Chapter 4

Bai Yi finished building the rain shelter and used the leftover leaves and stones to make two places where they could rest. When she finally finished and turned around, she met Ye Sheng’s gaze and raised a hand to beckon her over.

Ye Sheng looked down at the two coconuts in her hands, their outer husks stripped away but their shells barely scratched. Only then did she realize she’d been so distracted that she hadn’t even managed to complete such a simple task.

Feeling rather embarrassed, Ye Sheng walked under the shelter, her cheeks faintly flushed, and looked at Bai Yi. “Um…”

“Can’t get them open? Here, let me.” Bai Yi took the coconuts from her and sat down nearby. Using a sharp stone, she tapped evenly around the pointed end of one coconut, applying just the right amount of force. Before long, she’d opened it and handed it back to Ye Sheng. “Have something to drink first.”

Holding the coconut in both hands, Ye Sheng watched Bai Yi continue working on the other one. The rhythmic tapping mingled with the sound of enormous raindrops striking the banana leaves. It was noisy, yet for some inexplicable reason, the sounds made her feel at ease.

Outside, the rain showed no sign of letting up, and the fierce wind shook the treetops. Bai Yi removed her soaked jacket, used its lining to wipe some fruit clean, and handed it to Ye Sheng. Now that they had officially formed a team, they ought to get to know each other. So Bai Yi took the initiative to introduce herself.

“Let’s introduce ourselves properly. My name is Bai Yi. I’m from the Capital Planet, and I graduated from the Royal Academy. I presented as an Alpha, but my aptitude is fairly average, and I haven’t awakened my mental manifestation.”

As Ye Sheng listened, an appropriately surprised expression appeared on her face. “You’re actually a member of the imperial family?”

“Well…” Bai Yi had known this would happen. ​bailiantales.com​Feeling a little awkward, she hurriedly explained, “I’m just from a very distant branch of the family. I’m practically invisible, so you don’t need to pay any attention to that.”

Ye Sheng hadn’t expected her to be so sincere and straightforward. Her fingers curled slightly around the fruit she was holding. “I’m just surprised. If you’re from the imperial family, how do you know how to do all this work?”

For a moment, Bai Yi didn’t know how to answer. “I guess… it’s a hobby?”

“That’s quite a healthy hobby you’ve got.” Ye Sheng tugged at the corners of her mouth. Meanwhile, she was already thinking about how to part ways with Bai Yi after the examination. No matter what, the two of them absolutely couldn’t become friends.3

“You still haven’t told me your name. We’re teammates now, so I need something to call you.” Bai Yi brought the conversation back on track. She wasn’t sure whether it was her imagination, but the girl beside her seemed rather temperamental. Her attitude kept shifting between warm and cold, making it difficult to figure out what she was thinking.

Ye Sheng glanced at Bai Yi. This year’s examination didn’t involve officially assigned teams, nor did students have to submit any team registration information. Apart from when someone was eliminated or when the final results were announced, their real names wouldn’t be mentioned at any other point.

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. Since nobody here knew her anyway, giving a false name wouldn’t matter. At worst, when the examination was almost over, she could find an empty place to hide from Bai Yi. Once they enrolled, there would be so many students around, and Bai Yi knew practically nothing about her. There was no way she’d be able to find her.

She glanced at Bai Yi again. This person looked upright and modest, with a good temper to boot. Even if she eventually discovered she’d been deceived, she probably wouldn’t do anything to Ye Sheng. At most, she’d simply never speak to her again.

Having made up her mind, Ye Sheng caught sight of the banana leaves overhead out of the corner of her eye and immediately came up with a name. “My name is Jiao Ye. You can just call me Yezi.”

“Yezi? All right.” Bai Yi nodded, then glanced at the bailiantales.com time on her optical computer. “It’ll be dark soon. You get some rest first. I’ll keep watch.”

Ye Sheng looked at her in surprise. “Is this island really that dangerous?”

“Since it’s an examination, we definitely shouldn’t let our guard down.”

Bai Yi couldn’t exactly tell her that she knew what was coming because she’d read the novel. She simply gave a vague answer. In any case, there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

Ye Sheng didn’t ask any more questions. She lay down on the cool leaves and closed her eyes, calculating that about three hours of sleep should be enough. When the time came, she could get up and take over the watch.

Neither of them had been particularly talkative to begin with, and now the only sound remaining was the endless patter of rain. Bai Yi leaned against a tree trunk, keeping an ear out for any movement around them, though her gaze eventually settled on the person opposite her.

It wasn’t completely dark yet. Although visibility was somewhat poor, she could still make out the girl’s silhouette. Ye Sheng lay on her side, her body curled into a defensive posture. With her eyes closed, the ever-present smile had vanished from her peaceful face, leaving her looking exceptionally cool and aloof. For no apparent reason, she suddenly seemed rather distant and unapproachable.

The name Ye Sheng abruptly surfaced in Bai Yi’s mind. For a fleeting moment, she felt as though Yezi, lying before her, had overlapped with the protagonist Ye Sheng described in the novel. She remembered that during this part of the examination, Ye Sheng had been unable to find anyone willing to team up with her. She was unfamiliar with the place, came from a frontier planet, and didn’t possess particularly outstanding aptitude or abilities.

Having come from a desolate, desert-covered frontier planet, she’d never even seen the ocean before. Naturally, she found herself completely out of her element in the unfamiliar rainforest on the island. She could only conceal herself as much as possible, secretly observing which fruits the other students picked to determine what was safe to eat. She was cautious at every turn, and it was precisely this caution that allowed her to detect the mutated snakes, insects, and poisonous ants ahead of time. She also managed to discover the existence of the examination team and figure out the patterns behind their attacks.

