Chapter 157 - 144: Contact, Exploration
Especially within a specific region, the animal population would generally remain stable barring any natural disasters.
If they suffered heavy losses from an attack, they would most likely choose to migrate.
That being the case, completing the tasks would require them to travel far from the Gated Community and venture deep into the Gobi Desert to hunt.
The long journey and the dangers they might encounter along the way were all unknowns.
Furthermore, some creature populations might have already been frightened away from the area by human attacks.
Qin Ziwen frowned. ’Considering all this,’ he thought, ’completing these ten tasks in just one month will be a real challenge.’
While his group was focused on the hunting tasks, the other residents of the Gated Community would also be hunting, collecting water, and gathering supplies.
’That means we either have to organize everyone in the Gated Community and assign hunting zones...’
’...or take a gamble and lead a small, elite team deep into the Gobi Desert to hunt fierce beasts.’
But after a moment of thought, he realized neither option would be easy.
In open terrain, a single Tyrannosaurus could put them in their place.
Then there was the Fierce Giant Rock Dragon, the target of a Level 3 Task and a full Level higher than a Tyrannosaurus. Judging by the image, its overlapping, thick Armor looked like stacked rocks. With nothing for scale, it was impossible to know its exact size, but based on its appearance alone, it was clearly massive.
No longer hesitating, he tapped his finger and accepted all the tasks.
"Brother, we’ve gathered all the bowls and pots!" Qin Ziwu’s voice came from the doorway. He stood outside with Zhao Pu and a few others, several wooden boxes stacked at their feet.
"I’ll invite you guys first," Qin Ziwen said, sending invitations to Qin Ziwu, Zhao Pu, Deng Guang, and Li Yue.
The four of them froze for a moment, having clearly received a notification from Home.
A few seconds later, they all joined the guild in unison.
"Holy shit, holy shit! This is an officially recognized guild from Home, right? We’re a proper army now!" Li Yue felt his vocabulary was failing him, leaving him with only one phrase to express himself.
Zhao Pu was surprised. "I had no idea there was a Shared Building function."
"AOOO~"
As Qin Ziwen was preparing to leave, the Beaked Eagle ran over, excitedly nudging its head against his chest.
"You want to go out too?"
The Beaked Eagle nodded eagerly.
Qin Ziwen pondered. ’Judging by the tasks on the Hunting Celestial List, the Gobi Desert must not be as barren as I thought. To support this many creatures, there has to be an Oasis. It would be good to let the Beaked Eagle scout from the sky... but there are Winged Dragons up there, and they usually travel in flocks. It’ll have to be careful.’
"Alright, you can come, but don’t fly too high. Just follow me," Qin Ziwen instructed.
The Beaked Eagle blinked its large, jet-black eyes, then nodded seriously.
...
After Qin Ziwen and Zou Jianghe left, Cao Biansheng walked over to Luo Gang. "Teacher Luo, don’t you think it’s weird? It feels like their Gated Community isn’t very united. The first and third place on the list aren’t even from the same team."
Luo Gang shook his head, his tone flat. "Their situation is different; you can’t generalize. We just need to focus on our own affairs. Besides, aren’t we also divided into eight Hunting Groups?"
"How is that the same? Our eight groups are all in this together," Cao Biansheng said, shaking his head.
Luo Gang smiled and patted Cao Biansheng’s shoulder. "It’s a good thing you’ve been able to maintain such an innocent heart."
"Teacher Luo, don’t praise me. I can’t take a compliment," Cao Biansheng said with a sheepish grin.
Cao Biansheng’s roommate, Shen Xiaobai, leaned in. "Brother Cao, what Teacher Luo means is that you’re all brawn and no brains."
Cao Biansheng whirled around in anger. "Shen Xiaobai, you’re asking for it! Come on, let your daddy show you the ’Human Windmill’!"
"Mercy, Godfather!" Shen Xiaobai cried, dodging backward.
The other boys joined in the jeering. "Quick, stop him! General Cao is rebelling!"
Watching the boys roughhousing like a pack of monkeys, the girls nearby paid them no mind, long used to their antics. Some were organizing their belongings, while others chatted quietly with their friends.
Stuck in the wilderness with no phones and no internet, the teenagers were full of energy with nowhere to vent it.
The Gobi Desert was brutally hot, and the students in the open clearing couldn’t stand the sun, gradually retreating to the shade.
Luo Gang raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. His throat was tight with thirst.
A flicker of worry crossed his eyes. ’In this heat, if we can’t find a water source soon, we won’t be able to last long.’
"Teacher Luo." A girl with delicate features and a short ponytail that exposed her forehead walked over. Her tone was calm as she said, "The water stored in the building is only enough for everyone to drink for three days. If we use it for cooking, it will last two days at most."
"I understand, Xiaozhou. Go and pass down the orders. Each Hunting Group is to send out a fifteen-person scouting party—make sure they have good stamina. Have them explore in every direction, focusing on low-lying terrain. Tell them to be mindful of their surroundings. If they enter a shady spot, they must be extremely careful. Snakes and scorpions often inhabit shady areas in the Gobi Desert."
"Understood." The girl with the short ponytail nodded.
A student called out, "Teacher Luo, there are people coming."
Luo Gang narrowed his eyes, looking toward the north gate. A team was approaching from that direction.
𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
"Teacher Luo, look out! There’s a bird in the sky!" another student suddenly shouted, pointing overhead.
A large bird with a wide wingspan was circling forty to fifty meters above their heads.
This prompted cries of alarm from some students inside the building, and one of them retrieved a homemade Bow from a classroom.
Another rushed to the roof with a wooden Javelin.
When Luo Gang saw that Qin Ziwen’s group seemed to be completely ignoring the large bird overhead, a sliver of suspicion formed in his mind.