Night deepened, the wind howled, the rain poured, and the entire Shuiwei Town seemed to have been swallowed by darkness, with only scattered lights piercing through.
The earlier clamor, noise, and the mixed smells rapidly dissipated, allowing Shang Jianyao to feel a sense of isolation from the world.
In the rain curtain surrounding the wooden shed, several town guard members patrolled in sheltered spots, while others donned the pre-prepared dark raincoats and large woven bags, moving back and forth on the wooden racks atop the walls.
In the glow of those light bulbs, the rain fell like strings of broken pearls, dense and relentless.
"There used to be two diesel generators here, but one broke down and couldn't be repaired. Well, for settlements in the wilderness, lacking electricity isn't too serious. Food, clothing, weapons, and clean water are the most crucial resources," Bai Chen casually remarked.
Jiang Baimian added with a smile:
"Could you speak a little louder? Well, food and clean water determine whether you can survive. Clothes determine whether you freeze to death or catch a cold and get sick, while weapons determine whether others will leave you food, clothing, and clean water."
She glanced left and right, and seeing that the rain was quite loud, clapped her hands and said:
"We'll fix the jeep tomorrow morning. Tonight is the first 'lesson' of this wilderness training exercise.
"We need to review the previous battle and summarize the experiences and lessons.
"Each of you will be the protagonist, describing your choices and experiences at the time. Bai Chen, you go first."
As a wilderness wanderer who hadn't joined "Pangu Biology" for very long and hadn't participated in similar training exercises, Bai Chen hadn't expected there would be such a thing as a "post-battle review." She hesitated for a moment, clearly unprepared.
However, she wasn't resistant to it either. The reason she could wander the wilderness for so many years and still be alive was not only because she had some helpers but also because she often reflected and remembered her mistakes.
Organizing her thoughts, she began to review every detail she could remember, starting from the initial encounter with the relic hunter group that doubled as bandits.
After her was Shang Jianyao, then Long Yuehong, and finally Jiang Baimian.
After Jiang Baimian finished speaking, she looked at Shang Jianyao and said:
"Your decision to proactively attack and kill the two motorcyclists was decisive, but also reckless.
"If not for..."
She paused for a moment and said:
"If not for your good luck, it's highly likely you would have been the one to die."
Saying this, she revealed a slight smile:
"But hey, luck is also part of strength. You need to balance the two and try to make yourself more confident."
Shang Jianyao initially listened with a somewhat blank expression, then nodded as if deep in thought, indicating his agreement with what the team leader said.
Long Yuehong felt that Jiang Baimian's last few words were a joke and didn't think too much about them. He frowned slightly and raised the biggest question in his mind:
"Team Leader, you just said that the bandit leader wearing the exoskeleton device was ultimately killed by us because he misjudged the situation and wasn't cautious enough.
"Then, if someone wearing a similar exoskeleton device doesn't make such a big mistake, how should we deal with them to take them down?"
Jiang Baimian looked at Long Yuehong:
"Why do you think there would be a way to deal with them?
"If they don't make big mistakes, it means the person wearing the exoskeleton device is quite experienced and their physical fitness is not a problem. Such a person, combined with an exoskeleton device, is a formidable weapon even on a real battlefield, an elite among elites.
"With so few of us, without heavy weapons, and only a grenade launcher that we haven't had a chance to use, how could we possibly deal with such an enemy? Are you underestimating military-grade exoskeleton devices too much?"
"Then, then doesn't that mean..." Long Yuehong only then realized that they had really been walking on the edge of hell.
Jiang Baimian looked around and said:
"The best time to deal with such an enemy is before they put on the exoskeleton device.
"If you don't seize that opportunity, then 'race' with them before they close the distance. A military-grade exoskeleton device won't be much faster than a speeding jeep, some models are even slower, and their endurance is worse.
