The Worst-Case Scenario

Shen Shouli's expression was indescribably strange.

Xu Lingqu, with her back to him, didn't notice his face at all, and responded readily: "Sure."

The two of them relocated to a secluded spot on the edge of the training ground.

Tang Muwen, though easily a head taller than Xu Lingqu, looked at her as if he were looking up at her.

"We had a bit of a misunderstanding before, but it doesn't seem as heavy now," Tang Muwen said, his voice soft as if floating in the air. "I'm not clinging to you just because I want a strong teammate now. So, if later there's a situation with a small team..."

Xu Lingqu more or less understood what Tang Muwen was agonizing over and cut straight to the chase: "Don't worry, if it's a self-formed team and it's too forced, I won't pick you."

At first, she really disliked probing like this from Tang Muwen.

Xu Lingqu once thought Tang Muwen was trying to gain something by showing weakness—her intuition told her that—but after a few more days together, she realized this was just how Tang Muwen was by nature.

He was a boy in the analyst track; aside from being tall and having passable stamina, he had no real advantages during the trial period. Wanting to latch onto someone stronger wasn't unreasonable.

Xu Lingqu had more or less accepted his presence around her, and as for whether he continued to "latch on," she chose to respect Tang Muwen's own choice.

Tang Muwen didn't seem surprised by her answer at all. He smiled slightly. "That really sounds like you."

The faint light from the training ground spilled over, and the atmosphere shifted slightly. Unfortunately, Xu Lingqu was completely oblivious to romance and turned to leave, only to see a familiar figure.

Shen Shouli was walking toward them, head bowed as if looking for something.

"Shen... classmate Shen, why are you here too?" Tang Muwen seemed flustered that Shen Shouli had appeared after he'd emphasized being alone.

Shen Shouli raised his head without the slightest guilt, his gaze flicking between the two. "I'm looking for something."

Xu Lingqu had a knack for reading instructors' tricks, but she felt none of the current subtle tension: "How do you keep losing things?"

With that, she brushed past Shen Shouli, leaving the two standing there dumbfounded.

Tang Muwen spoke hesitantly, "Classmate Shen... do you need help looking?"

"No," Shen Shouli said, face cold. "Leave."

Seeing his sudden change in expression, Tang Muwen hurried off, afraid of hitting some nerve.

Xu Lingqu made her usual trip to the infirmary to ease the soreness from her intensified training, which felt like she'd been beaten in a sack.

When she returned to the dorm, Liu Zheng and Lin Xiao were both there. She nodded to them in greeting and headed to wash up. After washing, she quickly got into bed and closed her eyes.

Tonight would not be a peaceful night, so every extra moment of rest counted.

Lin Xiao was still excited about the suspected group match and wanted to chat with Xu Lingqu, but saw her go to bed at lightning speed, as if a ghost were chasing her out of the bathroom.

"Xu, are you not feeling well?" Lin Xiao tried to ask.

"I just came back from the infirmary," Xu Lingqu said, voice muffled under the covers.

Guess I spoke out of turn, Lin Xiao thought, red-faced. She scratched her head and turned around, only to find Liu Zheng staring at Xu Lingqu without blinking.

Remembering the "grudge" between the two, Lin Xiao broke out in a cold sweat. With Liu Zheng looking like that, was she about to witness a dorm conflict?

Lin Xiao stood up shakily, trying to get Liu Zheng's attention so she'd stop staring at Xu Lingqu, but Liu Zheng spoke at that moment.

"You think something's going to happen tonight too, right?" Her voice was icy, devoid of emotion.

Ever since this morning's shooting practice, when Xu Lingqu said she'd beat her at the thing she was most proud of, Liu Zheng had fallen into this cold, distant state.

Xu Lingqu pulled the covers down a bit. "Mm, so cut the chatter and get in bed."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao, though still confused and full of question marks, obediently crawled into bed.

Liu Zheng, her vague suspicions confirmed, immediately lay down as well.

Their dorm became the first in the building to turn out the lights.

Lin Xiao couldn't sleep and couldn't help asking, "What's going to happen tonight?"

The uneasy feeling of not being able to sleep reminded her of the sudden river attack that night; the thrilling sensation replayed in her mind.

Lin Xiao still felt a bit of palpitations from it.

"Don't know," Xu Lingqu said, eyes closed, resting. It was too early to fall asleep, but lying down and resting was already her goal.

"But hey, the worst-case scenario is just waking up to find someone pointing a gun at you from the bedside. No need to be too tense," Xu Lingqu comforted.

Lin Xiao became even more tense.

Liu Zheng turned over and joined in: "The instructors probably have access to the dorm doors. We're on the first floor, so once it starts, we're the first in line."

She actually took Xu Lingqu's offhand worst-case scenario seriously and started analyzing it.

Lin Xiao, scared but also thinking, isn't analyzing supposed to be my job?

Xu Lingqu laughed. "It's fine, I put something by the door."

She'd been the last to come back; Lin Xiao and Liu Zheng hadn't noticed that she'd dragged a chair to block the door, with a glass bottle balanced on the edge of the seat, such that if the chair moved even slightly, the bottle would fall.

If anyone pushed the door open, the glass bottle would inevitably shatter, causing a racket, and the broken shards on the floor would also make entry more difficult.

That wouldn't buy much time, but with no luggage and only training-base toiletries in the dorm, there weren't many useful items. The glass bottle and chair were the best options.

"Every second counts. That's enough time to wake up and dash into the bathroom. The bathroom door can be locked manually, so they'd have to break it down, and we can climb out the window. I remember the straight-line distance to the weapon storage warehouse is only 500 meters."

Xu Lingqu had planned the entire escape route clearly. As Lin Xiao listened, she suddenly felt confident about the night.

Some people are just born to be commanders. Lin Xiao only wished she could laugh to the heavens, thanking the system for putting her in the same dorm as Xu Lingqu, just as her name suggested.

"Sleep early. Get enough rest so you don't stumble out with blurry eyes and a dizzy head."

Xu Lingqu's words seemed magical; Lin Xiao fell into a peaceful sleep.

Late at night, in the wee hours, Kai Ang walked onto the training ground in military boots.

Instructor Chen glanced helplessly at his colleague who loved being a night owl. "Are you sure you want to wake them like this?"

Kai Ang grinned. "Of course. Let's start by cutting the fingerprint system on their dorm door."