Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Arrival

The closer they drew to the border of An, the clearer the skies became. The journey was smooth, and during the midday break, the driver told Mo De that it would take another three or four hours to cross out of An and reach the Autumn Hunt Base.

Cradling a cup of instant noodles filled with steaming water, Mo De glanced around and spotted the three of them sitting in the shade not far off.

Ji Keqing was eating her noodles in small, delicate bites, occasionally wiping her mouth with a napkin. Wu Fan, meanwhile, had taken out some of his combat rations, transforming his noodles into a luxurious feast with sausage, egg, and chicken drumstick. The discomfort from his carsickness seemed to have no effect on his appetite.

Su Ziwen, on the other hand, had wrapped herself in a blanket and sat apart, hugging a bottle of water as she stared blankly ahead, her ration of instant noodles unopened at her feet.

"Do you want some? I can make another bowl," Mo De walked over and held out his noodles.

Ji Keqing and Wu Fan were about to stop him, but before they could speak, Su Ziwen’s already pale face lost even more color. The aroma of the noodles seemed to trigger something. She put down her hot water, covered her mouth, and ran off.

Mo De stared, bewildered. He hadn’t realized the class monitor’s carsickness was so severe. After a moment’s thought, he stopped Ji Keqing, who was preparing to follow, and gestured for her to keep eating. He grabbed his water bottle and some tissues and hurried after Su Ziwen.

Though her stomach was already empty, waves of nausea assaulted her relentlessly. Su Ziwen clung to a small tree, bending over as she retched dryly. Her delicate features were twisted in pain, tears mingling with sweat and dripping to the ground.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle hand patting her back, the soothing rhythm easing the relentless discomfort. At last, she could catch her breath.

“Cough… cough…” Su Ziwen pressed her palm to her abdomen, coughing repeatedly. Mo De offered her a tissue and spoke softly, “Sorry, monitor…”

“It’s all right.” She took the tissue, wiped her face, and rinsed her mouth with water, her voice hoarse and barely audible.

Su Ziwen gestured for Mo De to help her find another spot to sit. After settling and drinking some more water, she finally looked a little better.

“Don’t worry.” Though her cool voice could not conceal her weakness, the nausea had finally abated. The exertion had left her exhausted, her eyelids growing heavier by the second.

Mo De was at a loss. He knew Su Ziwen got carsick, but he hadn’t expected such a dramatic reaction. As he stood there uncertainly, footsteps approached from behind. Turning, he saw Ji Keqing beckoning to him.

“How’s Ziwen?” Ji Keqing drew him further away before asking about Su Ziwen.

“It was pretty rough just now, but she seems to have fallen asleep from exhaustion.” Mo De rubbed his head. “Has she always been like this?”

“I only found out on the way here how bad her carsickness is. It’s different from Fatty Wu’s kind—hers is triggered by any vehicle. Last night, she told me she’s been sensitive to all forms of transportation since she was little. No matter what kind of vehicle, she gets sick.”

“Isn’t there any way to help?” Mo De felt a headache coming on. Seeing Su Ziwen so weak, how could she possibly take part in the upcoming Autumn Hunt?

“If she’s asleep, it’s not so bad,” Ji Keqing said, glancing past Mo De at Su Ziwen. “I thought she was asleep earlier, but maybe our talking woke her. What a shame…”

“Hey, Mo De, how about this: I’ll go tell everyone to keep quiet on the bus, and you can carry Ziwen back. She seems to be sleeping soundly now—probably exhausted from earlier.”

“How am I supposed to carry her? What if I wake her up?”

“Just be gentle. And don’t forget, if our talking did wake her, we’re both guilty! It’s settled—I’ll go tell everyone, and when we’re ready to leave, bring her back, quietly, gently!” With that, Ji Keqing dashed off toward the bus.

Mo De sighed helplessly. He tiptoed back beneath the tree, carefully took off his jacket and tucked it under Su Ziwen’s back to keep her warm in her sleep.

Looking at Su Ziwen’s peaceful sleeping face, Mo De couldn’t help but sigh. Lately, troubles seemed to follow him everywhere.

It was odd—he’d seen two girls sleeping in just as many days. That troublesome girl, for all her wild sleep habits, was undeniably beautiful when quiet. And now, with Su Ziwen, all her usual reserve and aloofness melted away, leaving only a gentle, sleeping girl.

He glanced at his phone; the midday break was nearly over.

He crept closer, gently draped his jacket over Su Ziwen, then scooped her up—one arm under her legs, the other around her back—moving with extreme care, hardly daring to breathe, for fear of waking the ever-alert class monitor.

The first step went smoothly. Her steady breathing brushed against his chest, proof she was sleeping soundly.

His steps were steady, his upper body perfectly controlled—his physical strength at its peak. Su Ziwen sensed no jostling in her sleep, only unconsciously clutching the jacket tighter.

As the bus came into view, Mo De saw Ji Keqing waving and giving him the “OK” sign.

Once aboard, the driver grinned at him, and Mo De could only give an awkward smile in return.

Ji Keqing led the way, signaling for silence, and everyone cooperated. Even when they saw Mo De carrying Su Ziwen in his arms, they only exchanged excited glances, the fire of gossip lighting their eyes. The silent attention made Mo De’s back prickle.

Back at his seat, Ji Keqing slipped past Wu Fan, who looked half-dead again. Oddly enough, Wu Fan suffered even worse in the bus than Su Ziwen, but became lively again after eating. According to Ji Keqing, Wu Fan just couldn’t stand crowded, confined spaces.

