Night fell as scattered groups of night wanderers returned to their small tents.

Those who exceeded the curfew faced harsh punishment from the guard soldiers.

Yet, they showed little resentment or resistance.

Perhaps, once they ventured deeper into the unknown, even this small pleasure would vanish.

So, for this last bit of joy, the punishment meant nothing.

Inside a tent, five military sleeping bags lay side by side. Though labeled "military," to twenty-first-century eyes, they were crude cotton sacks.

Day High: "I can’t sleep without a shower. Feels all wrong."

Day High pulled out a thick tube, slammed it down with a THUD, and fiddled with its ring-shaped controls. The ground trembled beneath it.

Li Weishe: "Whoa! Never knew Boss Gao had such strength!"

Day High: "What, you think I’m just a desk jockey?"

Suddenly, four water jets burst from the tube’s sides like showerheads.

Seventh Ju: "This is…"

Half Moon Outflow: "Never seen a ‘Water Dragon’? It draws groundwater."

Half Moon Outflow: "Don’t be fooled by the one-meter tube above ground. It drills ten times deeper."

Seventh Ju: "Water Dragon… huh."

Seventh Ju: "Is it supposed to spray water like this?"

Half Moon Outflow: "That’s Day High’s personal tweak. Normally, it doesn’t work this way."

Day High: "Of course! This is a shower-specific Water Dragon!"

Half Moon Outflow: "Using gear most can’t afford just for showers? Real luxury."

Day High: "Enough talk—everyone, wash up!"

Under the day’s last light, they stripped off clothes, letting cool groundwater wash away sweat.

I’d hesitated to shower naked in the wilds. But seeing Day High, Li Weishe, and Half Moon Outflow undress so casually, I followed suit.

Four naked men showering together in the wilderness, just before total darkness…

I shut my eyes, letting the water wash away the mental image too…

*Sigh*. I’m probably the most pitiful transmigrator in fiction or reality.

Still, this clean, accessible groundwater made me wonder about this world’s ecosystem.

According to Miss Poppy, land dominated this planet, with scarce water bodies.

Yet today’s vegetation mirrored my old world’s.

Without oceans regulating climate, something else must drive a healthy water cycle.

Could it be… the groundwater system?

Hah. The more I learn, the hungrier my curiosity grows.

That’s part of pioneering’s charm. Though my "pioneering" differs from the Pioneer Team’s.

Seventh Ju: "…Oh! Ink River!"

Seventh Ju: "Where’s Ink River?"

Ink River of the Seasonal Wolf sat alone nearby, back turned to us. He tilted his head slightly, watching the sun sink into full darkness.

No one spoke to him after the night walk. He spoke to no one.

His silhouette reminded me of last night.

Seventh Ju: "Ink River, you okay?"

Ink River glanced back. His canine pupils glowed faintly.

Ink River: "You alright?"

I instinctively touched my damp neck.

Seventh Ju: "Huh? Something there?"

Ink River: "No. Clean skin."

Seventh Ju: "Exactly."

Ink River: "…………"

Ink River: "Ju. Are we friends?"

Seventh Ju: "…………"

Seventh Ju: "Aren’t we already?"

Ink River: "Is a friend who won’t save you truly a friend?"

Seventh Ju: "Friends aren’t bodyguards. You only need saving in danger."

Ink River: "…………"

He sighed—a sound heavier than his words.

Ink River: "Fine. Let’s call it that."

Seventh Ju: "Hey, won’t you join the shower?"

Ink River: "No. Seasonal Wolves get sick if we stay too… human-clean."

Half Moon Outflow: "Also, that was a rude invitation."

A hand landed on my shoulder. Half Moon Outflow stood there, already dressed after his shower.

Seventh Ju: "Half Moon Outflow…"

Half Moon Outflow: "Call me Chūryū."

Seventh Ju: "…………"

*I’d rather call you ‘Half Moon’.*

Half Moon Outflow: "It’s spring. If Ink River’s in his Stable Phase now, autumn will be stable too."

