My Partner was Assigned to me by the Country

After all, potato roots are not sweet potatoes. This type of plant in the Planet B612 called a potato root, grows in the cold ice grasslands. In order to survive, they have evolved to be completely different from the sweet potatoes that Ryan has seen. The thin vines above ground grow tightly against the soil, and their leaves can disguise themselves as ordinary weeds, blending in with the countless weeds inconspicuously.

The small vines are easily overlooked, but once you find the purple-brown vines, you can follow them to find the enlarged tuber buried deep underground. The tuber is full of water and can quench your thirst when eaten raw. When roasted, it can remove most of the water content and leave a firm and meaty texture, like the one Ryan and his group ate before. Its texture is soft and sweet, refreshing and thirst-quenching, and it can not only fill the stomach, but also make salivary glands secrete saliva, making it one of the best foods for survival in the wild.

These cute little guys are a gift from heaven to the ice grasslands, and they cannot be domesticated or cultivated. Once they leave the ice grasslands, they lose their vitality.

The old hunter, while teaching Ryan how to find them, lamented the difficulty of artificially breeding potato roots. Otherwise, B612 would have one more source of food.

“After mastering the skills, it is very easy to find them. Just look for the purple-brown small vines on the ground, follow them to the root system that penetrates the ground, and you will definitely find the potato roots.” Ryan knelt on the ground with one leg, and after feeling around with his fingers against the ground for a moment, he picked up an inconspicuous “withered vine”. Following this vine-like thing, he discovered the root system deeply buried in the ground in less than thirty centimeters, and after digging down about thirty centimeters, he found a palm-sized potato root. Ryan smiled and put the potato root in Owen’s hand, patting the big guy’s shoulder and saying, “After filling your stomach, let’s keep going and head to Moon Bay.”

Owen looked down at the potato root in his hand, then at Ryan who was much shorter than him. He hesitantly asked once again: “Can you take me down?”

“That wouldn’t be fair.” Pointing at Owen’s stomach, which was rumbling with hunger, Ryan continued, ‘We’ll have a fair fight on the Xingtian ship after you’ve had a full meal. Haha!”

Owen shook his head and honestly said: “’No, I can’t beat you.”

Even with a full stomach, he knew he was no match for Ryan’s powerful punches, agile movements, and versatile fighting techniques….. Owen was impressed and convinced. “You’re stronger than me. I’ll follow you.”

“Big guy, our team is full,” Harriet shouted from the sidelines.

“Taking out one of you is enough,” Owen said as he scanned the group. First, he saw his old rival Derrick, but he decided against it. Harriet was too pretty to fight, so he ruled her out. That left two, and the annoying chatterbox seemed like a good target… But just as he settled on his target, he heard Ryan say, “Sorry, I’m having a good time with my friends.”

Owen scratched his head regretfully. “Okay, well, if there’s a chance in the future, I’ll definitely be the first one by your side.”

Ryan smiled, “I hope we have the opportunity to fight together. We are about to set off. Goodbye.”

Owen waved his big hand, “Goodbye, I wish you success.”

As he watched Ryan’s team get farther away, Owen turned and went back to the small “basin” where he had been hiding before. The rescue helicopter had not arrived yet, and the defeated members of the red camps were huddled there in circles. Owen picked up his big bag and patted Xiao Hong on the head as he passed by. The young man with short red hair looked at Owen with a sad expression and said, “Boss, my head is made of flesh, it hurts when I get hit.”

“You bunch of useless people, you were defeated so easily. Where can I find so many red camp members to defeat me and take off my badge?” Owen held his stomach, which was empty and grumbling. With Ryan’s help, he had learned that there was food to eat on the Ice grasslands, but he was too hungry to even look for it. He sat down on the ground and lay down with a sense of despair, holding a potato root in his arms. “Ryan just took off my badge… ” He daydreamed that after the badge was removed, he would board the rescue helicopter, eat delicious food and drink thick soup, drink lots of beer, and slowly eat ten pounds of chicken nuggets and twenty pounds of french fries. Just thinking about it made him feel happy.

Xiao Hong: “… Boss, Ryan is on the same team as you, he can’t take your badge.”

Owen widened his eyes in surprise, “On the same team?”

Xiao Hong: “…”

Such an obvious badge, and the boss didn’t even notice it. Oh, come on! He shouted during the fight, asking the boss not to fight Ryan and save others, but it turns out that the boss didn’t hear a word?!

