Acai's Sky

The salty sea breeze carried fine sand, like sharp knives, mercilessly hitting the island of the Chinese military camp.

On the training ground, the members of the Front Team are making their final sprint.

The sun was high in the sky, and the sunlight was like boiling molten iron, pouring down on the land soaked in sweat.

Deafening slogans echoed over the training ground, but the sea breeze was like a naughty child, crushing the sound into pieces.

The team members wore thick training suits, carried heavy equipment, and ran hard on the hot sand.

Every step felt like stepping on a red-hot iron plate. Sweat kept sliding down my cheeks, dripping onto the sand, and instantly evaporating into wisps of white water vapor.

Finally, with a sharp whistle, the high-intensity tactical drill ended.

The team members looked as if their bones had been pulled out of them, and they all lay staggering under the tall coconut tree in front of the barracks, as if they had been fished out of the water.

The shade of the trees became their only shelter at the moment, and the mottled light and shadows cast on their tired faces, as if it was a gentle caress given by nature.

"Help! Is berserker mode on today?"

He Xin was the first one who couldn't hold on any longer and sat down heavily on the ground, splashing up a cloud of fine sand.

He tossed his helmet aside, his wet hair clinging to his forehead, making him look like a drowned rat. "I feel like I've been dried up in the sun, just needing a sprinkle of salt before I can be thrown into the pot."

"Come on,"

Liu Jialiang wiped the sweat from his face and flung out a string of crystal water droplets, which drew graceful arcs in the air. "How can a salted fish be as loud as you? I think you look more like a burnt mantis shrimp, so red that you can be served on the table."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.

Amidst the laughter, fatigue seemed to be dispelled a lot.

Qi Kai lay on the ground, his hands behind his head, and said weakly, "I can't take it anymore. I feel like my soul is being roasted out of my body. But there's no sun in this starry sky. Where does the sunlight come from on the island?"

At this moment, a crisp "ding dong" sound suddenly came from Liu Fengqi's system.

The people who were originally lying on the ground raised their heads in unison like robots that had been started.

Liu Fengqi opened the system panel and took a look. His eyes instantly widened like bells, and his voice was filled with disbelief: "Brothers, come and see! It's a free lunch!"

"What? Pie?"

Qi Kai jumped up with a somersault, his movements were so agile that he didn't look like someone who had just undergone high-intensity training.

When he leaned over, he almost knocked Liu Fengqi away, his face full of anticipation. "I just had a steamed bun this morning and I'm starving! Is it stuffed with meat or red bean paste?"

"What are you thinking about?"

Liu Fengqi rolled his eyes at him and projected the screen. The words on the screen shone alluringly in the sunlight. "These are the elixirs given by the inviter! Each person gets a bottle of [Top-Grade Resurrection Pill] and a bottle of [Top-Grade Rejuvenation Pill]!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone exploded.

Wang Mingchang rushed forward, his head practically touching the screen, nearly poking a hole in it. His voice was filled with shock. "Oh my god! This is too arrogant! This thing is sold at a sky-high price on the black market. One can be exchanged for a top-notch mecha! And now they're giving two bottles to each person? Does the inviter have a mine at home, or a home in the mine?"

He Youxing pushed the interstellar glasses on his left eye and began to look through emails.

Soon, he laughed out loud, and his laughter was filled with the meaning of sudden enlightenment: "I know what's going on! General Wang Li said that this is to compensate us! Remember last time in the Yellow Spring Secret Realm, when the Yellow Spring Treasure Guardian kicked us to pieces? His master is going crazy! I guess he feels embarrassed and gave us elixirs to compensate us and comfort us!"

"It turns out this is a blessing in disguise for us!"

He Xin rubbed his hands together, his face filled with excitement, his eyes gleaming with brilliance. "If I had known I'd get kicked harder, maybe I could have gotten an interstellar battleship in return!"

"Come on," Liu Jialiang kicked him with a teasing smile on his face. "Next time, I'll let you go alone to attract hatred and get chased and beaten by the treasure guards. Let's see if you can still smile."

"Don't worry! Brothers are like limbs, and elixirs are like clothes. We share happiness and difficulties together!"

He Xin hid back, holding his head. His comical appearance made everyone laugh again. "But seriously, if I could take one of these [Top-Grade Resurrection Pills] at a critical moment, wouldn't it be possible to revive right there with full health and enter 'I can fight for another 500 years' mode?"

