Common types of tools for surviving in an uninhabited zone – Cheng Feng had studied them before and was skilled enough to put together a standard kit according to basic requirements.
This time, carrying firearms wasn’t allowed, but there was a wide range of functional tools to choose from.
There were strict upper limits on food supplies. Only two 550 ml bottles of drinking water and two small boxes of compressed biscuits were permitted. She definitely maxed those out.
With medical supplies for external injuries and various electronic gear added, Cheng Feng’s backpack already weighed over ten kilograms.
Facing the remaining space that still had some capacity, Cheng Feng began to hesitate – should she continue selecting more tools, or reduce the load to conserve energy for later?
The scoring for this task wasn’t just about survival; whether she could reach the designated camp within the required time was also a crucial criterion.
If Cheng Feng wanted to rank in the top ten percent, she’d have to compete fiercely with those animals from the infantry department. The difficulty of reaching the camp was set according to their level, which meant players probably wouldn’t have much breathing room during the mission.
Only extreme standards could truly separate the top-tier candidates.
For Cheng Feng, her lack of experience, insufficient knowledge, inadequate stamina, and weak explosive power were all obstacles standing in her way. The choice of equipment became absolutely critical.
The other members of the team were also making their selections, but only Jiang Linxia kept talking nonstop. He listed his entire equipment loadout and then reminded Cheng Feng, saying, “Feng Feng, bring more handy tools that can double as weapons – don’t worry about the weight. I recommend you take two knives. This kind of fully simulated survival in an uninhabited area is anything but peaceful and idyllic. They’re not going to let you happily set up a tent and catch rabbits out there. Instead, there might be a several-meter-long python that comes to kiss your cute little head with its venomous fangs.”
Hearing how serious he made it sound, Cheng Feng added a few more metal tools and a small detection alarm to her bag.
These things were heavy, and she didn’t know whether they’d be enough to anchor her featherweight soul when it really mattered.
She couldn’t add anything else – she wouldn’t be able to run with all that weight, and besides, her backpack was already packed to the brim.
“Alright!” Jiang Linxia finished organizing his gear, gave his equipment a pat, and announced, “I’m heading out first, guys! Hope everything goes smoothly for you all – I’ll see you at the camp!”
One by one, the others logged off the team channel.
Cheng Feng had never done a mission like this before. She secured her military backpack, carefully checked everything one last time, and clicked start.
The scene switched rapidly. Tiny, particle-like points of light flickered and reorganized, piecing together a new image.
After a brief moment of dizziness, her five senses came online one by one.
Cheng Feng opened her eyes. The first thing she felt was heat – intense heat. Even the wind blowing around her carried a scorching, burning sensation, pressing uncomfortably against her skin.
The air was humid and oppressive. The airflow passing through her nasal passages carried a hint of some rotting stench. With every breath drawn into her lungs, she had the vague illusion that oxygen was insufficient.
Outside the examination venue, it was winter, so Cheng Feng was wearing a cotton jacket. But inside the test scenario, she was dressed in a special easily washable uniform – just two thin layers that could not be removed.
Cheng Feng adjusted her cap and lifted her gaze to scan her surroundings.
The dense forest stretched endlessly, with no visible boundary. Towering trees shot straight toward the sky, their deep green leaves blocking out most of the sunlight. Vivid rays of light filtered down through the sparse gaps in the foliage, dappled and scattered. Yet even standing in the shadows, she could not feel a trace of coolness.
The system currently showed the in-game time as 10:13 a.m. – still far from the hottest part of the day.
Cheng Feng pulled up the mission description. The previously sketchy brief had now been filled in.
【Objective: Survive in the Uninhabited Zone (Five Days)!】
【Description: Please reach the camp marked at the center of the map within the in-game time. The camp is located to the east of your current position.】
【Notes:
1. Ensure your own safety. Pay attention to your character stats.
2. Mandatory rest time: 4/24h. Current progress: 0/24h.
3. Long-distance communication via transceivers is unavailable. Electronic devices cannot connect to the internet.】
From the prompts, the system required 4 hours of offline rest for every 24 in-game hours, to prevent students from overexerting themselves.
However, in-game time did not align with real-world time. The in-game time flowed slightly faster. Cheng Feng made a rough estimate: five days of system time would translate to about three days in reality.
In a place as dangerous as this, managing the rest schedule was a serious issue. If she was forced into the system’s mandatory rest periods at a bad time, it could leave her in a very passive position.
Just from standing still for a minute or two to check the information, Cheng Feng had already started to sweat.
She quickly put on her hat, goggles, and mask, covering all exposed skin tightly while spraying a small amount of water to prevent excessive sweating from the high heat, which could lead to hypertonic dehydration. After confirming her direction, she immediately set off toward the camp to the east.
Her energy levels were undoubtedly at their peak at the start – she couldn’t afford to waste such valuable time. Any philosophical musings about life could wait until she was on the way.
…
After the livestream rooms on San Yao opened, spectators flooded in like a swarm.
“I’m here – the last bit of fun before the Spring Festival. Go for it, students!”
