People began arriving one after another, but many took off running the moment they spotted the Beidou uniforms, not hesitating for even a second.
“Why are they running?” Wen Wenwen asked, knowing full well that the two beside her were far more knowledgeable and had answers to things she’d never even heard of.
“Those running must be stowaways. If they had official permits, why would they flee?” Ye Qingyi explained.
“Exactly,” Su Mo nodded solemnly in agreement.
“Hey, what are you guys doing? Acting all sneaky like that?” someone from Beidou suddenly shouted.
Su Mo cursed inwardly—now they couldn’t remain uninvolved observers. Just as he was about to stand up and rejoin the group, he noticed several figures emerging from behind a small sand dune. Upon closer look—hey, isn’t that Luo Xiu? Along with a few unfamiliar classmates.
Seeing them alive, the Beidou team leader visibly relaxed, his mood lifting considerably.
“Hey, doesn’t that guy next to the team leader look like the ‘Flame-Spitting Kid’?” Su Mo suddenly remarked with a grin, glancing at Ye Qingyi.
Ye Qingyi replied coolly, “That is him. Didn’t expect him to become a full-fledged Beidou member already.”
“You didn’t know? He’s an Awakened. The moment his powers manifested, he gained immense strength. Of course he wouldn’t have to suffer through this miserable exam like the rest of us.”
“Enlightening,” Ye Qingyi said with mock reverence, clasping his hands in a slight bow.
Su Mo returned the gesture with equal theatrics.
Wen Wenwen: “(;¬_¬)”
Little Bai: “Φ#@……”
Their hiding spot was a slope covered in fine yellow sand. To avoid detection, they couldn’t risk peeking out too often.
Suddenly, Su Mo felt an itch on his ankle. Instinctively, he reached to scratch it—only for an immense force to coil around his wrist and ankles, yanking him backward.
The same happened to the others, including Little Bai.
Su Mo’s heart lurched. His combat blade materialized in his hand instantly.
With a flash of steel, he broke free and immediately slashed toward the vines restraining Wen Wenwen. Ye Qingyi and Little Bai, meanwhile, relied on their own strength to shake off the binds.
“Don’t panic. These vines aren’t that tough—just slash through them. Just don’t let them trap your limbs.”
“Got it. (Squeak!)” The two humans and the monkey answered in unison.
The previously chaotic vines suddenly moved with eerie coordination, attacking from all directions without giving them a moment’s respite.
Su Mo hacked away at the encroaching vines while scanning for weaknesses. To his surprise, he spotted a particularly unusual vine hidden in the shadows.
What made it special was its thickness and agility compared to the others—likely the central control for the entire network.
Moving like a panther, he dodged the vines and closed in on the core vine with lightning speed.
Without hesitation, Su Mo mustered all his strength and drove his blade toward it—only for the vine to vanish in the blink of an eye.
Huh?
Su Mo was dumbfounded. I just unleashed my ultimate move, and my target just… disappeared?
But his strike didn’t hit empty air—instead, it was caught between two fingers.
That’s right. His strongest attack had been effortlessly neutralized—barehanded.
“Alright, that’s enough. I was just testing your abilities—no need to go all out,” said a familiar voice. Su Mo couldn’t quite place it until he looked up—it was the short man who’d spoken at the training base.
Who knew he’d be this strong? And why did these vines’ attack patterns feel so familiar…
Then it clicked—this was the same man who’d deliberately split them up during the earlier trial.
“Who are you? You look kinda familiar,” Su Mo said, suddenly playing dumb. Maybe it was lingering resentment.
Yang Jie froze, his small eyes narrowing almost shut. “I’m a commander of Beidou’s Chuzhou branch and the head of Jingshan Training Base. My name is Yang Jie.”
“Oh, now I remember! You gave us that speech. We’ve met before.” Su Mo flashed a dazzling smile, his pretty face melting away most of Yang Jie’s irritation.
“Why didn’t you regroup with the main force? What were you spying on from here?” Yang Jie’s expression was unreadable.
“We were, uh…” Su Mo fumbled for an excuse before blurting out, “We were just sightseeing! Look how intense their fight is.”
Yang Jie glanced over. Beidou operatives were chasing down the illegal trespassers, subduing them mid-battle.
He said nothing more and strode toward the scene. Su Mo shot the others a look, and they followed behind Yang Jie.
“What about Little Bai? Won’t Beidou dissect him for experiments?” Ye Qingyi whispered into Su Mo’s ear.
“Tch—good point. But he’s got nowhere else to go. For now, he’ll stick with us. Once we’re out of the ruins, we’ll figure out how to send him back,” Su Mo suggested.
“Guess that’s the only way…”
Their voices were hushed, and Little Bai only caught fragments. Sensing they were talking about him, he stared at them, confused and seeking answers.
But… he was ignored.
Little Bai: “#Φ@$￥…”
“Little Bai, no swearing. As a civilized monkey, you must learn manners,” Wen Wenwen scolded, tugging his tail and lecturing him nonstop.
Little Bai: (っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
The battle ahead was heating up. Thanks to a few skilled stowaways, Beidou hadn’t yet subdued them all.
One young trespasser even taunted, “We’re all from Xia Country—why do we need Beidou’s permission to enter some ruins? Where’s the justice?”
“Oh? You sound very displeased,” Yang Jie said flatly as he approached, his face darkening.
The Beidou operatives visibly relaxed upon seeing him. But the young trespasser, seemingly unaware of Yang Jie’s identity, kept ranting, “Who the hell are you? Stop acting all high and mighty. You think just because you’re ‘concentrated,’ you’re automatically ‘essential’?”
His companions tried and failed to shut him up, eventually stepping aside to distance themselves.
Vines erupted from the ground, snatching up every fleeing trespasser and binding them tightly in neat rows.
The young man finally shut his mouth, scratching his head awkwardly, unsure whether to surrender or bolt.
Yang Jie walked up to him, clamped handcuffs around his wrists, and asked expressionlessly, “So? ‘Essential’ enough for you?”
The young man mumbled meekly, “Y-yeah… more than enough…”