Liu Fengqi tapped his head, his tone serious. "What are you thinking? Another five hundred years! I'll be thankful if I can make it to the next battle. But then again, this pill can really save your life in a critical moment. If I hadn't had half a Rejuvenation Pill left in my pocket during the last raid on the enemy base, you'd be holding a memorial service for me right now."

Liu Fengqi's words caused everyone to fall into a brief silence, and everyone remembered that thrilling battle.

But soon, Qi Kai came close to Liu Fengqi again, winked and said, "Captain, look how hard I've been training lately. I practice until midnight every day. The dark circles under my eyes are almost down to my chin. How about... you give me half an extra bottle? Just consider it a reward for my hard work?"

"Go! Go! Go!"

Liu Fengqi pushed him away, his face showing a mixture of anger and amusement. "Those dark circles under your eyes are clearly from staying up late last night! You want to eat alone? No way! Keep them all here. These are life-saving treasures. Don't use them unless absolutely necessary!"

"I know, I know!"

Everyone responded with their mouths, but in their hands they had already begun to play with the medicine bottle. The small jade bottle shimmered with a warm luster in the sunlight, and the medicine liquid inside flowed, as if it contained mysterious power.

He Youxing held the Supreme Rejuvenation Pill up to the light, carefully observing the golden liquid flowing inside. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Look! There seems to be words inside this pill!"

"What? There's a hidden Easter egg?"

Everyone gathered around at once, heads huddled together, like a flock of curious sparrows.

Wang Mingchang squinted his eyes and stared at it for a long time. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh, his face full of excitement: "I see it clearly! It says on it - 'Eat this pill, and the treasure guards in the underworld will call you daddy!'"

"Hahahaha!"

The roar of laughter instantly blew off the roof of the barracks.

He Xin laughed so hard he rolled around on the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust. "If we drink both bottles, won't we go straight to heaven, shoulder to shoulder with the sun, and make the treasure-guarding underworld cry out for recognition as our ancestors?"

"Alright, alright, stop being so rude!"

Liu Fengqi suppressed his laughter, put on a stern face, and regained his captain's dignity. "Hurry up and put the pill away. We'll gather together later! In the next training session, we'll bring this 'gift' with us and show the other teams what it means to 'take the magic pill and become incredibly powerful'!"

"Yes!"

Everyone agreed with a smile and carefully put the pills into their pockets.

At that moment, it seemed as if what was in his pocket was not a pill, but the hope of the whole world.

The sea breeze blew by, bringing with it a salty taste, but it couldn't blow away the lively laughter in front of the barracks.

On the other side of the island, members of other teams heard the commotion here and cast curious glances.

As time went by, the sunset on the island gradually sank to the west, dyeing the sky a brilliant red.

After resting for a while in the barracks, the members of the forward team began to prepare for the next training.

They carefully put the pills away, as if they were treasures more precious than life.

In the locker room, the players were changing into their training equipment while discussing the elixir.

He Xin held his training suit, but his eyes were fixed on the pill bottle in the locker, muttering to himself: "I don't know what this pill tastes like, it's not the same as before..."

"You just know how to eat!"

Liu Jialiang threw a towel over, hitting He Xin on the head. "This is a life-saving pill, not a snack! But honestly, I'm quite curious about the effect of this pill. If it's really as powerful as the legend says, we'll be much more confident in carrying out missions in the future."

Liu Fengqi changed his clothes and stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his collar.

Hearing this, he turned around, his eyes firm, "No matter how effective it is, we can't rely on elixirs. We still have to cultivate our strength step by step. However, this elixir is indeed a pleasant surprise, and it can be regarded as a kind of compensation for our last encounter in the Yellow Springs Fragment."

At the mention of the Yellow Springs fragment, everyone's expressions grew serious. That experience had left a profound impression on them.

I originally thought it was an ordinary fragment exploration mission, but I didn't expect to encounter the powerful Yellow Springs Treasure Guardian.

That guy's strength was so terrifying that he kicked their entire team out of the Yellow Springs Fragment with just one move, without them even having a chance to resist.

"Speaking of which, I wonder who General Wang Li's master is, to be so generous." Qi Kai said as he tied his shoelaces, "If he hadn't been kicked out suddenly in the debris last time, maybe we could have found some treasures."

"Don't think about those useless things," Wang Mingchang patted his shoulder. "Since they have given us compensation, let's accept it. The next time we enter the secret realm, with this elixir, maybe we can avenge our previous shame!"