Ziye glanced back at the other groups; most didn't possess her group's foraging capability, nor had they arrived as early. After taking time to pitch tents, many were only just starting to eat.

"They won't be fast," Ziye stated with certainty, activating the silver comm-link on her wrist to scan the water sources. This function was something she had installed on her silver talisman to cope with various situations, and within seconds, it mapped out all nearby water bodies.

Beyond that, her silver comm-link could search for large animals, including humans.

Combining the two readings, she pointed to a body of water that was slightly closer and showed no red dots. "No one has gone here yet, and there are no large creatures. We'll go here."

Lingyin clicked her tongue. "Your super-comm is amazing. Mine doesn't have that feature, and it hasn't had a signal since we arrived here. What brand is yours? I’m buying one when we get back."

Ziye made a face at her. "Not telling you." Besides the silver comm-link, Little Sprout could also detect things, and its ability was even stronger. But she didn't want anyone to know Little Sprout's capabilities, so she deliberately refrained from using it.

Grabbing their clothes, the group of six set off in a determined procession to bathe.

As soon as they left, Yinlu quietly crawled out of the tent. She peered out, confirming the six had gone far enough, then looked at the meat, vegetables, and soup left for her in front of the tent. She swallowed hard, sat down, and began eating with her hands...

The six formed a line, Ziye leading, the Twins bringing up the rear. Both groups held lanterns as they headed toward the lake. The path was rough, requiring detours around rocks now and then. Fortunately, their shared desire to bathe was so strong that they walked without complaint.

It was important to remember: having been soaked in seawater for so long without fresh water to rinse with, they smelled foul, like dried fish. Before, they lacked the time and means; now that they had the time, they had to create the means to bathe!

Ziye checked the coordinates as she walked. Just as they neared the spot, they suddenly heard uneven footsteps from nearby, accompanied by a gruff male voice complaining, "I'm itching so badly, if I don't wash soon, I'll go mad. This life is hell."

No way? Someone was trying to beat them to it?

Ziye and the five others instantly tensed up and fell silent. Faint lights flickered from the woods to their right, extremely close—their target was definitely the same lake.

This was going to be tricky.

The other party had noticed them too.

"Hey, you over there, you all—" A male voice called out. Ziye made an immediate decision. "Run!" With that, she dashed toward the lake first. The Twins and Lingyin followed suit in a hurry. Sha Xinni, panicked, cried out, "The lights, we don't have lights!"

The words exposed them instantly.

When paths cross, the brave prevail.

The boys on the other side also started a hundred-meter sprint, aiming straight for the lake ahead! Suddenly, a cacophony of footsteps erupted. The Twins watched Ziye sprint into the darkness like a phantom, with Lingyin close behind. Without needing to panic, she stopped and turned back to find the three left behind without light.

The path was pitch black, and the three abandoned girls were close to tears. The Twins, usually impatient with weakly crying women, surprisingly said nothing, given that the light had been taken by her.

Ziye raced to the lake shore. Thankfully, the boys trying to claim it hadn't arrived yet. She let out a breath by the water's edge just as a group of boys charged out. Seeing she was outnumbered, Ziye quickly dropped her clothes and lantern, jumped into the lake with a "splash," stuck her head out, and shouted, "This area is occupied by us girls. You should leave now!"

The leading boy’s lungs nearly burst from anger, and he immediately tried intimidation. "Ah, there are crocodiles in the water!" Although they knew a lake existed, they were unsure if it held snakes or crocodiles and hesitated to jump in. But Ziye had jumped so cleanly, appearing utterly fearless.

Ziye had already scanned the lake and confirmed no large animals were present, so she was relaxed. However, just to be safe from snakes, she ran another quick check with her silver comm-link.

No snakes. The water quality was excellent, and the lakebed was surprisingly sandy—perfectly smooth.

Hmph, trying to fool her? Ziye simply ignored them and called out to Lingyin, who had just reached the bank. "Hurry and get down here."

Lingyin placed the light and clothes she carried on the bank, then jumped in with a "plop." As long as there were no dangers in the lake, they weren't afraid of the depth. They had swum in the sea; what was a lake to fear!

The group of boys could only stare helplessly. One of them finally couldn't hold back and offered sincerely, "How about we share the lake—half for us, half for you? We won't interfere with each other, okay?"

"Absolutely not!" Sha Xinni and the other three, who had finally arrived late, burst out with a volley of insults. "You shameless boys, trying to peep at us girls bathing!"

The boys were furious and wanted to retort, but facing girls made arguing embarrassing and fruitless. Yet, not arguing made them feel indignant. Finally, the leader conceded. "Forget it, we'll find another place."

The girls had won the confrontation, but seeing the boys retreat reluctantly, they felt a touch of awkwardness. After all, they were all classmates; escalating things this far wasn't ideal.

Ziye felt the same way. She paused for three seconds in silence, then called out loudly, "Boys, head east. About four hundred meters ahead, there's a small stream."

The leading boy looked back at her. Even though he couldn't see her in the dark lake, he spoke with genuine sincerity. "Thanks!" he called, leading his group away in a surge.

With the conflict peacefully resolved, the six finally swam happily in the lake.

The feeling of being bathed in fresh water was so wonderful that Ziye almost didn't want to get out, just swimming continuously. Sha Xinni unbound her long hair, squeezed out some shampoo, and held up the bottle. "Who needs shampoo?"

Lingyin, who was closest, snatched it immediately. Her hair was long, and she had been suffering without anything to wash it with. Sha Xinni had essentially saved her, bringing Lingyin to the verge of tears in gratitude; she almost knelt. "Sha Xinni, you are incredible! You even brought this stuff."

Sha Xinni, rarely the recipient of collective admiration, felt a surge of accomplishment. She brought out body wash. "There's body wash too. I added lavender essential oil; it repels mosquitoes and bugs."

"Wow, great stuff, two thumbs up!" Ziye paddled over to Sha Xinni, took her body wash, and exclaimed with feeling, "This is perfect! I was wearing a long gown and trousers today and still got bitten several times."

"Same here," the others chimed in, gathering around. The scent of lavender was fresh and elegant, possessing a spirit-calming effect; using it felt absolutely blissful.

Sha Xinni replied modestly, "This is nothing. Besides lavender essential oil, I also brought tea tree oil, cypress oil, grapeseed oil, and olive oil. I'm telling you all, a woman must cherish herself, no matter the circumstances, or you’ll regret it later." Her words left the other five girls stunned, silently giving her mental praise.

Sha Xinni sighed as she washed her soft, long hair. "I originally brought thirty sets of clothes, planning one outfit per day, but unfortunately, two of the suitcases couldn't be deployed during the airdrop."