CHAPTER 392: CHAPTER 392: LAUNCH A DIVERSION ATTACK

Qin Feng was just speaking off the cuff, but Sang Ning surprisingly let her gaze linger on him for a few more seconds.

That slight nod of approval seemed to say, "Young man, you’ve seen through everything."

Huang Chengzi and Sun Bangyu had gone to grab something from the other side earlier. Now, as they walked back, they happened to catch Wei Lejun leaving.

The two found it strange. Huang Chengzi stepped forward and asked Sang Ning, "What was Lejun up to?"

Sang Ning took the items from Huang Chengzi’s hands and replied with a smirk, "Doing some good deeds. Let’s step it up, shall we?"

"Got it!" Huang Chengzi nodded and decided not to overthink it. Building the boat was their top priority right now.

...

Lian Qi had been lurking in the bushes for quite a while and was starting to feel impatient.

It seemed unrealistic to rely on Wei Lejun to steal supplies for him. Even if Sang Ning didn’t discover that Wei Lejun had turned against her, just the prospect of taking their hard-earned results without explanation was something Sang Ning’s personality would never tolerate.

Lian Qi scratched his head, feeling a bit agitated.

Miscalculated, totally miscalculated!

"Looks like Wei Lejun really can’t be trusted." Lian Qi muttered to himself. Standing up from his hiding spot among the grasses, he decided to look elsewhere for usable materials.

But just as he straightened up, a stack of thick wooden boards landed on his shoulder, forcing him back down with a squat. "Who are you calling unreliable? Trying to burn bridges again, huh?"

The planks pressed mercilessly against his shoulder bones, and the mechanical ache made Lian Qi almost cry out. But fearing someone would hear him, he merely opened his mouth wide in a silent scream.

Seeing that it was Wei Lejun, Lian Qi initially wanted to say, "Are you a ghost? How in the world do you walk around so soundlessly?"

But when his eyes caught the items in Wei Lejun’s hands, a spark of light flashed in them. His lips curved into an uncontrollable grin as he lowered his voice and showered her with exaggerated praise: "You’re nothing short of the incarnation of the Wisdom Goddess! You even managed to complete such a difficult mission!"

Wei Lejun tossed the items she was holding right at Lian Qi’s feet and impatiently said, "Enough with the useless flattery. Get on with it already!"

"Aye aye!"

Lian Qi got to work without delay. Dragging out his plastic collapsible basin, he began fiddling with the materials Wei Lejun had brought him.

After roughly aligning the shapes, Lian Qi looked up at Wei Lejun, his eyes pleading, "Looks like the stuff you brought isn’t quite enough. Can you figure out a way to get some more?"

Wei Lejun wanted to strangle him. She had already brought over every usable reject she could.

It hadn’t been much to begin with, and the damn things were heavy as hell. Nobody knew the frustration she’d felt—pretending to casually carry them while her entire body was stretched taut like a bowstring.

"This is all there is that’s usable. If you’re really dissatisfied, you don’t have to use it!" Wei Lejun’s expression openly rejected the notion.

The excuse of "clearing out defective items" had already been a stretch. She absolutely couldn’t face Sang Ning again to ask for more half-finished products.

It wasn’t like crossing this river was absolutely necessary; they could just rough it out in the jungle for the night. The crew would come pick them up by tomorrow anyway.

Lian Qi also realized this was probably the limit. The fact that Wei Lejun managed to bring anything at all was nothing short of a miracle.

Given their limited resources, creating an outer frame for the collapsible basin was no longer feasible. They’d have to improvise and make other modifications.

In the end, Lian Qi decided to extend the base of the basin at both the front and the back. This would greatly reduce the risk of capsizing, although it would significantly slow their progress. Still, it was better than spending the night in this godforsaken place.

Extending the base didn’t take much time. He just needed to securely fasten the wooden boards in place.

So, while Sang Ning and her team were still in the thick of their boat-building efforts, Lian Qi and Wei Lejun had already made a two-person makeshift raft on their end.

With the raft completed, the next challenge was to avoid Sang Ning and her team’s watchful eyes, sneaking the raft into the water and rowing away.

This time, the two planned to use a diversion tactic to lead the group by the riverbank astray.

The initial plan was for Lian Qi to quietly approach the riverbank with the makeshift raft. Meanwhile, Wei Lejun would pretend to discover some new supplies and lure the others into the jungle. Then she’d quickly double back to the riverbank and meet up with Lian Qi.

But as soon as Lian Qi finished explaining, Wei Lejun picked up on a familiar vibe.

"Oh, I see how it is. You mutt. Using me again, and then planning to sneak off on your own, right?" Recalling the numerous times she’d been left hanging before, Wei Lejun was completely immune to Lian Qi’s spiel and didn’t believe for a second that he had good intentions.

"No, no, I swear I’m not! Hasn’t our trust taken a hit enough times already? Can’t it ever be rebuilt? You’ve got to look at me with fresh eyes and stop clinging to old biases!" Lian Qi pleaded earnestly.

But this time, Wei Lejun was resolute. She shot him a cold, unyielding look and refused to listen to anything he said. Her expression screamed that she was impenetrable to persuasion.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Having no other choice, Lian Qi handed the makeshift raft to Wei Lejun and said, "Fine, let’s do it this way then. You take the raft to the riverbank while I... uh... attract their attention. Anyway, I’m definitely faster than you when it comes to running. I’ll make sure to reach the riverbank before they even realize what’s happening."

Wei Lejun looked him up and down, clearly skeptical of his sudden altruism.

Lian Qi felt a pang of discomfort under her scrutinizing glare and started to push her forward. "Alright, alright, stop looking at me like that! You’re hurting my feelings. Can’t you trust my character just this once?"

Wei Lejun turned her head and shot him a long, penetrating gaze. The meaning behind her look was crystal clear: "Do you even possess something like character?"

The two of them bickered all the way forward. As they neared the riverbank, Lian Qi grabbed Wei Lejun by the head, shoving her down and tucking her into a hidden spot.

Then, moving away from Wei Lejun, he bolted off like a wild horse uncaged. Flailing his arms wildly, he shouted, "Big discovery! Big discovery! The crew actually airdropped a fully assembled boat! I can’t lift it by myself. Can anyone give me a hand?"

Lian Qi’s voice carried over quickly. The people by the riverbank turned their heads to see a figure darting chaotically through the trees, moving around so fast they could hardly make out his face.

But Qin Feng and Hu Yirun recognized his voice immediately. Their excitement spiked at the thought of a ready-made boat—why struggle with patching together half-finished ones?

"Sang... Sister." The word "Ning" circled Qin Feng’s lips but was promptly replaced with "Sister," his face carrying a slightly ingratiating expression.

Cautiously, he sought Sang Ning’s opinion: "Sister Sang, what do you think? Should the two of us head over and help? There’s no way that guy Lian Qi can handle it alone."