The others nearby, including Li Huai, saw Li Wufeng fall silent and lower his head in thought, so they didn't speak to disturb him.
Li Huai, naturally, needed quiet rest due to his injuries and excessive blood loss.
The others stayed quiet because Li Wufeng was their captain.
Though they had only been together for about half a month, as teammates, they all knew that Li Wufeng had a sharp and capable mind.
The fact that they hadn't suffered a single casualty since they started grouping up was largely thanks to Li Wufeng’s negotiations with Shang Chuan and his daily arrangements.
“Can you still manifest that defensive wind wall from earlier?”
After a moment of reflection, Li Wufeng asked Li Huai.
“I can, but I can't maintain it for long. And manifesting it like I did just now might be a bit difficult,” Li Huai nodded weakly.
However, for his own safety, he gave Li Wufeng a warning.
His meaning was clear.
It was impossible for him to 'stand in front of them and act as a human shield' like before.
Li Wufeng didn't say much in response.
After all, everyone was struggling to survive in this otherworldly realm; no one was obligated to give their life for another.
That didn't align with the most basic logic of biological survival.
“What's the specific range you can cast it?”
“One meter.”
“Alright. When the time comes, you can just manifest it from within the shield formation.”
With the casting distance known, Li Wufeng could make his calculations.
“Dulay, take this and head back. Tell everyone to come here. Also, have Shang Chuan find some more shields—if there aren't any shields, steel plates will do. Bring them all. The rest of you, rest here. Eat something, drink some water, and recover your strength.”
Having formed a plan, Li Wufeng pulled a quill out and handed it to Zhao Dulay.
Zhao Dulay nodded upon receiving the instructions and immediately turned to leave.
The magic desk could only be used by the owner of a shelter, but when the two had discussed merging, Zhao Dulay had moved his magic desk and magic lantern into Li Wufeng’s shelter.
So, unlike those who had fled to others' shelters and lost their 'communication rights,' he still had his.
The round trip, combined with contacting Shang Chuan and identifying the quill, took Zhao Dulay a full two and a half hours.
By the time everyone arrived carrying shields on their backs, Li Huai, who had been recuperating, had recovered quite a bit of strength.
At the very least, he could stand up without needing someone to support him.
“How is it?”
As soon as Zhao Dulay returned, Li Wufeng asked immediately.
“It's been identified. This mountain hedgehog is called a ‘Mountain Eater.’ It’s a D-grade earth-type monster that gains energy and reproduces by splitting after eating the mountain itself. It’s not very aggressive. Killing it can yield rare ores, though the specific ores are highly random, so it’s unclear what exactly they are.”
‘Not very aggressive’...
When they heard the identification results, both Li Wufeng and the injured Li Huai couldn't help but have their lips twitch.
So, in the eyes of the magic desk, this D-grade crystal beast was considered a harmless existence?
However, the fact that killing it would yield rare ores caught Li Wufeng’s attention.
After all, they had a ten percent share of the profits.
He immediately began deployment.
All the shields were concentrated fifty meters away from the Mountain Eater, stacked to a thickness of half a meter.
Li Huai’s wind wall would be in front, with the hiding Li Huai and Li Wufeng behind it. The rest of the people hid around the corner of the fork in the tunnel.
Although the opponent's attacks were swift and powerful, they couldn't turn corners, so there was no need for too many people to be in the line of fire.
“Wufeng, let me do it.”
Seeing Li Wufeng planning to stay behind the shields to manage them, Zhao Dulay stepped forward and patted his shoulder.
“I was a physical education student, after all. It’s much more convenient for me than for a liberal arts student like you.”
...
Li Wufeng looked at Zhao Dulay and agreed.
In this regard, a PE student indeed had an advantage over a liberal arts student.
“The key question is, who will attack?”
After Li Wufeng had arranged everything, Li Huai looked at him in confusion. In his current state, full defense was his limit; he couldn't manage an attack at all.
“Don't worry, leave the attacking to Otto.”
Li Wufeng smiled with confidence and pushed one man forward.
The man was thin and held a crossbow in his hand.
Indeed, this was the hidden insurance Li Wufeng had arranged previously. However, seeing that Li Huai hadn't intended to do anything to them, he had pulled Otto back.
This was also one of the reasons why Li Wufeng had Zhao Dulay go back and bring everyone.
That way, Otto, as a hidden card, would be mixed in with the crowd and wouldn't seem so conspicuous, nor would Li Huai realize that Li Wufeng had been preparing for him.
Wasn't this a happy outcome for everyone?
What Li Wufeng likely didn't know was that Li Huai, as a combatant, had long ago noticed Otto trailing behind them. He simply hadn't pointed it out, as he understood Li Wufeng’s concerns.
After all, it was just a partnership; it was only natural to keep a guard up.
“Oh, then it seems his talent must be quite good,” Li Huai said, giving Otto a curious glance.
“It's alright, as long as the target is a large one like the Mountain Eater.”
Li Wufeng naturally had no intention of revealing Otto’s talent. In fact, even within the entire team, only he knew what Otto’s talent was.
Even Shang Chuan didn't know this.
Or rather, Shang Chuan wasn't interested in asking about his subordinates' talents.
What he needed was for the gathering squad to meet the KPIs he set; what their talents were didn't matter.
“Fair enough.”
Since Li Wufeng put it that way, Li Huai naturally wouldn't ask further. He only needed to maintain his wind wall.
Earlier, because he hadn't known the Mountain Eater’s specific attack method and combat power, he had suffered a great loss.
But this time, coming prepared would be different.
He swore to finish the display of power he hadn't completed earlier and regain some of his dignity.
Thinking back to how he had stood in front like a hero earlier, he felt a bit of awkwardness now.
To erase that awkwardness, he had to perform well.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sleep when he returned to the shelter.
Once everything was ready, Otto stood a step to the left behind the two of them and raised his crossbow.
Placed on the crossbow was none other than one of the Mountain Eater’s quills.
After all, it would be a waste not to use such a hard and sharp object as a crossbow bolt.
“Li Huai, as soon as Otto fires the bolt, activate the wind wall immediately.”
After giving the command one last time, Li Wufeng quickly ran to the corner.
“No problem.”
With that, Li Huai channeled his wind elements and nodded to Otto beside him.
The silent Otto, upon receiving the signal, activated his talent and fired the quill at the Mountain Eater, then quickly stepped to the right to hide within the shield formation.
At the exact moment the bolt was fired, Li Huai activated a wind wall large enough to block the entire tunnel.
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