"Zone 1, Zone 1..."
"Damn, this place is hard to find."
After leaving his dormitory, Zhou Yuan headed straight to the central area of the fortress in search of Zone 1. It was almost four o'clock when he finally found the entrance to Zone 1.
Zone 1 was located underground, with only a row of elevator halls on the surface. When Zhou Yuan first arrived at the Tarsis Fortress, he had explored many places, but Zone 1 was not among them due to his limited clearance. To enter Zone 1, he needed at least the rank of Second Lieutenant or special authorization.
Looking around, he could see that even the lowest-ranking personnel here were sergeants. Lieutenants and colonels were everywhere. On his way to find his way, he even encountered a major general.
This was Zone 1, the core of the Tarsis Fortress, where the elite resided.
"Lieutenant Zhou, this is your territory now!"
Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and entered the elevator to descend to the tenth floor underground.
"This is awesome!"
As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up. If the main base on the surface was like an apartment, then the underground core area was like a super mansion.
Just the working hall on this level seemed as big as a stadium. Everywhere, there were alloy structures and colorful lights. Heavy security robots patrolled, and holographic projection technology was used for electronic devices. The level of technology was mind-blowing.
"Hello, please register."
Zhou Yuan found a workstation and handed over his ID card.
"ID verification successful. Hello, Lieutenant Zhou Yuan. You are assigned to the Hunter Special Operations Unit."
"Please take elevator number 8 to the thirteenth floor underground. Follow the index signs near the elevator to reach the residential area of the Hunter Special Operations Unit."
The staff acted swiftly and completed the procedure in about ten seconds.
"Okay, thank you."
Zhou Yuan nodded, retrieved his ID card, and boarded the next elevator.
Compared to the tenth floor, the thirteenth floor was smaller and looked less impressive, resembling a regular base interior, albeit with more space.
Following the index signs, Zhou Yuan found the residential area of the Hunter Unit.
"Special forces are indeed different. They live right next to the training grounds and the boarding area."
Zhou Yuan stood at the entrance of the Hunter Unit's dormitory, full of admiration. He had seen a map on the wall earlier and discovered that all the special operations units of the Tarsis Fortress were located on this floor.
Moreover, this floor also served as the training and preparation area. To the left of the residential area were a row of training grounds, as well as facilities such as cafeterias, hospitals, and recreation rooms. To the right were the hangars and armories, with many secret passages leading directly to the surface.
This arrangement was indeed excellent. They could rest and train when there was no mission and be ready to deploy at a moment's notice when needed. It was highly convenient.
... ...
Just as Zhou Yuan stood at the entrance of the dormitory, marveling at the uniqueness of the special operations units.
His every move was captured by the surveillance screen inside the dormitory, and people inside were already discussing him.
"Boss, that Oriental kid has arrived!"
"Xie Te, he looks like an ordinary high school student. Can he really beat the boss?"
"A bunch of idiots. These are people personally invited by the boss, so of course you can't judge his strength by his appearance."
"I heard he likes to pick on veterans. If he wants trouble... then let's go together!"
The veterans were all excited.
Of course, they didn't intend to challenge Zhou Yuan's prowess, as they had all heard from Buck how formidable he was. They were just curious about this new recruit's abilities. To make Buck, who was notoriously proud, say "he's terrifyingly strong" meant that Zhou Yuan must be something special.
As members of a special operations force, they all hoped their teammates would be strong so that they could have more confidence during missions.
"Alright, stop messing around," Buck said, waving his hand.
"This kid is a true monster. There are plenty of units that want him, so don't make him run away."
"If it weren't for me and his superior being close, he would have been assigned to the Strategic Guard by now."
Buck lay in bed, gesturing with his hand.
"The Strategic Guard?!"
Hearing Buck's words, the veterans were all shocked.
The Strategic Guard only had one mission: to serve as long-term bodyguards for senior military officers. Each guard had the authority of a colonel, and in emergencies, they could even requisition starships from the fleet.
In terms of importance, the Strategic Guard was much higher than the special operations forces, much higher indeed. In the past, new recruits for the Strategic Guard were selected from the special operations forces. Only the elite of the special forces, the kings of the soldiers, had the qualifications to become the guards of generals.
For these special forces soldiers, becoming a Strategic Guard was the most honorable thing they could achieve, as it represented the trust of the Federation's high command.
Thinking about this, their hearts filled with envy.
A new recruit who had just left the boot camp had been promoted to lieutenant within half a month of arriving at the fortress and had even received the recognition of the Chief Strategist.
It was really...
People were always comparing themselves to others, and they felt like they were inferior goods.
But Buck's words reminded them of something.
Due to the recent crash of a lieutenant general's plane, the Strategic Guard had suffered heavy losses and must be in great need of new recruits.
Perhaps they could inquire about some information and see if they could be selected by the Strategic Guard.
"Beep!"
At that moment, the green light on the door of the dormitory flashed, and it rose up with a swish.
The veterans in the dormitory quieted down at once, and all their eyes turned toward Zhou Yuan as he walked in with his luggage, dressed in military uniform.
To make himself look more like a veteran, Zhou Yuan once again put on his "cold-blooded killer" demeanor.
After entering the dormitory, he stopped in the hallway and looked directly at each of the veterans observing him with sharp eyes and an indifferent expression.
Their hearts couldn't help but skip a beat as they felt like they were being stared at by a venomous snake. This was thanks to Zhou Yuan's reputation and Buck's praise, which made the members of the Hunter Squad immediately think that Zhou Yuan was not someone to be trifled with.
However, they were all special forces soldiers, each with their own pride and confidence, and they wouldn't be intimidated by Zhou Yuan with just one look.
Besides, they were all comrades-in-arms who would fight shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhou Yuan in the future, not some kind of mafia confrontation.
"Zhou, over here!"
Feeling the chill in the air, Buck quickly spoke up and waved at Zhou Yuan, inviting him over.
"This kid is really cold, but that kind of personality is not bad. At least he's more reliable than other eighteen-year-old kids," Buck thought to himself.
"Lieutenant Zhou Yuan reporting for duty, sir!" Zhou Yuan walked over to Buck and saluted loudly.