Chapter 703

But Ning Chen did not renege; the two stared at each other. Now, besides this captain, those team members also decided the group's direction.

Perhaps because encountering someone who spoke their nation's language in this strange land was rare, or perhaps because following the main force indeed offered more security, those team members looked at Ning Chen and, without even asking the captain's opinion, nodded in agreement.

Ning Chen was not surprised either and said, "Traveling with the main force is indeed much safer. I did not lead us astray; it is just that this forest is too vast. Estimating the location of the sound I heard yesterday will likely take some more time."

That man looked at Ning Chen and said in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "Didn't you solemnly declare at the start that you could definitely lead us to the location you mentioned today? Why did you change your tune?"

"When did I ever say that?" Ning Chen's expression remained calm. "I have spoken at most five sentences to you all."

That man was clearly choked up, then fell silent and had nothing to say.

Ning Chen did not care about his departure; having managed to keep his team members was already achieving the goal.

The team members followed behind the main force. Ning Chen returned to the side of Uncle Chen Ping and the others. At this moment, Uncle Chen Ping stared tightly at Ning Chen, his eyes containing something Ning Chen could not understand.

Ning Chen smiled: "If you want to ask something, just ask."

Uncle Chen Ping hesitated for a while before saying, "You... have you been to that country?"

Ning Chen naturally could not tell Uncle Chen Ping that he had received help from the system, so he could only tell a lie: "I studied abroad there previously."

Uncle Chen Ping said, "No wonder. I was just saying that very few people know that country exists. I didn't expect to meet someone who understands that country's language here. What a coincidence."

Ning Chen could only give a dry laugh: "Indeed, very coincidental."

Afterwards, Ning Chen hurriedly changed the subject: "I am not certain we can reach the destination I mentioned before the day ends. We might have to rest inside the forest tonight."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Chen Ping frowned and slowed his pace: "... This is not safe."

Ning Chen sighed: "Indeed it is not safe, but to rest outside the forest, we would have to turn back in two hours; otherwise, it would be impossible for us to return before dark."

That was true. Uncle Chen Ping nodded: "I will discuss it with the others."

Ning Chen said while walking: "Notify the other team members; I will notify the other teams in advance."

Uncle Chen Ping responded with a sound of agreement.

All camping equipment was already prepared, including tents and such things. These items carried some weight and were not suitable for carrying on one's person, but leaving them outside the forest was also unsafe, so they carried them close to their bodies.

At this moment, they happened to come in handy, so there was no need to turn back.

Ning Chen looked down at his wristwatch, confirmed that the time was still early, and let out a breath of relief.

Ning Chen led dozens of people at a fast pace, moving while simultaneously judging exactly where the people hiding in the forest were.

But strangely, even when Ning Chen extended his divine sense, he still could not find the people lurking inside the forest.

This gave Ning Chen a bit of a headache; he could only determine a direction first and take it one step at a time.

Another hour passed. At this time, the scorching sun was directly overhead. Although the tree leaves provided some shade, the sunlight shining straight down was still unbearable.

The water they carried was nearly running out. Ning Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned to Uncle Chen Ping, and said, "The weather is too hot now. Is the drinking water enough?"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Chen Ping touched the backpack he carried close to his body and nodded: "Mm, it should be enough to drink... There might not be fresh water in this forest; it might only last through today."

"One day," Ning Chen frowned and said uncertainly, "might not be enough to drink."

Uncle Chen Ping sighed, looked up at the sun above his head, and said, "Then there is nothing we can do. Part of the supplies were left outside and simply could not be brought in; they were too heavy."

Ning Chen said, "Then we will return tomorrow morning. The time should be sufficient."

Ning Chen lowered his voice for the second sentence; he was also not entirely sure if one day's time would be enough to find the location where the sound appeared yesterday.

At noon, they could only eat some dry compressed biscuits or other filling but tasteless things, and after eating, they continued on their journey.

Watching this live stream, those viewers could not help but send danmu comments.

"I think the streamer will die of thirst halfway before he even finishes his check-in."

"Why bother? Just come out after the tour. Yet some people insist on courting death. Tsk tsk."

"It seems there are quite a few people like the streamer, just loving to make a fuss. They won't even know when they die."

"Aren't these people just here for the fun of it? This matter wasn't their business to begin with."

"We should be grateful for people like the streamer. This outdoor live stream is great; recommend more to me."

"Some of you shouldn't be too poisonous with your words. Hoping for someone's death, what kind of thing is that? If you have the ability, start a live stream yourself."

For a moment, there were people mocking and people watching the spectacle. Most people were very idle during mealtime, so they all started sending danmu comments.

Ning Chen did not particularly like watching the danmu; every time he looked at them, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, but if he was truly idle, he would spare some time to look.

There were naturally die-hard fans. After all, Ning Chen had been streaming for so long and had accumulated a considerable number of fans. Moreover, Ning Chen usually did not speak much when streaming, and many people liked this streaming style, so the number of accumulated fans kept growing.

Actually, there was no lack of people speaking up for him, but Ning Chen usually did not remember people. When someone spoke up for him, he would only glance once. However, since the mocking and spectacle-watching people made up the vast majority, he simply did not remember people.

Knowing that the audience mostly liked to watch the spectacle, Ning Chen no longer actively spoke to the people in the live room. The live room became quieter and quieter; basically, one could only see Ning Chen silently and diligently performing his check-in tasks, or speaking with others. In short, unless necessary, he would not cause himself unhappiness.

