novelraw Chapter 1302: Bird
Chapter 1302: Bird
The climate on Nami Star has huge temperature differences between day and night. When it had just turned dark it was still over thirty degrees, but it didn’t take long to start cooling down. By now, the students could clearly feel the whistling cold wind pouring down their collars, bringing a chill that seeped into their bones.
Hiss~
The cold wind grew stronger and stronger, and it also blew awake the slightly bewildered heads of the students hidden in the darkness, making them clear-headed again!
Retreat along the original route?
If they hadn’t heard wrong, did Ji You just say they were going to retreat along the original route?
Everyone turned their heads, wanting to observe the expressions of the other students around them. Unfortunately, the rooftop was pitch-black, and they couldn’t make out anyone’s face at all. They could only vaguely see some dark shadow moving nearby.
Cheng Haoyue and He Nu were also among those whom Ji You had confused. Cheng Haoyue reached out and tugged at He Nu’s sleeve: [Hey—what do you think? Are we really going to go back the way we came?]
They had already infiltrated the enemy camp, and on the way in they hadn’t even startled the birds on the treetops. They’d snuck all the way over in complete silence. The enemy probably hadn’t noticed them at all. By rights, this was the best time for a sneak attack.
If they did it right, they might even be able to take down an enemy military base.
Having tasted success, Cheng Haoyue’s courage had swelled as well. He hadn’t considered at all how they were supposed to end things if the sneak attack failed.
He Nu raised his hand and knocked away Cheng Haoyue’s fingers that were clutching his clothes, then shook his head slightly and silently mouthed: "I’ll follow classmate Ji You."
Cheng Haoyue thought about it. Rather than guessing blindly on his own, it was better to stick closely to Ji You’s lead. With how crafty Ji You was, she had even shot down an official drone and gotten no punishment, while he himself had points deducted...
So, Ji You definitely wouldn’t lead the main group to their deaths.
So Cheng Haoyue opened his mouth as well and silently mouthed: "I’ll follow classmate Ji You too." It’s just that... this trip started as wild-vegetable digging and somehow turned into a sightseeing tour of the enemy camp. The weather was cold and the ground was slippery, a whole group of them were huddled together freezing and starving, and they hadn’t earned a single point or dug up a single wild vegetable. He couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful.
At this moment—
Ji You’s faint, almost imperceptible voice came again: "Everyone listen to my order—move."
Hearing this, Cheng Haoyue shivered all over, hurriedly pulled himself together, lifted his foot, and stepped out.
The squad began to retreat in an orderly fashion along the original route.
They had only taken a few steps when suddenly Cheng Haoyue heard someone speak right by his ear: "Cheng Haoyue, He Nu, you two stop."
Cheng Haoyue: "???"
He Nu’s footsteps faltered.
This voice didn’t sound like classmate Ji You, but more like that bird that had been cooing nonstop earlier. Yet Cheng Haoyue was very sure he heard a human voice. So he tugged at He Nu’s clothes. He Nu frowned and whispered, "It’s Ji You." Haoyue’s heart clenched, and he couldn’t help but reach up and tug at He Nu’s clothes again.
He Nu said in a low voice, "It’s classmate Ji You."
Cheng Haoyue: "!!!"
He’s sure it’s Ji You? Not that bird?
Right then, a burst of bird calls sounded by his ear again.
"Coo~"
"Coo~"
"Coo~"
Cheng Haoyue listened carefully and realized he didn’t hear the sound of wings flapping. That meant the bird itself hadn’t appeared? But it sounded way too similar, way too similar!
Just then, Cheng Haoyue suddenly heard Ji You say, "What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and come over."
Confirmed!
It was Ji You!
It was just that this girl was too terrifying. She could actually imitate bird calls while still conveying precise meaning to others? This—this was downright monstrous.
Outside the screen.
Face after face, shocked and blank, stared at what was happening, completely stunned as well.
For a long moment.
Someone said, "Theoretically, using bird calls to express meaning is actually feasible, because Sound Wave Transmission already uses the Spiritual Network to transmit sound. That is, it directly passes both the sound and the intended meaning to the receiver’s Spiritual Network via spiritual power. So the form of the sound doesn’t have to be limited to human voices, bird calls, or pig squeals."
"Cough, cough... I already don’t know what I’m supposed to say anymore, because that girl is flying in the sky, and I’m just crawling in the mud. I’m not qualified to comment on her at all."
"Is this the strength of someone ranked in the top hundred at the United University?"
"Ji You definitely has Double S-class strength."
"What a liar! A huge liar! She actually tricked everyone by saying she was a 2B! Was she just trying to watch us all make fools of ourselves? I have to say, this liar has achieved her goal."
"Actually, what she’s doing isn’t easy at all. Look at Ji You in the high-definition night-vision footage—her forehead has been sweating the whole time. I don’t believe that sweat is from running. She looked completely relaxed while moving. The only explanation is that using this kind of cheat-like Sound Wave Transmission to issue all these orders puts a massive spiritual burden on her."
"Why does she have to use Sound Wave Transmission to give commands? Can’t she just speak out loud? There isn’t a single enemy within a 3,000-meter radius. The enemy shouldn’t be able to hear them."
"You in front, you don’t get it. As a decision maker, your top priority is never to take risks—it’s to maintain stability. While ensuring you achieve your objectives, you also have to minimize material losses and make sure your people stay safe."
"Exactly. She’s doing it to be safe. If she can achieve her goal without going through any twists and turns, why should she take on extra risk?"
...
Ji You, who had been leading the way at the front, did not take the lead this time. She stood motionless at the rear of the formation. At some point, fine beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead. She didn’t raise a hand to wipe them away, just waited for Cheng Haoyue and He Nu to arrive.
The large group retreating along the original route kept moving in perfect order, completely unaware that Ji You had privately contacted He Nu and Cheng Haoyue. They only felt something was a bit strange—why had that bird showed up again?
On the other side.
While Ji You communicated with Cheng Haoyue and He Nu, her Spiritual Network was spread out to its fullest. Even though her eyes couldn’t see in the dark, with the Six Spiritual Threads all helping her keep watch on the surroundings, she knew the environment around them better than anyone else present.
Two meters away, there was an anthill.
Five meters away, there was a blade of tender green grass that had actually bloomed in the night. The flower was black, blending perfectly into the pitch-dark sky, making it impossible for ordinary people to notice.
Fifty meters away, in the flowing stream, a slightly yellowed leaf was floating downstream with the current...
...
And about 3,500 meters away...
Ji You raised her hand and knocked lightly on her throbbing head. 3,500 meters was still very strenuous for her at her current level, but as long as she could confirm that there was an anomaly, that was enough for her to make up her mind.
As soon as Cheng Haoyue and He Nu arrived, Ji You narrowed her eyes and said, "Five minutes. Within five minutes, we have to get back to the main group."