Chapter 21: Teaming Up with a Werewolf

Chapter 21: Teaming Up with a Werewolf

"Jiang Yi, are you really taking Ke Lin to the wilderness training camp?" Jia Zheyu asked, catching up to him.

"I've already got permission from the school."

"It's not about permission," Jia Zheyu just didn't get Jiang Yi's decision.

"Ke Lin isn't an Esper. What can he do if you take him? The department belle from the Manipulation Department invited you to team up, didn't she? Her Esper ability is A-rank. You two would be a perfect match."

Jiang Yi had originally thought about teaming up with a classmate. In terms of ability type, that department belle was indeed very compatible with him.

But he saw hidden but intense admiration in her eyes.

Ke Lin was already with him, and he had no intention of seeing someone else. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea by agreeing to team up.

Although Ke Lin wasn't an Esper, Jiang Yi had seen his talent in free combat. Hunting mutants wasn't just about abilities; excellent physical skills were equally important.

"Don't talk about Ke Lin like that. In terms of combat, he could handle three of you right now," Jiang Yi said.

"Uh," Jia Zheyu had nothing to say. Who wants to fight your werewolf?

After a moment, Jia Zheyu lamented, "But it's such a shame you missed out on the department belle from the Manipulation Department!"

He really wanted to partner with her! Since Jiang Yi refused, why not consider the equally excellent B-rank Esper, Jia Zheyu, right beside him?

Seeing Jia Zheyu keep mentioning another girl, Ke Lin, who was eating beside them, couldn't help but look up.

From what Jia Zheyu said, this girl really seemed suitable for Master. With a Manipulation-type ability, she should be very helpful when dealing with mutants, right?

Jiang Yi noticed Ke Lin's eyes darting around before finally lowering his eyelashes. Afraid he'd start overthinking, Jiang Yi simply stated directly, "That girl expressed interest in me before. It would be awkward to team up together. But don't spread this around."

"What? Damn it! It really is what I thought!" Jia Zheyu's expression was exaggerated, looking like 'why wasn't I the one confessed to?'

Hearing this, Ke Lin felt a spark of joy. Since Master won the challenge match, many girls had indeed shown interest in him, but Master had politely declined them all.

Among them were quite a few very beautiful and elegant girls. Why was Master unwilling to try getting to know any of them? Was it because of Ke Lin?

The look Ke Lin gave was too direct and intense. Jiang Yi knew exactly what it meant and smiled, reaching out to stroke Ke Lin's ear. "Yes, it is. Now eat up, have some more."

Hearing this, Ke Lin happily grinned, his tail wagging uncontrollably. He nodded vigorously at Jiang Yi and continued eating obediently.

Watching their interaction, Jia Zheyu recalled the scene he saw last time of them sleeping in the master bedroom. "I get it! You're afraid Ke Lin will get jealous!"

Jiang Yi: ...

"Just eat your food!"

In the second semester, students took a week of prep classes for the wilderness training.

The following week, the freshmen boarded specialized anti-radiation vehicles and traveled to the outskirts.

The protective shields in the outskirts were weaker. After entering the wilderness training area, the shields were practically negligible.

The school issued protective suits for all students, but those from well-off families prepared their own clothing with higher radiation protection.

Jia Zheyu's family business started with radiation protection. A few days ago, he specifically went to his family's company to have the highest-grade protective suits custom-made for Jiang Yi and Ke Lin.

As for Jia Zheyu's partner, he ended up teaming up with Lei Li from the Elemental Department, whose ability was the A-rank "Earth Control." Lei Li was a large, intimidating figure with dark skin and a fierce appearance.

He wasn't weak, but because he was taciturn and had a frightening appearance, few dared to team up with him.

Jia Zheyu went to the Elemental Studies division to find a teammate. After being rejected repeatedly, he casually asked Lei Li, never thinking he'd say yes.

Jia Zheyu had already spoken the words and couldn't take them back. He felt apprehensive, afraid of encountering someone tough like a school bully.

It wasn't until Jiang Yi met Lei Li and told Jia Zheyu he was strong, reliable, and a good partner, that Jia Zheyu finally let his guard down. He took Jiang Yi's word for it.

Lei Li also performed well in combat simulations. The more Jia Zheyu observed, the more satisfied he became. In a grand gesture, he also had a set of the highest-grade protective equipment custom-made for Lei Li.

Upon reaching the entrance to the wilderness training grounds, the lead instructor distributed maps to everyone and explained some precautions.

They needed to stay in the wilderness for a full twenty days, looking for chances to hunt mutants, primarily cooperating with their assigned partners, but also teaming up with others temporarily.

Only the supply stations were absolutely safe; mutants could pop up anywhere else, anytime.

