Chapter 400: Unthinkable—Can This Even Be Lost?

The graduate student is right!

Jiang Dahai nods in agreement: "There's absolutely no need to target him; just act as if he doesn't exist. In a few days he won't be able to bear the pressure and will slip away in disgrace."

Tu Hongwei holds his breath in his chest, and his inner impatience does not lessen at all.

Lu Yang's appearance is like a thorn stuck in his heart.

It makes him doubt the efforts he has been putting in for so long.

It also feels undeserved for those teammates who were eliminated in the selection and cried their hearts out.

They worked so hard, gave so much, and stood out from among so many elites to get here; yet they didn't expect that others could just show up with a simple greeting— is that really fair?

But Tu Hongwei is unaware of one thing: Lu Yang is only participating in this Island Survival Training as a transfer student.

After it ends, he will return to the Sea Training Base to continue his assigned mission.

This is also the main reason why the unit Bai Yuan belongs to is willing to save face.

Doing so does not cross any bottom line, nor break any principle, so there is no such thing as fairness or unfairness.

At most, it's like holding a stool and sitting in the back row of a university lecture, auditing, and leaving once the class ends.

"Number Eleven, why does your mouth have a hint of mint?"

Suddenly a gust of wind brings the faint mint scent to Tu Hongwei's face.

Jiang Dahai flinches: "You must have smelled it wrong; my mouth only tastes like dead mouse."

He leans in proactively, but Tu Hongwei finds it disgusting and refuses to smell: "By the way, Xu Ce, the sparrow you caught during the day—can we split it and eat it?"

Xu Ce: "I originally wanted to keep it a bit longer, fatten it up, and eat it after a couple of days."

"Another couple of days? What if it starves and gets skinny!"

"Then, split it now?"

"Quickly."

"Alright."

Xu Ce pulls out from behind a sparrow that is not yet the size of a palm.

Gripping the head, he twists hard, like unscrewing a bottle cap, then draws a knife.

The three of them lick their lips together, green light flashing in their eyes, their faces full of intense hunger for the food.

At the highest point of the island stands a slightly dilapidated, solitary outpost.

Beside the outpost is a towering watchtower, its bulb at the top broken, clearly abandoned for a long time.

Inside the outpost, Lao Mao cooks instant noodles on a gas stove, while Bai Yuan, perched on the chair beside him, eyes a pirated story collection he found at an old book stall with a glint in his eyes.

Lao Mao lifts the pot lid, stirs with chopsticks, turns off the gas flame: "Do you want to eat?"

Bai Yuan, without looking up from the book, says: "I'm not hungry; you eat by yourself."

Lao Mao carries the pot and sits opposite him: "Hey, how many days do you think this guy surnamed Lu can hold out?"

Bai Yuan: "Probably three days, at most; judging from his earlier performance on the ship, he's relatively resilient."

Lao Mao blows two breaths toward him: "Actually, his personality suits my taste; bold, meticulous, and thick‑skinned."

"Earlier on the ship, when he saw me wearing a life jacket, he quickly asked if there were any, showing he still had a sense of danger and knew trouble was coming."

Bai Yuan moves the story collection aside, looks at him: "That's not crisis awareness; it's just cleverness. I don't yet understand this soldier, nor his level, but one thing I'm sure of."

"What?"

"His appetite is truly huge! After finishing hotpot, he can still devour a big serving of pork knuckle rice, fried noodles, Fuding sliced pork, fish balls; wow, how can he eat so much—does someone from the land eat like that?"

"What's wrong with being able to eat a lot?"

Lao Mao shrugs: "At his age, I could also eat that much. The fact that he was transferred from the Army shows he's elite; Army elite training volume far exceeds that of the Marine Corps."

"Being able to eat shows his physical condition is good, sturdy and resilient. Of course, that's only one side; the main thing is he dares to push you, which I never expected."

"Among the people on the island, only Number Ten Tu Hongwei has some grievances against you, and even then he only mutters privately, never speaking out."

"He shows one face in front and another behind; compared to Number Twelve Lu Yang, he's far worse."

Bai Yuan closes the book, pulls a cigarette from the drawer and lights it: "What's your opinion on Number Ten?"

Lao Mao eats the noodles, pauses: "Arrogant and conceited, quick‑tempered; outwardly seems okay, but behind his back he's full of complaints, with a lot of negative energy."

"Then how long do you think he can stay?"

"At most three days."

"So that means, when the time comes, we have to go in pairs?"

"I don't think Lu Yang will leave so soon; he's very composed, his endurance is exceptional; up to now, I've hardly seen anyone on your ship who hasn't vomited."

Lao Mao puts down his chopsticks, says seriously: "And the crucial point is, this kid is an Army landlubber who has never undergone any assault‑boat sea training; I was about to vomit, yet he managed to hold it in—don't you find that terrifying?"

Bai Yuan ponders briefly, shakes his head: "Just this alone isn't enough to explain anything; for now it only shows he has a talent for resisting seasickness. However, this is just after landing; from now on he'll be ostracized by everyone."

"I actually want to see how this kid manages to persist when resources are limited and he's collectively isolated."

"As for Number Ten Tu Hongwei, he's a very talented soldier, but overly conceited, overly quick‑tempered, and eager for quick results."

"I think it's because, during the first round of selection, you eliminated his companion, so he…"

Lao Mao's words were cut off by Bai Yuan's cold interruption: "That soldier arrived at the finish line past the time limit, I had to do this!"

Lao Mao sighs: "But it was raining then, which greatly hindered their march; moreover, that soldier was only two seconds over the limit—we could have just pretended we didn't notice and let him in."

"Whether he'll be eliminated later is a later matter; but at that moment, I thought we should let him pass the selection; it would be more humane."

"Number Twelve Lu Yang being approved as a 'transfer student' to set foot on the island for training itself is a manifestation of humanity."

"What do you think?"

Bai Yuan says nothing, pockets the cigarette and turns to leave.

The door closes, leaving only Lao Mao alone in the room, with that bowl of steaming, already swollen instant noodles.

He sighs softly, silently eats the noodles, feeling only regret for a good soldier.

Bai Yuan followed the steps up to the top of the lighthouse, looking down on the sea island he had alone guarded for a full ten years.

His eyes, shrouded in smoke, held the loneliest memories, and his mind couldn't help recalling the recent, torrential‑rain selection arena.

And those figures that fell in the mud, yet struggled to get up again and again......

Lao Mao always felt that he was iron‑faced and impartial, showing no favor.

But he didn't know that he had secretly paused for half a minute then, just to give them a chance to sprint across the finish line.

In the end, Tu Hongwei arrived at the finish line "over time" and secured the last slot; and his comrade, to avoid holding him back and to fulfill his wish, voluntarily chose to forfeit.

Bai Yuan's gaze withdrew from that rain and slowly merged into the vast night sky.

As an instructor, he doesn't want to, nor can he explain anything; even the soldiers' lingering resentment toward him, until they are discharged.

"A bad guy has to be someone."

Bai Yuan exhaled a puff of smoke from his nose, stubbed out the cigarette, turned to go down, and suddenly saw a figure crouched at the guard post window below, spying.

"Who is it?!"

He let out a roar and sprinted downwards.

The dark figure was startled, scrambled and turned to run away.

Bai Yuan had stayed on the island for a full ten years, knowing it better than anyone; even with eyes closed he knew where the rocks were and where the trees stood.

Yet, in the end, he somehow got lost, which was utterly incomprehensible??!!