"Unfortunately, we encountered terrain changes at the time and fought a major battle with the Blackmarsh Iron Serpent. We didn't have any favorable conditions and were almost in a desperate situation. If that guy hadn't been so timid, clearly reluctant to waste too much energy, reluctant to damage the spoils of war, and calculated too carefully, half of us, perhaps more, would have died in the first round of attacks."
Long Yuehong's face turned pale as he gained a deeper understanding of the dangers of the Greylands. Shang Jianyao and Bai Chen listened attentively, clearly sensing that Jiang Baimian hadn't finished speaking.
Jiang Baimian "uh"ed and said:
"Before Shang Jianyao killed the motorcyclists and angered that guy, I had two plans.
"One was to surrender immediately to close the distance. As long as we could get within a certain range, even if we were severely injured and unable to move, I would have ways to retaliate."
Saying this, she smiled wryly:
"The biggest problem with this plan is that Bai Chen and I would have a good chance of surviving and becoming prisoners, at least temporary prisoners, while you two would likely be shot dead directly, unless someone among them prefers men."
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong's expressions instantly became quite complicated.
Seeing their reaction, Jiang Baimian said in a good mood:
"The second plan was to take advantage of that guy's overly cautious and timid mentality to design a trap that he couldn't avoid in advance. As long as he couldn't avoid it in advance, I would have a high degree of confidence in hitting his unprotected vital points."
"What kind of trap?" Long Yuehong blurted out.
Jiang Baimian looked at him for two seconds, then spread her hands and said:
"Haven't thought of one yet."
"..." Long Yuehong and Shang Jianyao's facial muscles twitched slightly.
Jiang Baimian immediately became "embarrassed into anger":
"It happened so suddenly, how could I have thought of one so quickly?
"While I was still thinking, things changed, and I didn't need to waste my brainpower anymore!"
She then turned her head and looked at Bai Chen, who was listening quietly:
"Do you have anything to add?"
Bai Chen thought for a moment and said:
"The goal of most bandits in the wilderness is to rob supplies, not to kill people.
"If there's really no other way, I would consider abandoning the jeep and the supplies inside, such as letting the vehicle drive unmanned into the swamp to divert their attention, and then take the opportunity to hide in the swamp in the other direction.
"In many places within the Great Swamp, people can actually walk with difficulty, but those wearing exoskeleton devices can't, as they are overweight."
After listening, Jiang Baimian nodded in satisfaction:
"Good, this is the different thinking angle between wilderness wanderers and those born into large factions when dealing with the same thing.
"Have you learned anything?"
Clapping sounds, Shang Jianyao clapped his hands at the right time, and Long Yuehong also subconsciously started clapping.
What am I doing... Long Yuehong quickly reacted and replied awkwardly:
"I've learned something, but I still need to slowly digest and absorb it."
After reviewing the day's battle, the four of them took turns on guard duty in pairs, according to yesterday's groupings.
Because it had just rained, the weather was much colder than last night. The charcoal provided free of charge by Tian Erhe was also limited, so they took out thick cotton-padded coats from the trunk and wrapped them around themselves.
The rain pattered, washing everything in the all-encompassing darkness, until it finally stopped completely as dawn approached.
Shuiwei Town had a mature and complete drainage system and did not accumulate water as a result. However, the ground was damp, and some of the soil had become muddy.
Bai Chen ate a compressed biscuit with water and began to replace parts on the jeep, doing relatively easy repairs.
At this time, Tian Erhe strolled over in the morning mist, smiling and asking:
"Little Bai, can you fix it?
"If you can fix it, we'll receive the light machine gun and the motorcycle."
"I can," Bai Chen said without turning her head, raising her hand to signal.
Tian Erhe immediately called out to the surrounding town guard members:
"Come on, move that machine gun.
"Oh dear, I feel like you've given us too much. How about this, I'll add a tent for you?"
"Okay," Jiang Baimian had no objections.
At this time, Tian Erhe saw the Blackmarsh Iron Serpent skin on the roof of the jeep.
"This..." His eyes widened, "Did you guys do this?"
When the jeep arrived yesterday, the sky was already dim due to the heavy clouds, and they hadn't clearly seen what was tied to the roof. They had thought it was a black tent.
