The entire school embarks on a survival journey, starting from a primeval rainforest.

"Brother Fan, you took me to the East District for treatment yourself, there must be something else going on, right?" Chen Qingquan hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question that had been on his mind.

Jiang Fan glanced at him calmly and asked without batting an eye, "What makes you say that?"

"I just feel that anyone can accompany me with my illness, there's absolutely no need for you to take me alone... And you always do things with purpose, it's impossible for you to waste time doing something meaningless... Besides, even if you're afraid of retaliation from the underworld, it's unreasonable, because as long as you're not dealt with, whatever they do will only alert the enemy and bring even bigger trouble."

Jiang Fan nodded with relief: "I do have other things to attend to, but I'll explain them to you later. Are there any other questions?"

"...There is indeed another question I've always wanted to ask, but haven't had the chance." After a two-second silence, Chen Qingquan continued, "When we faced the anaconda, you were the first to charge in. Weren't you afraid that no one would go with you and you'd be killed by the anaconda?"

Jiang Fan didn't answer the question; instead, he asked in return, "Are you familiar with the herd mentality?"

Chen Qingquan paused, then slowly nodded: "You think that as long as you take the lead, others will definitely follow..."

"Not entirely." Jiang Fan smiled and continued to explain, "I'm not sure if you guys will follow, but I know that if I go, Lin Feng will definitely go, and once we have the first and second place, then the third and fourth will definitely follow!"

Chen Qingquan recalled the scene at the time. The moment the anaconda appeared, many people subconsciously stepped back, but Jiang Fan, who was standing at the front, did not retreat, which prevented the crowd from scattering.

Just as the anaconda was about to enter the water, Jiang Fan was the first to rush forward.

At the time, he was more surprised than hesitant, and he didn't think about following up.

But when Lin Feng also rushed up, his mindset quickly changed.

Although Nangong Yue was the third to follow, I would have followed her if she hadn't been there.

Thinking about it this way, he suddenly felt that Jiang Fan was somewhat terrifying.

In that environment, he actually understood human nature so thoroughly.

At the same time, he had mixed feelings. Jiang Fan was probably the same age as him, but their temperaments were clearly not on the same level.

This suddenly gave Chen Qingquan, who had always prided himself on being different from others, a sense of frustration.

Just then, Jiang Fan suddenly asked, "These two questions aren't really what you wanted to ask, are they?"

Chen Qingquan was shocked again; he hadn't expected Jiang Fan to have guessed this.

Seeing Chen Qingquan's expression, Jiang Fan knew he had guessed correctly: "Then let me guess again... You've never really shown yourself off before, and you've never asked me any questions on your own initiative. Given the situation today... you probably want to ask me why I agreed to let Ding Rui join?"

This time, Chen Qingquan was truly shocked. His eyes widened and his face showed disbelief.

An unbelievable guess flashed through his mind: Could Brother Fan have mind-reading abilities?

But in the end, he only nodded slightly.

"I noticed it while we were eating earlier. It's normal for everyone to react when a stranger suddenly walks into a group of familiar people, especially someone with a 'lively' personality," Jiang Fan explained.

Chen Qingquan looked enlightened.

Jiang Fan didn't explain further, but instead asked, "What do you think of the eleven people in our Starfire Core, besides me?"

Chen Qingquan pondered for a few seconds before slowly replying, "Sister Yue is very capable, Chu Xue is very serious about her work, Chen Ke... well, she's quite lively, Brother Feng and Brother Hang are very loyal, Ji Ran is a bit of a chuunibyou but is a good person, Lao Zheng has a rugged appearance but is very polite, Jiang Xu is a quiet person who doesn't like to talk, and Lao Zhao is closer to me; he's honest and straightforward but gentle at heart."

"Your observation is correct," Jiang Fan nodded. "But who do you think is most suitable to be the rear-line manager of this organization?"

"Isn't Sister Yue good enough? I think she's doing a great job..."

"Do you know who recommended Ding Rui to join?"

Chen Qingquan was taken aback, and tentatively asked in disbelief, "...Could it be Sister Yue herself?"

"Yes, she and Chu Xue recommended it together."

Chen Qingquan remained silent, seemingly processing the news.

"Actually, Ding Rui is very smart," Jiang Fan continued to explain. "She knows what she wants by joining Xinghuo, so instead of coming directly to me, she first had Li Chuxue, who had previously shown me goodwill, approach us, and then slowly got in touch with Nangong Yue. Because she knows very well that as long as Nangong Yue doesn't want to step down, I can't let her get to this position."

