CHAPTER 384: CHAPTER 384: INCOMPATIBLE COMPETITION OF WATER AND FIRE

Trust? Lian Qi froze. When had he ever betrayed Wei Lejun?

Just as he was hoping to get more answers from Wei Lejun, Wei Lejun lowered her head and avoided his gaze.

It was completely inconsistent with her usual personality—suddenly turning gentle like this felt a bit unsettling.

Lian Qi suddenly suspected he might have a masochistic tendency, preferring Wei Lejun when she was yelling and hitting him with her usual fiery intensity.

At this thought, Lian Qi shook his head violently.

This is a twisted thought; I can’t afford to go there.

While Lian Qi was still lost in his thoughts, Wei Lejun began removing the Vine Rope binding his hands and feet.

Then, she shot him a cryptic look and said, "Alright, you’re free now. Go wherever you want next."

Once she finished speaking, Wei Lejun really walked away, no longer keeping him under watch.

Lian Qi scanned the surroundings. The other girls didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping him either.

Only Sang Ning gave him a casual glance. Somehow, he managed to read her message in that brief moment of eye contact: You better not run, boy!

Lian Qi suddenly had a realization. Could Wei Lejun have been referring to the incident where he stole the ship and ran off?

But what does that have to do with trust? The crew laid out the game rules—doesn’t everyone have to approach it seriously? Wanting to win isn’t wrong, is it?

Lian Qi felt distressed. Women’s thoughts are honestly impossible to understand.

Now that his hands and feet were untied, Lian Qi’s first instinct was, of course, to run. Anyone who wouldn’t run would be an idiot.

But strangely, Wei Lejun’s previously disappointed yet slightly hopeful look floated into his mind.

Lian Qi unexpectedly felt a flicker of discomfort, and his chest turned heavy.

Seriously?! Why are women so hard to please?

"Wei, don’t worry. I’m not running. I’ll just stay here and be the laborer!" Lian Qi shouted at Wei Lejun in a slightly defiant tone.

Wei Lejun, however, seemed in an excellent mood. She raised her head and glanced at him. "You’d better keep your word. Be a good little laborer!"

Sang Ning, who had been watching silently from the sidelines, overheard their conversation and discreetly scrutinized the two of them.

Well, looks like she could actually sense the sour, stinky vibe of young love coming off them.

Surely, Lian Qi must finally be catching on, right?

As expected, appreciation comes through comparison.

Sang Ning thought of her boyfriend, whom she hadn’t seen in ages. He was far more reliable than Lian Qi, at least not someone who would easily do things to irritate her.

No, wait. She was already starting to feel annoyed now.

She’d been stuck in the training camp for more than a month, but Li Juezhou hadn’t even thought of a way to come see her!

Though she rationally knew this was a closed-off training program, Sang Ning still couldn’t stop herself from feeling angry.

Even though she’d initially said she didn’t need Li Juezhou to accompany her, the fact that he hadn’t showed up once made it hard for her to remain rational.

Love truly messes with your mindset—it keeps stirring up these inexplicable bursts of irritation.

Sang Ning decided. Once the training was over, she’d go back and give Li Juezhou an earful.

But that was a matter for later. Right now, the most important thing was getting out of this godforsaken jungle. She had no desire to stay in this damn place any longer.

A few minutes later, the air filled with the familiar beeping sound. It was the signal the crew always used to announce important updates.

The few busy players froze in place and looked up toward the sky.

The resource announcement began on cue.

"Attention, trainees! The second batch of supplies is about to be distributed. Please pay close attention to the drop zones and head out to search for them. Best of luck in obtaining the materials you want!"

As soon as the announcement ended, the buzzing sound above grew louder. A large group of drones carrying supplies appeared in the sky.

This wave of drones looked like there were at least a dozen. The second batch of supplies was genuinely abundant.

Seconds later, the drones, which had assembled in formation, suddenly dispersed, flying off in different directions across the jungle.

Even by the riverbank, Sang Ning could hear the cheers and excited screams of trainees deep in the jungle behind her.

"Whoa, the drone is actually heading my way. Could it be that it’ll land right in front of me? Am I about to hit the jackpot and be today’s lucky winner?!"

The guy’s ecstatic shouting didn’t last long. His over-the-top excitement only attracted others nearby.

"Dream on, kid! I’m standing right next to you. Let’s see if the supply drop is for you or me."

"Whoa, your mouth is really cursed. The drone really is getting closer!"

"Sorry in advance, but at this moment, there’s no such thing as friends—only supplies! This batch is mine, and I’m taking it no matter what!"

What followed was a cacophony of shouts. It sounded like those trainees had already gotten into a full-on brawl.

"Sang Ning, should we go fight for supplies?" Huang Chengzi asked, looking up at the drones overhead. Sang Ning replied.

"Not really necessary. But if you want to aim for first place, you can give it a shot—maybe you’ll end up with some ready-made materials." Sang Ning answered calmly.

After learning her lesson from the first batch of supplies, Sang Ning no longer dared to trust the crew blindly.

All the boat-building materials proved less reliable than what she prepared herself. What if the second batch had some hidden conditions for use? She didn’t want the hassle.

Plus, with Lian Qi’s bad luck having contributed a motor earlier, Sang Ning inspected it—it turned out the crew’s provided motor had decent power. It should be enough to keep a five-seater boat moving without issue.

Sang Ning couldn’t care less about mutual wins now. As long as she could get back, that was good enough. If Huang Chengzi and the rest thought the same, they could keep collaborating on the big boat. There was no need to run around the jungle.

"Fine, if you’re not going, I’ll stay here and mess around with you." Huang Chengzi dropped her ambition of chasing after the second batch of supplies.

She hadn’t seriously thought she could make it to the top three anyway. Better to stick with Sang Ning—a return to training camp was guaranteed, and Sang Ning was trustworthy.

"What about the others? If anyone else wants to look for supplies, now’s the time. Wait too long and someone else will snag them first." Sang Ning reminded the rest of the group.

Building a boat with wooden sticks was her personal idea. She’d always respected others’ preferences. If they didn’t want to stay and help her build the boat, she wouldn’t force them.

"Who’s looking? Forget it! The motivated ones have already rushed out. We’re the slowpokes; even if we try now, we won’t get anything decent anyway. Let’s leave it to everyone else!" Wei Lejun suddenly chimed in, her voice full of frustration.

Sang Ning only now realized Lian Qi was gone. She’d thought the guy finally understood things and hadn’t paid attention to him. But who would’ve guessed...

She had read him wrong. He really did always prioritize winning above all else.

"No problem. If he’s gone, he’s gone. Just means one less burden for us, doesn’t it?" Huang Chengzi comforted Wei Lejun.

In her view, it was unnatural for Lian Qi to stay anyway. After all, the boys and girls’ teams were fundamentally enemies in this competition.