Chapter 128: Just Arrived and Already Heading Down?

Jiang Xi felt satisfied and was no longer anxious.

Old Man Xie’s problem was soon resolved. Xie Congzhou requested to see the living quarters assigned to the other party, and after a brief discussion, the request was granted. Jiang Huan took advantage of Xie Congzhou’s request to check on her younger brother’s situation as well.

It must be said that this was truly a benefit for the families of front-line personnel. Jiang Xi and Old Man Xie were housed in identical rooms, each about ten square meters. The layout included a bed with a desk underneath, a wardrobe, storage lockers, and a private bathroom. The space was utilized to its absolute limit; despite being only ten square meters, it did not feel cramped at all.

The connection was soon terminated, and both sides were quite satisfied.

On the way back, Jiang Huan tapped him on the shoulder. "If you don't have any missions tonight, want to meet up?"

Xie Congzhou readily agreed.

Consequently, they finished their studies at 9:30 that evening. Since they were in the same study cohort, their schedules were synchronized, and they packed their things and left side by side.

They went to a secluded stretch of the shoreline surrounded by jagged rocks. Xie Congzhou sensed the surroundings and noted, "There is no one moving within a twenty-meter radius, though there are guards on duty on the boats near the shore."

Jiang Huan nodded. Even under the cover of night, they dared not brazenly pull out food and drink. Instead, Xie Congzhou found a spot with dense vegetation. He pressed his broad palm against the ground, and before long, plants began to wind and grow, quickly creeping down from the tree trunks to form a curtain that firmly concealed the two of them. Unless one walked right up to them, it would be impossible to see what they were doing.

Jiang Huan took out a glow stick for light and retrieved food from her crossbody bag. There were two roasted chickens, but she only ate one drumstick. She had three wraps, and after eating one, she was already eighty percent full. As for the bucket of fried chicken, she ate one wing and stopped reaching for more. The rest was left for Xie Congzhou to finish alone.

The drinks she brought out were the last two bottles of mango pomelo sago she had, and she felt a touch of regret. "Next time I want to drink this, I'll have to make it myself. I'm not sure if I can pull it off." For her, the mango pomelo sago from a certain chain store had a flavor that surpassed all others, and she wasn't certain she could replicate it.

Xie Congzhou chuckled. "It doesn't matter. You can try as many times as you like; I'll grow the freshest fruit for you."

As he spoke, he accelerated the growth of a cherry tomato seedling. The two of them picked the bright red fruit and ate it slowly. Both were very pleased with this late-night snack and agreed to meet again tomorrow.

Jiang Huan led the way, with Xie Congzhou following two steps behind as they left. Xie Congzhou glanced back; the plant curtain, which would surely look suspicious during the day even if it wasn't obvious at night, slowly withered, shriveled, and retracted, with seeds falling onto the ground one by one.

Only then did Xie Congzhou look away. Looking ahead, he saw Jiang Huan’s back—her figure was well-proportioned and her posture excellent. After a period of training, she moved with the grace of the wind, possessing a truly striking presence. He rubbed his stomach and let out a soft burp.

The next day, Jiang Huan received a notification. She and several others who had been selected were being temporarily seconded to the seventh level. Two team members had been severely injured and were unable to go underwater, so new recruits were needed to fill the gaps. Jiang Huan and the others accepted and were taken to the seventh level by a small speedboat.

Here, the seawater was already very murky. After disembarking, the group was led to an activity room, where a woman standing with her back to them was explaining the combat plan. When she turned around at the sound of their arrival, Jiang Huan and those beside her opened their mouths in slight surprise. It was Wu Bing.

Seeing someone who had constantly appeared in training slides and combat videos suddenly standing right before them felt no different from a fan seeing their idol in person.

"You're here? Find a seat. We don't have time for introductions."

Did this mean they had to go straight into combat upon arrival? Jiang Huan and the others found empty seats and sat down. Wu Bing held a pen-sized device; as she moved it in front of the screen, she controlled the content, shifting, flipping pages, and replaying clips.

"That is the core of this operation. New recruits, there is no time for an orientation course here; I hope you have already learned what you needed to know. Everyone will participate in this operation. Regarding the defensive personnel I mentioned earlier, we are adding two more. Linda, Li Shui, you two go to the defensive perimeter."

According to Wu Bing’s briefing, the combat personnel were divided into: bait, to attract the sea beasts; combatants, to carry out the primary killing or capture; and defensive, to monitor the outer perimeter and deliver the finishing blow if the environment permitted.

The two assigned to defense agreed immediately, without a moment’s hesitation. Among Jiang Huan’s group, she was the only one assigned to defense, while the others were assigned as combatants.

She didn't know why she was the only one placed in defense, but since her superiors had ordered it, she would comply. By comparison, the outer perimeter was the easiest and safest position, so she figured she had gotten the better end of the deal. She wasn't so hot-headed that she felt the need to charge to the front.

Once the tasks were distributed, everyone immediately donned their gear. Jiang Huan followed the defensive team. The leader spoke about some details on the way and instructed Jiang Huan to stay close to him. *Are they trying to look tough but subconsciously taking care of the new recruit?* Jiang Huan wondered to herself.

Upon arriving near their destination, everyone entered the water early to avoid making a commotion that might alert the sea beasts and cause them to attack the boats, which would leave them in a passive position. The group dispersed; in reality, a single command was enough to form a defensive perimeter.

Two people swam out quite far. When they reappeared, a massive black shadow was following them. Jiang Huan roughly estimated that, on land, it would be at least two stories tall—a giant, big-mouthed fish covered in fleshy tumors. It swallowed the meat thrown by the bait team without even needing to chew, then flicked its tail and surged forward a great distance. The distance the bait team had established instantly shrank to only about three meters. If the creature flicked its tail again, the consequences were clear.

Jiang Huan grew tense. This was her first time seeing such a large sea beast. Illuminated by the specialized glow sticks, its full body became gradually clearer, and Jiang Huan realized her estimate had been too conservative. This was no two-story beast—it was the size of a four-story house, complete with a courtyard.

A joke flashed inappropriately through her mind: *In the Northern Sea, there is a fish called Kun, and the Kun is so big that one pot cannot hold it.* Looking at this creature, a hundred pots wouldn't be enough to stew it.

Seeing the massive sea beast about to flick its tail again, the two bait team members suddenly released a string of bubbles from their backs, blurring the beast's vision and halting its movement. The two then instantly scattered to either side.

"Attack!"

A short, powerful command rang out through the helmets, and the combat team and the defensive team moved simultaneously!

Jiang Huan followed the head of the defensive team, and they instantly formed a perimeter. Perhaps because the commotion here was significant, some smaller sea beasts began to approach from the distance. Jiang Huan watched as the defensive team—which seemed like a logistical support group—each managed to fend off at least three small sea beasts at once.

She gritted her teeth and matched the rhythm of the others, engaging two sea beasts on her own.