"Who are you?"
Cheng Shiqin froze, looking at the girl in front of him.
The girl had an extremely delicate and nimble face, with waist-length long curly hair and eyes full of intelligence. The exposed skin from her neck to her hands was covered in patches of soft white feathers.
These feathers were slightly damp from being caught in the rain outside.
The girl quickly put down the cub she had been protectively holding, took off her wet jacket, and used the dry lining inside to wipe off the few raindrops that had landed on the little one.
She continued talking, frankly revealing her identity to give Xingfuxing's team a sense of security.
"I'm from the Bird Tribe, my name is Hua Yu. This time, I'm the only one participating in the main planet's conservationist competition."
Lu Mingming handed over the dry bear hide she was holding, offering warmth to them all.
Hua Yu thanked her and then mumbled complainingly, looking down.
"It's strange, it wasn't raining when I came from the west, but after walking just 100 meters this way, it suddenly started raining."
Lu Mingming remained silent in the corner.
Someone from the Dragon Tribe poured her a cup of hot water and quietly asked, "Aren't the Bird Tribe usually one of the strong contenders? I remember last year the Bird Tribe made it into the top ten, ranking third. Why is it only you this year?"
"Oh, that. Our Bird Tribe has welcomed a new Holy Son, seems to be some kind of Cockatiel species? Anyway, it's very rare. So, they only sent me to compete."
After Hua Yu finished answering, she squeezed the water out of her wet long hair, pursed her lips, and gave a soft, faint smile. "This is the least number of participants from the Bird Tribe since the main planet hosted this event, because everyone is basically attending the Holy Son's enthronement ceremony."
Cockatiel and Bird Tribe?
Lu Mingming took a sip of hot water, gently tapping her fingers on the sides of the banana leaf cup.
She vaguely remembered that Huahua was from the Cockatiel tribe, and according to the Star Leader, had already been taken to the Bird Tribe.
Could it be that person?
Hua Yu added, "This weather is really unavoidable. I saw a bunch of people sitting outside, aren't they coming in?"
Lu Mingming chimed in, "They want to snatch the cubs and used tactics to split up our team."
"Ah?! That's so terrible, then I'll stay with you. It doesn't matter where I go alone anyway."
No one from Xingfuxing objected to the Bird Tribe, whose threat level was extremely low.
Hua Yu hummed a little tune, cozily curling up on the side of the blanket like a bird, fluffing her feathers. She gradually fell asleep to the white noise of the rain.
The thunder and rain outside showed no sign of stopping. Lu Mingming looked out to see the misty rain shrouding this small patch of forest. In the distance, lightning flashed, followed by a terrifying bolt of white lightning every few minutes.
From the Alpha team opposite, someone ran back from a distance, braving the rain, to report all the intelligence gathered after scouting the surroundings.
Upon hearing this, the leader of the Alpha team turned his head and met Lu Mingming's gaze, his eyes gradually deepening.
It seemed Xingfuxing was hiding their strength quite well.
Lu Mingming, obscured by the rain curtain, saw the other person mouth a sentence. After speaking, he turned and gestured.
The members of the Alpha team obeyed the command and began packing their belongings. They were going to find a safe cave to shelter from the rain. Oscar was left behind as a burden, with no one paying attention to his safety.
Lu Mingming continued to exert her mental power, a ripple of spiritual energy extending covertly into the forest, maintaining the continuous light rain.
After doing all this, she quickly called Cheng Shiqin to bring Oscar back to the small wooden cabin, her mind replaying what the Alpha leader had said to her a moment ago.
"I know it's you. I look forward to our next meeting."
Watching the Alpha team disappear into the distance, Lu Mingming thought, hopefully, they wouldn't meet again.
Cheng Shiqin carried the shivering Oscar into the small wooden cabin.
"What do you mean? Why didn't you trade me for the cubs just now?"
Oscar, having regained his strength, was the first to confront the Xingfuxing group, his words causing the Dragon Tribe members to frown deeply.
Cheng Shiqin snorted, "Are you kidding? It seems you've completely forgotten the 'Cub Protection Law'. Besides, are you sure you can guarantee the safety of all the cubs?"
"I get it, you're just rejecting me, aren't you?"
Oscar clearly wasn't listening. He pushed away the hot water given to him by the Dragon Tribe, dismissing all their words without deep thought, and venting his anger.
"Then I won't tell you where the rest of the Dragon Tribe members are! From today onwards, I declare I have left the Xingfuxing team, and I won't help you. Don't let us meet again, I won't go easy on you."
Oscar made his grand declaration and stormed out, leaving a group of bewildered people behind.
Hua Yu curiously asked, "Is he your former teammate?" Lu Mingming replied while wiping the water stains off the wooden board, "He used to be, but perhaps not anymore."
When the rain finally cleared, the Dragon Tribe members requested to go find their teammates first, which the Xingfuxing side naturally did not refuse.
They followed the direction the Dragon Tribe team had previously left. At regular intervals, Huaxia would tie a distinct ribbon torn from banana leaves onto every tree they passed, serving as markers to prevent them from getting lost.
Coupled with the Bird Tribe's excellent eyesight, they were able to avoid most unforeseen disasters along the way.
Watching the Xingfuxing team search for their teammates, the live broadcast audience began to chat amongst themselves.
【That rain just now, it shouldn't be ordinary rain, right? I only found this one spot raining across all the surveillance cameras.】
【There must be a powerful figure among them who is helping the Xingfuxing team. Huaxia didn't make a move, could it be him? I feel it's very possible.】
【What if it's Lu Mingming? After all, she even passed the intermediate qualification exam.】
【Lu Mingming is indeed a good cook, but my intuition tells me she's not that strong. With Oscar leaving the Xingfuxing team, doesn't that mean only Huaxia and Cheng Shiqin in their team can fight?】
Xingfuxing's weakness was obvious, and everyone who supported them was holding their breath.
At this moment, it was dinnertime, and the staff were serving the audience in the stadium a rather substantial meal.
Morian stared at Lu Mingming's competition on the large screen in the stadium, while also noticing that Ollanar had still not returned, with no knowledge of his situation.
He cast his gaze towards Gudfin on the main stage.
A staff member beside Gudfin quickly approached and whispered something in his ear.
Gudfin nodded, adding a layer of heaviness to Morian's heart.
The plan was about to begin.