Returning to the checkpoint, the sky had completely darkened. On their way to retrieve the travel pass, they had actually stumbled upon a prime spot where they could rest.
Shen Yuqing handed a travel pass to Song Wangzhuo: “Remember to keep it safe, don’t lose it.”
Song Wangzhuo tucked the pass into the deepest part of his bag. “I’ll definitely keep it safe.”
After securing the passes, the group headed to the prime spot they had found earlier.
It was a small cave though cramped; it could barely fit a few people. Not everyone could sleep at once; they had to take turns keeping watch to guard against potential ambushes or wild animals from the forest.
For now, it was enough.
The sleeping bags came with flashlights and spare batteries, but since they had to last the entire night, they only turned on two—one per team, fair and square.
The light illuminated the cave, with Song Lejin positioned at the innermost side.
He was utterly unaccustomed to this. Neither in his past life nor this one had he ever endured such harsh conditions.
Though the daytime sun was scorching, the temperature dropped sharply at night. The sleeping bag was stiff, and there wasn’t even a blanket. Song Lejin frowned looked like he’d have to tough it out tonight.
Just get through tonight. Just tonight.
Tomorrow, once they made it into the top 200, things would be better.
At that moment, a blanket was placed beside him.
Song Lejin looked up, it was that alpha.
Still fully geared up, the alpha took advantage of the others’ inattention and whispered, “Keep it.”
Song Lejin glanced around before unfolding the blanket and draping it over himself. Sure enough, with the blanket, he no longer felt as cold.
The others were still discussing the watch rotation, but after the day’s exhausting activities, Song Lejin grew drowsy and soon dozed off against the cave wall.
The alpha glanced back at him, his exposed eyes crinkling slightly, as if smiling.
Shen Yuqing caught all of this.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
This alpha might as well have announced their relationship to the world.
As Shen Yuqing approached, he feigned surprise. “It’s already nighttime, can’t you take off your mask and stuff?”
The alpha replied, “Too many bugs and dust.”
His voice was muffled, hard to make out, but Shen Yuqing couldn’t shake the feeling that it sounded familiar. Before he could press further, the alpha had already walked over to their team to speak with their captain.
Noticing Shen Yuqing’s exchange, Song Wangzhuo asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Yuqing shook his head. “Nothing. Just curious why he’s always covered up like that.”
Song Wangzhuo studied the alpha. He hadn’t paid much attention to him before, only hearing others mention that his getup was due to allergies.
But keeping it on at night seemed a bit too deliberate.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Song Wangzhuo even felt there was something familiar about his build.
He just couldn’t place where he’d seen it before.
“Song Wangzhuo, you’ll take watch from 3 to 5 a.m. Shen Yuqing, you’ll take over at 5. We’ll all wake up at 6 and head to the checkpoint to set up an ambush.”
As the team leader, Lin Sui naturally handled the arrangements.
Song Wangzhuo nodded. “No objections.”
Shen Yuqing naturally had no objections either. He had practically slept soundly through the night, so he was undoubtedly more refreshed than those who had to wake up for two or three hours of guard duty.
After making the arrangements, Shen Yuqing yawned.
He was usually prone to drowsiness, and today’s physical exertion had been particularly draining. Now that he was completely relaxed, his eyelids grew heavy.
But Song Wangzhuo said, “Don’t sleep yet. Go to the cleaning pod first.”
The cleaning pod was right next to the checkpoint. Standing inside for less than thirty seconds left one completely sanitized from head to toe.
Of course, a proper shower would have been more comfortable, but this was convenient.
Shen Yuqing nodded. After the arrangements were made, many had already headed over since it wasn’t far just a few minutes’ walk.
By the time they finished, Song Wangzhuo still wanted him to eat and drink something before sleeping. But as soon as he took out the supplies, he saw Shen Yuqing had already crawled into his sleeping bag, leaning against the stone wall, fast asleep.
Song Wangzhuo watched him for a moment before putting the items away. He then slipped into his own sleeping bag beside Shen Yuqing and drifted off.
Everyone was exhausted. Soon, apart from the two on night watch, the rest were sound asleep.
Shen Yuqing slept straight through until Song Wangzhuo woke him. Groggily unzipping his sleeping bag, he mumbled, “My turn, huh? You sleep. I’ll take over.”
“No need. It’s already six,” Song Wangzhuo said softly.
At that, Shen Yuqing jolted awake. He glanced around and saw someone else already rousing the others.
Checking the time on his wrist-mounted smart device, it indeed read just past six.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Shen Yuqing asked.
It was only then he noticed a sports jacket draped over him. Song Wangzhuo glanced down, took the jacket, folded it neatly, and tucked it back into his bag.
So, it had been Song Wangzhuo’s.
“I wasn’t tired anymore by then, so I just kept watch,” Song Wangzhuo explained.
Shen Yuqing’s mind was still foggy. “Are you sure? You only slept a few hours.”
Song Wangzhuo smiled faintly. “Even if I’d woken you at five, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep.”
His mind was preoccupied, and with the checkpoint opening precisely at noon today, they could move to the next stage and rest properly in the safe zone.
Shen Yuqing stretched, his body aching from the long sleep.
Song Wangzhuo had already packed everything while he was waking up. Within ten minutes, the entire team looked refreshed.
Arriving at the checkpoint, they were currently one of the two fastest teams.
Lin Sui exchanged a few more words with Team 5A before returning. “We’ve agreed each team takes one side. Whoever hits the supplies gets them.”
There were seven colors of paintballs, each team assigned a distinct hue to differentiate hits.
Lin Sui checked the time. “We don’t have much left. Let’s get started. Divide the tasks.”
“Song Wangzhuo and I will take the lead. Yuqing, you and Xiao Wang cover any stragglers. Le Jin and Xiao Feng, you two gather equipment afterward. Grab as much as we can before the checkpoint opens, then rush through immediately when it does.”
No one raised objections. Once roles were assigned, they concealed themselves in the nearby undergrowth.
Shen Yuqing loaded the gun, it was his first time handling this type of firearm, and it felt quite novel.
Just as he was about to excitedly say something to Song Wangzhuo, his head spun for a few seconds, nearly causing him to drop what he was holding.
Song Wangzhuo stood beside him. “What’s wrong?”
The dizziness faded quickly.
Shen Yuqing shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
But the initial excitement had completely vanished. His gaze lingered on Song Wangzhuo’s face, and he couldn’t help but frown.
During those brief seconds of dizziness, he had seen something a vision.
In it, Song Wangzhuo was tumbling down a small slope.
