173: The herd of wild boars charged toward the crowd.

Hearing Xiao Niannian's words, Instructor Qin nodded with a smile.

"Good."

They had brought some tools when they came out, and now the other Soldiers headed towards the creek.

Xiao Niannian looked at the creek, which was two or three meters wide. The water was crystal clear, and many fish were swimming around.

Xiao Niannian could see that many of them were small fish, but there were also some fish weighing two or three catties, or even more.

Seeing the Comrades-in-arms take out several fish spears, Xiao Niannian also accepted one.

"Splash."

The moment Xiao Niannian made her move, a two or three-catty fish was speared. When she lifted the spear, the fish was still struggling desperately.

"Great."

Several Soldiers cheered loudly.

"Comrade Xiao, you are truly amazing."

Several of them were already standing in the water, yet Comrade Xiao hadn't even taken off her shoes or socks, and her trouser legs weren't wet, but she had already caught such a large fish.

Xiao Niannian realized that many fish were gathering in front of her.

She tossed the fish onto the bank. Military Doctor Shen saw a fish flying towards him and landing in his arms.

Seeing that Xiao Niannian was the one who threw the fish, he swallowed the words he was about to say.

He looked at Lu Jing beside him. He quietly took a dozen steps back, then sat down again.

With so many people around, surely she wouldn't throw it into his arms again, right?

Xiao Niannian speared an even bigger one—a grass carp weighing five or six catties. There was a lot of grass by the creek, and even in this season, there were many patches of grass along the banks.

"I speared one too."

Someone said happily.

Although they were here to catch people, the Military Unit ahead had investigated and confirmed that those individuals were not within a few miles of this area. People were also on alert nearby. They were currently catching fish for everyone to eat, which is why their voices were a bit loud.

"Impressive."

Lu Jing picked up a spear and walked toward Xiao Niannian.

Seeing many fish in front of her, his eyes flickered slightly. After a quick strike, a fish was lifted out of the water.

Military Doctor Shen watched Xiao Niannian catch a large fish, his eyes wide.

That speed was truly impressive.

Immediately, he saw Lu Jing catch one of similar size.

Over the next ten minutes or so, Military Doctor Shen watched Lu Jing and Xiao Niannian spear fish one after another.

In no time, the two had speared over ten fish. Were they fishing? It looked more like a competition.

He looked at Lu Jing, his expression one of disappointment at his failure to meet expectations. Were you trying to win against Comrade Xiao?

Why does a man need to be so competitive? If you win against Comrade Xiao, your sweetheart will dislike you, and then... Why are you such a blockhead? He sighed.

"Old Shen, come over and clean the fish."

Lu Jing was already on the bank and called out to Military Doctor Shen.

"Coming."

Lu Jing looked towards Xiao Niannian.

"Come up after playing for a little while longer. Although the weather is hot, soaking in the water for too long is bad for your health."

"Mhm."

Xiao Niannian had thought Lu Jing would continue competing with her to spear fish; her competitive spirit had just been roused. She hadn't expected Lu Jing to go ashore to clean the fish.

Watching Lu Jing's swift movements, her eyes widened slightly.

Captain Lu, what else is there that I, the Emperor, do not know?

Xiao Niannian recalled a line from a certain TV drama.

After catching two more fish, she tossed them onto the bank.

Xiao Niannian's trouser legs were only slightly wet at this point.

The other Comrades-in-arms also caught two or three fish each.

Seeing dozens of fish now, they all quickly got busy.

Xiao Niannian watched them clean the fish. After observing for a while, she realized that Lu Jing's speed and manner of cleaning the fish were the most pleasing to the eye.

How to describe it? It was as graceful as a noble young master performing a task, yet done extremely well.

She looked at Military Doctor Shen cleaning a fish; his movements were skillful, but the way he cleaned it looked like a dissection, so she immediately looked away.

"Want to eat fish balls?"

Hearing Lu Jing's words, Xiao Niannian nodded vigorously.

"Yes."

She had learned a bit about Lu Jing's cooking skills by now, and they were indeed excellent.

This time, she had also carried some hotpot seasoning into the mountains. To be honest, she didn't really like things that were too bland.

Of course, when conditions were poor, having anything to eat was good enough.

Seeing Xiao Niannian looking at him eagerly, Lu Jing sped up.

Sometimes Lu Jing felt that Xiao Niannian was like a cat he used to keep—obedient, cute, full of vitality, and very clever... and sometimes like one whose fur had puffed up... He withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

He placed the minced fish meat into a basin.

Uncle Lin looked at them, his eyes full of envy.

These young people are truly enviable.

He had a somewhat bad feeling about this trip into the deep mountains, but no matter what, he would help them find the people and rescue the Experts.

He was clearly aware of the importance of these Experts.

As for the two villagers who guided them from the village, his eyes were filled with anger.

How were they any different from the spies of decades past?

Everyone ate a satisfying meal of fish balls, and they also used the fish soup to cook vegetables and other things.

These were all found in the mountains; they hadn't touched their provisions.

This trip into the mountains would last at least fifteen days, and possibly over a month.

Those people had entered the mountains a few days before them, and by now, they were probably in a very remote area.

After eating, Xiao Niannian went to a patch of grass not far away, and after a few minutes, she returned to the group.

It was dark now, and many people were sound asleep, except for the few Comrades-in-arms on guard duty and patrol.

Just as Xiao Niannian was sitting there, preparing to sleep, she suddenly heard a sound.

It sounded like a wild boar.

Xiao Niannian listened carefully.

Meanwhile, Lu Jing next to her also sat up.

The moonlight was faint at this moment, and the sentries on guard duty nearby and in the shadows also made sounds.

Hearing the commotion, many people woke up.

There were at least six to eight wild boars. It was unexpected for wild boars to appear at a time like this.

Moreover, judging by the noise, they seemed to be heading in their direction.

"Prepare for battle."

Someone shouted.

Soon, more than ten people quietly ran to the side, taking up advantageous positions.

Others concealed themselves in the shadows; an ordinary person wouldn't be able to spot their hiding places at a glance.

"Oink, oink..."

Wild boars run very fast.

At this moment, many people took out their fish spears, and others took out knives. If the wild boars came, these weapons were certainly the best to use.

They didn't carry a lot of ammunition with them, but they would use guns if they encountered a highly dangerous situation.

Before they rested, they had also set up some traps around the area, which might catch one or two wild boars.

When they were still more than ten meters away, the wild boars also spotted the people. They initially stopped, but when they saw that there were only a few people in front of them, they frantically charged towards the crowd.

Wild boars can run at speeds of about forty to seventy kilometers per hour and possess extreme explosive power.