"Miraculously, Norman only ate a single pound of this meat to grow this strong. But this next fact is going to shock you: he brought back with him two thousand pounds of this meat. Because of this revelation, and with the information we now possess thanks to Norman's sincerity, we gifted him twenty pounds of Hyper Wolf meat, and elevated his rank from Cadet all the way to Private. An enormous leap in status."
"This allows him to have access to superior living conditions, and if he pleases, even have a companion in his room. I'm sure he will have no problems finding one with how valiant and brave Norman is."
The colonel was talking about Norman as if he were presenting his own son. He had a hopeful look in his eyes, as if he were encouraging everyone to follow in his footsteps.
"He will also be gifted special armor and weapons that are superior in quality to the ones the normal cadets are given, to match his heightened status. He was also awarded one thousand points for the wolf meat, one thousand points for the information that meat can increase the strength of the body, and one thousand points for his honesty and integrity."
"But don't be fooled into thinking it's this easy to accumulate points. After all, information can only be shared once. To provide context, one thousand points can improve your rank from Cadet to Private, and two thousand points from Private to a Two-Star Private. Three thousand points for Three-Star Private, at which point you will be allowed access outside of the base. For example, if Norman wishes, he could buy the rank of Three-Star Private and go home to see his family."
"With this information in mind, I hope you all will work hard and help this base learn as much as possible from that world. If you have any information that you think might be valuable, please do not hesitate to contact the Science Department and share with them what you know."
Colonel Biran then pointed to the side to a row of terminals. "Those are terminals that let you access the internal base store. You can exchange for cold weapons and armor among many other things, most being much more valuable than the basic items you will be provided."
"Now, with all that out of the way, I would like to announce a competition. A simple and direct test of strength to quickly figure out who has the highest chances of survival for the next transmigration. The top one thousand among all of you will receive one pound of Hyper Wolf meat, to further increase your odds of survival."
Boom!
The whole crowd erupted into cheers, and one could see the light of hope ignite in many of the people present. But at the same time, many women and older men couldn't help but hope that the method of testing would take into account variables such as gender or age. Colonel Biran quickly dashed those hopes.
"The test will simply measure your punching power, and regardless of who you are or have been, the top one thousand will be rewarded. Norman will be the first to test his strength."
Colonel Biran and Norman both jumped from the twenty-foot-high platform, landing heavily on the ground, causing everyone in their vicinity to feel a tremble under their feet.
They then went to one of the corners of the plaza, where, in a long row, fifty punching machines were located.
Norman chose one at random and cocked his fist back. After about two seconds of silence, his hand shot forward, causing the air to whistle violently.
Boom!
Everyone in the plaza heard the impact, despite many not being able to see it. It sounded as if a car had smashed into the machine, not a human fist.
The machine, which was placed on top of tracks, was pushed back an entire foot, despite it weighing close to a ton.
The digital display located on the side of the machine momentarily displayed the icon of a clock, after which a string of numbers appeared. The number was one thousand and two hundred.
Most of the guards present nodded, as most of them, despite having basic genetic enhancements, could only strike a score of at most five hundred.
But Colonel Biran himself did not care about the number, but about the shock of the transmigrators who witnessed Norman's strength. If anyone was ambivalent about the test before, that indifference would have disappeared when they saw what one pound of meat could do—making a stringy teenager capable of pushing a one-ton machine with a single punch. And if they got into the top one thousand, they could have this power as well. How much would such strength improve their odds of survival?
Herded by the guards, all fifteen thousand transmigrator lined up to have a chance to test their power and hopefully increased they chance to survive that hellish world.
Colonel Biran watched from the side, and his secretary joined him. The secretary looked at his superior and smirked, "I didn't know the general was capable of shedding tears."
Biran scoffed, "If cause me any problems, don't blame me for using a heavy hand to discipline you. You can't imagine how important the success of this research mission is to the general. You might be a scion of a noble family, but don't think that will save you if you anger the general."
The secretary put his hands up and made an exaggerated expression, "I would never."
Colonel Biran looked at him as if he wasn't buying it, but the secretary turned serious, "I'm serious. I've gotten word that every general and minister in the CMC has set up their own base of research. I'm not sure why, my sources don't run that deep, but If I were to guess, It has something to do with that poem the Supreme Leader's residence released."
"You need to mind your own business, Luna. Even I have to thread carefully this time around. It could be said the general is fighting with his life on the line. I don't care who I have to sacrifice to make this research mission succeed, since the general doesn't care who he has to sacrifice to make the mission succeed."
Luna, looked at his superior and pursed his lips. Sweeping his eyes over the massive crowd that was brought here by the general, he couldn't help but feel some pity for these transmigrators.
"The general will have his way," said Luna.
"Yes, he will. He always has his way." answered Biran.