Xiao Hong collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face. Meeting Owen, who was determined to be defeated, was already miserable enough. And now, while fishing, he encountered Ryan who stirred up the grassland. This competition is really a bad luck for him. He wanted to board the rescue plane, and go back to his dorm to open his blanket and have a good sleep, forgetting about the competition that was overshadowed by dark clouds1T/N: a situation or event that makes you worry or feel unhappy.

Ryan and his group marched at a fast pace, attacking any lone members of the red or blue camps they encountered on the way with “inhumane” brutality. Basically, none of them managed to escape their clutches, except Owen.

Fan Lanting: “That Owen is so funny. He kept chasing Ryan and asking him to kill him. Why doesn’t he look at Ryan’s camp? It’s the same as his own. How can he kill him?”

“He begged you to take his badge, didn’t he?” Harriet asked curiously.

Fan Lanting shook his head. “I can’t beat Owen. He’s such a big guy, and even hungry, his strength is so terrifying and pinching me is like pinching vegetables for him.”

Owen hoped that a strong player would kill him, so that he could lose the game. If he wasn’t strong, he wouldn’t even bother with them.

“Stop talking and conserve your energy. You’re already falling behind Ryan and the others,” Jack said in a deep voice.

Fan Lanting and Harriet exchanged a glance and immediately turned their heads, putting all their effort into speeding up. Their goal was to reach the designated entry point near Moon Bay before the daytime ended and wait for the last batch of badges to come to them.

At 4:15 pm B612 time, more than half an hour earlier than the scheduled time, they arrived at the No. 13 of the 26 designated entry points in Moon Bay.

“I don’t really like this number,” Fan Lanting complained slightly. “Because Connor doesn’t like 13.”

“You’re really a loyal fan. Connor likes to eat shit-flavoured chocolate and you follow suit?” Harriet was curious about the fans’ way of thinking.

“Oh, come on. You’re disgusting. Connor has a very refined taste, okay?” Fan Lanting said. “Besides, just because my idol likes something doesn’t mean I have to use it too. Last time, Connor recommended a pepper-flavoured aftershave, and I didn’t use it.”

 Harriet: “Uh-huh?”

Fan Lanting said righteously, “I bought it but didn’t use it. I hate the taste of pepper. If it wasn’t for Connor’s recommendation, I would never reach out to something with that smell in my life.”

Harriet: “Well, I really like fish soup sprinkled with white pepper and beef steak marinated with black pepper. Ryan’s black pepper honey fried chicken is also amazing. You have to try it if you have the chance.”

“Ryan is so amazing? I’ve never seen a friend who can cook like him before.”

“Haha, you haven’t seen all of Ryan’s talents yet.”

While Fan Lanting and Harriet were in charge of monitoring, Ryan was discussing the action plan for entering Moon Bay with Derrick and Jack. The plan had only one main objective: to hurry along the way while searching for Rose Lizards. The canyon was full of dangers, so they had to pay attention to their own safety.

“The second requirement of the competition is to not damage the environment and maintain the ecological balance of the planet,” Ryan emphasised, “When catching the Rose Lizard, it cannot be killed. Only the ‘Rose’ on its tail can be taken. Otherwise, even if you have many, you will still violate the competition rules and fail to pass the competition.”

Derrick shared the information he had with everyone, “The Rose Lizards are good at changing the colour of their skin to camouflage themselves and they often live on the edges of the cracks, so we need to be careful where we step when searching for them.”

Ryan added one more point, “The bumps on the surface of the Rose Lizards are toxic, so try not to touch them.”

“Toxic?” Jack remembered the field guide he had browsed, which clearly stated that Rose Lizards were ugly-looking creatures with bumps on their sides and were not poisonous, and that their ability to camouflage was noteworthy. It also said that one did not need to worry about the bumps on their body when catching them.

Ryan had done extensive research. The wife of the old hunter, who liked him very much and loved to share knowledge with him, revealed a piece of information that was not even recorded in the planetary guide: the Rose Lizards were poisonous.

“The toxicity is mild, but if you touch a Rose Lizard bump, do not touch your mouth, ears, nose, eyes, or any open wounds, as it can cause an allergic reaction. You don’t want to know what the allergic reaction is.”

The more secretive the information, the more curious the others became, urging Ryan to reveal the allergic reaction.

Ryan had no choice but to say vaguely, “Unable to ‘stand’ for three hours, and there will be a very painful sensation during intimate activities within a day.” The veteran hunter had a very affectionate wife, and after each mission, he would engage in intimate emotional exchanges with his wife in every way possible, causing him to discover this secret. When speaking about it, the veteran hunter’s eyes could not help but reveal a bitter and intense emotion, showing that it was truly very painful.

