In the dense, primeval forest, five people and a tiger were making a lively escape.
Wang was running joyfully. Ever since they had left the Viper Group's camp, it had been excited beyond measure, bouncing up and down without rest.
Finally, Chloe managed to curb its exuberance.
Daniel, feeling queasy from the jolting ride, was on the verge of vomiting:
"Can you, can you make your little turtle slow down a bit?"
As soon as he said this, Wang started running even more enthusiastically.
Chloe gave him a sidelong glance: "You're welcome to try calling it that again."
Daniel, his face pale, realized he shouldn't say that anymore and tightly shut his mouth.
At Chloe's signal, Wang finally slowed down.
Since they hadn't retrieved their terminals, they couldn't contact anyone inside the military camp, not even to check the time. They could only roughly guess based on the sun's position.
They hadn't been fleeing for long. The Viper Group was likely too preoccupied to come after them.
Thinking about this, Chloe furrowed her brow again.
Just as she was about to force herself not to overthink, a rustling sound came from ahead.
Chloe looked in the direction of the noise.
Something flashed through the underbrush. Chloe ordered Wang to stop and peered in that direction.
Gradually, a human figure emerged.
With her neat short hair and dignified figure, Chloe recognized her instantly.
Her eyes brimmed with tears: "Sister Qu Yan!"
Seeing them, Qu Yan was also visibly moved:
"What are you doing here?!"
After speaking, she instinctively glanced behind Chloe to ensure there was no danger before approaching.
Seeing the mighty tiger they were riding, she was momentarily stunned:
"Where did this come from?"
"It's a long story," said Chloe. "I heard Sister Qu Yan set out before us, why didn't we meet up?"
Qu Yan's expression changed slightly: "We were unlucky. The forest paths are complex and winding. We searched for ages but couldn't find the Viper Group's lair, so we had to return empty-handed."
She looked at the somewhat bedraggled group from The No.1 Military Academy and hesitantly asked:
"So you really found the Viper Group?"
Qin Huaibei pushed up his glasses: "More than that, we were captured and imprisoned by them for quite a while. It's a miracle we're alive."
Qu Yan: "Being alive is good enough."
A smile played at the corners of her eyes: "Colonel Bai Zuo said you must have encountered the Viper Group to be gone for so long. He sent me with a team to rescue you. I didn't believe it at first, but now I see it's true."
Chloe: "Our luck has always been like this."
She gave a thumbs up.
Qu Yan laughed: "Alright, enough joking."
She beckoned behind her, and suddenly many soldiers from the military camp appeared.
Chloe's eyes lit up: "Are all these assigned to you by Colonel Bai Zuo?"
"Yes," Qu Yan teased, "After all, we're rescuing our young lady. How could we not bring enough people?"
Chloe was excited and immediately pointed in a direction:
"Look, do you see? Go straight in the direction I'm pointing, take the first fork to the right, and the Viper Group is there. Go teach them a lesson!"
Qu Yan chuckled: "Alright, alright."
She waved for the soldiers to head in the direction Chloe had indicated.
They had truly sent a large force. Watching so many people pass by, Chloe felt a wave of relief.
It was great; with these people going, the Viper Group's remnants in the Human Race Capital wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
As for that man in the black robe...
Chloe's expression changed as she recalled what they had discussed earlier.
Qu Yan noticed the change in her demeanor and asked with concern what was wrong.
Chloe shook her head, indicating it was nothing.
"Let's go back first."
Back at the military camp, they could wait for Ren Yunying to return and then indirectly inquire about other matters.
...
"You went out once and came back with a tiger?" Bai Zuo looked at Wang standing nearby, his expression complex.
"Yes," Chloe said righteously. "I didn't expect this either, but Wang is still young. If we release it back into the wild, it will surely be in danger."
"Why don't we keep it for now?"
Bai Zuo was nearly speechless at Chloe's suggestion: "How could we possibly keep such a large tiger? It looks like it could eat more than a person in a day."
"How is that possible!" Chloe vigorously defended her new pet. "Our Wang is very well-behaved and has never eaten anyone. Who's slandering it!"
Bai Zuo: "..."
"Never mind who's slandering it, just look at the size of... Wang. How much meat does it need to eat in a day? Can our canned food and dry rations support it?"
Hearing this, Chloe observed carefully and honestly replied: "No, they can't."
"Then why are you still arguing!"
Chloe defended in a small voice: "But Wang can hunt for itself."
Bai Zuo: "...Didn't you just say it would be in danger if it returned to the wild?"
"It's just hunting, there won't be any problems," Chloe insisted unreasonably.
In the end, Bai Zuo was so annoyed that he finally agreed to temporarily keep Wang in the military camp.
Meanwhile, the people from the Viper Group had all been captured and brought back.
A large tent was specially allocated to house the prisoners.
Bai Zuo even called Chloe to identify people, but in reality, Chloe only knew the man in the black robe and an animal trainer.
However, after looking around, she didn't see either of them.
After asking the soldiers who had made the arrests, they learned that when they arrived, the scene was chaotic. They had managed to round up and capture everyone, but they hadn't found anyone matching Chloe's descriptions.
This was very strange. Could they have found a chance to escape?
But at that time, the Viper Group was in complete disarray. How could they have escaped?
The beast horde alone would have been enough to give them trouble, let alone escaping...
Chloe sensed something was amiss. She wondered if the man in the black robe had simply discarded his robe and blended in with the guards.
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
But because Chloe had only seen the black-robed man's chin, that afternoon, a rumor spread through the military camp that Chloe from The No.1 Military Academy had suddenly gone around examining the chins of prisoners, behaving indecently.
In the end, it even alarmed Colonel Bai Zuo.
The other person looked at her in disbelief, hesitating for a long while before finally saying:
"Ren Yunying told me you were improper, but I never imagined you'd be this improper!"
Chloe was shocked and dismayed. "That's unfair! I was just looking for someone!"
"Who goes around lifting people's chins when they're looking for someone?!"
Chloe protested, "But that person only showed me their chin, what else could I do?"
Bai Zuo retorted, "Seeing their chin wasn't enough? What else did you want to see?!"
At these words, silence fell over the surroundings.
Chloe: "???"
Bai Zuo: "..."
"You, Chloe, now, immediately, at once, go run fifty laps around the entire military camp."
