Everyone present was aware of the consequences if Lin Zhiyan failed, but no one spoke up to stop her. Perhaps this is the charm of teamwork.

Or maybe, everyone believed that if it were them lying on the ground, others would also take the risk for them.

"Whoosh!"

The whip lashed out, and everyone's hearts leapt into their throats as their eyes focused on it.

When the whip was retracted, two bats, tied up, fell from the top. From a height of over ten meters, managing to bring down just two bats without disturbing the rest of the colony—Lin Zhiyan actually did it!

Little did they know, Lin Zhiyan was also quite surprised by this.

Previously, when Xiao Feng taught her his original warm-up exercises, he mentioned that persistently practicing them would significantly improve her body's control.

But she didn't take it seriously, using it merely as a high-intensity workout. Whether it improved combat ability was uncertain, but it certainly had an astonishing effect on maintaining her figure.

A woman's pursuit of a good figure is sometimes beyond a man's understanding, which is why she kept practicing.

Only at this moment did she truly realize that Xiao Feng wasn't joking; this level of precise control over strength—she might have been able to do it before, but certainly not as easily.

Just as the bats were about to hit the ground, Jiuye lifted the plastic box on the ground, releasing the scorpions beneath.

Then, an unexpected event occurred.

The two bats immediately swooped towards the scorpions on the ground, and the scorpions were not to be outdone. Even after struggling fiercely before, they still maintained their full fighting spirit, raising their tails and launching a vigorous counterattack.

For a moment, the sides were entangled in a fierce struggle, refusing to yield to each other.

Jiuye silently remarked that there was a possibility, a look of delight flashing in his eyes.

Xiao Feng watched this scene and couldn't help but feel like he was watching a nature documentary.

No need for imagination; it was automatically playing in his mind.

"In the pitch-black underground cave, two bats and a scorpion engage in a fierce duel. They go back and forth, neither willing to show weakness to the other. Which will ultimately prevail?"

The answer was quickly revealed. After one last dive from the two bats, their wings fluttered a few times before they finally landed on the ground, motionless.

The scorpion held its tail high, its sting waving like it was declaring its victory!

However, the victory was short-lived. Its tail soon dropped, and like the bats, it lay motionless on the ground.

Was this a... mutual destruction?

"Grind these two bats and the scorpion into a paste, then apply it to his leg. Whether he can be saved depends on fate." Jiuye exhaled deeply as he spoke.

Sun Shijie took out his pestle and mortar, not caring about any finesse, and quickly got to work.

"Zhi zhi zhi..."

The sound of the pestle grinding the bats and scorpion echoed in the air. It wasn't loud, but noticeable.

This was deliberately controlled by Sun Shijie; if he had gone "thump, thump, thump," it would surely have attracted a large number of bats.

Lin Zhiyan had managed to bring down two bats without alarming the others, which was already a stroke of luck. She couldn't afford to assume that all bats were deaf.

Once it was done, Sun Shijie put on a pair of sheepskin gloves, grabbed a bit of the mushy, muddy paste, and applied it to Zhao Guo'an's swollen calf.

"Hmm..."

The unconscious Zhao Guo'an let out a low groan, as if feeling some pain.

"It seems to be working," Lin Jiaxuan observed after a moment.

Sun Shijie didn't rashly apply more bat and scorpion paste onto Zhao Guo'an's leg. Instead, he expertly felt his pulse, confirming that the situation hadn't worsened before continuing the application.

This time, the effects were noticeable. Just as the swelling had rapidly grown, it now subsided just as quickly.

"It's working!" Xiao Feng exclaimed excitedly.

By the time all the paste was applied, Zhao Guo'an's calf had finally returned to its normal state. Although he remained unconscious, Sun Shijie assured everyone that he would wake up soon, signaling that there was no need to worry.

"What time is it now?" Xiao Feng asked.

In this sunless environment, the concept of time seemed to blur, leaving only hunger or fatigue to give a rough estimate.

No sooner had the question been asked than a strange sound was heard.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

Everyone turned towards the sound, only to see the little girl patting her stomach and smiling, "It's eleven-thirty."

As she gave the answer, the little girl showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Instead, she seemed quite proud.

She appeared to take pride in her ability to keep track of time accurately.

Lu Yao checked her phone, feeling a bit exasperated, "It really is eleven-thirty, not off by a minute."

"It couldn't be off. When the time comes, the stomach growls. Let's eat something first," the little girl eagerly suggested, as if the recent ordeal hadn't affected her appetite in the slightest.

Half an hour later, Zhao Guo'an opened his eyes, looking as if he hadn't quite processed what had happened.

"Old Xiao, what happened to me?" Zhao Guo'an asked weakly.

Xiao Feng snorted, "You got stung by a scorpion."

"And then?"

"Then the scorpion was highly venomous. We tried many ways to control it, but they were all temporary fixes, not the root solution. In the end, we had no choice but to opt for the most complete method."

"Wha-what method?" Zhao Guo'an asked with a trembling voice, seeming to realize what the "most complete method" Xiao Feng referred to was.

Xiao Feng beamed, "What else could it be? Amputation, of course."

"What!"

Zhao Guo'an sat up abruptly, like he had been stepped on the tail, hurriedly looking down and frantically patting himself up and down.

Of course, he discovered that nothing was missing, except for one shoe and half a pants leg.

"Hiss..." Zhao Guo'an sucked in a cold breath, not from pain this time, but from the cold.

After all, it was deep winter, and coupled with the dampness of the underground cave, it was only slightly warmer than an ice cellar.

So, cold was inevitable.

Xiao Feng reached out and pinched Zhao Guo'an's calf, "Is it numb?"

"..." Zhao Guo'an.

Why do these three words sound so familiar?

"Next, don't you want to say, 'Let me take a few steps without any ailment'?"

Xiao Feng gave a thumbs up, "Congratulations, you've learned to respond quickly!"

"What are we doing here, a skit?" Zhao Guo'an complained with a darkened expression.

However, soon Zhao Guo'an changed the topic to the real issue.

His memory only reached up to the moment before he fell to the ground. What happened afterward was a blank, much like a blackout from drinking.

This missing piece of memory naturally needed to be filled in by Xiao Feng and the others.

Having suffered countless times under Xiao Feng before, Zhao Guo'an chose to trust his more reliable elder peer, Sun Shijie, as his source of information, "Could you briefly tell me what happened to me?"

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