The men present subconsciously closed their legs together.

Harriet couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “I really want to see that ridiculous little thing right away.”

Fan Lanting, who was on guard duty, gave a warning that a group of people was approaching.

Ryan stretched his neck, preparing for the upcoming battle. The first third of the night had been very fulfilling, to the point where Entrance Point 13 was given the name of “Devil’s Thirteenth” for reasons unknown to them, and it became the end for many people in this competition, guarded by five people including Ryan

Some resolutely adjusted the direction after hearing the wind, and went to the two entry points around No. 13.

There are also people who do not believe in evil, thinking that they will become dragon slaying warriors who have defeated the “devil”, but in the end they become the dead souls of the devil’s subordinates.

At 9:30 in the evening, a group of fearless warriors arrived at the 13th entrance point, and in just six minutes, three of their members had already fallen to the hands of Ryan and the others. Only two remained, struggling to hold on.

“Despicable, bullying the small with the big, Derrick, I despise you, you actually cooperate with the small and short Ryan!”, One of them accused, pointing at Fan Lanting. “What did he offer you, let you protect him all the way?”

Fan Lanting, who was innocent, got caught in the crossfire, “…”

He became angry. “Laozi is not short at all! I’m 1.8 metres tall, and I’m definitely not small. I’m 18 centimetres long.”

Fan Lanting was the shortest male member in the team, which caused a misunderstanding among the others2T/N: Fan Lanting is the smallest member in the team. Because of rumors, they assumed the smallest one would be Ryan and it caused a misunderstanding. He was furious, but he heard Ryan say, “It’s time.”

Fan Lanting glared fiercely at the two remaining opponents. If it weren’t for the agreed-upon time limit, he would have stayed and taught them how to behave.

As soon as the planned time to enter Moon Bay arrived, everyone stopped. This made the other party feel completely frustrated and unwilling to accept it, shouting, “Come on, come again, not coming makes you a coward.”

Ryan suddenly stepped forward, causing the hecklers to retreat in fear. Ryan said, “I am Ryan Smith, I am not short, well… not small either.”

The remaining two people looked at each other in disbelief. Ryan Smith was unexpectedly skilled and was able to knock down both of them in an instant.

“Rumours cannot be trusted…”

“I saw Sierra and Kage going to Moon Bay during the day, they probably have already entered Moon Bay. Hehe, someone will avenge us.”

“Haha, let’s watch the show.”

“Yes.”

Ryan asked, “What time of the day?”

“Why haven’t you left yet?!” 

Ryan innocently replied, “I never left.”

The two scared individuals took a step back and said to the person who was shouting at Ryan, “It was around 8 o’clock in the morning when they went. I saw them going all the way to Moon Bay without stopping.”

“Thanks.” Ryan nodded and turned to leave, not worried about being attacked from behind. At the edge of Moon Bay Canyon, there were ten mountaineering ropes hanging down, and their team had already occupied five of them and Auston continued to follow them.

Ryan walked to Auston’s side, put on the speed descent equipment that had been set aside, and pulled the rope while glancing back. Warm air currents were rising from the over 200-metre-deep canyon, and in the darkness, they could only vaguely see a distant, fiery red streak, which was the colour of the slowly flowing magma at the crack in the ground. As they slid down, those streaks of colour got closer and closer, and the temperature around them gradually increased, indicating they had left the cold grassland and entered the dangerous Moon Bay Canyon.

The canyon is a plate crack formed by the movement of the earth’s crust, with a total length of 180 kilometres and a depth of over 200 metres. Inside the canyon, there were only two hours of daylight at noon each day, but the darkness underground was not pitch black; the brightness of the magma gave this place a strange red glow.

Not all cracks had magma flowing deep inside. Some cracks were bottomless and pitch black, and no one knew where they led. These were the most dangerous things in Moon Bay Canyon. One must always stay highly focused and be vigilant of every inch of the ground they stepped on. One small mistake could lead to being swallowed up by a crevice in a blink of an eye, and a life could be lost.

But one thing to be thankful for is that nature hasn’t wiped everything out. On the edges of these terrifying rifts, there are usually three or four fluorescent mushrooms growing, which serve as a sign to avoid most potential dangers.

However, most things are not one hundred percent safe. Caution should be the top priority, and safety is paramount. In Moon Bay, you can never be too careful.

