Chapter 200: Chapter 197: A Mischievous Cub by Night

After the initial scare, the team progressed smoothly, without encountering any more poisonous snakes or insects.

By noon, they came across a mountain stream, and Ling Chengyan ordered the team to find an open area to rest and eat.

Cooking was still done by squad units, each gathering firewood to start a fire.

Proper cooking was impossible; the main task was to boil water and replenish hot drinks.

To Ling Chengyan’s surprise, during the march, the three squads managed to dig up some bamboo shoots and pick some wild vegetables. By adding two cans of portable meat, they made a decent soup. With hot soup, the compressed biscuits and dry food tasted much better.

Ling Chengyan had the good fortune to taste three different kinds of soup, which turned out to be quite palatable.

Cooking and eating also allowed for rest, and an hour later, the team continued to advance.

This field training lasted for a week. For the first two days, with full energy, the team advanced smoothly. As they gradually adapted, it wasn’t too difficult. The key was winter, and there were fewer snakes and insects, so there were no incidents of poisoning. A week later, Ling Chengyan led the team back to the base, and their Huicheng Special Service Company surprisingly made it into the top three.

It’s worth noting that the first and second places were both southern units. The northern brother units ranked beyond the top ten.

After a few days of field training rest, the team re-entered the mountains.

This time, without ample food supplies, the field training escalated into survival training.

Besides the first aid kit, Huicheng Special Service Company added a pack of seasonings, mainly salt, and for those who liked spicy food, a pack of chili powder.

This time, there was no specific route requirement. After entering the mountain, finding at least ten small flags counted as completing the task. Of course, the more flags found within the specified time, the higher the score.

The small flags were not marked on a map but were randomly placed.

To find the flags, often you had to go through forests or even thickets, increasing the difficulty significantly.

Ling Chengyan was decisive and split the team into three groups after entering the mountains, each moving independently to intensify the search.

She herself took four soldiers, forming a fourth squad, and set out in one direction.

In the first half of the month, the weather had been good, but on the second day of entering the mountains, it suddenly changed, and the temperature dropped sharply, with snow falling at night.

The team entering the mountains did not wear overcoats; for convenience, not even thermal garments, just autumn clothing and rubber shoes. On sunny days, it was even a bit hot at noon, but once it snowed, it became unbearably cold.

Ling Chengyan called the four to gather firewood and lit a fire under a leeward cliff.

The other four buried found kudzu and yam in the fire to roast and put a wild chicken and some bamboo shoots they grabbed along the way into the pot to cook.

Ling Chengyan, however, stood by the rock, watching the snowflakes continuously falling outside.

Snow in the south is different from the north; the ground temperature is high, so the snow can’t settle and melts immediately upon touching the ground.

Zheng Hongwei, who came along, approached Ling Chengyan from behind and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, it’s not the first time those guys have been in the mountains. They’ve all brought fire, and with a fire, they won’t freeze.”

Ling Chengyan responded, “Freezing isn’t the issue. I’m just thinking, if the snow gets heavier, it will be even harder to find the flags.”

Zheng Hongwei laughed and said, “It’s unlikely. After all, it’s the south. I’ve heard local soldiers say that it only snows occasionally in the mountains, and even then, it’s very light. As soon as it hits the ground, it melts, so it can’t settle.”

Ling Chengyan turned her head to look at him, still wanting to say something, when the people by the fire called them to eat.

In the hot soup, several pieces of dry ginger were added. Drinking a few sips warmed the body, and soon after, there was even a slight hint of sweating, feeling completely comfortable.

The other four added chili powder to their soup, and Zheng Hongwei asked Ling Chengyan, “Don’t you want some? It’s very comfortable to drink something spicy.”

Ling Chengyan shook her head, “You can drink it.”

A slight hint of chili for taste was acceptable, but turning the whole soup red was something she couldn’t quite accept.

After eating, Ling Chengyan selected a nearby big tree to rest on, while the other four gathered by the fire against the dry cliff and gradually fell asleep.

By night, the snow was still falling.

Ling Chengyan wrapped herself in a thin blanket, exposing only half of her face, and fell asleep leaning on the tree branches.

In the mountain forest, there was the sound of wind, occasional low bird calls, and the gurgling sound of a small stream nearby… not noisy but full of vitality.

Ling Chengyan slept peacefully, making almost no noise.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes, her body remained still, but her ears perked up.

Something wasn’t right.

The forest was too quiet.

Except for the sound of the stream and the faint wind, there were no other noises. Birds and small animals seemed not to exist.

Ling Chengyan listened silently for a moment, then sat up and looked around from her high vantage point.

Then she heard a light clanging sound—the noise of a metal can colliding with the rocks.

The fire had long since gone out, and the shadow of the protruding rocks was pitch dark.

Ling Chengyan, with her excellent vision, couldn’t see anything peculiar.

She held her breath, not daring to move an inch—because she hadn’t heard any other unusual sounds or smelled any blood, she judged that the soldiers were temporarily safe.

She didn’t have to wait long, just a few seconds before the metal can clanged again. This time, Ling Chengyan finally saw what was making the noise—a black figure crawling up, pawing the can twice, then leaning in to sniff at the can still imbued with a meaty scent.

The black silhouette was indistinct, but judging by its size and shape, Ling Chengyan initially guessed it was a large cat.

Ling Chengyan had hunted with her father and brother in a previous life and had seen tigers and leopards. Tigers are much larger than the black silhouette she saw tonight.

As per her estimation, this one should be a sub-adult; in other words, its size was almost fully grown, but it was still young, a bit clumsy, hence would venture near a place where humans rest overnight to seek food.

Moreover, because it was young and not mature of mind, it followed the scent to the can, rather than attack the humans sleeping under the rock.

Just a mischievous cub!

Ling Chengyan shook her head helplessly, pulled out a piece of jerky from her dry food bag, sliced it into two pieces with her dagger, revealing the flavorful interior, and tossed it towards the silly large cat on the ground.

With a soft thud, the jerky landed lightly a few inches in front of the large cat.

The large cat paused its pawing at the can, stayed still for a moment, and seemingly smelled the jerky’s scent. It lazily abandoned the can under its paw, moved forward, and picked up the jerky.

The jerky was original flavor and air-dried; the large cat tried to bite it but couldn’t.

Ling Chengyan tossed down another piece of jerky with a soft thud.

“Woo…” A low soft growl, suppressed and deep.

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