The rest soon returned, each offering a bag of fruits as tribute. Shao Qi gave them a once-over, ultimately picking a bag of pears.

Upon returning to Zhou You's side and noticing he was meditating, Shao Qi remained silent. Yao Chen, after assigning night shift duties, led a team into the forest.

As the first rays of dawn broke, Zhou You opened his eyes, just in time to see Yao Chen's team hauling back several large beasts. It seemed they'd have meat for breakfast.

Mutant beast meat was tough to cut and required a sharp blade. Seeing that everyone had a dagger capable of easily slicing through the thick hide, Zhou You enviously asked Shao Qi, "Are these daggers available in the market?"

"You want one?" Shao Qi queried.

"Of course! They seem capable of slicing through metal like butter."

Stroking his chin, Shao Qi pondered for a moment before proposing, "Does our previous agreement still stand? You cook for me, and I'll pay you in kind."

Zhou You nodded with delight, "Deal!"

"Alright, then. You'll cook for me three times a day. Once we reach the base, I'll buy you a knife even better than this one as a token of my gratitude."

"Agreed!" Zhou You couldn't help but correct him, "It's not serving, just helping with cooking. Don't make it sound as if I'm your slave."

Shao Qi smirked, "What kind of slave receives such treatment? You haven’t even repaid me for saving your life."

"Then regurgitate the fruit you ate last night."

Shao Qi threw him a pack of pears, "Here, double the repayment!"

Zhou You wasn't hungry. The nutrient fluid was indeed satiating. However, he still ate a pear, followed by some grilled meat. It became clear why Shao Qi preferred his cooking. Everyone else's grilled meat tasted the same, merely cooked to edibility.

After breakfast, Yao Chen stepped forward and addressed everyone, "There's a convoy nearby. I can take you there. Whether they're willing to transport you back to the Jiangnan Base, I'm not sure. Discuss with them when the time comes."

Zhou You suspected the convoy mentioned was Li Hongxi's group. The prospect of returning to familiar territory obviously pleased him.

Shao Qi had a vehicle nearby. Fortunately, Zhou You and Lao Qiaotou hitched a ride. As the vehicle forged ahead, the workers trailed closely behind. Overhead, more than a dozen fighter jets escorted them. In less than half a day, they saw a team surrounded by wolves.

Li Hongxi was in distress. These creatures had been tailing them since the previous night. Conflict seemed inevitable now.

"Standard procedure, car number 10 first, to escort the civilians out, followed by car numbers 1 and 2..." Li Hongxi was interrupted by the sight of the overhead fighter jets. In excitement, he jumped onto the roof of the vehicle, waving his jacket at them.

A wolf lunged at him. Wu Yong fired repeatedly. The bullets only slightly slowed the creature, barely inflicting damage.

Li Hongxi swiftly slashed, creating a gash across the wolf's belly, then kicked it off the roof.

Within the forest, despite not being the strongest individually, wolves reigned supreme atop the food chain due to their pack behavior and numerical advantage. Few dared to provoke them.

Li Hongxi was puzzled as to why this pack had targeted them. They hadn't left any trace before, almost as if they'd appeared out of nowhere.

Several trucks were toppled by the wolves. Armed with a machete, Li Hongxi jumped down, ready to confront the threat head-on.

Ever since her impressive display, Li Yunxi always stood at the forefront during encounters with the exploration team. She understood that real combat was the only path to true strength. Without it, she'd be vulnerable when real danger loomed.

This time, Li Hongxi didn’t stop her. She needed to learn to fend for herself, especially in unfamiliar terrains.

Li Yunxi's weapon of choice was a massive hammer, targeting the wolves' heads. Regardless of their durable hides, one blow could cause concussions or internal bleeding. An ally would then finish them off, showcasing seamless teamwork.

"Damn it, what's with these beasts? Even after we've killed almost half, they won't retreat. Do we smell that enticing to them?" Warriors aren’t superhuman. Prolonged fighting rapidly drains stamina. Previously, they'd rely on modern weapons, but now, they were reduced to melee combat. Some were beginning to falter.

Yao Chen had noticed them earlier. He directed the jets to find suitable angles, but the wolves were closely engaged with the humans, making it hard to fire without causing collateral damage.

"Captain Yao, what do we do?" Situ Han anxiously inquired.

Yao Chen grunted, "What else? Activate hover mode and lend a hand!"

"Understood!" Twelve jets hovered mid-air. From each cockpit, a rope was lowered. The team descended, jumping to the ground from a height of ten meters.

The commotion upon landing startled everyone. Before Li Hongxi could give a signal, Yao Chen and his team already fired at the pack of wolves. Shao Qi arrived at the scene with an armored vehicle, knocking down the last wolf, causing the pack to flee dispiritedly.

Members of the Dawn Exploration Team breathed a sigh of relief. The timely rescue was crucial, or they would have surely faced more casualties today.

Author's note: Shao Qi asked Zhou You, "How can I repay you for saving my life?"

Zhou You replied with a blush, "How about I offer myself to you?"

Shao Qi: "That's unnecessary. A few cooked meals would suffice."

Chapter 031: To Think You Both Survived

Li Hongxi approached to give his thanks. Despite having a gash on his arm from a wolf's claw, deep enough to see the bone, he calmly expressed his gratitude to Yao Chen and the others.

"It's our duty. We're just tidying up," Yao Chen said, holstering his weapon. He gave a military salute to Li Hongxi, who returned it with fervor, grimacing slightly from the pain.