Due to Zhang Zheng's guidance, the enthusiasm for training among Ge Xiaolun and the others remained high over the next few days, even leading the girls to train harder. Only Zhang Zheng felt uneasy during this time, as Di Leina kept secretly glancing at him, making him constantly on guard. He definitely didn't want to provoke the goddess again and get another beating.
Time passed quickly, and two months went by in a flash. During these two months, much of the Xiongbing Company's potential was tapped into.
Apart from Zhang Zheng and Di Leina, Liu Chuang's god-killing power had grown the strongest, with impressive attack strength. Ge Xiaolun's tank attributes also awakened, making him even more resilient. Zhao Xin's speed, Cheng Yaowen's control, and Qilin's physical abilities had all reached the standard for using the god-killing sniper rifle. Du Qiangwei and Rui Mengmeng had also made significant progress in strength and endurance.
…
With the first phase of training complete, Di Leina gave the Xiongbing Company a day off after their hard work over the past two months. Since everyone was young, they cheered and clapped when they heard about the day off, and the fatigue from training vanished instantly.
Di Leina: "Tomorrow, I'm going shopping for clothes. Who wants to join me?"
"I'll go, I'll go too," Qilin and Du Qiangwei immediately volunteered.
Only Rui Mengmeng hesitated and said, "I'm going home to visit my grandma, so I won't go."
Hearing this, Di Leina felt a bit disappointed but didn't blame Rui Mengmeng. Being the youngest in the Xiongbing Company, it was natural for her to feel homesick. Given her family situation, everyone understood her decision.
The girls' conversation was about shopping, while the boys were discussing how to make the most of the day off.
"How about this? We'll have free time during the day and then meet up at my place for a gathering in the evening, and head back to school together," Zhang Zheng enthusiastically suggested, as his home was the only one in Tianhe City.
…
The next morning, after agreeing on a time, everyone left the Super Seminary.
Zhang Zheng returned home and, seeing the slightly dusty furniture, decided to do a thorough cleaning. After making the house spotless, he sat down on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and started thinking about how to entertain the Xiongbing Company tonight.
"I definitely need to buy more beer," he thought, knowing that Liu Chuang, Zhao Xin, and Ge Xiaolun could all drink quite a bit. As for food, he decided on a roast lamb with some side dishes to go with the drinks. Yep, that's the plan.
Without further ado, Zhang Zheng went to the supermarket to buy five cases of beer, some fruit juice for the girls, and charcoal and a grill for the barbecue. He then started preparing the food for the evening.
…
Meanwhile, Di Leina, Du Qiangwei, and Qilin had already arrived at the largest shopping center in Tianhe City. Di Leina, the alien girl, was thrilled by the variety of clothes and dragged Du Qiangwei and Qilin around to try on different outfits. Whatever looked good, she bought.
"Leina, can we stop now?" Qilin asked, feeling exhausted.
They had been shopping all morning without a break. Qilin used to scoff at the idea that shopping with girls could be tiring, but today she had to admit she was wrong. The goddess's stamina far surpassed that of her fellow first-generation warrior.
"But I still want to shop a bit more," Di Leina pleaded with Qilin, giving her a pitiful look.
It wasn't easy for Di Leina to visit Earth, and she didn't have much free time outside of training. She felt she hadn't shopped enough yet.
"You've had enough," Du Qiangwei said, feeling fed up. She had also wanted to buy some clothes, preferring sportswear, unlike Di Leina. But Di Leina had kept dragging them around, and she hadn't even found anything she liked. So far, she was just carrying Di Leina's shopping bags, and she had had enough.
Seeing the shopping bags Qilin and Du Qiangwei were carrying, Di Leina felt a little embarrassed. "Why don't you two go buy something as well? This time, the goddess will help you choose."
"Forget it, maybe next time."
"We should head to Zhang Zheng's place early to help out."
"If we leave it to him alone, we might end up just drinking tonight," Qilin said, preventing Du Qiangwei, who seemed a bit tempted, from continuing.
"Okay," Di Leina agreed, seeing the logic in Qilin's words.
"Can any of you cook? I can't," Du Qiangwei asked Di Leina and Qilin.
"Don't look at me; I'm a goddess. Who in Lieyang would dare ask me to cook? They'd have to be crazy," Di Leina replied without the slightest bit of shame.
"I'll help out, then," Qilin sighed, looking at the other two.
The three girls left the shopping center and headed straight to Zhang Zheng's place.
…
Meanwhile, Ge Xiaolun and the other boys were bored. They found an internet café and spent the morning playing games, only to be trashed by a group of elementary school kids.
"I swear, I want to find those kids in real life and teach them a lesson. They're so annoying," Zhao Xin grumbled as they left.
Don't think Zhao Xin was just venting; he'd actually done this before, relying on his family's Zhao Three Gun move. He wasn't one to back down from a fight.
"Come on, Xin Ye, they were just kids. Why get worked up over it?" Liu Chuang, who had mellowed out quite a bit since joining the Xiongbing Company, tried to calm him down. Despite his rough past, Liu Chuang wasn't a bad guy at heart.
Seeing Liu Chuang trying to be the voice of reason, Ge Xiaolun joked, "Chuang Zi, you've really grown in maturity recently. Good job!"
"Yeah, I've noticed Chuang Zi's really changed a lot these past two months," Cheng Yaowen agreed.
Everyone had noticed Liu Chuang's transformation over the past two months. From being the group's resident rogue, he had turned into the big brother figure among these young men. Though he wasn't great with words, everyone was slowly accepting him.
Hearing everyone joking about him, Liu Chuang didn't get angry but proudly said, "I made mistakes in the past, but the country gave me this chance to turn over a new leaf. I'm determined to make up for my past wrongs in the coming war."
Hearing Liu Chuang's words, Ge Xiaolun and Zhao Xin felt a bit embarrassed, realizing that while they were also training hard, they hadn't yet fully grasped the seriousness of the upcoming battles.
"We were born in this era; we don't have a choice," Cheng Yaowen said, reflecting on something as he looked at the others.
Seeing that it was about time, the four of them hailed a taxi to Zhang Zheng's place.
…
Back at Zhang Zheng's place, after preparing the ingredients, he began getting ready for the evening's meal. He prepped the entire lamb, marinated it, and then headed into the kitchen to prepare the side dishes. After finishing the side dishes and putting them in a warming box, the doorbell rang.
Zhang Zheng quickly opened the door to find Qilin and the other two girls.
"You're early," he said, inviting them in. "The main course isn't even started yet."
Without waiting for them to respond, he headed to the small yard to light the charcoal. (It's worth mentioning that Zhang Zheng's place is a two-story house with its own yard.) He set up the barbecue grill and skewered the marinated lamb before placing it over the glowing coals.
Inside, the three girls felt a bit useless. They had come to help, but all they could do was watch.
"Can you help move the table outside and set up the food from the warming box?" Zhang Zheng asked, noticing how they felt and giving them something to do.
"…Sure, right away," the three girls quickly got to work.
Unlike some delicate creatures, the girls didn't mind the task at all. As super soldiers, this wasn't a big deal to them. Especially with Du Qiangwei around, who simply used micro-wormholes to teleport the necessary tools over.
In no time, everything was ready.
By then, Ge Xiaolun, Liu Chuang, and the others had also arrived.
Watching the boys getting scolded by Di Leina for only knowing how to eat, drink, and play without helping, Zhang Zheng couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhang Zheng pulled out the beer and drinks from his system space.
The party officially began.