Because she was using a forged identity, she had to keep such a low profile that nobody would notice her, while making Read on BaiLianTalessure her performance placed her just barely above the passing threshold. That was even more difficult than simply passing the examination, but fortunately, she was very clever.

Bai Yi’s thoughts gradually wandered. By the time she came back to herself, she realized she was worrying unnecessarily again. The protagonist would certainly find a way through every dangerous situation. She’d be better off thinking about what the two of them should do next. Tonight would probably be their last peaceful night.

According to the original novel, there would be a massive outbreak of mutated creatures tomorrow. Not only would the academy refuse to suspend the examination, but it would also make hunting those creatures a criterion for ranking the students. Large quantities of weapons would be airdropped onto the island, and whether anyone managed to obtain a suitable weapon would depend entirely on their luck. A real-life island battle royale was about to begin.

As the night deepened, the rain gradually eased, and the distant sound of waves surging against the shore became clearer. Bai Yi weighed the stone beside her in her hand, then abandoned the idea of making a weapon herself. Living creatures in this world had undergone tremendous evolutionary changes. Ordinary stones and sharpened wooden sticks could no longer inflict any meaningful damage, so carrying them would be pointless.

Three hours passed quickly. Bai Yi was resting with her eyes closed when Ye Sheng’s optical computer suddenly chimed. Almost without hesitation, Ye Sheng immediately woke, her eyes regaining their clarity. After taking a slow breath, she sat up and used the light from her optical computer to look at Bai Yi, who had also opened her eyes. “I’m awake. You should get some sleep.”

Before Bai Yi could respond, her ears twitched as she caught an unusual sound. She stepped forward, grabbed Ye Sheng’s wrist, and switched off her optical computer. Unfortunately, it was already a little too late. Drawn by the light, creatures in the darkness were rapidly approaching the area, their wings beating furiously.

It was so dark that they couldn’t even see their hands in front of their faces. Bai Yi kept hold of Ye Sheng’s wrist and pulled a huge banana leaf over them, concealing both of them completely.

Pressed close against Bai Yi, Ye Sheng had also heard the fluttering wings. She knew all too well that in an unfamiliar environment like this, such sounds signaled danger. She didn’t dare move recklessly and even slowed her breathing considerably.

In the complete darkness, she couldn’t see anything, but she could feel the other person’s warmth. The wrist Bai Yi was holding seemed to be burning, and Ye Sheng couldn’t help curling her fingers slightly. Perhaps she was so nervous that she was hearing things, but she thought she could hear her own heartbeat.

The sound of countless beating wings swept overhead, shattering the silence. Then came a noise like muffled thunder rolling across [stolen content]the sky, followed by the frantic flapping of wings, the sharp rush of air as something moved at incredible speed, and the sound of something being dragged rapidly across stones and fallen leaves on the ground…

The rain shelter they’d built collapsed under the weight of something, pinning Bai Yi and Ye Sheng beneath it. Neither dared move a muscle, because not far away, a brutal chain of predators hunting their prey was unfolding.

The struggle didn’t last long. The world soon fell silent again, broken only by the scalp-prickling sounds of swallowing and the dull crunch of bones being crushed.

The island was so enormous that what happened here failed to alert anyone else. Bai Yi and Ye Sheng remained perfectly still, silently waiting for the seemingly endless feeding to finish. Eventually, the sound of something being dragged away reached them again. When the surroundings finally fell completely quiet, both women let out a breath of relief at almost the same moment.

Only after relaxing did Ye Sheng realize just how close they were. Bai Yi practically had her entire body enclosed in her arms. Her breath brushed against Ye Sheng’s hair, while Ye Sheng’s head rested against her shoulder. With the slightest turn of her head, she could press her ear near Bai Yi’s chest and faintly hear the steady rhythm of her heartbeat.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Ye Sheng shifted her body, intending to move back a little, but Bai Yi quickly held her in place again.

“Don’t move yet,” Bai Yi whispered. “Other animals will come to feed on whatever’s left. Let’s wait until daylight before going out.”

They didn’t have much longer to wait anyway, so there was no reason to take that risk.

Ye Sheng stopped moving. Lowering her gaze, she tried to focus her attention on the faint rustling sounds outside. Yet the presence of the person beside her was simply too overwhelming. The harder she tried not to pay attention, the more sensitive her senses seemed to become, magnifying every little thing about Bai Yi until her entire mind was occupied by her.

She thought this torment would continue for a long time. But then she heard the other woman’s soft, slow, even breathing, and the hand around her wrist gradually loosened. Only then did Ye Sheng realize that Bai Yi had actually fallen asleep in an environment like this.

Ye Sheng: …

Realizing this made Ye Sheng feel much more at ease, and she finally allowed her own body to relax. Although the situation had developed somewhat differently from what she’d anticipated, things seemed pretty good overall. Especially since she’d encountered this person. Bai Yi was capable, had a wonderful personality, and her character was beyond reproach. As for her appearance… she was quite pleasing to the eye, too.

What a pity she was a member of the imperial family.

Light from outside gradually filtered through the gaps between the banana leaves. Ye Sheng had also managed to rest briefly, but now she opened her eyes alertly. The first thing she saw clearly was Bai Yi’s face, enlarged by their close proximity.

Ye Sheng’s breath faltered slightly. They really were a little too close. Besides, how could someone look so flawless even from such a short distance away?

Her gaze traced the contours of Bai Yi’s features, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved upward. When she belatedly realized what she was doing, she forcibly flattened her smile and hurriedly looked away.

Good grief. What on earth had she just been thinking?