Chapter 248 - 244: Cat and Mouse

Chapter 248: Chapter 244: Cat and Mouse

A trembling hand pulled a small notebook from inside a jacket. With another aching hand, it picked up a pen and began to write.

’November 29. Heavy rain.

I feel like I’m about to die!

If anyone could understand how I feel right now, they’re either already dead or here with me.

Alright, a journal entry. Let me think... what should I write...

Mm, never, ever talk back to the instructors. I swear on the three broken ribs and the broken femur of some hothead in our batch, you do not want to go through that.

Also, you have to get stronger. Absolutely no slacking off!

It’s not because the world is waiting for you to save it. You don’t have to think that far ahead here.

It’s just that if you don’t get stronger along with everyone else, you might actually die...

Also, I’m extremely grateful to my good friend for giving me this opportunity!’

The hand that wrote these last few words clearly pressed down much harder. Next to him, a woman was doing the same thing, writing on a piece of parchment.

Gou Junbao glanced at the woman who was now his wife, and peeked at what she was writing.

It turned out she was writing a list of reminders: be sure to bring your own toiletries, because they don’t provide any; remember to bring a power bank or solar battery, because some places have no electricity... and most importantly, bring seasonings!

"Lili, you’re writing about this stuff?"

Xiao Lili turned and shot him a look.

"What else? I’m writing down the important points. You guys have naturally covered all the complaints."

Besides Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili, quite a few others were doing the same thing. Even the Monkey was there, though it was just randomly scribbling.

Not far away, a pair of twin brothers were writing Brown’s name over and over on their parchment in perfect sync.

This was deep within the Amazon Rainforest. Known as the lungs of the world, the already dense rainforest was now lush to an almost exaggerated degree. In many places, the trees were abnormally thick and tall.

In a clearing that had been made by the riverbank, simple shelters had been set up, under which hammocks and cots were hung in twos and threes.

Among them were people like Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili, who had participated in the Silent Knight’s basic training camp; some who were already part of the Silent Knight selection group; Inner Sect Disciples from the Celestial Traveler’s Hall sent here for special training; and others from various branches who had applied to come and train.

In total, there were over a hundred people of all different skin colors and ethnicities.

These were notes from the end of the first phase of training, meant to be left as a reference for future trainees.

After they finished all this, they put away their parchments and pens, ate a little food and a few red Vermilion Fruits, and then all fell into an exhausted sleep. The fruit was miraculously effective at relieving fatigue; no matter how tired you were, your muscles wouldn’t be sore after a night’s sleep.

It felt as if they had only closed their eyes for a dozen seconds.

"Get up, get up! All of you, on your feet! You’ve already slept for two hours. You think you can sleep in like you’re at home?"

Otto’s explosive voice was like a lion’s roar in the forest.

Baru, who had just arrived here via a Technique Array, glanced over the temporary camp.

CLAP! CLAP!

The sound of his palms striking together exploded like a gunshot, making the ears of the still-drowsy crowd ache.

"Everyone, thank you to Instructor Otto for covering for me. I was too busy to get away before. My apologies for only now coming to personally preside over the advanced training for the Silent Knights."

Baru smiled, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

"Alright then. From this moment on, the warm-up is over..."

Over a hundred hearts suddenly skipped a beat, a suffocating feeling as if they’d been squeezed by a giant hand.

’No way. The warm-up? This was way more intense than the basic training camp!’

As his voice fell, thirty or forty burly figures slowly approached from the distance.

"Ultimately, our goal is to fight Demons. We can’t just do strength training, right?"

Baru’s voice was like a demon’s smile.

"Over there are thirty-nine graduates from previous advanced training camps. They are also the reserve candidates for the Silent Knight Order’s Apprentice Knight selection. For the next three weeks, they will be your nightmare!"

’I think *you’re* the nightmare, Instructor!’

Many people were thinking the exact same thing.

However, many who thought this didn’t grasp the full picture, even though they understood that sparring with past graduates would certainly be grueling.

But for more senior branch members, like the twin brothers, their teeth had already started chattering.

The mock battles weren’t the key issue. The key was that these people were the reserve candidates for Apprentice Knight selection. This wasn’t some group that any random person could join; at the very least, it meant their strength met the minimum requirements for an Apprentice Knight.

