Over in Grade 1, Class A.
"This is great! We actually found it."
On the other side of the island, Class A, feeling they had already gained the upper hand, set off with a clear destination, heading towards the base.
At this moment, they stood before a cave.
Yahiko was incredibly excited.
"Thanks to Katsuragi, who saw through the school's intentions on the ship and memorized the island's terrain, we were able to find such a great base so easily!"
He was praising Katsuragi because he knew very well that the Class was not yet Katsuragi's exclusive domain; there was still Sakayanagi competing with Katsuragi for the Team Leader position.
So, as Katsuragi's number one subordinate, he naturally had to praise Katsuragi.
Moreover, Sakayanagi was not present, so it was naturally a good time to build momentum for Katsuragi, showcasing Katsuragi's excellence.
"It's nothing."
Katsuragi's expression was as calm as ever as he said, "Let's go, let's swipe the card."
Although his face was calm, Katsuragi was actually very proud inside.
Because he felt he had done well enough.
Even if Sakayanagi were here, she couldn't have done better than him.
Furthermore, he could take advantage of Sakayanagi's absence to win over hearts and truly unite and integrate the Class.
"Mhm."
Yahiko nodded excitedly, walked into the cave, and approached the card-swiping machine inside.
The next step was to swipe the card and occupy the base.
"Wait!"
However, the next second, Katsuragi, who was walking behind, constricted his pupils and urgently shouted to stop Yahiko.
"What's wrong...?"
Yahiko was startled and looked at Katsuragi with some confusion.
Katsuragi did not reply, only walked to the machine with a grim face.
On the electronic screen above, two lines of information were displayed:
"C Class
7:55:32."
This meant that this base had already been occupied by Class C, and it was just five minutes ago!
It was as if the other party had just left, and they had followed right behind.
"Class C, how is that possible!"
Yahiko cried out in surprise, "They were still in their original spot when we set off."
Even Class A, who always considered themselves first, had carefully confirmed the status of other classes before setting off.
Aside from them, everyone else was still on the beach.
They should have been the first.
"Everyone!"
Katsuragi shouted, "Spread out, go look around for any suspicious people nearby; they definitely haven't gone far!"
While it was possible that the machine was not properly adjusted and displayed an error.
But Katsuragi was unwilling to entertain such a hopeful thought.
He was more willing to admit his mistake, that he had underestimated Class C, which allowed Class C to get ahead.
Before they set off, Class C was indeed still in their original spot.
However, in a Class of forty people, one or two missing would not attract attention.
In other words, the other party's Team Leader came here alone to swipe the card and occupy the base!
Although Katsuragi admitted that he had underestimated the other party, not expecting Class C to have such courage.
But this also meant that as long as they could find the Team Leader who swiped the card.
They could directly confirm the other party's identity!
Hikigaya of Class C was someone Sakayanagi valued, and this time, the probing on the ship also showed that Hikigaya might need to be treated with more caution than expected.
So Katsuragi was quite cautious.
Compared to losing a base, if they could obtain the other Class's Team Leader information... it seemed like a profit no matter how you looked at it!
So Katsuragi reacted quickly.
"Quick, go find him!"
Yahiko also panicked and loudly ordered, "We are Class A! How can we be led by those defective products from Class C!"
"And you all, are you also going to abandon your Class A identity?"
Even now, he was still insisting on his Class A rhetoric.
Although it was just a test on the ship, being told by Hikigaya that his Class was Class E students indeed made him feel a bit unhappy.
And now, seeing that the Sakayanagi Faction was unwilling to act, Yahiko provoked them.
"You guy... we don't need to listen to you! We are the Sakayanagi Faction!"
"Forget it, finding him is more important."
Although some people were unhappy with Yahiko's attitude, for the greater good, many endured it.
They just walked out of the cave in a huff to find the Class C Team Leader who came alone or with one other person to swipe the card.
But even after a Class of students walked back and forth in the vicinity for more than ten minutes, they couldn't find anyone.
So they had no choice but to give up.
