The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 1306: Two Paths

In the pitch-black cave, it was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, and the cave was so narrow and constricted, only allowing one person to pass through. Ji You, with her small stature, could move freely after squeezing in a bit. But for the others, it was a different story, especially for tall people like Cheng Haoyue and He Nu. Even though they tried to tuck in their stomachs and curl themselves up into a ball, they still felt extremely crowded.

Cheng Haoyue held his stomach in and said, "My goodness, I really wonder if this cave is actually passable? Can we really crawl out smoothly? What if we get stuck halfway?"

He Nu, who was behind Cheng Haoyue, remained silent.

Ji You, who was ahead of Cheng Haoyue, also ignored him.

Cheng Haoyue felt like his words were spoken to deaf ears and was a bit frustrated for a moment, saying, "I say, are we really not going to get stuck in such a narrow cave?"

Still, no one paid attention to him.

Feeling like his concerns were just cast to the wind, Cheng Haoyue grew even more melancholic, deeply sighing and saying, "I have a premonition that I might become the only contestant to be stuck to death by the cave."

Ji You suddenly turned her head, glanced at him, and said, "Instead of wasting your breath, why not start digging? If you can open the cave up a bit, you can stretch your arms and legs."

Cheng Haoyue grinned, chuckled, and said, "I’ll just squeeze along with you. Such important work should be left to the big guys behind me."

Saying so.

Cheng Haoyue reached back, tugged at He Nu behind him, and said, "He Nu, keep at it."

"I’m busy; stop talking to me." He Nu glanced at him, dropped a sentence, and continued digging the cave, prioritizing safety. He mostly kept the top of the cave untouched, only digging the sides open. In particularly narrow sections, they needed to widen around them. When encountering hard stones, they also needed to chip away at the stone. Fortunately, the cave was passable so far. The Drilling Birds had been very diligent, clearing away all the obstacles inside the cave. The students just needed to widen it a little so it could accommodate a person squatting to pass through.

Although the cave was pitch-black, it should be connected on all sides, allowing smooth airflow. So far, no feelings of chest tightness or shortness of breath had occurred. Ji You squinted her eyes, continuously keeping a close watch on the front, fearing any unexpected incidents.

Suddenly—

An unexpected fork appeared ahead, turning what was originally a single path into two paths.

Ji You suddenly stopped.

As Ji You stopped, the slowly moving team came to a sudden halt. Cheng Haoyue, He Nu, and the others behind her all raised their heads in puzzlement. He Nu softly asked, "What’s wrong?"

Could it be danger?

He Nu tightened his grip on the military shovel in his hand, and alertly said, "Ji You, let me switch places with you." At that moment, he regretted agreeing to let Ji You take the lead. If any danger occurred, Ji You would be the first to bear the impact...

She seemed so vulnerable but managed to protect everyone with her own strength.

Thinking about it made He Nu feel deeply ashamed.

Being protected is a happiness, but at the same time, it’s a misfortune. Those who are protected will slowly drown in this happiness and lose the strength to protect themselves. He Nu had reached this point through constant efforts, continually challenging himself...

He never thought of relying on others.

But!

Being protected truly is a happiness, a happiness so gentle...

Moreover—

In front of Ji You, his own strength seemed so insignificant. Even uttering the words that he wants to protect Ji You was difficult for him. He tried several times to open his mouth but couldn’t.

Ji You said, "No need to switch. It’s not danger; there are just two paths."

He Nu, upon hearing this, frowned: "Two paths?"

"Holy!" Cheng Haoyue exploded: "Were these birds not thinking straight? They dug two paths? Isn’t one path enough for them?"

He Nu, Ji You, and the others all ignored Cheng Haoyue’s nonsense, and a girl behind He Nu asked, "Ji You, what should we do now?" The passageway was too narrow, making it difficult for those behind Ji You to see the road conditions ahead. Even if there was real danger up front, they couldn’t rush forward but could only worry themselves.

"Don’t panic." Ji You squinted and pondered for a moment. At this stage, it was absolutely crucial not to choose the wrong path. It’s not only because time was pressing and they didn’t have time to make mistakes but also because the passage was narrow, with everyone except Ji You squeezing themselves in, entering one by one in a queue, making it a huge hassle to turn around.

Beside her, He Nu suddenly said, "Ji You, based on how we entered, one path should lead north and the other south. North leads to the river, where it’s windy. South is shielded from the wind, and warm. The temperature on Main Star varies greatly between day and night, and it’s gradually getting colder now. When we came in earlier, we didn’t see any Drilling Birds, which means they’ve hidden inside the cave to escape the cold wind."

"Huh?" Ji You’s eyes lit up: "So you’re saying, we can determine the position of the Drilling Bird’s hiding spot to determine the exit we need?"

Ji You was indeed smart; before he finished, she understood his implication. Seeing this, He Nu couldn’t help but smile in his eyes and nodded, saying, "Exactly. Now, we just need to figure out where these Drilling Birds are hiding to know which path to take."

Hearing this, Cheng Haoyue became anxious: "Holy! The cave is so deep; where are we going to find those birds?"

The people at the back also learned of the current dilemma through word of mouth. Thus, they all began to talk noisily about it:

"Find where the Drilling Birds are hiding?"

"These birds are actually easily frightened; as long as we make enough noise, we can surely startle them."

"That’s right, we can make noise together and startle them."

"What should we do? Sing together?"

Just as everyone was about to burst into song, Ji You suddenly said, "No, everyone quiet down, birds are easily frightened. If we startle them, but they’re far from us, and we haven’t found their traces yet, they might run away."

Ji You’s Spiritual Net couldn’t cover the entire mountain peak; otherwise, she wouldn’t need to think hard and could directly find where the Drilling Birds are hiding.

Hearing Ji You’s words, the students who had been eager to sing all quieted down.

In the narrow, congested cave, there was a moment of silence.

Ji You pondered for a while, then suddenly said, "I’ve got a solution!"

Everyone: "Huh?"

"What solution?"

"Ji You, what did you think of?"

Ji You raised her hand, gesturing to the people behind her: "Everyone, listen up and quiet down."