Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Guluo, Ximu, and Xie Lian were acquaintances Tilan had met during firearms training. Later, captivated by the swordsmanship of the black-haired girl, they joined the club at the encouragement of Yalian.

"Headcount complete, everyone's here," Ximu reported to the dark-haired girl in the middle.

"Then let's start with the first sampling. This is the first sampling point on the mission map. We need to collect the surrounding soil, a small amount of air, and test various environmental indices," she announced.

"No problem." Though it sounded complex, the equipment and support AI had been calibrated beforehand so they only needed to arrange it and later gather everything up.

"Never thought a guy like me would actually do physical labor," Kinsenke, wearing round-framed sunglasses and with his protective suit undone to reveal a T-shirt underneath, carried a silver box towards an open space, sounding utterly nonchalant.

"Need a hand?" Valke, carrying a heavier black steel box, came up from behind.

"Hey, big guy, you're just in time. I could indeed use some help," Kinsenke said, visibly relieved to see Valke approaching.

With Valke's help, the two of them took out the instruments from the box and set them up. Then they sat chatting nearby as they waited.

Spherical devices on tripods, with rings revolving around them, emitted ripples that spread outwards, automatically storing the collected data.

The entire sampling process took no more than 15 minutes and soon all present members completed their collection.

"Now, let's head to the next target," N called out to the students who had just come off the field.

"I thought we could stay a bit longer," Ruby said, shielding her eyes with sunglasses and scanning the distant sky for something different.

"Haha, don't worry, this trip will be anything but dull. I speak from my experience as a former senior operator," N laughed heartily from the driver's seat of the truck.

Back on the truck, 12 members did various things: some leaned against the window to watch the unchanging wilderness, some closed their eyes to listen to music, some prepared to sleep, and others played games on their personal terminals.

The first day was fairly normal. N drove the truck to the second sampling point and finished collecting samples. By the time they arrived at the third sampling site, it was night, and everyone prepared to camp there.

They moved the tents from the truck and set them up, then arranged six small Autonomous Units as sentries. Two members went to rest early to be ready for the night watch, while the others gathered around the campfire to prepare dinner.

Although they had all been club members, differences that went unnoticed before began to surface during cooking and meal preparation. Some were a bit more laid-back, some liked to tinker with things, some loved strong flavors, while others preferred lighter foods.

By the campfire, Ruby played with her personal terminal to find various angles for a selfie. Her device could unfold four floating patches, allowing it to perform slow flight for aerial photography.

An orange flame flickered in the dark land, with several people huddled around it, the vast sky full of stars created a unique ambiance.

Yalian and Phyllis were slowly turning grilled apples over the wire rack, discussing the environment and recent events in the Northern Second District. Yeyeber directed Guluo and Ximu to help with food preparation, Kinsenke sat on a high rock playing a game, his sounds of excitement intermittently audible, while Valke was assisting N with moving and setting up equipment, learning about camping techniques. Xie Lian hadn't come down from the truck yet, already resting in preparation, Efnie sat near the fire wearing headphones, occasionally flipping through a clipboard and daydreaming, and Tilan was taking a walk with Deloris at the edge of the campsite, sharing stories from the past.

"It's a bit chilly tonight," Deloris said, stomping her feet, feeling her breath visible in the cold air.

"It's only the end of February, and spring hasn't arrived in the north yet," the black-haired girl replied, pausing to gaze at the stars above.

"The nights in South First District are bright with lights; it's almost impossible to see the stars. I think it was two years ago when I went to the forest in Southern Fifth District that I saw this kind of starry sky at night," Deloris stopped walking as well.

"What made Tilan decide to come to the Northern Second District? When I told my father I wanted to join the club and come here, he seemed reluctant, and only after I prepared a lot of stuff did he reluctantly agree," she continued.

"It's because I know about this place that I wanted to show everyone. The two of us found a rock to sit on and the night wind blew sporadically across the wilds, lifting hems and hair and pressing trouser legs against the skin, bringing a slight chill.

"Maybe it's due to my childhood, and some past experiences, I could never forget them. Although I now live in the bustling Academy of South First District, I still want to make some changes." Resting her hands under her legs, she gently swung her feet, reminiscing.

"Living in a city deep underground, never seeing the real stars because of my nature, I was very timid and self-conscious..." As she spoke, the girl slowly raised her head, looking up at the vast nebula in the distant night sky.

"Humans really are insignificant, smaller than a speck of dust, but immersed in our narrow world, we often overlook this fact. Life is also a fragile and fleeting thing... After gradually realizing this, the narrow-minded sentiments that used to reside in my heart slowly disappeared."

"I don't know how to impart this kind of understanding to everyone, but I also hope to tell them that the world is not just the prosperous urban appearance of South First District." After speaking, she suddenly felt a faint urge to express the thoughts and emotions in her heart.