Upon hearing this, the students' faces filled with tension.
A healthy, ordinary person can run 500 meters in just over a minute, to say nothing of a massive, swift monster like that...
Although the winding path was definitely longer than 500 meters, it was still extremely dangerous.
"Dean Wu, are you saying... you want us to go kill the Silver-Scaled Python together?"
Just then, a student couldn't help but raise his hand and ask.
Dean Wu shook his head. "The Silver-Scaled Python is far too dangerous for us. I can't let everyone take a risk that means certain death."
"So you're thinking...?"
"The thirty of you have Silver Lotus Woods that were the first among the survivors to mutate, giving you some combat strength. However, if we want to completely clear out the Soul Beasts roaming the campus, we'll need the strength of even more people."
"As the saying goes, a craftsman must first sharpen his tools. I want to create a mentored training model where two students with mutated Silver Lotus Woods escort one whose hasn't. They'll go out hunting Soul Beasts and, while ensuring safety, help the weakest student improve their survival skills."
Dean Wu's expectant gaze swept over everyone present.
"This mentoring model might not offer you any reward. But if the Silver Lotus Woods of the remaining nearly 300 people all mutate, our overall strength will undoubtedly reach its maximum potential."
"I will assign a few teachers to constantly monitor the Silver-Scaled Python's location. Once our strength is great enough, we will make a tentative attempt to attack it, minimizing the risk."
Han Ning thought for a moment. 'Dean Wu's proposal is indeed the lowest-risk and most efficient method available right now.'
In a desolate wasteland teeming with danger like this, everyone had to pull their own weight. They couldn't just lie back and get a free meal, relying on this small group to "feed" them.
"Students who agree with my suggestion, please raise your hands. Teacher Zhou will count. I won't force anyone who doesn't want to participate in the plan."
After a moment of silence, all 30 students present raised their hands in unison.
They were the first group to venture out and explore. Since they were all willing to risk their lives to find food, helping their fellow students grow stronger wasn't a hard thing to accept.
Besides, taking weaker students out to hunt would also be good training for their own Silver Lotus Woods.
The day after the short meeting, the teachers didn't assign Han Ning any tasks.
「The morning of the third day.」
After breakfast, Han Ning, carrying Yin Yi on his back and holding a compound bow, arrived on the first floor of Dormitory Building B.
His roommate, Lin Tianhe, and an older man in his early thirties were standing at the entrance to the hallway, chatting idly.
When they saw Han Ning arrive, they both stopped talking. Lin Tianhe gestured with an open palm toward the older man and introduced him. "This is Teacher Fang Ming from the bio-engineering department. He's also our partner for today's training."
"Hello, Teacher Fang. I'm Han Ning." Han Ning smiled and greeted him.
'So the person we're helping train isn't necessarily a student; it could be a teacher, too.'
"Hello, Han."
After brief introductions, Teacher Fang took out a white A4 sheet of paper from behind his back, unfolded it, and placed it in front of Han Ning and Lin Tianhe.
Han Ning looked closely and saw that it was a simple, hand-drawn map.
Teacher Fang pointed to a few stick-figure-like buildings about 700 meters west of the dormitory area and said, "This is the bio-engineering department's academic building. It stores some genetically modified rice, soybean, and tomato seeds."
"You should know that the remaining food in the cafeteria and convenience stores will eventually be scavenged completely. We have to find a way to grow our own fruits and vegetables to meet our daily needs. That way, even if the cafeteria and convenience stores are taken over by powerful Soul Beasts, we can survive on self-sufficient food sources."
"For the next few days, could the three of us head toward the bio-engineering building, clearing out wandering Soul Beasts along the way, and try to enter the building to get some seeds and lab equipment?"
Without a doubt, vegetable and fruit seeds were absolutely precious in this environment.
Han Ning and Lin Tianhe glanced at each other and nodded in unison. Han Ning spoke up, "Teacher Fang, we can head that way, but let's be clear up front: if we run into a Soul Beast we can't handle, don't hesitate. We retreat immediately."
"I understand."
Teacher Fang was a highly educated intellectual, so he didn't need Han Ning to lecture him further about safety awareness. The three of them packed a few essentials and set off toward the area west of the dorms.
To the west of the dormitory was a series of wide, asphalt roads leading to the academic area and other parts of the campus. The remaining space was covered by greenbelts filled with grass and plants.
Due to the hazy mist, visibility was less than a hundred meters.
Han Ning and Lin Tianhe flanked Teacher Fang, protecting him in the middle as they walked cautiously down the asphalt road.
Because this western area was quite far from the academic buildings, few people had ever set foot here. They had only walked a few dozen meters from the dormitory when mangled bodies began to appear on the road ahead and the lawns on either side.
Cars, bicycles, electric scooters, and other vehicles lay strewn about haphazardly, a clear sign of how panicked their owners must have been.
Since they were out for training, Han Ning's group didn't drive, relying on their own two feet instead.
Suddenly, a RUSTLE! RUSTLE! came from a bush about twenty meters away.
"Careful!"
Han Ning's ears twitched, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.
Peering intently, he could faintly make out three brown-skinned Demon Eye Frogs inside the bush, relentlessly licking the rotten flesh off a decayed human head.
The sound of their footsteps also made the three Demon Eye Frogs stop feeding. Their dull, yellow eyes swiveled in unison to look in their direction.
"Yin Yi, kill them. Weaken the Silver Thorns a bit."
Han Ning took Yin Yi from his back, held her in his arms, aimed her toward the Demon Eye Frogs, and whispered.
"Chirp~"
Yin Yi's upper body lifted slightly.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! Three green needles, glowing faintly, flashed through the air.
The Silver Thorns precisely struck their bodies. The three Demon Eye Frogs fell, their lives extinguished in an instant.
Next, Lin Tianhe took a few steps closer. The stout Silver Lotus Wood in his arms shook the leaves on its sides and reached forward.
Two slender, dark-green vines shot out from between the leaves, extending several meters to drag the three Demon Eye Frogs back one by one.
"Teacher Fang, have your Silver Lotus Wood absorb the flesh and nutrients from this Demon Eye Frog immediately. The longer you wait, the faster the Energy will dissipate."
Han Ning said to Teacher Fang after confirming there was no other danger nearby.
Three Demon Eye Frogs, one for each of them—a fair distribution.