"When do we go into battle?" Black Moon asked softly.
Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Dong glanced at the beautiful girl and smiled. "No rush. Among these ability users, many are ordinary people who suddenly awakened. They haven't received formal training. They have extraordinary power but don't know how to use it perfectly. So, including you, all of you will train in the military camp for a while before heading to the battlefield."
Yu Qian asked curiously, "More training?"
"Of course." Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Dong smiled. "This training will turn you into qualified soldiers quickly. It includes many subjects, such as combat classes, shooting, tactical analysis, reconnaissance, survival, and more. If you excel in any subject, you'll be directly appointed to an internship military rank. I remember recently, there was an ability user who performed exceptionally well in tactical analysis and was directly appointed as an intern general staff officer. You should work hard and try to surpass her!"
Yu Qian grinned. "I can't speak for other subjects, but survival? I'll definitely get first place!"
Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Dong smiled. "Survival isn't an easy subject. You'll have to adapt to various environments and learn some survival skills. You'll understand once you've seen it. Special abilities alone won't be enough. I remember there was an ability user who did well in survival; their power was 'Plants.' They could make trees grow with just a packet of vegetable seeds, no matter the soil conditions. They'd never go hungry. But even they only scored 72 points and ranked third."
Yu Qian was astonished. "That strong? Just with a packet of seeds, they could grow a whole bunch of vegetables. How could they fail at survival?"
"Survival isn't just about food. It also involves fighting monsters and avoiding them. There are many challenges—it's one of the hardest subjects," Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Dong explained.
Chen Chao's eyes flickered. The ability 'Plants' wasn't just about growing vegetables. It was still in its early stage and hadn't been fully developed. This was a top-tier mysterious ability that could combine food production, enemy reconnaissance, healing, and combat control into one powerful skill.
Chen Chao thought of the small grass monster. If that plant ability user helped, the grass monster would quickly mature. A mature plant-type monster could be worth a fortune—it could continuously bear life fruits, which could heal most injuries and serve as a vital medical supply for soldiers!
Chen Chao immediately made up his mind to learn more about this person when he had the chance to see if a partnership would be worthwhile.
At this point, Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Dong led Chen Chao and the others to a bulletin board showing a map of the military camp, which indicated various areas like the dormitory and training fields.
There were six or seven training fields corresponding to different subjects, like survival, combat, shooting, and so on.
"The dormitories have many rooms. You can pick one for yourself," Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Dong pointed to the dorm area. "Tomorrow, we start official training. Today, the time is already late. Rest well."
Chen Chao nodded.
After Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Dong left, Chen Chao and Yu Qian went to the men's dormitory, while Black Moon and Fan Xiangyu went to the women's dormitory.
The dormitory building had many empty rooms. Chen Chao and Yu Qian picked an unoccupied one. The floors and corridors were stained with dark blood, clearly indicating that a disaster had occurred here. But the bodies had been cleared away, and only some stubborn blood stains remained.
Chen Chao leaned by the window, looking in the direction of the slums. A trace of worry appeared in his eyes. He wondered how his sister, Chen Shiyu, was doing. With her abilities, there shouldn't be anything in the slums that could threaten her, right?
Just then, footsteps approached.
Chen Chao sat in the dorm, listening intently. Suddenly, he heard the footsteps stop at the door. A moment later, the door was pushed open.
Three young men stood in the doorway. The one in front was dressed in military uniform, with dark skin, short black hair, and a sharp, lean appearance.
Yu Qian, who was showering, heard the door open and yelled, "Boss, who's there?"
Chen Chao leaned against the wall and calmly looked at the three men.
"You two are the new ones, right?" The young man in military uniform walked into the room confidently, as if it were his own. He walked up to Chen Chao's bed, towering over him, and smiled with interest. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Zhou Xin. Nice to meet you. Here's a little gift. Please accept it."
He pulled out two green test tubes from his pocket and handed them to Chen Chao.
"These are the latest treatment potions, 'dh-2,' developed by the Tech Institute. They can heal most injuries. For example, if you're out there fighting and get your arm ripped off or break a bone, this 'dh-2' will heal it. It's basically a soldier's second life," Zhou Xin said with a smile.
Chen Chao glanced at the two green test tubes but didn't take them.
Zhou Xin smiled faintly. "Don't worry, they're not fake. You're new here and don't know yet, but you'll find out in a few days. These are definitely official medicines!"
Chen Chao said calmly, "No good deed goes unpunished. If you want something, just say it."
Zhou Xin was taken aback, then laughed heartily. "Straight to the point! Alright, I'll be blunt. It's not really a request. Just become friends with us. Join us, and we'll serve Commander He together."
"Commander He?" Chen Chao's gaze flickered, and a figure from his memories surfaced.
Zhou Xin smiled. "That's right. Let me tell you the truth. When the disaster struck, the army fell into chaos. Although ordinary soldiers are strong and have a low infection rate, some of the higher-ups, generals, and colonels—many of them were in their fifties and sixties, even seventies. They couldn't withstand the virus and turned into monsters. Only a few of the high-ranking leaders survived."
"And Commander He is one of them!"
"Now, the new human base has been established, and order will be restored. The old era is over, and the new one is coming. If you join us and serve Commander He, you'll have plenty of benefits in the future. Once the world stabilizes, there will be heavy rewards!"
Zhou Xin's words were tempting.
Chen Chao looked at him and suddenly smiled. "Who else has power in the base besides Commander He?"
Zhou Xin froze, not expecting Chen Chao to ask this question. When he persuaded other ability users, they usually agreed right away after hearing his pitch.
Ability users generally believed they were stronger than ordinary people and deserved better treatment. They thought this was their time to rise up and become someone important in the new era!
Zhou Xin's words had triggered their inner desires, and few people would reject such an offer. Even if they did, he had other ways to convince them.
"Well..." Zhou Xin hesitated for a moment. "There are two people. One is Commander He, and the other is Commander Xu. But Commander Xu is on the decline. He's old, and he doesn't have any strong subordinates. He'll step down eventually. When that happens, the base will be under Commander He's control."
Chen Chao nodded. "I see. Thank you for the offer, but I don't want to join for now."
Zhou Xin was stunned. He stared at Chen Chao, his expression darkening. "Why not?"
"No reason," Chen Chao replied flatly.
Zhou Xin suppressed his anger and said calmly, "You may not know this, but there are about 800 people in the ability camp, and 700 of them serve Commander He. I'm not lying to you. You can go ask around. The 100 people serving Commander Xu are veterans he led before, but don't be ungrateful. If you agree now, you can still get the 'dh-2.' Think carefully."
"I've already said, I don't want to join," Chen Chao said indifferently.
Zhou Xin sneered. "Fine, you're really asking for it. You think you can just refuse like that? If you don't want to join, then there's no need for you to stay!"
"Such an ungrateful person!" Zhou Xin's two companions glared at Chen Chao. The young man on the right grinned maliciously. "Brother Zhou, leave him to me. We'll just say he jumped off a building and killed himself."
"Yeah, don't leave any fingerprints. Make it clean," Zhou Xin said coldly, shooting one last look at Chen Chao before stepping out of the room and lighting a cigarette.