"Where did you come from?" Mu Qingyun's eyes turned cold as she clenched her fists.
Sensing the hostility radiating from her, Su appeared flustered and at a loss.
"I woke up this morning and saw you were gone, so I came out to look for you. I followed your footprints—you see?" Su pointed to the faint trail of footprints Mu Qingyun had left behind, speaking with sincere honesty.
On this barren island where not even a blade of grass grew, the exposed soil captured even the lightest footprint.
But Mu Qingyun no longer believed a word he said.
"You always walk without making a sound?"
Su's heart skipped a beat. At last, he realized the reason behind her wariness. Frowning, he bit his lip, putting on a pitiful expression as if on the verge of tears. "My father forced me to learn that. He said it was useful for sneaking up on prey."
As he spoke, he reached up and rubbed his eyes. "I've been forced to train in stealth since I was little. They said it was our family's secret technique. My body was already weak, and the training only made it worse."
Mu Qingyun paused, caught off guard by the pitiful display. "You…"
Cough cough! Cough cough cough—
Suddenly, Su clutched his chest with one hand and covered his mouth with the other. A violent fit of coughing erupted, loud enough to shake the heavens. Mu Qingyun genuinely believed that if he kept coughing, he might die right there.
Tch, what a mess I've gotten myself into.
She frowned, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and lightly patted his back to help regulate his breathing.
"Cough… I-I'm okay now," Su's voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes rimmed red, looking utterly miserable.
"I always start coughing when I get emotional. I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Mu Qingyun blinked, confused. Why is this poor thing apologizing like that?
"I just felt like you suddenly hated me," Su muttered, pouting like a kicked puppy, silently threatening to burst into tears if she said anything too harsh.
"You're overthinking it." She glanced at him, then let the matter drop. "I caught some fish earlier. I'll grill them when we get back."
Upon hearing that, Su's gloomy expression immediately cleared up. He nodded obediently. "Okay."
"By the way, what were you doing out here?"
"Don't ask what you don't need to know," Mu Qingyun said lazily. Then she noticed the green glow on his livestream device had disappeared. She pointed. "Why isn't it glowing?"
Su followed her gaze to his wrist and laughed softly. "Everyone gets five chances per day to turn off their livestream feed. Each time lasts up to one hour. Just press this button."
"And how do you turn it back on?" Mu Qingyun raised an eyebrow.
"Press it again," Su replied wearily, as if explaining to a child.
So that's how it works? All that effort hiding under the oversized sleeves… turns out she could've just turned it off?
Mu Qingyun pulled her sleeve back up, and the viewers finally saw light return to their dark screens.
[Livestream Comments]
"Finally! I thought my phone broke.""Did they just have a fight?""I heard some arguing—what were they doing offscreen?""Why does everyone call Su 'beef jerky'? Mu Qingyun's even skinnier than him.""Because Su keeps coughing and looks fragile, duh."
Inside the cave, Xiong Ruoyou had awakened, still in her bear form, staring longingly out the entrance, clearly waiting for Mu Qingyun to return.
"She's still not back?" Fan Xuanye asked as he walked up beside her. For the first time, he shifted his tail into human legs—long, well-proportioned limbs that made him look like a runway model.
"No, and I'm starving." Xiong Ruoyou pawed at the ground with her big bear claws, her face visibly showing her frustration.
"How much water do you have left in your storage bag?" Fan Xuanye asked suddenly, as if something had just occurred to him.
"Not much." Xiong Ruoyou immediately rummaged through her bag and sighed in dismay. "They inspected our bags before we came in—no protein powder, no supplements, limited water. I can maybe last three more days."
Fan Xuanye frowned. "Same here."
"We're back," came Su's voice before their worry could deepen.
Both turned their heads quickly. "Did you bring food?"
Xiong Ruoyou lifted her bear face, eyes full of hope, staring at the returning Mu Qingyun and Su.
Mu Qingyun glanced at the two waiting at the cave entrance, a flash of emotion passing through her eyes.
Just like before… Mother and my little brother used to wait for me like this, hoping I'd bring something back.
That warmth and familiarity crept into her heart. She gave a small nod. "I'll grill some fish for you in a bit."
"Yes!" they both cheered.
[Livestream Comments]
"They look like a family of four!""Two hungry beasts and... wait, they're all dudes.""Honestly, they kinda look good together.""Let's just say—three brothers and a bear sister.""Ship it. Family of four supremacy!"
Mu Qingyun lined up the fish, activated her fire ability, and began roasting them.
With a few simple seasonings, the fragrant aroma of grilled fish soon filled the entire cave.
"Smells so good," Xiong Ruoyou's bear nose twitched as she stared hungrily at the fish.
ROAR—
Suddenly, the roar of a wild beast echoed from outside.
Mu Qingyun froze mid-action, her head snapping toward the cave entrance.
A black-and-white striped tiger slowly stepped into view, baring its sharp teeth and staring directly at the grilled fish in her hand.
What the hell? This is a tropical island! Why is there a tiger here?!
Her mind reeled with disbelief.
"Ahhh! A tiger! Someone save me!" Xiong Ruoyou screamed, abandoning all thoughts of fish and scrambling toward the back of the cave.
Fan Xuanye's eyes narrowed. His snake tail instantly replaced his legs, coiling defensively. Though they were beastfolk and had evolved beyond their animal instincts, tigers were still apex predators—and their primal fear of such creatures remained.
"Is this really a normal island?" Mu Qingyun muttered, utterly baffled. How can tigers survive here?
"It's probably not real," Su's eyes narrowed with a flash of cold light. "There shouldn't be any tigers here. It must be a virtual beast created by the academy."
But then... why would a virtual beast appear this early in the test?