Chapter 183: You Still Remember You

Come to think of it, he seems to have seen an anatomy class on the Academy's schedule?

Yang Yixie silently notes this and decides to add the course for Ying Duo when they return; perhaps learning it will unlock a new skill and later yield more Aberrant Species material when he works.

Seeing Ying Duo simply pack up the stone man and carry it away, a large pit sank into the ground, and Shen Zexi realized he had still underestimated Ying Duo.

Known: Even with a huge amount of explosives, firearms, and supplies already loaded, Ying Duo can still merrily cram a massive pile of junk into his backpack.

Question: How big is Ying Duo's space, exactly?

Shen Zexi doesn't know, but he feels Ying Duo's space is like a bottomless pit.

Hmm... really want to toss all the junk out of his space and load some useful stuff in.

"Come to think of it, Ying Duo, have you packed any food in your backpack?"

Taking advantage of the group's rest interval, Shen Zexi asked an extra question just in case.

They are now trapped in this unknown underground space; the entrance passage Luo Jinyou confirmed has collapsed on a large scale, so they can either stay here or look for another way out.

But even if they stay here awaiting rescue, Academy reinforcements will take considerable time to arrive.

He himself also brought some rations and nutrient solution, enough for three or four days without issue, and the others have probably also prepared some rations, more or less.

After all, not everyone is like Ying Duo, heading out empty‑handed.

Ying Duo didn't answer Shen Zexi's question immediately; after standing still and staring off for a while, he finally spoke slowly.

"It should last about a week."

Shen Zexi breathed a sigh of relief at the words.

"Is that so? Then if we ration our food, it should be enough to hold out until we find a way out or rescue arrives."

He had already prepared for Ying Duo's space being full of household junk, but fortunately Ying Duo still knows he's human—not a robot that doesn't need to eat.

"No need to ration," Ying Duo tilted his head slightly; insufficient satiety would make interactions consume more stamina and lower attributes, so he bought a lot of nutrient solution.

"It's enough for five people; I have enough here for a week."

After all, the Dome‑produced nutrient solution works great, and Yang Yixie is too lazy to make Ying Duo run to the school cafeteria, so he stocked up a lot of supplies.

Shen Zexi: "......?"

He blinked in a daze, taking a while to process Ying Duo's words.

Enough for five people means enough for them to eat for a week?

Is this something Ying Duo actually thought of preparing in advance?

Qi Hengyu was even more straightforward: "Did you prepare food for all of us?"

Generally, for a not‑too‑far wilderness trip without mishaps, that much food would be considered excessive.

"Well, because I'm the Regiment Leader."

Ying Duo nodded, his tone matter‑of‑fact, yet the others gave him looks as if they'd seen a ghost.

You still remember that you're the Regiment Leader, huh?

And the food Ying Duo provided... wasn't it poisoned?

Anyway, Shen Zexi can only accept this "surprise".

At least they don't have to worry about food supplies, and as for what Ying Duo actually prepared to eat......

They'll have to verify it in person when the time comes.

At least now everyone has prepared their own food, so they probably won't need Ying Duo's "backup hidden resources".

Then now they should solve the other problems.

Shen Zexi looked around the group and asked in a deep voice:

"Do we stay put and wait for rescue, or actively explore those passages? Everyone, share your thoughts."

Luo Jinyou was the first to speak up.

"The air flow here is still normal; there should be a passage leading outside. I suggest we explore along the airflow to find an exit."

Qi Hengyu didn't understand this field, but he nodded in agreement.

"Just waiting is too frustrating; we should find a way ourselves."

Chen Mo Zhi silently nodded.

Ying Duo had just been about to wander down any random path, if Shen Zexi hadn't called him over for an impromptu meeting.

"Alright, we'll prioritize exploring the upward passage and leave markers along the way."

Five minutes later, the team extinguished extra light sources, keeping only the mineral lamp in Shen Zexi's hand, and together they proceeded down the pitch‑black abandoned tunnel.

Although Luo Jinyou is the youngest, thanks to the influence of his parents and Professor Luo De'an, he has picked up a fair amount of geology knowledge.

With him there, the few of them wouldn't completely lose their way in the tunnel.

Maintaining the same formation as before, Shen Zexi held up the mineral lamp, leading the way with Luo Jinyou at the front.

He cautiously surveyed the surroundings, but suddenly heard a faint click behind him, and the beam from his mineral lamp happened to sweep across the far cave ceiling where something was moving.

"Shh!"

Shen Zexi immediately signaled everyone to be silent and dimmed the mineral lamp's light.

Behind him, Qi Hengyu pressed the trigger of Ying Duo's aiming pistol with one hand, while the other held Ying Duo's hood, covering the Ying Guang Lu tightly.

Shen Zexi had just specifically instructed Qi Hengyu that if he saw Ying Duo draw his gun, he should stop him immediately.

If Ying Duo were to fire, this would no longer be exploration but a forced push.

Since they don't know the strength of the Aberrant Species here, it's best to keep Ying Duo from acting rashly.

A few of them hid at the tunnel corner, and Shen Zexi carefully leaned forward to look that way.

By the faint light, he could see the ceiling of that section dotted with scattered paired red spots, each pair representing the eyes of an Aberrant Species.

"It could be a swarm of Mutation bats; be careful, they're highly sensitive to sound and light..."

Shen Zexi lowered his voice, his internal alarm ringing loudly.

They are now deep underground; if they encounter a bat swarm attack, things will become very troublesome.

But this intersection is also their necessary route; according to the bats' schedule, their population should now be asleep, with only a small portion awake.

Fortunately, the bat swarm is entrenched in the downward passage, while they need to go through the adjacent upward tunnel; as long as they are careful enough, they should not be discovered.

Shen Zexi gestured to the few people; the three instantly understood, all bending their bodies, holding their breath, preparing to sneak past.

Ying Duo......

Forget it, let him be.

Watching him just float past like a stiff ghost, yet making no sound at all, Ying Duo, they also intend to let Ying Duo go on his own.

It's one thing that it's not advisable to make a sound to warn now, but for Ying Duo to walk past so conspicuously and still not disturb any aberrant species is another matter.

So friends, 【concealment】 learn about?

As they moved slowly, the area covered by the light drew ever closer to the bat swarm, but when the light actually illuminated the edge of the passage, what everyone saw was not bats.