"She had some conflicts with us at first, not because she was stupid, but because she could quickly recognize the situation."

"In the harsh environment of the apocalypse, a girl who has no physical advantage either has to rely on others or take control of the discourse."

"She once tried to trade the keys to me in order to gain control over the distribution of supplies on the fourth floor. After failing, she tried to undermine us from within by using moral blackmail, and then seize control of the narrative."

"But after those two things failed, she didn't take any further action against us. It wasn't that she had no other options, but that she quickly realized the situation."

"After that, she tried to develop her own team while learning about our internal situation through Li Chuxue and Nangong Yue, leaving herself a backup plan to join us."

"If she hadn't time-traveled, she would have been able to climb the social ladder quickly, and she would have used every advantage she could to gain the right to rise to a higher position at any cost."

"Yesterday, she took the initiative to connect with the other three buildings to support Lin Feng and Ding Hang. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for—to proactively join in and show goodwill. Do you think Li Chuxue or Chen Ke could have done that?"

Chen Qingquan shook his head; those two people certainly didn't seem like the kind of people who could do that.

"Furthermore, in yesterday's situation, you and I both knew very well that preventing Lin Feng and Ding Hang from going to the East Campus to cause trouble would mean losing some of the organization's cohesion and causing morale to crumble. But letting them go would put them in great danger. It was a dilemma. Nangong Yue chose to stop them, but she failed."

"Although she left Zheng Xiuyuan to pass on a message to me, and decisively sought help from Tang Qingyu when she arrived at the East Campus, it can be said that she did her best to salvage the situation, but this still could not prevent the possibility that things might go beyond repair."

"Perhaps I won't be able to get there in time, or perhaps Tang Qingyu isn't on campus; either is possible."

"But if Ding Rui were in the same position, although it's unclear whether she would choose to stop or support them, I can tell you with certainty that if she chose to stop Lin Feng and Ding Hang, she would definitely succeed."

Even if it causes a major internal conflict, she will not hesitate to stall until I return to deal with it.

"She is the kind of person who, once she gains power, can trample others underfoot without hesitation, but once she loses power, she can quickly adjust her mindset, lower her posture, and fawn over others."

Chen Qingquan nodded repeatedly. After Jiang Fan's heartfelt words, he roughly understood the reasoning behind Jiang Fan's actions.

Although Nangong Yue can do the things Jiang Fan asks her to do, she is not assertive enough and can't control the situation at crucial moments.

Moreover, they are not quick-witted enough and lack initiative.

"Aren't you afraid she might have problems?" Chen Qingquan asked again, feeling a bit impulsive as he thought about how Jiang Fan had handed over the dormitory key to her.

"If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them." Jiang Fan shook his head. "Precisely because Ding Rui is an opportunist who can read the wind and assess the situation, and is smart enough to be a fence-sitter, I don't need to worry about her."

At this point, Jiang Fan suddenly smiled, a smile that exuded a powerful confidence: "Because as long as I remain strong enough, she will only be loyal to me and devoted to Xinghuo."

Chen Qingquan, standing to the side, was lost in thought, infected by Jiang Fan's strong confidence, and suddenly felt an unparalleled anticipation for the days to come.

Just then, Jiang Fan continued, "Nangong Yue is too gentle. She's fine handling ordinary matters, but she's not assertive enough at crucial moments and has difficulty controlling the situation."

Chu Xue has an honest personality and with more training, she can become a good assistant, but she is not suitable for a higher-level leadership position.

Chen Ke is lively but lacks ambition. Even in her current circumstances, living happily is probably more important to her than anything else.

As for Lin Feng, he is intelligent but too lazy to use his brains, while Ding Hang is not very bright and is too straightforward. These two can become brave and fierce generals, but it is difficult for them to stand alone.

As for Ji Ran, he can only be a comedian or a lucky charm. With him around, everyone can always have some fun.

As for Lao Zheng, Jiang Xu, and Zhao Yi, with more training, they would be excellent as deputies, but not capable of handling major responsibilities.

At this point, Jiang Fan looked pleased: "Only you, Lao Chen, are both literate and martial, and have the potential to be a commander. I look forward to your future development."

Chen Qingquan's body jolted, and a flash of excitement crossed his eyes. He hadn't expected Jiang Fan to have such a high opinion of him.

Just as he was about to say something, Jiang Fan patted his uninjured shoulder: "We've arrived."

But as soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Fan's gaze suddenly sharpened.

A whooshing sound suddenly rang out from within the thick fog, and a sharp arrow shot out from it.