After Descending the Mountain, Seven Big Brothers Spoil Me - Chapter 1233

Chapter 1233: Clarify Everything If You Can
Xi Mo and the others never expected that there would be a gun pointed at them.

“Damn!” Fang Zichong exclaimed, shocked.

He had barely survived the night and now was worried that Zhouzhou might take his “life” away.

Even Xi Mo, always composed, couldn’t afford to be careless. As soon as he noticed he was being targeted, he quickly hid behind a tree.

Zhouzhou quickly realized what was happening, pushed aside some leaves in front of her, and poked her head out. “Uncle, it’s you guys,” she said.

Her tone, her expression, were full of regret.

Xi Mo twitched his lips. As expected, there would be no emotional reunion, no teary embrace. Perhaps Zhouzhou even thought they were just a nuisance.

Zhouzhou didn’t think like that, though. She had just assumed it was an enemy and wanted to earn more points. Of course, she was thinking for the group, not just that small prize!

Once she confirmed there were no enemies around, she jumped down from the tree and cheerfully walked over to Xi Mo.

Now that she was closer, Xi Mo noticed the bloodstains on her clothes and the wounds on her face and arms. His expression instantly changed.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, full of concern.

Zhouzhou touched her lips and shook her head. “It’s nothing, just a few small wounds.”

If she hadn’t dodged quickly, a few of her ribs might have been broken.

She didn’t mention this to Xi Mo though, not wanting to make him worry. Her uncle could be quite the nagger.

Seeing her slightly annoyed expression, Xi Mo couldn’t help but laugh. He poked her gently. “You little ungrateful thing.”

He was worried about her! But she didn’t appreciate it and even dared to complain.

Zhouzhou immediately smiled brightly and hugged his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. Xi Mo’s heart softened instantly.

He sighed and rubbed her head. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

After all, she had been facing Augusta, and it was impossible not to get hurt at all. The current situation was actually quite good.

Zhouzhou thought the same.

This wasn’t the right moment for a reunion. Just as she was about to speak, a breeze blew by, and her nose twitched. She suddenly turned her head to Fang Zichong. “What’s that smell on you?”

“Eh?” Fang Zichong was stunned, unable to process the question, looking at her in confusion.

Zhouzhou had already walked up to him and saw the torn clothes on his body. She reached out and touched them.

Fang Zichong immediately realized, his face turning red with guilt, and he lowered his head, too ashamed to look at her.

Zhouzhou sniffed her fingers and frowned. “Why do you have sedative powder and bug-attracting powder on you?”

“What’s bug-attracting powder?” Fang Zichong asked curiously, still not answering.

“It’s, as the name implies, something that attracts insects,” she said with a calm expression.

Then she casually picked up a few leaves from the ground, flicked her wrist, and sent them flying.

Fang Zichong turned around just in time to see a spider and a snake following him.

Neither was big, and unless you looked closely, you wouldn’t have noticed. But from their appearance, they were clearly poisonous.

He felt a wave of fear and cold sweat broke out on his back.

“What’s going on?” Zhouzhou asked sternly.

The powder had been tampered with. It wasn’t something naturally occurring.

She hadn’t encountered anything like this along the way. What had they gone through?

Xi Mo’s expression darkened as well.

He didn’t know what it was earlier, but now he was furious.

He quickly glanced at the surveillance cameras, then quietly pulled Zhouzhou aside to explain.

After hearing him out, Zhouzhou chuckled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Well, well.

She didn’t even need to guess why they didn’t just use poison.

Using poison was easy to trace—autopsy reports would reveal everything.

But using bug-attracting powder, if they were bitten by a snake or attacked by an insect, it would seem perfectly natural. Even if they later demanded an explanation, no one could accuse anyone of wrongdoing.

Good. Very good.

Her eyes simmered with fury.

But suddenly, a faint smile curled at the corner of her lips—calm, composed, like the storm before a reckoning.

Xi Mo looked at her and instantly knew—she had a plan.

Sure enough, Zhouzhou acted as if nothing had happened, pulling him back to their original spot. Right in front of the cameras, she smiled openly and said, “Come on, let’s keep earning points.”

Seeing her like this, the judges on the other side of the screen exchanged glances, a little surprised.

Xi Mo had definitely told her what happened earlier—and that was her reaction?

Then again, maybe it made sense. Traps and ambushes were technically within the rules of the competition. Other teams had encountered them too, just not as brutal as what they faced.

Tough luck, that’s all. Nothing much she could do about it.

With that thought, the judges shared a look of dismissive smugness, their eyes full of disdain.

Watching their expressions, the Commander chuckled.

Their blissful ignorance was… downright charming. He couldn’t help stealing a few more glances.

They clearly didn’t understand Zhouzhou at all. The calmer she appeared, the scarier she was.

Tsk tsk, he was just sitting back, waiting for the show to start.

Sure, Zhouzhou scolded her team like a drill sergeant during training. But when it came down to it, she was fiercely protective.

She could yell at them, hit them even—but if anyone else so much as laid a hand on them?

They’d better start picking their next life.

The mere thought made him relax, leaning back in his chair with a carefree smile.

The other judges didn’t know what was coming. Seeing him like this, they even gave him a mocking glance.

Heh. Let them laugh.

They wouldn’t be laughing for long.

Zhouzhou remained unfazed, continuing the hunt for points with her group.

Only now, along the way, she’d occasionally pluck flowers and herbs, even tucking some into her hair—like she was out on a nature stroll.

The others noticed but didn’t think much of it. Just figured the girl liked flowers and being pretty.

Only Ye Lingfeng and Ancestral Master knew—half of what she picked were medicinal herbs.

And by sheer “coincidence,” those herbs had properties nearly identical to insect-attracting powder. No, stronger—ten times more potent.

They liked using bugs, huh?

Well then—let’s really give them what they like.

Before long, dusk fell, and the forest echoed now and then with gunshots.

One by one, teams were eliminated.

By tomorrow, it’d all be over.

Tension was rising everywhere.

Everyone was on edge—

Everyone but Zhouzhou.

She was… cooking.

No one knew what kind of bag she carried—like a magical treasure chest, it kept producing supplies out of nowhere.

It looked so small, yet she kept pulling things out of it.

A judge saw this and immediately objected. “She’s cheating. Those items aren’t allowed!”

The Commander glanced at him, his voice cool: “Zhouzhou didn’t even plan to bring them. But you changed the start time without notice. She didn’t know. Grabbed the wrong bag by habit. That’s hardly her fault, is it?”

If you’ve got the guts, go ahead and explain that to the public too.