Actually, Lao Gao wasn't the only one burned. Huang Jinghe had been wearing a hat, but kids always want to show off their favorite hairstyle, so his bangs had been left outside.
The fire that burned Lao Gao's beard had also singed Huang Jinghe's bangs. Now he not only couldn't style them, his forehead was showing signs of burning too.
Looking at the two miserable faces, Lan Jin couldn't help but say, "Looks like you two can't be vain anymore."
The two gave a bitter smile. A military doctor came over and quickly checked their injuries.
Huang Jinghe only needed some ointment on his forehead. Lao Gao's beard, though, couldn't be burned with fire without risking skin damage. The simplest solution was to shave it all off.
Lao Gao rolled his eyes in despair.
Ling Jiang explained that Lao Gao had been growing that beard since middle school and had never fully shaved it. Losing it now was heart-breaking.
"What's there to be sad about? I've said that big beard is dirty. Viruses hide there. Shaving it is fine," Ling Jiang said, then comforted him. "Anyway, you're still a face with sideburns. It'll grow back. In a few months, you'll have a full beard again, Lao Gao."
Lao Gao gave him a sideways glare. But the beard was already singed. Even if he didn't shave it, it wouldn't look the same. Better to shave it and start fresh.
Since the ice still coated parts of his face, shaving was tricky. Only the military doctor could handle it. The military doctor said, "I don't have a choice. I'll be doing this as a side job for one more day."
Lao Gao thought bitterly, "I never imagined I'd shave my beard for this reason."
Shaving the beard was straightforward. But the ice stuck to his mouth, making it impossible to shave with a blade.
The doctor said, "Get some hot water. Be patient. We can only separate it bit by bit."
Once his mouth was free, Lao Gao immediately looked in a mirror to see what he really looked like.
Surprisingly, shaving didn't make him look much more mature.
Lan Jin whispered to Ling Jiang, "Did he always look this old? Or did he hide it with the beard?"
Ling Jiang paused, unsure how to respond. After a moment, she decided to agree, "Maybe both."
After the morning chaos and dealing with Lao Gao's beard, Lan Jin noticed it was almost 9 o'clock. Everyone was too tired to care about Lao Gao's mood and leaned back in their chairs to rest.
That night, apart from the giant owl, no other strange creatures appeared. They actually slept well.
The next day.
They were woken by a commotion. Ling Jiang leaned against the window and saw several vehicles parked beside theirs.
Seeing the others awake, Ling Jiang said, "They must be here to pick up the owl."
Meanwhile, breakfast was already cooking in a pot on the other side. Curry noodles, swapping the rice from yesterday for noodles, but with fresh curry ingredients. In this environment, leftovers didn't exist.
As soon as Lan Jin and the others got out of the car, the others loaded the captured owl onto a vehicle and left immediately.
Lan Jin politely greeted Brother Zhang, "Brother Zhang, up so early?"
Brother Zhang turned back. "Not early. The sun will rise soon. Yesterday we left at 9 because we had a lot of gear. Today, everything is normal. We leave at 5 sharp."
It was now 4:30, just enough time for breakfast.
Brother Zhang added, "Since we'll reach the weeding area today, this road might not be as safe as yesterday. Stay alert and don't treat this like a game."
"We weren't playing," Ling Jiang corrected seriously.
"Whether you were playing or not, your life and ours come first," Brother Zhang said.
Thinking back, Ling Jiang had moved incredibly fast yesterday. Brother Zhang had wondered about it but had no time to ask. He now asked, "Last night… was that teleportation?"
"No," Ling Jiang explained. "I trained in martial arts, so I was already fast. My ability makes me faster, but not teleport fast."
Her teleportation moved 2–3 meters per second. Normally, she could move that far in 2 seconds. Her speed had improved but not to teleportation level.
In her eyes, true teleportation moved at least 5 meters per second. She insisted her ability wasn't teleportation.
After testing her speed, Brother Zhang admitted, "You really are fast."
Fast wasn't all. In danger, using full strength would surprise anyone. They hoped, though, to avoid exposing too much power during this journey.
After breakfast, they moved again.
As Brother Zhang predicted, the closer they got to the weeding area, the more dangerous the road became.
After two hours, they encountered a swarm of large ants running down the mountain. They weren't as big as the owl, but enormous compared to normal ants. These ants were the size of a grown man's hand.
There were so many that they initially tried to escape. But the ants had incredible biting strength and moved fast. Some even damaged their tires.
They were forced to get out and deal with the ants.
Lao Gao was more alert now. He first checked for wind, then used his fire ability.
The fire roasted a heap of ants instantly, filling the air with a spicy aroma.
Lan Jin asked Brother Zhang, "Can we eat these ants? I'm not eating them, just asking."
Brother Zhang sighed. "You don't need to ask about every mutant. Some things even I don't know if they're edible."