Traveling was undoubtedly an extremely painful thing. By one o'clock in the afternoon, although Ning Chen felt nothing, the people in the other teams were somewhat unable to endure it.

After all, they were enduring this level of scorching sun, traveling continuously under high temperatures, and also had to control their water intake.

610: Hearing Strange Sounds Again

It was truly a torture.

Ning Chen looked back. Those teams had not fallen behind, but judging by the situation, they probably could not hold out much longer.

Ning Chen sighed and said to Uncle Chen Ping, "Their condition does not look good. Let them stop and rest for a while; we cannot rush."

Although Uncle Chen Ping's face showed no abnormality, he was indeed somewhat tired. Upon hearing this, he nodded: "Then I will tell the others."

Ning Chen said, "I will do it."

Afterwards, he walked to the front of each team one by one, explained the current situation, and asked all teams to stop and rest temporarily.

They sat down leaning against the tree trunks.

Ning Chen's predetermined rest time was not too long; at this stage, traveling was the most important thing. Ning Chen did not really need rest; his stamina was sufficient. It was mainly to allow the others to increase their speed while traveling.

Unknowingly, Ning Chen seemed to have become the commander of all the teams. The people in those teams unconsciously followed Ning Chen's orders.

Ning Chen arranged for them to rest briefly for half an hour; after half an hour, they must continue traveling, otherwise the progress would be delayed. A half-hour rest was actually sufficient for the people in the other teams. After half an hour, everyone stood up, leaning on the tree trunks, looking somewhat exhausted.

Ning Chen could clearly feel that these people were in poor condition. Perhaps because it was too hot here, causing them to get thirsty easily, yet they could not drink water casually, their heads remained constantly dizzy.

During the subsequent journey, Ning Chen could also clearly perceive that their speed was slowing down more and more, but Ning Chen could not let them stop to rest again; he could only lead the people forward, gritting their teeth.

Finally, he heard the exact same sound as last night.

Only during the day was that sound much fainter, not even as clear as when the wind blew last night. When Ning Chen first heard it, he thought it was the wind, but the two sounds were slightly different; after repeated confirmation, Ning Chen realized he had heard the same sound from last night.

This was a significant discovery for Ning Chen. He had originally thought he would have to travel for several more hours before reaching the destination, but unexpectedly, he had already heard the sound.

Ning Chen's expression changed slightly; though brief, it was noticed by the uncle beside him who had been watching him closely.

The uncle asked tensely, "Did you discover something?"

Ning Chen did not answer, but instead asked, "Did you hear anything?"

Upon hearing this, the uncle closed his mouth and truly tilted his ear to listen carefully.

But he heard nothing except the "rustling" sound of wind moving through the leaves.

Seeing the uncle's confused look, Ning Chen knew without asking that he certainly hadn't heard it, so he said seriously, "I heard the same sound I heard last night. If nothing unexpected happens, the person we are looking for should be ahead."

Hearing Ning Chen's words, the uncle frowned.

Ning Chen's wording was somewhat strange; the uncle did not understand how Ning Chen could confirm that the thing hidden deep in the forest was a person, but he only found it odd and did not ask in detail.

The uncle simply nodded, "Good, lead us there."

Ning Chen suddenly stopped, stood in place and listened carefully for a while, then suddenly turned, pointing toward the northeast, "Go that way; we should arrive in about half an hour."

A look of joy flashed in the uncle's eyes, "Really?"

"Mm," Ning Chen said affirmatively, "It absolutely will not be wrong."

Since Ning Chen had said so, the uncle naturally trusted him and quickened his pace toward that direction.

But Ning Chen still appeared unhurried; compared to before, he even slowed his speed, with some worry in his eyes that could not be resolved.

The uncle turned back and saw this expression on his face, which startled him, "What are you worried about?"

Ning Chen looked at the uncle, slowly sighed, "I just feel the people over there will be difficult to deal with; you probably won't be their match."

So Ning Chen worried whether he would need to intervene at that time, and in the end, he would still have to reveal himself.

After the uncle knew he was worried about this, he patted the backpack he carried with him and said, "There are some weapons inside that can be used; others who came here also brought some equipment. As long as the opposing side isn't too numerous, we won't be in danger."

Ning Chen glanced at that bag and did not think it could hold any lethal weapons, but he did not show his worry on his face, which would only add pressure.

Now Ning Chen was still hesitating whether to intervene; with so many people here, once Ning Chen used a skill, he would be exposed quickly, but what they were about to face was not some harmless fellow either; when the two sides faced off, it was truly uncertain who would win or lose.

While Ning Chen was still engaged in a fierce internal struggle, the man in sunglasses behind the uncle suddenly shouted loudly.

"I heard it! I heard a strange sound!" The man in sunglasses had a loud voice, and the impact of shouting that sentence was also great.

After hearing this, Ning Chen immediately turned his head to look in that direction.

He saw the man in sunglasses with wide eyes, an expression of disbelief, as if he had been stunned by this thing.

Ning Chen strode over and stood before the man in sunglasses, asking, "What did you hear?"

The man in sunglasses seemed to still be listening carefully; his expression gradually changed from disbelief to unease, and finally, trembling all over, he looked at Ning Chen, "Made by people... a very eerie humming sound..."

Hearing this, Ning Chen breathed a sigh of relief; the content he heard was indeed the same as what the man in sunglasses heard, but he did not know if only the two of them had heard it.