Chapter 175 - 164: Route Selection

Chapter 175: Chapter 164: Route Selection

’Jiang Hongtao... a student from the support department. The name sounds vaguely familiar, I think?’

’It seems the professor also mentioned his name when he was "calling out examples" just now.’

This "Spring Outing" activity didn’t specify that we had to group up by department. In fact, they encouraged us to form teams freely.

Li Heng didn’t say anything at first, just stared at Jiang Hongtao. The two girls also stared at him without a word.

"I don’t mean anything by it! My preferences are normal; I like girls. And I’m not here to be a... third wheel. My girlfriend is a second-year senior in the support department."

Facing Li Heng’s gaze was one thing, but the looks from the two girls sent a faint chill down Jiang Hongtao’s spine. He immediately started explaining himself.

After his initial explanation, he quickly added, "Because this activity takes us two hundred li out, it’s possible we’ll run into Tier Three Soul Beasts. Among all the freshmen, as far as I know, only you, classmate Li Heng, can handle or even just hold off a Tier Three Soul Beast! To be honest... I’m a bit of a coward and don’t want to get hurt during this event, so I shamelessly came over."

"As for knowing both of your names and information, please forgive me. I mean no harm. It’s just a habit of mine to gather intel on powerful students in my year! In my opinion, both of you, Bao Yaoyao and Bai Shasha, are stronger than I am, not weaker."

Jiang Hongtao explained and supplemented his points, not forgetting to shower the two girls with compliments. It seemed to work pretty well; at least their expressions and gazes softened a little.

Seeing that the girls’ gazes were no longer so aggressive, Jiang Hongtao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Li Heng.

After all, he knew very well that in this entire team, the big shot Li Heng was the true core!

—

After moving into the Xisha Area, Li Heng had learned that any freshman able to wear white clothes was a talent recognized by the university.

This Jiang Hongtao before him wore a white robe and had recommended himself for his skill in intelligence gathering. Li Heng wasn’t sure about his intel abilities just yet, but the fact that he used a bow for ranged attacks was decent enough.

Of course, the main reason Li Heng was even considering accepting Jiang Hongtao wasn’t his information gathering or his bow, but the white clothes he was wearing!

’This Jiang is most likely a talented individual as well. An extra hand in the team would be helpful, one way or another!’

But before Li Heng could think it through any further, Jiang Hongtao made another "statement"!

"Let me offer a sign of good faith! According to the information I got from my girlfriend and other upperclassmen, the most unstable area within two hundred li of Meteor City is in the direction of the South City Gate. Just ten minutes outside the gate, there’s a forest with a large number of Tier Two Soul Beasts! As for what’s beyond three hundred li, that depends on your luck."

"Depends on your luck? What do you mean?"

The first to speak after Jiang Hongtao finished was Bao Yaoyao, who immediately pressed for more details.

"Let’s not rush into that! What do the three of you think? I’m just trying to get into a group and latch onto some strong allies!"

Instead of immediately answering Bao Yaoyao’s question, Jiang Hongtao once again asked if they were willing to let him join the team.

Hearing this, Li Heng and the two girls exchanged a knowing glance. Both girls nodded but didn’t say anything.

Li Heng understood that the girls had no objections but were leaving the final decision to him. After a moment of thought, he spoke.

"If we run into danger that even we can’t handle, you retreat on your own. Any problem with that?"

At this, the corners of Jiang Hongtao’s mouth lifted into a smile. He nodded quickly and replied, "But of course! If it’s a situation that even the three of you can’t handle, what would I be waiting for if not to run? Besides, when it comes to escaping, it’s every man for himself! You can’t rely on others!"

"Welcome, Jiang!"

Li Heng extended a hand to Jiang Hongtao, shaking it to welcome him. The two girls also said, "Welcome."

And so, after a simple welcoming ceremony, Jiang Hongtao had officially joined the team. The first thing he did after joining was answer the question Bao Yaoyao had asked earlier.

"According to the information I’ve received, beyond the two-hundred-li mark outside any of the city gates, there are always Tier Three Soul Beasts. However, their distribution is very uneven. There are upper, middle, and lower-grade ones, but whether you encounter them, and how many you might encounter, is completely uncertain!"

"Furthermore, Meteor University has a death quota for this ’Spring Outing.’ During last year’s military training, two people never returned to campus. However, with patrolling professors around, as long as the crisis isn’t too outrageous, our lives should be safe. But injuries, or even disabilities, are not guaranteed against."

Jiang Hongtao’s assessment was pertinent, and his tone was steady. All three of them felt he made a good point. Seeing that his three teammates accepted his explanation, he paused for a moment before adding.

"So... if possible, I think the routes from the other two city gates should be relatively stable compared to the South City Gate. That’s all the information I’ve compiled for now. We’ll only know more once we’re outside the city walls."

When Jiang Hongtao mentioned that the other two gates were fine besides the South City Gate, both girls immediately glanced at Li Heng, but their expressions remained neutral.

...

Originally, Li Heng was more curious about how the map of Li Liang City compared to the actual layout of Meteor University.

But when he heard Jiang Hongtao say there was a forest outside the South City Gate teeming with Tier Two Soul Beasts, he made up his mind in an instant. After all, he couldn’t grind regular Dungeons right now, and what he needed most were soul qi points.

Tier Two Soul Beasts in the forest outside the South City Gate!

’This is an opportunity!’

’And we’re going as a group, so it’ll be safer.’

After speaking, Jiang Hongtao saw the two girls staring at Li Heng and guessed that Li Heng’s original plan had probably been the South City Gate all along. He quickly added another comment.

"Of course, our team is different! Within two hundred li, it’s all the same no matter which gate we choose. If we encounter more Soul Beasts, we might even get some equipment or items to drop."

After Jiang Hongtao finished, all three of them turned their gazes to Li Heng.

It was obvious. Everything that needed to be said had been said, and the routes had been analyzed. Now, they were just waiting for Li Heng, the "core" of their group, to make the final decision.

Li Heng didn’t hesitate any longer. He announced that their original objective was unchanged and they would continue toward the South City Gate.

Li Heng had already thought of a reason: everyone could get some Soul Beast Meat. He needed to feed his Ice Simurgh Bird, so this would be a way to be self-sufficient. Otherwise, buying Soul Beast Meat on campus cost academic credits.

The other three understood and agreed that Li Heng had a good point. And so, the group of four headed toward the South City Gate.

Along the way, the upperclassmen on the streets saw the groups of freshmen heading toward the city gates and offered all sorts of "well-intentioned words of encouragement"!

—

Meanwhile, high above the freshmen, a male and a female professor watched the students slowly form groups and depart, their expressions differing greatly.

The male professor had a playful look on his face. His eyes were fixed on the South City Gate, and after spotting a certain team, he spoke to the female professor beside him.

"I can’t believe this year’s freshman representative actually chose the South City Gate. And two potential talents are on the same team, no less! Hey, how long do you think... they’ll last?"

The female professor was also looking toward the South City Gate. Hearing her colleague’s question, her expression remained calm, showing no obvious emotion. After about ten seconds, she finally replied.

"I recall last year’s freshman representative ended up with a comminuted fracture in his left arm and went hungry for two days. This year’s should fare a little better. His realm is quite high, after all."

Hearing this, the male professor suddenly had an idea and quickly asked, "How about we make a bet?"

"Bet on what?"

The male professor said, "If I win, you go on a date with me?"

The female professor replied, "You’re bound to lose!"