Chapter 174 - 164: Route Selection

Chapter 174: Chapter 164: Route Selection

If it were just the first 200 li, Li Heng would have preferred to go alone. But the expedition organized by Meteor University was a 300-li round trip.

A portion of the journey was still unknown. Given the unfamiliar territory, Li Heng felt it wasn’t safe to go alone. Teammates could watch out for each other.

However, looking at the two girls who remained, Li Heng found the atmosphere a bit strange. It felt just like his first day at the university.

’A Chaotic Scene?’

’We’re just teammates, not a couple. This shouldn’t be happening!’

"Bai Shasha... Bao Yaoyao... want to team up?"

Seeing the looks on the two girls’ faces, Li Heng knew it would take a while for either of them to speak first. So, after a brief pause, he took the initiative to ask them.

"Boss! Looks like I’ll be in your care again!"

"Mm!"

After Li Heng spoke, both girls agreed. Bai Shasha simply gave a slight nod, then moved a little closer to him.

"Boss, you should be the captain! So, take a look and see what our team needs and how we should divide up the tasks."

Once the three of them had formed a group, the more extroverted Bao Yaoyao was the first to speak.

The atmosphere had been rather delicate, but once Bao Yaoyao spoke up, it seemed to "warm up" considerably. The trio’s attention instantly shifted to the team itself.

Hearing Bao Yaoyao’s suggestion, Li Heng lowered his head in thought for a moment before speaking to the two girls.

"Let’s not worry about a captain for now; we’re all here to help each other. I’m a Soul Warrior, and I have a Second-Order, High-Grade Ice Luan pet. The first 200 li of the journey shouldn’t be too dangerous, but the last 100 li..."

When Bao Yaoyao heard Li Heng speak, she felt a complicated mix of emotions, even though she already knew all this. Every time she heard him state his abilities so casually, it felt... unreal. It was honestly a little discouraging.

Bai Shasha’s expression, however, remained calm. The only change was her right hand, which tightened its grip on her Wolf Claw Curved Saber. She then replied, "If we encounter a threat we can’t handle, everyone evacuates on their own."

Bai Shasha’s thoughts were clear. With Li Heng’s current strength, he could absolutely complete this 300-kilometer journey on his own. Bringing her and Bao Yaoyao along was, in effect, a "carry."

’He could have clearly done this alone, but he still chose to travel with teammates.’ Li Heng’s choice meant he was shouldering an extra burden for their sake. Thinking this, the flat-chested loli didn’t want to add to his load.

Bao Yaoyao was visibly taken aback when she heard the flat-chested loli’s words, clearly confused. But then she remembered something.

Bai Shasha and Li Heng had been teammates before. ’This is probably a rule they established back then,’ she guessed.

As Bai Shasha mentioned "a threat we can’t handle," Bao Yaoyao’s mind drifted back to the Desolate Moon Islands and everything Li Heng had done to protect and look after her.

"I agree with Bai Shasha’s suggestion! If we really run into a threat we can’t handle, we evacuate on our own."

Since both girls had already stated their positions, and Li Heng couldn’t see any issue with the plan, he didn’t press the matter further.

As for food and water, all three of them had some prepared. Factoring in the time, they decided not to head back to the Meteor University campus to stock up further.

"Don’t worry, I’m here! I guarantee none of us will go hungry! Besides rations, I brought some tasty stuff too!" Bao Yaoyao was particularly confident when it came to food.

"Let’s head for the South City Gate. What do you two... think? I mainly suggest it because it seems a little closer to us."

The three of them had enough food and water. As for resting at night, they could just build a campfire and take turns keeping watch.

Li Heng’s original plan had been to head for the South City Gate anyway, so he just came up with a simple reason to suggest it to the two girls.

"I’ll follow your lead, Boss!"

"Mm!"

The two girls didn’t have a preference for the route. They didn’t know anything about the three paths anyway. Since Li Heng had made a choice, they were happy to follow.

So, after their brief discussion, the three of them began heading toward the South City Gate.

"Li Heng, Bao Yaoyao, and Bai Shasha, may I join your team?"

The three of them had barely taken a few steps toward the South City Gate when a male voice suddenly called out to them with a question.

Hearing this, the trio stopped in their tracks and turned to look toward the source of the voice.

They saw a young man wearing glasses and a white robe, a smile on his face as he posed his question.

Hm?

’They really have... glasses as Soul Energy Items?’

Li Heng didn’t recognize the newcomer. His attention was immediately drawn to the man’s glasses—a rare type of Soul Energy Item.

"Excuse me... who are you?" Seeing as the man was a stranger and not recalling him from anywhere, Li Heng paused for a moment before asking directly.

It wasn’t just Li Heng who found him unfamiliar. The two girls didn’t know anyone else at the university besides Li Heng. Being called by name by a stranger, their gazes locked onto him.

"Support class. Jiang Hongtao, Soul Pupil Realm. My weapon is a bow, and my specialty... is information gathering and analysis."