Mo De set Su Ziwen down even more gently than before. Back in her seat, she didn’t stir, sleeping as peacefully as if she were still beneath the tree.

Ji Keqing signaled to Tao Feifei in the front row, who then passed the message forward. Soon the driver received the signal, smiled silently, and started the bus smoothly.

Mo De tried to slip his jacket out from under Su Ziwen, but she held it tightly in her sleep, so he let it be.

He draped the blanket over his knees, feeling a wave of fatigue himself—he hadn’t slept well the night before. Now, finally relaxed, drowsiness swept over him.

He nodded off, head bobbing like a chick pecking grain. Unable to hold out, he slumped slightly toward the aisle, drifting off beside Su Ziwen.

Unnoticed by anyone, a faint golden-copper light flashed briefly at Mo De’s brow.

…

“Wake up, Mo De, we’ve arrived, wake up!” Rain-cool drops and a voice roused him. He opened his eyes to find Ji Keqing waving both hands at him.

“Come on, get up, we’re about to set off after dinner,” she said, hands behind her back, urging him along.

“Where is everyone?” Mo De rubbed his face groggily and sat up, the blanket slipping to his lap. His head was still fuzzy; only he and Ji Keqing remained on the bus.

“They’ve all gone to eat. Ziwen told everyone to let you sleep, so no one woke you. Now hurry up.”

Mo De stretched, grabbed the blanket, and followed her. “Where’s my stuff?”

“Ziwen already took it off the bus.”

“And Wu Fan? Did he manage to walk by himself?”

“Ding Dai and Qu Ao, and a few others, carried that fatty off together.”

Stepping off the bus, Mo De realized it was already getting dark. He followed Ji Keqing through the parking lot, winding their way to a massive warehouse.

“Hurry inside, everyone’s already there,” Ji Keqing said, lifting the heavy curtain and ducking in.

Mo De followed.

The warehouse was brightly lit and vast, easily accommodating over a thousand second-year students. Each class clustered together, some helping each other into the protective gear they’d been issued; others were already attacking the dinner prepared by the Autumn Hunt Base.

Wu Fan was clearly among the latter. His rotund figure could be seen from afar, devouring food with gusto.

“Hey, you’re back,” Ding Dai, sitting on the edge, waved when he saw Mo De and Ji Keqing. “You can really sleep, can’t you?”

“Haha… I’ve been too excited these days, haven’t slept well at all,” Mo De replied sheepishly to their teasing.

“I’m starting to admire you. Carrying Wu Fan around like it’s nothing—when it took a whole team of us to lug him down, and we were wiped out,” Long Xiaofei said, walking over with a plate. “Your group’s over there, go on.” He pointed the way, and Mo De thanked him before heading toward Wu Fan and the others.

“Hey, you’re awake! Come sit, come sit. What do you want to eat? I’ll get it for you,” Wu Fan greeted him warmly.

“Anything, just a lot,” Mo De replied, watching Wu Fan dash off with new energy—clearly, food was all he needed to revive.

Su Ziwen looked much better now, squatting beside Ji Keqing to help her put on gear.

“I’m back,” Mo De said, returning the blanket to Su Ziwen with a word of thanks.

“Just leave it with the bags. Your luggage and gear are there too,” her tone as cool as ever.

“Looks like you’ve recovered well,” Mo De thought to himself as he put away the blanket and went to his gear.

The protective equipment issued by the Autumn Hunt Base was streamlined and light: a tactical vest, elbow and knee guards, arm and leg wraps, and boots. There was also a large military backpack, a knife, a coil of rope, and an emergency kit. Mo De opened it to find medicines, bandages, fire starters—the essentials for camping. A signal flare gun for emergencies lay inside as well. Nearby was a pile of rations for the coming days of the Autumn Hunt.

“Hey, dinner’s here!” Wu Fan returned, carrying two trays. “Braised beef, chicken with mushrooms, scallion pork ribs, and triple helpings of rice. If you’re still hungry, I’ll get more!”

“Thanks.” Mo De smiled wryly at Wu Fan’s eagerness, but the steaming food really did whet his appetite. He grabbed a bottle of water, sat down, and dug in.

After eating his fill, Wu Fan took the trays to the serving station. Mo De, feeling satisfied and a little awkward, patted his stomach, hesitating.

“Restrooms are three hundred meters to the left as you exit,” Su Ziwen reminded him, not even looking up.

“Men left, women right—don’t get lost!” Ji Keqing added with a mischievous grin as Mo De scurried off.

By the time Mo De returned, Wu Fan was already suited up in his custom gear, packing compressed biscuits, canned food, and water into his rucksack.

“Give me more rations,” Mo De said as he put on his own gear.

“Of course—you’ve got all that strength, now’s the time to use it,” Wu Fan replied readily. “Monitor said to divide the supplies by weight, eight portions, one-one-two-four.”

Wow, they really didn’t treat him as an outsider, Mo De thought with a wry smile.

As each class finished preparing, the noisy warehouse gradually quieted. In every class monitor’s earpiece, Xiang Tianshu’s voice sounded: “All classes, get ready.”

Su Ziwen shouldered her pack and, after a final glance at Class 20, joined the other monitors in unison with the voice in their ears:

“Move out!”

Outside the base, the night was cool as water, moonlight as soft as gauze.