As soon as Ziye fell asleep, two instructors approached. One squatted down, unclipped the device on her wrist, checked it, and said approvingly, "27.5 nautical miles, only 18 hours. I didn't expect the first one to finish would be a girl. Rare, truly rare." Especially for such an unremarkable girl, one without bulging muscles or an overtly swimmer's physique.

The other instructor was equally surprised. "Her device is still in its original state; it hasn't been activated once."

To prevent students from encountering emergencies while swimming in the sea—like cramps or inability to handle the saltwater—the device was designed to automatically monitor the student's physical condition. If any anomaly occurred, it would instantly deploy a protective shield enveloping the student and propel them to the surface. If the student stabilized after five minutes, the shield would retract; otherwise, rescue personnel would retrieve the shield and transport the student to the designated infirmary.

So far, the infirmary had received nine students, and twenty-four shields had been activated. Compared to that, she was astonishingly resilient. The instructor narrowed his eyes, gazing across the boundless blue expanse of the ocean, and offered a slight smile.

Military training, after all, needed a suitable level of difficulty.

Ziye woke up before two hours of sleep had passed.

Woken by hunger.

Her stomach rumbled, her muscles screamed, exactly like the hundreds of times she'd been drilled in the virtual training system by Xiao Douya. She opened her eyes to find a military blanket draped over her, saving her from being sun-dried like jerky.

Her backpack was still beside her, and her clothes hadn't been disturbed.

Ziye sat up and opened her backpack. Xiao Douya immediately popped out, leaping onto her head and tumbling excitedly, "Hooray! Finally out!"

Ziye held it near her face and rubbed it, letting it flutter its wings while she rummaged through her bag for food.

There wasn't much edible stuff—only chocolate and salt, packed to prevent energy or sodium depletion. Everything else was nutrient solution. Just as she was about to chug one down, she caught a distinct whiff of roasting meat. She decisively tossed the nutrient solution back into the bag and bolted toward the aroma.

A hundred paces from the sandbar, a dense forest stood, where instructors sat leisurely beneath the trees, enjoying barbecued meat. Elsewhere, students were scattered about, nibbling on bread or resting near the woods.

Seeing her approach, the instructor remained composed. "If you want food, find it yourself. Instructors don't provide meals."

Ziye swallowed hard, biting back the urge to deliver a punch to each of their smug faces without apologizing. They were clearly provoking her, savoring one piece of meat for ages, deliberately wafting the savory scent, yet denying her any.

Poor thing, she still had to find her own sustenance.

Ziye moved further away, plunging back into the water. She treated Xiao Douya like an electric fishing rod, zapping any fish she spotted. This area was rarely visited, so the fish swam in dense schools. She zapped a few, dispatched them quickly, slit their bellies, gutted them, rinsed them clean in the seawater, speared them onto sticks, and approached the instructors. "Lend me a flame."

The instructors eyed the fish in her hands and shifted their positions slightly, making room for her.

Ziye laid the fish over the fire, but her gaze remained fixed on their roasting meat—it smelled overwhelmingly good, making her drool. Her own fish would take a while to cook, and that meaty aroma to her was comparable to the greatest sin in the world.

The instructors watched her with amusement, deliberately not inviting her to eat.

She swallowed, pointing at the largest fish among theirs. To the instructor seated next to her, she asked, "Can I trade this fish for one piece of your meat?"

Her gaze was earnest and fervent, almost desperate.

The instructor didn't press her; he couldn't give her any, but a trade was permissible. He nodded. "Deal." The moment the word left his mouth, Ziye snatched the knife they were using, which lay on the woodpile, and swiftly sliced off the prime cut from a wild boar leg. "I'll take this piece!"

The other instructors twitched their eyes in unison; this girl certainly wasn't shy!

Ziye carefully placed the knife back where it belonged, thrust the stick holding her raw fish into the instructor's hand, and declared with an air of entitlement, "This is for you."

The instructor shook his head, caught between laughter and despair, and began roasting her fish.

Ziye secured the remaining two fish on a makeshift rack, brought the piece of meat close to her nose, inhaled deeply, and sighed contentedly, "Ah, truly fragrant!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed several nearby people simultaneously swallow.

Ziye would absolutely not admit that she did it on purpose!

Once she started eating, she found the meat somewhat bland. She retrieved a small bottle of salt from her backpack, sprinkled some over the meat, put it back over the fire to heat evenly, and took another bite. The taste was finally much better.

The instructors asked in surprise, "You brought salt?"

Ziye’s mouth was full, and she mumbled indistinctly, "Yeah. In case of salt deficiency, you need to replenish it promptly."

The instructors exchanged meaningful glances and nodded among themselves. Clearly, she was someone with genuine wilderness survival skills; that explained why her swimming speed was superior.

Their sight—being able to eat meat and casually chat with the instructors while others nearby starved—left the remaining students utterly dumbfounded. Was this arrangement acceptable? They couldn't manage to eat meat, yet Ziye could sit and converse with the officers.

Envy, jealousy, and hatred flared! They also craved meat, yearned for fish, but they had just returned, exhausted like dogs, with zero energy to move. Several others who had tried fishing earlier had spent half a day trying to catch a fish barely the size of a thumb. They couldn't figure out Ziye's method that resulted in three fish, each larger than a palm.

Those who had been fruitlessly scrambling around, finding no sustenance, turned green-eyed, wishing they could pounce on Ziye and take a few bites.

Ziye ate a portion, then used her knife to slice off the parts she had bitten, which she also consumed. She sealed the remainder in an empty nutrient bag, tucked it into her backpack for the next meal.

She finally understood: military training provided no catering; sustenance was an individual responsibility.

The meat was finished, and the fish were almost roasted. She sprinkled salt on the fish and was about to eat when suddenly, a figure stumbled and charged toward the roasting meat. The instructors turned in unison to see who was attempting to steal food, only for the approaching person to trip and fall with a heavy thud before getting close.

Ziye looked over. The person crawled and scrambled toward them, pleading, "Sir, please spare some food."

It was a very loli-like girl, with golden hair tied in twin tails, a round face, and cute dimples when she spoke. However, she had just emerged from the sea, her body slightly swollen, her face and hands coated with crystallized salt. Her voice, naturally crisp, was hoarse, likely from swallowing too much seawater during the swim.

The Major showed no trace of gallantry. "Instructors do not provide meals."

The loli girl immediately looked pleadingly at Ziye. Ziye, who hadn't quite filled up herself, saw how truly miserable the girl looked and pointed to the fish still roasting. "You can have this one."

The girl was overjoyed. Ignoring whether the fish was cooked, she snatched it and was about to bite down when she suddenly remembered something and whispered, "Half a fish would be enough. Once I regain some strength, I'll find my own food."

Ziye was slightly surprised; this girl wasn't bad. She shook her head. "I've eaten enough. You can have it all."

The girl was practically ecstatic, her eyes shining. She broke the fish in half and crunched down loudly, "Crunch, crunch." Those nearby who witnessed the exchange were depressed to the point of wanting to smash their heads against a wall. Why hadn't they thought to ask Ziye for food? Indeed, people weren't starved to death, but by being too timid to ask.

Being brazen like the loli girl was the ultimate survival strategy!