After all, occupying a base was still the priority.
If the base was occupied by another Class, it would be a pity.
So Katsuragi could only choose to abandon it.
The total area of the special exam island is approximately 1.55 square kilometers.
However, the total number of people from the four Classes combined is less than 160, so the island's area is not small in comparison.
And on this small island, there are as many as twenty to thirty hidden bases of various sizes.
If one were to search for bases aimlessly like finding a needle in a haystack, it would certainly not be easy.
However, if one has some outdoor survival experience, and considering that the school is only conducting an outdoor survival exam and not really trying to abandon them on this island.
So anyone with a bit of common sense can deduce that the school would place the bases in locations suitable for setting up camps.
For example, caves, or by a small river, or a clearing in the forest.
So as long as they found the pattern, it would be easy to find the location of the bases.
"Let's go to the next base."
Katsuragi Kohei walked out of the cave with a cold face and said in a deep voice.
He had observed this small island many times on the ship, almost memorizing the entire island's terrain. Although most of the area was covered by forest, this cave was perfectly exposed in his line of sight.
In his mind, this was definitely the most perfect base.
But now, it was occupied by Class C.
But it didn't matter, he was a very steady person.
Besides this first choice, he also had several backup bases.
"It's not far from here, let's go over there."
Katsuragi took a deep breath, looked at the Class A students who were gradually showing signs of restlessness, and appeased them, "That place is more suitable than this one. I saw a fruit orchard there when I was on the ship. As long as we occupy that place, our food problem will be solved."
This explanation calmed the Class A students, who had been somewhat restless, and they settled down to continue following Katsuragi through the overgrown forest.
But in reality, Katsuragi was feeling stifled.
In his original plan, he should have first occupied the cave as the main base.
Then spread outwards, occupying all the bases with certain resources.
This way, all the problems of food and lodging would be solved.
Thus, those three hundred points, although 30 points were deducted because Sakayanagi didn't come, the remaining 270 points could still be entirely saved.
But now, he had no choice but to abandon his original plan.
"It's right ahead, I see it!"
Yahiko yelled excitedly, "As expected of Katsuragi, there really is a fruit orchard! This way, the food problem is solved, and we can save at least over a hundred points!"
Fruits can not only fill one's stomach but also replenish water.
The food and water consumed by forty people in a Class each day is no small amount; if they relied solely on points for exchange, it would cost at least twenty points a day.
But now, with this fruit orchard, they could completely save their points.
Being assigned to Class A at the beginning of the school year, they were certainly not fools.
At that moment, many people's expressions brightened.
If they could truly save over a hundred points, then the gain or loss of the previous cave was irrelevant.
"This will do."
Seeing the appeased crowd, a relaxed smile appeared on Katsuragi's face.
Although this was a good opportunity to defeat Sakayanagi, if he didn't handle it well, it could even have the opposite effect.
"It's so sweet."
Yahiko's face showed an excited expression as he jumped up, picked a red apple from the tree, wiped it on his clothes, and took a big bite.
"Crunch!"
The sweet and delicious pulp burst slightly, filling his entire mouth with fragrance.
And seeing him like this, the surrounding Class A students immediately became eager.
The weather had started to get hot, and they had walked enthusiastically for over half an hour without carrying any mineral water, so the students were feeling tired and thirsty.
"Yahiko!"
However, Katsuragi's expression changed drastically when he saw this, and he urgently shouted, trying to stop Yahiko.
But it was already too late.
"What's wrong, Katsuragi?"
Yahiko looked at him with some confusion, then showed a look of understanding, thinking Katsuragi was worried about him. He couldn't help but pat his chest and laughed, "Don't worry, Katsuragi. These apples are all naturally grown, without any pesticides, so it's fine even if you don't wash them."
"That's not it."
Katsuragi's face was grim; he suddenly regretted letting Yahiko be the Team Leader.
Yes.
He had chosen Totsuka Yahiko as the Team Leader for Class A this time.
Because Katsuragi was somewhat well-known in other classes, it would be easy for people to guess him.