If they encountered an overwhelming threat, they could press the termination button on their communicator, and a rescue team would be dispatched immediately.

After entering the grounds, Jiang Yi and Ke Lin first confirmed the location of the nearest supply station.

Then, using the supply station as the center, they scouted for signs of mutants within a radius of about fifty meters.

Although they had slain mutants countless times in simulated practice, this was their first time facing a real mutant. Better safe than sorry; if they couldn't defeat it, they could immediately run back to the supply station.

Jiang Yi held an oval mutant detector. As he approached an earthen wall, the detector suddenly sounded an alarm.

"Be careful!" Ke Lin spoke up. His senses were sharp. His wolf ears twitching, he whispered, "There's something moving behind the wall."

Just one second after he finished speaking, the dilapidated earthen wall was violently knocked down by a mutant, sending clumps of dirt flying everywhere.

Before them was a gray-green mutant, its body wet and covered in moss, with massive jaws embedded with two glowing green eyes.

According to the data displayed on the detector, it was only a low-level mutant. Jiang Yi and Ke Lin quickly moved behind a nearby sturdy locust tree.

Low-level mutants had almost no smarts. Its dark green eyes scanned the area. Not seeing any signs of living creatures, it stood still, waiting for a target to appear.

Jiang Yi pulled out a specialized pistol designed for mutants from the tool pouch on his waist, aimed at the mutant's jaws, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

Jiang Yi's shot was fierce and accurate. The mutant's jaws were pierced, but it didn't fall immediately. Enraged, it looked toward the source of the damage and charged over, all claws and teeth.

The mutant's eyes and jaws were its most vulnerable spots, but it constantly swung its head and limbs, making it difficult for Jiang Yi to aim again.

Seeing the mutant getting closer and closer, Jiang Yi drew his blue Laser Blade, preparing for close combat.

The mutant's body was large and sturdy. Striking anywhere else would barely scratch it.

Jiang Yi's laser blade repeatedly thrust toward the mutant's vital points, but the mutant dodged with unexpected agility, always causing Jiang Yi's blade to strike areas away from its eyes and mouth.

Just as the mutant dodged again, Ke Lin circled to its side. With even greater speed, he drew his laser blade, found the right moment, leaped lightly onto the mutant's shoulder, wrapped one arm around its neck, and with the other hand gripping the laser blade, swiftly stabbed into its eye and jaws.

To make sure the mutant was dead for good, Ke Lin stabbed several times in rapid succession. Only when the massive creature was utterly dead and began to fall backward did he jump down from it.

Jiang Yi stepped forward to support Ke Lin, confirming that aside from some green moss stains, Ke Lin was unharmed.

The mutant had no blood inside its body. After death, it turned into fragmented dark tissue chunks on the ground. Among the tissue chunks appeared a palm-sized gray crystal.

It was the mutant's crystal core, which also served as the grading criteria for their field training exercise.

Jiang Yi stored the crystal core away and glanced at the agile werewolf beside him, feeling he was still more suited for long-range combat. In close-quarters combat, the werewolf race held a natural advantage.

"Ke Lin, you did well."

"Thank you for the praise, Master." Ke Lin grinned happily, revealing two sharp wolf fangs, his fluffy tail wagging with even more enthusiasm than before. He could finally be of help to his master!

That same day, Jiang Yi and Ke Lin worked in perfect sync, locating and hunting three low-level mutants.

That evening, while resting at the supply station, they encountered students from other groups.

Some were so terrified upon seeing real mutants that their legs went weak, completely frozen in fear. Others had successfully hunted their first mutant and, despite some minor injuries, were thrilled and eager to venture deeper into the central area to hunt more.

Jiang Yi and Ke Lin didn't rush forward recklessly. Instead, they stayed in the outer area for a few more days.

Only after fully adapting to the wilderness and developing their own unique fighting style did they gradually move toward the center.

The deeper they went, the more clearly they felt the difficulty of hunting mutants increase.

A few days later, Jiang Yi and Ke Lin had collected sixteen crystal cores, all gray except for one that was gray with a blue glint at its core—the one that had taken them the longest to kill.

After defeating it, Jiang Yi marked the location on the map, as if drawing a boundary line. Mutants inside this line would be upgraded to intermediate level.

In fact, most mutants in the area were intermediate or low-level ones specifically herded there by the school and the military.

Only the red central zone on the map contained high-level mutants.

If students chose to enter the red zone, it meant that even if they pressed the termination button, rescuers might not arrive in time.

What Jiang Yi and Ke Lin didn't know was that everyone else's maps marked two red zones: one for high-level mutants and one as a restricted area.

On their map, however, the restricted area was marked in green, labeled "Temporary Safe Zone."

Author's Note: