The first five groups and the last five groups start from different directions, so those in the front will definitely have a more comfortable time."

"Understood! Thank you!"

"come on!"

After their belongings were checked, Xu Ge and his eight companions quickly boarded the first vehicle.

The driver didn't say a word, counted eight people, and then floored the gas pedal.

Everyone was a bit confused, not knowing where to go. The only thing they were sure of was that the open subject assessment had already begun!

More than half an hour later, Xu Ge felt the car stop bumping and the road conditions became smooth, so he immediately leaned out to look outside.

"We're on the national highway! Heading north!"

"Squad Leader Zheng, didn't the head instructor give you something? Hurry up and open it!" Kaiyoumu reminded him.

Zheng Tiannan was taken aback: "Who is the head instructor?"

"That's the examiner!"

"Ooh!"

Zheng Tiannan then remembered the envelope in his pocket, quickly took it out and opened it, and everyone gathered around.

"Damn, I can't see anything! It's too dark inside the car!"

"Give me!"

Xu Ge snatched it away; inside was only a slip of paper. He examined it closely and saw coordinates written on it, along with a sentence:

The second coordinate is on the knife.

Xu Ge immediately repeated what he had said.

Chen Wei immediately asked, "What are the coordinates?"

许戈：“东经79°87′34″，北纬33°43′53″。”

"What the hell???"

Everyone in the car was stunned.

Zheng Tiannan was shocked: "If I remember correctly, we are at around 36°N 77°E. Damn it, where are they taking us?"

Kaiyu frowned: "With such a large difference in latitude and longitude, the distance must be hundreds of kilometers?"

. . .

. . .

The car was still speeding along in the darkness.

No one could sleep; everyone was filled with anxiety.

Since everyone's personal belongings were confiscated and the exact time was unknown, we can only guess that the journey must have taken several hours.

Gradually, Xu Ge felt that the scenes on both sides of the road were somewhat familiar, and patted Li Dongshui: "Look outside, are we at Shiquanhe?"

Li Dongshui peeked out and examined it carefully for a while, then exclaimed in surprise, "It really does seem to be true!"

Just when everyone thought the car was going to stop at Shiquanhe, the driver showed no sign of slowing down, drove straight across the Shiquanhe River, and continued driving for nearly an hour before turning off the national highway.

By now, a faint light was beginning to appear, and amidst the bumpy ride, the surroundings felt increasingly desolate. Squeak!
The car stopped, and the driver gestured for everyone to get off.

"Who is the team leader?"

“I am!” Zheng Tiannan approached the driver’s seat.

The driver handed over a map and eight wristbands, saying, "One wristband for each person. If anyone can't hold on any longer, just press the rescue button on it, and someone will come to pick you up."

Xu Ge sensed something was off about the driver's words and asked, "Picking us up?"

“That’s right. If even one person asks for help, the whole team is considered to have given up.” After saying that, the driver stepped on the gas and drove off.

The eight people stood there, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"No, are you just going to abandon us and leave us like this?"

"Let's figure out the location and direction first!"

Zheng Tiannan was about to distribute the bracelets to everyone when Chen Wei stopped him.

"Since if one person gives up, the whole group will be eliminated, then we have no way out. Let one person keep all eight bracelets together."

Zheng Tiannan looked at the others: "What do you all think?"

"Then you can keep it yourself!"

"We have no problem with that!"

“Okay!” Zheng Tiannan put all the bracelets into his bag and spread out the map on the ground.

Kaiyu looked towards the faint light appearing on the horizon and pointed: "That's east!"

Zheng Tiannan immediately aligned the map with the north: "Let's determine our location first."

"Xu Ge, what are those coordinates?"

“东经79°87′34″，北纬33°43′53″。”

"We don't have a ruler, who can calculate it?"

"I come!"

These were all experienced veterans, and they determined their own location and the direction of their target within about ten minutes.

"Oh, it's near Swan Lake!"

Zheng Tiannan started a meeting with everyone, "The situation is clear now. The target location is about 90 kilometers away from here as the crow flies. I don't know if Tianlang and the others have any time requirements, but we definitely need to get there as quickly as possible!"

Everyone nodded.

Xu Ge asked, "Normally, how long would it take us to get there?"