That was a level where the physical body was fully developed! Forget the fact that the trainees in this camp only outnumbered them three to one; even with ten times their number, this fight would be a tough one, right?

"Oh, right. I should give you a reminder first."

Baru stood with Otto, digging in his ear, then used a finger from his other hand to point at the thirty-plus people who had now drawn near.

"This group is more familiar with this jungle than you, more familiar with the waterways, more familiar with the mountains. You must treat them like real Demons!"

Gou Junbao secretly glanced at the Monkey, feeling a little indignant. ’Hey, we’ve got a monkey on our side!’

"Now, let me explain the route for this phase of the training. Starting from where you stand, you must reach the assembly point 500 kilometers downstream within three weeks. If even one person is missing, the entire group fails! Oh, and no floating down the river, except to cross it. Otherwise, your results will be voided."

Hearing that it was 500 kilometers, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. With their current stamina, plus their supply of Vermilion Fruits, traversing the rainforest was difficult, but 500 kilometers really wasn’t that far. It seemed the main difficulty would lie in the confrontation.

Coach Wang quietly approached Ding Yi, with whom he was acquainted. The latter had been appointed temporary leader due to his outstanding performance.

"Brother Ding, those people are bad news..."

Ding Yi nodded silently and exchanged glances with the people in the main group who were responsible for coordinating at each level.

Baru watched the trainees, who were whispering amongst themselves, and chuckled. He had wanted to do this for a long time.

The thirty-plus reserve members had also been instructed beforehand to be mindful of their force. Many of them would also be equipped with miniature cameras to film parts of the confrontation.

"Alright, you can have a half-day head start. After twelve hours, the reserves will set out in pursuit. Now, let the game begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hundred-plus people stood stunned for about three seconds.

"Run!!"

Ding Yi, the temporary leader, roared.

SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~

In an instant, the hundred-plus people grabbed their supplies and vanished from Baru’s sight within ten seconds.

Some of them swung their arms like blades or fists, clearing a path through the rainforest like tanks. Their companions immediately followed, taking turns at the front, and leaping directly over any difficult terrain.

The Monkey King, with its agility, acted as a lookout, shouting from ahead to warn them of good paths and dead ends.

The group’s physical fitness was on a completely different level compared to ordinary people. They ran for a full two hours without stopping. The motion tracker showed they had traveled over ten kilometers before finally taking their first break.

After a ten-minute rest to replenish their stamina and eat a few small, red Vermilion Fruits to ease their muscle fatigue, they were once again on a relentless forced march.

"Faster, faster! They actually gave us a twelve-hour head start! We need to make those reserves take at least a week to catch up to us!"

After their previous period of training, the group had grown more and more accustomed to the rainforest, navigating it with ease.

...

Late at night, the entire Amazon Jungle seemed to come alive, filled with the chirps of insects and the roars of beasts.

Baru, Otto, and the thirty-nine Apprentice Knight reserve members seemed to have barely moved since daytime. Some had cigarettes dangling from their lips, some were chewing gum, and others simply had their eyes closed, resting.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP... BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP...

On Otto’s wrist, the cute digital watch he had received as a birthday present started to ring.

Hearing the sound, everyone, including Baru, laughed. All eyes turned to the Mickey Mouse watch, creating a cutesy contrast, like a small flower stuck in a wild buffalo’s nostril.

"What are you all still standing around for? Go teach those brats a lesson they won’t forget! Move out!"

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!...

As thirty-nine shallow craters appeared in the damp, muddy ground, the reserve members vanished from their spots in an instant.

Each one of them leaped at least seven or eight meters into the air, stomped hard on a nearby tree trunk, and then repeatedly used the surrounding trees to propel themselves upward. Without using their hands at all, they disappeared into the canopy in a matter of moments.

Faintly, the creaking of large branches and the panicked cries of birds in the forest could be heard, spreading further and further into the distance.

In the footage being continuously recorded by several miniature cameras, more than thirty people were speeding through the canopy over twenty meters above the ground. In the dark of night, a constant stream of branches and fruits appeared before them, as if high-speed cars were driving through the treetops.

Only when the branches ahead couldn’t bear their weight or offered no suitable landing spot would they drop to the ground and sprint.

PS: Second Chapter for Monday.