“When do we fight?” Hei Yue asked softly.
Major Zhang Dong took a glimpse at the beautiful girl and said with a smile, “No hurry. Many of these people with abilities are still ordinary citizens yet they have suddenly been awakened. They haven’t had any proper training, and possess extraordinary forces that they can’t use perfectly yet. That’s why, all of them, you guys included, will be trained for a duration in the camp before being sent to the battleground.”
“We still have to train?” You Qian asked curiously.
“Of course,” Major Zhang Dong smiled and said, “This training will swiftly turn all of you into qualified fighters. Many subjects are included, combat training, shooting, strategy analysis, investigation, survival, and whatnot. If you excel in any subject, you’ll be directly assigned to a practical. I remember in the past there’s someone who was wonderful in the subject of strategy analysis and was appointed to become a major general trainee straight away. You guys have to work hard and try to exceed her!”
You Qian chuckled. “I dare not boast in regard to other subjects, but I’ll definitely get number one in survival!”
Chortling, Zhang Dong said, “Survival is not an easy subject. Not only will you have to adapt to various circumstances, but there are also a variety of other survival skills. You’ll know when you’re in the class. It’s impossible to just rely on your special ability. I remember that there was a person whose results weren’t too bad in the survival class; his ability is Plants, he could grow all sorts of them. As long as he had a bag of seeds with him, he could grow food endlessly regardless of the condition of the soil. It almost guarantees that he won’t die from starvation. However, he scored seventy-two marks, ultimately ranking as number three in results.”
You Qian was astounded. “So strong? A bag of seeds and he could grow a mass of vegetables yet such a person can’t survive?”
“Other than feeding yourself, survival includes fighting monsters, avoiding them, and many other aspects. It’s the hardest subject,” said Zhang Dong with a smile.
Lin Chao’s eyes shone a little. The ability Plants was not limited to growing vegetables. The fact of the matter was they were still in the early stages and their power was not fully explored yet; it was a top notch ability in the Enigma series that could produce food, spy on the enemies, assist in healing, control battles and more!
He remembered the little shrub monster. With the assistance of that Plants ability person, the little shrub monster could enter maturity swiftly. A mature flora monster was immensely valuable and could produce endless Fruits of Life that could heal most injuries, making it the most crucial medical supply of the fighters!
Without hesitation, Lin Chao decided that he would probe about this person when free to network, but only if he was a worthy cooperation partner.
Major Zhang Dong led the group to a bulletin board of the campus which displayed the map of the camp, including its sections, hostels, and training fields displayed.
There were six to seven training fields for various subjects, such as the survival training field, the battle training ground, the shooting range, and more.
“There are many rooms in the hostels. Pick as you wish,” Major Zhang Dong said and pointed to the hostel area, “Formal training will commence tomorrow. It’s late now. Have a good rest.”
Lin Chao nodded.
After Major Zhang Dong left, Lin Chao and You Qian headed to the male dormitory while Hei Yue and Fan Xiangyu went to the female dormitory beside it.
A selection of empty rooms available in the building, Lin Chao and You Qian opted for one that was still vacant. Browned blood stained the hostel’s floor and corridors; evidence of past catastrophes of zombie and human remains which were only left with darkened bloodstains.
Seated at the window, Lin Chao gazed toward the impoverished living quarters in slight worry. He wondered how his elder sister, Lin Shiyu, was currently copping. Based on her ability, there should be nothing in the vulnerable group that could threaten her there.
Out of the blue, footsteps were heard walking toward their room.
Lin Chao’s ears twitched softly, noticing that the footsteps stopped in front of their room. Their door was pushed open in the next second.
Three young men stood at the entrance, the leading one wore a military uniform and was dark-skinned with short black hair, exuding a smart and strong aura.
Showering and hearing the sound of the door opening, You Qian called out from the bathroom, “Boss, who came?”
Lin Chao’s back was rested against the wall as he looked at the trio without much emotion.