“Here to check out Xiang Yunjian’s team… Wow, it’s actually an uninhabited zone survival scenario this year. Such a dragged-out runtime. The teammates are all split up – who should I even watch? Which one has the more exciting action?”
“What kind of hellish place is this? I’ve never seen this type of plant before. Are they seriously that tall?”
“This is obviously not the capital planet of the Alliance. The lighting alone is off. And the examiners wouldn’t be that merciful either.”
“Looks so hot. How long has it been since the start? Their clothes are already drenched in the back.”
“Cheng Feng’s pace… not quite cutting it, is it? Why is she still walking? Everyone else is running.”
“Don’t set the bar too high for Cheng Feng’s physical abilities, after all, the other infantry students wouldn’t know how to code either.”
Cheng Feng’s situation was indeed not looking good.
She had originally thought that survival training in an uninhabited zone would, at most, test students’ wilderness survival skills – like hunting for food, gathering fruit, finding water sources, and making cold-weather clothing.
After all, that was what the course materials had covered. Besides, they were only first-years; they hadn’t yet received any systematic training for something like this. At worst, she had expected maybe an animal attack.
She never imagined it would be such an extreme environment.
At first, she had tried to conserve her energy to cope with traveling at night. But after trudging along for a while, she had to admit that preserving stamina in such high heat was largely futile.
Even when she slowed her pace, she still felt utterly exhausted.
Time was dragging on far longer than she had anticipated. She decided to speed up.
Holding her breath, Cheng Feng alternated between running and walking for over an hour along the densely overgrown woodland. The number of mosquitoes and insects in the vicinity began to increase.
Due to the hot and humid environment, the insects in this area were on the larger side, and most were species Cheng Feng didn’t recognize. She sprayed half a bottle of insect repellent on herself, but it didn’t do much good.
Excessive physical movements would accelerate her energy consumption. Cheng Feng tried shooing them away a few times, but eventually, she simply steeled herself and focused on pushing forward.
The temperature continued to rise amid the increasingly loud buzzing of insects.
Two hours later, Cheng Feng’s breathing had grown heavy and rough, and her vision occasionally blurred intermittently. When she passed by a large rock, she couldn’t help but brace herself against its sloping surface, taking her first break.
Leaning against the rock, Cheng Feng pulled a small notebook from her waist pouch and began recording the terrain she had covered.
Her gloved fingertips trembled slightly. After several flexes and stretches, she managed to sketch out a few crooked, uneven lines.
Cheng Feng’s uniform was now almost completely soaked through, clinging tightly to her back. Sweat trickled down her skin like crawling insects, and before she could stop it, a drop fell onto the pale yellow paper.
She casually wiped it away, then used her sleeve to dab the sweat from her forehead. Licking her dry, cracked lips, she tasted a faint hint of salt. A long, weary sigh escaped her.
Cheng Feng knew this place was dangerous. She had to make it out of this damp, humid area before dark to find a safe spot suitable for setting up camp overnight.
But based on her observations so far, the terrain showed no clear pattern of change. She also couldn’t be sure whether continuing on foot would actually lead her to a campsite that met her requirements.
She drew a question mark on the paper with her pen, then tucked the notebook back into her waist pouch. Reaching into her bag, she fished out her water bottle and tipped her head back to take two sips.
The liquid slid smoothly down her throat, but before the parched feeling in her throat could even ease, the bottle was already empty.
Cheng Feng lowered the water bottle and lifted it up with a hint of bewilderment, tilting it to see if anything remained.
The last drop fell onto her lips, bringing a slight sting as she pressed them together. Soon, even that moisture dried in the air.
She still had one bottle of water left, but for now, she decided to leave it unopened.
Along the way, Cheng Feng didn’t dare eat too much – digesting food would increase fluid loss. As a result, her character’s hunger level kept rising, weighing down her limbs and making them feel heavy.
By now, every indicator on her character panel was urging her to take a break and recuperate.
With no other choice, Cheng Feng decided to tackle the issues of water and food first.
Along the path she had traveled, Cheng Feng hadn’t spotted any obvious water sources – not even a small puddle. She also didn’t recognize most of the vegetation, which was vastly different from what the textbooks had described.
Presumably taking into account that the unfamiliar environment exceeded the scope of the exam, San Yao allowed them to bring one piece of advanced tech equipment.
Cheng Feng pulled out a palm-sized detection device from her bag and began taking photos of the surrounding plants for comparison.
Most of them remained unidentifiable and were not in the database. But after searching for over ten meters, she found a plant with small white flowers. The note indicated it had high moisture content, was non-toxic, and could be safely consumed.
The detection device had limited battery life. Cheng Feng picked one specimen and tucked it into her notebook. After noting down its characteristics, she plucked the remaining leaves and chewed a couple of bites.
The bitter and astringent taste instantly filled her mouth, almost making her gag.
She recalled years of miserable experience eating nothing but cabbage. Lifting her hand to her forehead, she dragged it downward across her face. Then, expressionless, she swallowed it down.