Zheng Tiannan thought for a moment: "None of you have experience in this area. I estimate it will take more than 12 hours. The main problem is that our supplies are too low. From now on, we need to develop a strict food distribution plan, and everyone must strictly follow it!"

"No problem, that's how it should be!"

Kaiyumu nodded, "Let me remind everyone, don't think that 90 kilometers is easy. In the case of food and water shortages, it is actually a very big challenge!"
I think our most important issue isn't how long it will take to get there, but ensuring that everyone reaches their destination, even if it's a little slower!

“Yes! We need to conserve our energy! I’ve participated in a 50-kilometer forced march, and Kaiyu is right.”

"The current altitude is around 2700 meters. We're not carrying any gear, so let's take turns leading the way!"

After discussing it for a while, the group quickly finalized a general plan for the next steps.

When Xu Ge first learned that he needed to hike 90 kilometers, his first thought was to add 5000 points of general skill value to his physical fitness.

But he quickly realized that this was an operation involving eight people, and that it wouldn't matter how fast he rushed alone, so he decided to wait for the right opportunity.

The group then found their direction and headed west.

. . .

. . .

This walk will take a whole day!

We set off around 5 a.m., and now it's late at night.

The eight people were completely different from when they first set off; each of them looked numb and staggered.

Before setting off, everyone anticipated that it would be very difficult and made various plans to save energy and food, but they were completely useless.

After 50 kilometers, the water and food they carried were used up, and they eventually had to drink boiled stream water.

Fortunately, these people all had good wilderness survival skills, so starting a fire was not a problem for them. The real challenge was the fuel issue.

In the wilderness, everyone worked together, and it took more than half an hour just to find flammable plant roots, and they also burned three kettles.

By this point, everyone's body was nearing its limit.

Li Dongshui was being supported by Kaiyoumu and Xu Ge; his lips were chapped and dry, and he was finding it difficult to even utter a single sentence.

"Where's the map? Are we here yet?"

Zheng Tiannan looked around. The group was now at the foot of a square mountain. The mountain sloped gently upwards, with flat areas every so often, like large terraced fields.

They spread out a map and studied it for a long time by the moonlight, finally confirming that they had arrived at their destination!
"Damn it!"

All eight people immediately lay down on the grass and were too lazy to move for a long time.

The journey covered more than 90 kilometers, with at least 80 kilometers of it traversing through the wilderness, including crossing three mountain peaks.

It wasn't until the last few kilometers that meadows appeared, along with fearless marmots.

Li Dongshui, whose eyes were red from hunger, clamored for rat meat, but was told by others that he was likely to catch the plague.

"Gulu! Guru!"

A large bird flew overhead and circled, making a sound that sent chills down everyone's spine.

Kaiyoumu sat up abruptly and shouted, "Get up, get up! Don't lie down!"

"Holy crap! What is that thing?"

"It's a vulture! Damn it, they're treating us like corpses!"

As soon as the eight men got up from the grass, the vultures overhead immediately flew up the mountain.

Chen Wei's face turned grim: "How could there be vultures here? This is bizarre!"

Zheng Tiannan waved his hand: "Let's go, let's go up the mountain to find the knife!"

The note clearly states that the second coordinate is on the knife.

The group walked up the mountain in a line, cursing and swearing.

"Damn it! It's one thing to make us look for a knife in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, but at least tell us what kind of knife it is?"

"Damn it, how are we supposed to find such a huge mountain?"

"Who cares what kind of knife it is? There must be more than one, right? Are Tianlang and the others going to throw knives all over the mountain? If that were the case, I'd be willing to call them awesome..."

"Knife!"

Li Dongshui suddenly bent down, picked up a short knife from the grass, raised it high, and said excitedly,

"Hahaha! I found the knife!"

The others immediately perked up and quickly gathered around.

"Holy crap! There really is a knife!"

"Quickly check if there are coordinates written on the blade?"

Li Dongshui examined the dagger twice, then exclaimed in surprise, "There's nothing there!"

Xu Ge had just arrived and was about to get closer when he suddenly smelled an indescribable odor emanating from the knife.

There was a faint smell of blood, but mostly the stench of rotting flesh, which instantly changed his expression.

"Damn! This knife has killed people before!"

(End of this chapter)