Following Tian Erhe's gaze, the surrounding town guard members all saw the snake skin, which gave people a strong sense of oppression.
"Blackmarsh Iron Serpent..." someone whispered the nightmarish name.
Jiang Baimian chuckled softly:
"This guy was too big, we could only strip off the outer skin."
The people of Shuiwei Town suddenly fell silent, so silent that Jiang Baimian felt a little awkward.
As she had nothing else to do, she looked at the town, which was gradually becoming more lively, and tentatively asked:
"Town Chief, can we walk around and take a look?"
"Sure, where do you want to go? I'll take you there?" Tian Erhe adjusted the hat on his head, "How about we go to the classroom and take a look? Weren't you quite interested in our classes?"
In the clear morning light, the wrinkles on his face became even more striking and deep.
"Okay," Jiang Baimian turned to Shang Jianyao and said, "You come with me. Long Yuehong, you help Bai Chen keep an eye on the surroundings."
Shang Jianyao did not refuse and followed Jiang Baimian and Tian Erhe towards the three buildings arranged in a "pin" shape.
On the way, they passed through areas where various houses were built haphazardly, saw that some walls had holes that could only be blocked with wood and straw, saw some townspeople drink a ladle of cold water and hurriedly rush to the fields behind the town, saw a tent that had become wet in the rain last night and seemed to be leaking, and saw gaunt and poorly dressed people heading to different places.
After passing through here, they reached the small cement square. The flagpole on the flagpole platform was still there, but the flag was gone.
Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian continued forward with Tian Erhe, bypassing the building at the front and entering the one on the left in the back two buildings, and going up to the third floor.
Here, one side was a corridor with railings, and the other side was rooms divided into small spaces. The lighting was fairly adequate, and the ventilation was also good.
After walking a few steps, Tian Erhe led the two to stop in front of a fairly large room.
Through the bright and clean glass window, Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian saw more than a dozen or twenty desks and chairs inside. The aisle was very narrow, with little space.
At this time, more than a dozen or twenty children under the age of ten, wearing various tattered and unclean clothes, were sitting behind the desks and chairs, looking up at the podium, attentively listening to the teacher's lesson.
Some of them were trembling slightly, seemingly not yet accustomed to the morning cold, while others had their younger siblings hanging in swaddling clothes in front of their chests, soothing them from time to time.
They were boys and girls, each looking different, but their waists and backs were all very straight, sitting up straight.
Shang Jianyao saw their timetable posted on the wall at a glance:
"Morning Exercises... General Knowledge... Language... Mathematics... History..."
"These are the middle-grade students," Tian Erhe introduced in a low voice, seemingly not wanting to disturb the children inside.
Jiang Baimian looked attentively for a few seconds and "hmm"ed:
"Let's go, let's not disturb them."
After visiting Shuiwei Town with Tian Erhe, the two returned to the wooden shed. At this time, Bai Chen had repaired the jeep.
Because Shuiwei Town also didn't have enough food, let alone meat, Jiang Baimian didn't try to trade anymore and said to Tian Erhe:
"Town Chief, we have to go."
Tian Erhe nodded lightly:
"I hope we can meet again."
"Yeah," Jiang Baimian nodded with a smile.
"We will," Bai Chen responded at the same time.
They quickly packed up their belongings and got into the jeep. This time, Jiang Baimian was driving.
As the jeep slowly drove towards the gate with the barbed wire fence, Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and the others once again looked at the area filled with dense and chaotic buildings.
The townspeople there had gone to the fields or gone out hunting, leaving only a few at home.
This made the place seem even more dilapidated and decaying.
In the silent stillness, Shang Jianyao and the others suddenly heard a neat and childish voice coming from the building furthest in:
"Bright moonlight before my bed,
"I suspect it is frost on the ground.
"I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon,
"I lower my head and think of my hometown."
Note 1: The above poem is quoted from Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thought."
ps: Seeking recommendation tickets~