And he couldn't trust anyone else to be the Team Leader; only Yahiko, his trusted confidant, was most suitable.
He wasn't unaware that Yahiko wasn't smart enough, but he originally thought Yahiko still had potential for cultivation.
But now it seemed...
"Did I do something wrong?"
Yahiko looked at Katsuragi's expression and immediately grew uneasy.
"No, it's nothing."
Katsuragi shook his head, took a deep breath, and decided to keep the matter a secret.
"Go swipe the card," Katsuragi urged.
"Oh, okay."
Yahiko nodded quickly, then jogged to the machine, pulling out his card to swipe.
However, as soon as he pulled out the card, his expression changed.
"Katsuragi! This is bad!"
Yahiko's expression was anxious, and he said nervously, "This base has also been occupied by Class C."
"What?!"
Katsuragi's expression changed drastically; he pushed aside the student next to him and ran to Yahiko's side.
Looking at the information displayed on the machine, his face was grim.
"Class C 7:57:32."
It was Class C again, and again, it was only by two or three minutes.
It was as if they had just arrived, and the other party had just left.
And this way, the thing he least wanted to happen had still occurred!
"To the next base!"
Katsuragi's mind instantly panicked, and he shouted loudly, then grabbed Yahiko and ran to the other side, yelling, "We must get ahead of Class C; we can't let them lead us again!"
He couldn't let the other students of Class A stay here any longer, otherwise, once they regained their composure, they might discover the problem!
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Can Katsuragi even do this?!"
"Do we have to keep going? I'm so tired; I don't want to walk anymore."
However, discordant voices had already emerged among the Class A students, and many began to complain.
These people were from the Sakayanagi Faction; compared to Katsuragi, they trusted the ability of Sakayanagi, that seemingly petite girl, even more.
However, since the Katsuragi Faction had already left, they had no choice but to follow.
Otherwise, if they got separated and lost, and held back the Class, the consequences would be very serious.
After all, before Sakayanagi set off, she had instructed them not to intentionally hinder Katsuragi.
However, ten minutes later, Yahiko was almost crying, his voice trembling as he looked at the strong, bald man beside him.
"Katsuragi."
"To the next one."
Katsuragi looked at Class C displayed on the machine once again, his face growing even gloomier.
"Katsuragi, can you even do this?!"
The Class A students who had finally caught up saw this scene and immediately questioned him with some anger, "If it were Sakayanagi, she definitely wouldn't make such a basic mistake."
"What do you mean?!"
As Katsuragi's number one subordinate, Yahiko naturally retorted immediately, saying angrily, "Katsuragi being able to find these bases in the first place is already amazing, okay? Who among you can do it? If you can, then you go!"
"No matter how amazing he is, he's still being led by those defective products from Class C."
A faint voice came from the crowd.
"Who, who said that? Come out and show yourself!"
Yahiko immediately became furious.
"Enough!"
Katsuragi shouted, loudly stopping Yahiko, his expression grim.
Yahiko's own problem hadn't been resolved yet, and he hadn't realized he had done something wrong.
But if things were allowed to continue, it would be hard to guarantee that other students wouldn't discover the problem.
That would only make the situation worse.
Now, he had to make the others calm down.
"Katsuragi, you have to give us an explanation, right? Or do you think a loud voice can decide everything?"
After being shouted at loudly by Katsuragi, Yahiko immediately shrank his head and fell silent, and the Class A students also paused. But then, someone still stood out to question him.
After all, they were all from the Sakayanagi Faction, not Katsuragi's people.
They also wanted to protect Sakayanagi's interests.
"Phew."
Taking a deep breath, Katsuragi tried to calm himself down and said, "This time it's my fault. I should have thought of it earlier. Since they occupied the cave base, they would definitely occupy the surrounding bases. This time, we'll go a bit further, and it will definitely be fine."
"Alright, we'll trust you one more time," the questioning boy mumbled, "Who told Sakayanagi to tell us to listen to you before she left?"
Meaning they would cooperate with Katsuragi again.
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