Quickly descending to the ground, Ryan untangled himself from his equipment while observing his surroundings. Three meters away in the ten o’clock direction, there was a clump of fluorescent mushrooms, which served as a sign of the extremely fierce cracks that looked like a gaping mouth. Ryan’s ear twitched, and he heard a faint sound. His right hand clawed towards the cliff and caught a small creature similar to a chameleon on the mother planet Earth in his hand. There were protuberances on its lower abdomen and parasites on its tail. It was a rose lizard.

Ryan was a lucky guy. He caught a rose lizard within ten minutes of entering Moon Bay. Some people may not see one even after entering Moon Bay for ten days.

“Don’t touch your face with your right hand, after catching the rose lizard“, Auston whispered in Ryan’s ear.

 Ryan’s eyes flickered with amusement. “I’ll listen to you.”

Auston looked away uncomfortably and then noticed a body lying on the ground about seven or eight meters away. Judging by the level of decay, it couldn’t have been there for more than a week. The adventurer was wearing a grey overalls that adventurers often wear, with over a hundred pockets that could meet many needs. Judging by the twisted limbs, the person must have fallen to their death during the descent, yet another unfortunate person unable to return home.

“The unpredictable airflow in the Moon Bay Canyon makes it impossible to use descent equipment to assist landing,” said Ryan, still holding the Rose Lizard, with a gentle yet mournful tone. “Many resources in Moon Bay are worth the risk, but I don’t know how many people lose their lives here every year.”

Just like the rose lizard in his hand, one of the substances extracted from the fungus parasite on its tail can be used in medicines to treat genetic defects. Three “roses” can be exchanged for five thousand star coins, which is considered a huge sum of money in the eyes of many. It can help nourish a starving baby into a strong teenager in the remote B612. Children in poverty often have to devote themselves to support their families at a young age. Although it is not allowed by imperial law, poverty will not wait for one to grow up.”.

“This is still a child…”

While Ryan was catching the rose lizard, Derrick and the others had already released their descent equipment and were doing a simple search nearby. They saw the quickly decaying body under the high temperature of the magma. Judging from the age of the bones, this was a young adventurer under twenty years old. Unfortunately, his life had come to an end here forever.

Ryan didn’t join their discussion. He brought the struggling rose lizard in his hand to his face, pinched the rose-like fungus at its tail, and pulled it out with a little effort. After a faint “pop” sound, he smirked as he held a “rose” that was about three to four centimetres long. The lizard’s tail was left with a flesh (hole) after it was pulled out.

‘Rose’ is similar to cordyceps.

“Guys, don’t look and keep going,” Ryan shouted at the people gathered around the corpse.

“Got it,” answered Derrick.

In this cruel world, burial is impossible. There is an unwritten rule in the adventurer industry that wherever one dies, they will rest there. From the moment one enters this industry, they have already tied their heads to their belts3T/N: It implies that they have mentally and emotionally detached themselves from the fear of death and are ready to face any challenges that come their way. – this is an unspoken fact.

Unless someone is commissioned to do so, no adventurers will risk bringing the bodies of their fallen comrades back.

Being a tough-minded person, they venture into dangerous territories with the mentality of leaving life and death to fate. After a brief adjustment, they moved towards the centre of Moon Bay. They were also people walking on the edge of life and death.

On the sixth day of the competition and the third day of entering Moon Bay, a relatively flat piece of land near the edge of a magma-filled crack was the place where Ryan and the others temporarily settled. Ryan estimated their distance and confirmed their location.

“We are still two to three kilometres away from the mission submission point,” Ryan told everyone the good news, which meant that they were not far from the end of the damn competition.

On the last day of the competition, which was the seventh day, anyone could throw their gains into the basket at the centre of the canyon at any time as long as they thought their gains were enough to win the competition.

“Great!” Harriet shook her head, touching her greasy hair and said in self-disgust, “I just want to take a good hot bath and then lie on the bed and do nothing and think about nothing.”

“Damn it, stop talking, I miss my bed,” Fan Lanting leaned back, behind him was an almost vertical cliff, “Hey, what’s this?”

He pulled out a rusty pen from under his buttocks, the pen cap engraved with a name, and he read the text under the nearby magma light, “Leo Albridge.”

Ryan suddenly looked up, staring intensely at Fan Lanting. Fan Lanting was startled and stammered, “You, what are you doing, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Let me see the pen.”

Fan Lanting : “Oh.”

He patted his little heart, thinking that maybe Ryan had suddenly taken fancy to him, and it scared him to death.

Translator has something to say:

Ah, Poor Fan Lanting!!! Everyone is targeting him. Anyways, Can anyone guess who is Leo Albridge?