“You two are the newbies, correct?” The military uniformed young man invited himself into the dorm as if this was his room. He went to Lin Chao’s bed and looked down at him with a confident smile. “I’ll introduce myself. I’m Zhou Xin. Nice meeting you, this is a little gift for our first meeting, do accept it.”
As he spoke, he pulled out two green test tubes from his pocket to pass to Lin Chao.
“This is the newest research from the tech institute, healing potion DH-2, that can heal most injuries. If ever your arms are broken by monsters or fractured et cetera outside in future battle, they can all be healed by DH-2. It can be considered as the warrior’s second life,” Zhou Xin said with a smile.
Lin Chao shifted his gaze to the green test tubes momentarily but did not accept them.
Zhou Xin beamed. “You don’t have to worry about it being fake. You’re a newcomer so you don’t understand the situation yet. In a few days, you guys will know that this is absolutely official!”
“No reward is accepted undeserved. What’s your request, speak up,” said Lin Chao calmly.
Stunned, it was only then that Zhou Xin understood why Lin Chao did not accept the potions. He laughed. “Easygoing. I’ll be frank then. It’s not a request either. Let’s be friends. Join us and serve Commander He together. That’s it.”
“Commander He?” Lin Chao blinked, a character surfacing in his memory.
Eyes turning in crescents, Zhou Xin said with a grin, “That’s right. Honestly speaking, the army was in a state of chaos when the pandemic erupted. Normal soldiers are healthy and strong, having a very low chance of being infected, but higher level figures in the military like senior colonels and generals were people in their fifties or sixties, some were even in their seventies or eighties. They couldn’t take the virus attack and most of them were infected by monsters. Only a rare few high level leaders survived.”
“Commander He is one of them!”
“Now that this new mankind base has been built, the system will be restored. The old days are gone and the new times have come. As long as you join us and serve Commander He, your benefits won’t be forgotten in the future. When the world regains its stability, you’ll also be generously rewarded!” Zhou Xin persuaded convincingly.
Lin Chao looked at him and suddenly laughed. “Who else is in power in the base now other than Commander He?”
Taken aback, Zhou Xin did not expect Lin Chao’s question. In the past, when convincing others of abilities, they would agree without hesitation once he finished his pitch.
Those with special abilities generally thought that they were stronger than ordinary people and deserved better. They thought that this was a new era for them to rise into notable figures!
Zhou Xin’s persuasive speech strung a heartstring to all their innermost desires. Naturally, not many could refuse. Even if they did, he had other approaches.
“Uh…” Zhou Xin paused for a beat and answered, “There are two of them. One’s Commander He and another is Commander Xu. But Commander Xu’s declining now. He’s already old and doesn’t have any elites under him. He’ll step back from the position sooner or later. The base will be under Commander He’s command by then!”
Nodding, Lin Chao replied, “I understand. Thank you for your kind intentions. I do not wish to join for now.”
Zhou Xin was stunned. His gaze at Lin Chao slowly darkened. “Why?”
“No reason.” Lin Chao did not care to explain.
Suppressing his anger, Zhou Xin continued calmly. “You may not know, but we have around eight hundred people in the Camp Ability and seven hundred of them serve Commander He. I need not lie to you, you can ask around yourself. The hundred people who are under Commander Xu are veterans he used to lead. Don’t be blind to the current trend. If you agree now, it’s still not too late. You can still obtain the DH-2. Choose wisely”
“I said I don’t want to.” Lin Chao looked back at him emotionlessly.
Zhou Xin laughed from his rage. “Great. You won’t yield until all hope is gone huh? You’re committing suicide. Do you think you can just refuse like this? Since you don’t want to join us, your existence is unnecessary!”
“Fool!” The two young men behind Zhou Xin cast hostile gazes at Lin Chao; the one on the right smirked. “Brother Zhou, leave it to me. I’ll say that he jumped off the building in a suicide attempt.”
“Mm. Don’t leave any fingerprints. Make it clean.” Zhou Xin took an icy glimpse at Lin Chao and turned to leave the room, lighting up a cigarette and smoking it outside.”