[Now that's an interesting comment.][Not gonna lie, kind of makes sense—people on screen only show you what they want you to see.][Hey now, what's this? Are you a fan of Mu Qingyun or something? You've got too much time on your hands. We're talking about a royal princess here. She doesn't need to "craft" a persona.][Exactly. I'm taking Princess Highness and leaving. No thanks.][Our princess wouldn't stoop to faking a persona, okay? Who even is this Mu Qingyun trash, sneering and throwing shade like this?]
…
"Alright, enough about her," Su said, trying to break the tension between the two silent teammates. "Let's focus on surviving this island trial. This is only the first phase. The academy's going to release all kinds of virtual creatures next. Even though they're virtual, the damage they cause can be permanent. If anyone gets seriously hurt, the whole team gets disqualified."
"We'll deal with it as it comes," Mu Qingyun said calmly, closing her eyes. "Right now, let's just focus on the present. Don't bother me unless it's important."
She leaned back and began to channel her internal energy to heal and regulate her body.
Seeing her settle down, Xiong Ruoyou transformed into her bear form and laid herself down near the entrance of the cave, blocking the cold wind that blew in from outside.
As dusk fell, Mu Qingyun finished circulating her energy and slowly opened her eyes.
She scanned the cave. Fan Xuanye and Su were both already asleep. Xiong Ruoyou's large body not only blocked the wind but also shielded them from the setting sun's rays.
She glanced at the small screen on her wrist. There were barely any comments—most viewers had probably gone to bed.
She turned onto her side, quietly pulled Su's jacket tighter around her, and tucked her head and left hand completely inside. Her right hand, which had the livestream device, remained outside so the viewers couldn't see what she was doing.
[Huh? What's she doing?][No idea. Why's she curling up in the jacket like that?][Wait, y'all still up? You're really staying up just to watch this?][I'm out. Can't keep my eyes open. Someone DM me tomorrow and tell me what she was doing.]"Gotta work tomorrow" has left the stream."Mu Qingyun is my daddy" has left the stream.[Pfft, that username though.][You forgot? That guy lost a bet—he said if Mu Qingyun survived fighting the Zerg, he'd call her daddy. Guess he's keeping his word.]
…
Under the jacket, Mu Qingyun reached out with her left hand and began testing her powers.
As her internal energy surged, a faint green light flickered in her palm—so weak it was barely noticeable.
Let's give it a try.
She pressed her hand against the ground, attempting to sense any plant life in the area. After a while, she frowned and withdrew her hand.
Nothing. Not even a trace of plant residue. Was the land this polluted?
She sighed, then retracted her energy and pulled the jacket back down. Forget it—I'll try somewhere else later.
She closed her eyes and drifted into a light sleep.
Meanwhile, in the corner, Su—who seemed to be asleep—quietly opened his eyes. He glanced toward Mu Qingyun, eyes narrowing with curiosity.
…
Early the next morning, Mu Qingyun was eager to head out and search for signs of vegetation. But when she turned toward the entrance of the cave, she was greeted by a giant bear body blocking the way.
She couldn't help but let out a silent laugh. How am I supposed to get out like this?
As if sensing her stare, Xiong Ruoyou yawned, flipped over in her sleep, and rolled right out of the cave.
Mu Qingyun: "…"
This bear really is clueless—but also kinda adorable.
She squeezed through the gap left between the bear and the cave entrance and headed out toward the beach.
[PFFFFT! Black Bear Sister, you're killing me! 😂][Full marks for this move. Comedy gold.][She's gonna be so confused when she wakes up outside like—how did I get here?!][Stop laughing so hard, you're shaking my screen!]
Mu Qingyun reached the shoreline, picked up a discarded plastic stick from the ground, and stared into the still water, ready to strike.
She clenched and unclenched her hand. Then, in a flash, she thrust the stick into the water—straight at a leisurely swimming grass carp.
SPLASH— water flew up as she pulled out the fish, cool and calm.
[Holy crap! That was insane!][Yo, that was a plastic stick. How the heck did she do that??]
One after another, she speared several more fish. She counted the catch lined up neatly in a row on the sand—should be enough. She tucked the stick back into her storage pouch, quickly cleaned the fish, and stowed them away as well.
Then she moved forward, her left hand glowing faintly green as she tried to sense a plant signal.
Finally, when she reached a patch of damp soil, her palm suddenly flared with heat.
Found it?
She pulled Su's jacket from her storage pouch and slipped it on. He may have been thin, but he was still a man—his clothes hung loosely on her.
The jacket sleeves were so long they covered her hands. She adjusted them carefully, making sure the fabric covered the livestream device.
Suddenly, the entire stream went black.
[Did my phone die? Why is my screen black?][Same here. What happened??][Looks like her oversized sleeve is blocking the camera.][Seriously? Is she that clueless? The whole camera is covered and she doesn't even notice?][Someone tell her! Quick!][They can't. No one from the academy can intervene unless it's the final stage. Only her teammates could let her know.][Time to jump into the other teammates' streams, I guess?][Yup, that's the plan.]
The chat exploded with concern. No one wanted to miss even a second of Mu Qingyun potentially making a fool of herself.
But Mu Qingyun was finally able to relax. With no audience and no prying eyes, she could fully focus on practicing her plant-type ability.
She knelt down and pressed her glowing hand against the soil, channeling her energy. The green light pulsed brightly—and then, just a few feet away, the ground stirred. Something beneath the surface was pushing to break through.
"What are you doing?"
A familiar voice cut through the silence.
Mu Qingyun froze.
She instantly withdrew her hand and turned around—of course, it was Su.
Why does this guy never make a sound when he walks?
She narrowed her eyes and glared coldly at him.
This is the third time he's snuck up on me without a trace.There's no way this "sickly little boy" is what he claims to be.