Su City University, sophomore year, Combat Training Class Four, was the new class the school had assigned Shao Zifeng to. He got to the classroom early, determined to study hard.
His arrival piqued the curiosity of some students, but since they were unfamiliar with him, the new classmates couldn't bring themselves to approach him. A few girls, however, occasionally sneaked a glance at him, then quickly turned away to giggle with other girls.
Shao Zifeng turned his head to look out the window, boredly spinning his pen in his hand, recalling the information he had researched last night about the choices of pets available, which gave him a headache.
Due to the special circumstances in Da Xia, many species had vanished from this ancient land due to early destructive hunting practices. However, with the country's vigorous efforts in protection, some groups had managed to flourish.
The outbreak of the "Unknown Recovery Event" 20 years ago saw Da Xia, after resolving internal strife, designate most of the wildlife habitats as reserves. Among these, the "Wolong Nature Reserve" was home to the panda beast clan, led by the "Iron-eating Giant Panda." Only those who had rendered great service and honor to Da Xia could apply for a contract with one, either for themselves or their descendants, and the contract could not be forced.
Apart from these reserves that required honor and status for application, there were also some reserves open to the public. Due to the rapid reproduction of the groups within these reserves, anyone willing to spend some money could get a chance to enter and contract a pet beast.
Last night, Shao Zifeng had looked up several reserves that could be applied for with money. However, the mutant creatures within those reserves didn't quite appeal to him. For example, the macaque group of the "Wulongkou Nature Reserve" had been notorious for their mischievous behavior even before the world changed, known for stealing, robbing, and harming people. After the "Unknown Recovery," their behavior became even worse.
Initially, some Combat Training Masters had taken a gamble and trained the macaques to evolve, but they found that the evolved forms, the rogue monkey and bully monkey, had even less tolerable temperaments.
As a result, despite the macaques' initial strength, very few parents chose them as pet companions for their children. Moreover, none of the macaque groups across the nation's "Macaque Natural Reserves" had produced any particularly powerful beings.
Unfortunately, apart from the "macaque group," most of the publicly accessible reserves without preconditions housed mutant creatures with low combat desire and very gentle personalities.
Reserves with good combat will, significant training potential, and no preconditions did exist. However, Shao Zifeng couldn't afford to visit those as they were the kind that left one struggling to even afford dirt upon returning, if they returned at all.
"Plop."
Feeling somewhat frustrated, Shao Zifeng accidentally dropped his pen. As he picked it up and snapped back to reality, the conversation of the students in front of him caught his attention.
Two boys sat in front of Shao Zifeng, whispering to each other. Since their backs were to him, he couldn't see their faces. If not for the slight enhancement from the "Bonding reaction" he experienced yesterday, he wouldn't have heard what they were saying.
"Hey, did you hear? It seems the school is planning to send us out for wilderness training soon."
"Really? The wilderness is so dangerous. Besides, none of the seniors before us had participated in it, right?"
"It's true. My sister is a junior in our Combat Training Department. She set off early this morning. Anyway, even though the natural resources around Su City are scarce, it's still better than staying in the city and contracting some cats or dogs, right? If you're scared of danger, why be a Combat Training Master!"
"Who's scared! I...I just have never been out of the city before, and I'm a bit excited. Hey, did your sister contact you? Did she encounter any mutant creatures?"
"My sister said they came across a weasel..."
"Quiet down." Before the student finished speaking, a burly bald man walked into the classroom. He was over two meters tall, with bushy brows and big eyes. His arms' muscles looked thicker than Shao Zifeng's waist, wearing a tank top that strained against his muscles, like it was going to burst, and military trousers with combat boots. Just standing there with his arms crossed, he exuded an invisible pressure.
"Listen up, brats. Today, I have two announcements. First, let's welcome our new classmate, Shao Zifeng." The burly man glared around, his powerful voice booming.
The classroom fell into a silence; no one spoke. He scanned the room and, seeing no response, his face darkened. Raising one eyebrow, he shouted, "Clap!"
The students of Combat Training Class Four jumped and soon reacted. The room filled with enthusiastic applause, to the point where they might break their hands.
"Good! Stop now!" The burly man nodded in satisfaction, smiling broadly at Shao Zifeng.
"Now that we've welcomed him, there's no need for self-introductions. Get to know each other in time." Although the man looked intimidating, Shao Zifeng felt he had a straightforward personality. But why were his classmates behaving like quail?
"Now, for the second announcement. At 3 a.m. tomorrow morning, gather at the school gate. I'll take you on an adventure. Officially, it's voluntary, but in my class, who dares not come... hehe." The burly man cast a malevolent glance around, grinning mischievously—indeed, his look seemed quite bad.
Whispers immediately filled the classroom. Some seemed discontent but dared not challenge the burly man's authority. A few girls even started to sob quietly, heads down on their desks.
The scene in front of him made Shao Zifeng pull at the corners of his mouth. What was happening? This burly man seemed pretty straightforward; why were they crying?
"Alright, that's it for today. Go and pack your clothes and a small amount of food, no more than three kilograms." The burly man looked satisfied with his precious students. Feeling accomplished, he gave Shao Zifeng another grin before turning to leave.
As the students of Combat Training Class Four left the classroom in small groups, Shao Zifeng was left staring blankly at the empty room. Who am I? Where am I? What was I here for?
He had just decided to attend class properly, and now they were sent off already? Was it really this hard to study properly?
"Yawn~"
Qiuqiu, sleepy-eyed, poked its little head out of Shao Zifeng's pocket, looking at him curiously and then at the empty classroom.
"Squeak!"
Why did all the two-legged creatures disappear!
Shao Zifeng cuddled Qiuqiu, feeling a bit of anticipation for the wilderness trip the next day.
"Qiuqiu, tomorrow we can finally leave the city. Are you excited?"
"Squeak~?"
Qiuqiu looked puzzled. Since it became aware, Shao Zifeng was all it saw. It had no idea what leaving the city meant, but sensing Shao Zifeng's happiness, it grinned, mirroring his joy.
"Squeak squeak~"