Half Moon Outflow: "So… in几十 days, summer—will it be his Rampage Phase… or Breeding Phase?"

Ink River: "…………"

Seventh Ju: "Breeding Phase?"

Half Moon Outflow: "Seventh Ju, charging at a Seasonal Wolf blind? Classic rookie move."

Half Moon Outflow: "Seasonal Wolves shift with seasons. Stable to Rampage, then back. One cycle per year."

Half Moon Outflow: "In Rampage Phase, they lose human form, grow full-body fur. Smarts stay sharp, but cruelty takes over."

Half Moon Outflow: "Hurting even family for trivial gains? Not uncommon."

Half Moon Outflow: "Most folks know this much—which is why they fear us."

He pinched my arm and back muscles.

Half Moon Outflow: "Your build’s like Li Weishe’s. Muscle forged from long abuse."

Half Moon Outflow: "Still, that’s no reason to trust a Seasonal Wolf."

Seventh Ju: "…………"

Seventh Ju: "No need to worry, Mr. Chūryū. I know what I’m doing."

Half Moon Outflow: "Do you? Know what happens in Breeding Phase?"

Seventh Ju: "…No."

Ink River: "……"

Half Moon Outflow: "Their… no, *her* body turns female. Driven by fierce instinct."

Seventh Ju: "……"

Seventh Ju: "…………"

Seventh Ju: "…What??"

Half Moon Outflow: "Only mating with another Seasonal Wolf produces our kind. But in Breeding Phase, we can impregnate most mammals."

Half Moon Outflow: "Once aroused, we won’t stop until pregnancy. Partners with incompatible biology often die mid-act…"

Half Moon Outflow: "Does your ‘knowing what you’re doing’ include *that*?"

Seventh Ju: "…………"

*No. How could I? My knowledge of Seasonal Wolves barely scrapes the surface.*

But…

Seventh Ju: "But… Mr. Chūryū, humans don’t weigh these things when making friends."

Seventh Ju: "Our strength lies in choosing friends by *feeling*, not calculation."

Seventh Ju: "Gain and loss only *end* friendships—they don’t block them from starting."

Seventh Ju: "Obstacles come *after* friendship. Then you face them together."

Seventh Ju: "That won’t stop me from befriending Ink River."

Ink River: "…………"

Half Moon Outflow: "…………"

Half Moon Outflow: "Didn’t expect that from you."

Half Moon Outflow: "I’ve warned you. Interfering isn’t my style."

Half Moon Outflow: "Prepare for those obstacles yourself."

Seventh Ju: "…Understood."

Ink River: "Half Moon Outflow. You know much about Seasonal Wolves."

Half Moon Outflow: "Read it once. A story about a beast-lover who craved a Seasonal Wolf… and died mid-mating."

Seventh Ju: "That’s… dark."

Half Moon Outflow: "Read enough dark tales, and reality loses its sting."

Seventh Ju: "You’ve got stories too, huh…"

Ink River: "Don’t compare me to fiction."

Ink River: "Besides…"

His gaze flicked down—lingering on Chūryū’s and my crotches.

Ink River: "Human male… equipment is too small to match a Seasonal Wolf."

Half Moon Outflow: "…………"

Seventh Ju: "…………"

Half Moon Outflow: "Got a comeback for that?"

Seventh Ju: "Yes."

Seventh Ju: "Ink River says human male equipment varies wildly."

Seventh Ju: "Especially when… *in use* versus not. Some barely change size. Others expand several times over."

Seventh Ju: "One glance can’t tell who’s which."

Seventh Ju: "Even if *you’re* the former type, I’ll say it plainly—I’m the latter!"

Half Moon Outflow: "Whoa, whoa…"

Seventh Ju: "‘A true man expands and contracts’—that’s the saying!"

Seventh Ju: "So don’t assume after one look! Not even friends get away with that!"

Half Moon Outflow: "Enough… Seventh Ju."

Seventh Ju: "Huh? I’m not done!"

Half Moon Outflow: "Ink River’s already back in his tent."

Seventh Ju: "…………"

Seventh Ju: "…………"