Chapter 7

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Allen’s face was also grim, but it wasn’t because he was frightened by the burly lieutenant’s voice. What truly terrified him was the light that radiated from the lieutenant when he roared. It was the light of Origin Power, distinct from Bai Fang’s cold silver glow. The lieutenant’s light was a pale red, exuding a fierce and domineering aura.

Apart from the lieutenant, Allen noticed that a few instructors also emitted a faint glow. However, compared to the lieutenant, their light seemed much dimmer. Even so, Allen knew that he couldn’t provoke such people, at least not now.

He decided to strictly follow the lieutenant’s orders. People like this could kill him as easily as squashing an ant. They weren’t as easy to provoke as the soldiers under Gute’s command. He still wanted to live, and only by living could he settle the score with Andy.

And this was also his mother’s wish!

At the lieutenant’s gesture, a few soldiers sprinkled some yellow powder around the young boys and girls. At the same time, Andy continued, “Next, there will be a simple test. Believe me, it’s really simple.”

He grinned maliciously, “All I want you to do is stand still for 10 minutes and remain quiet. The most important thing is, you must not leave this yellow circle. Whoever disobeys the order...”

He pulled out a rugged revolver from his waist and deliberately waved it around, making his intention very clear.

Soon, the yellow powder formed a circle on the square, and about a hundred young people stood inside it. Many of the young people looked somewhat frightened. Allen sniffed hard, and the smell of the powder was pungent and acidic, almost making him tear up. Such a strong-smelling odor seemed to have a purpose beyond just drawing a circle.

It seemed more like a way to restrict something.

Allen’s guess soon became reality as a few soldiers brought in several sealed alloy barrels. After entering a password, the electronic locks opened, and the barrels contracted, revealing a dark space inside that glowed with thousands of faint red lights.

The young people couldn’t hide their fear; they stepped back, and some of the more timid ones even fell to the ground.

Suddenly, a small creature jumped out of the barrel. It was an ant, but its size was much larger, about the size of a cicada. Its body was dark red, and its two small, sharp mandibles were moving gently.

“These are volcano ants. They live near volcanoes and are extremely sensitive to vibrations. If I were you, I’d stand still and not move,” Lieutenant Ron said with a malicious grin.

A few soldiers began to tap the barrels, and the vibrations caused a large number of volcano ants to crawl out. They formed a dark red tide, spreading out. Initially, the ants seemed a bit confused, adapting to their new environment. However, when some of the young people couldn’t help but scream, the ants immediately locked onto their targets and surged toward them like a flood.

Allen took a deep breath and began to slow his heartbeat. This was a technique used by snow wolves to conceal their presence. By slowing their heartbeat, they could weaken their aura, allowing them to approach prey silently and deliver a fatal strike.

After a few breaths, the volcano ants had already reached the feet of the young people. Dozens of ants began to climb up Allen’s legs. He tried to make his breathing long and gentle to avoid any violent reactions from his body.

However, the other young people were not like Allen. At least half of them screamed, stomping their feet and slapping the ants. Their violent reactions quickly attracted the ants’ attacks. The large ants easily tore through the young people’s tender skin, burrowing into their ears, noses, and even their private parts.

Within a minute, over a dozen young people had fallen. They began to vomit blood, a result of the ants gnawing on their internal organs.

A 12- or 13-year-old boy finally couldn’t bear it and screamed as he ran out of the yellow circle. Lieutenant Ron didn’t stop him. Seeing this, the other young people followed suit. When about a dozen children had run out of the circle, Lieutenant Ron nodded to the soldiers behind him.

Then a series of gunshots rang out, and the soldiers used their rifles to shoot down the children who had run out of the circle. Ron himself used his rugged revolver to blow off the head of a girl, and the bodies of the fallen children quickly became a feast for the volcano ants.

Allen simply held his breath and closed his eyes. He still stood there, covered in volcano ants, but he didn’t move, like a stone statue. Ron soon noticed him and gave a nod to an instructor beside him, “Looks like we have some good material. The kid knows how to slow his heartbeat and conceal his aura. See, those damn ants just treat him like a rock.”

“Note down his number later.”

The instructor nodded.

Finally, the 10 minutes were over. Ron snapped his fingers, and immediately, a dozen soldiers with water guns began to spray the children. A large jet of cold water hit Allen, and he felt his body relax as the ants on him were washed away. They struggled in the water but soon stopped moving. Allen stuck out his tongue and lightly licked the water that had dripped from his mouth, tasting a strong, sour flavor.

The water contained something that was lethal to the volcano ants.

The water guns sprayed for a full minute before stopping. Only about a third of the young people were still standing. At least 50 young people had died from the ants’ bites, and a dozen more had been shot by Ron and his soldiers.

In just 10 minutes, the number of people in the training camp had been reduced to 35. At this moment, Allen began to understand the meaning of the “hell” Ron had mentioned earlier.

“Congratulations, you’ve made it through the first and most difficult test,” Ron said, looking at the young people who were still standing, all of them drenched. Some of the girls, with their wet clothes clinging to their bodies, revealed their developing figures. Ron gave them a hard look before continuing, “This is the first lesson I’m teaching you: complete obedience to my orders. Follow my orders, and you might survive. Disobey, and you’re dead!”

“I think the previous escapees have made this point clear enough.”

Ron clapped his hands, “Alright, that’s it for the morning session. Here are some manuals about the ‘Survival Game.’ I know some of you don’t even know why you’re here, so take this opportunity to read them. Later, the instructors will take you to the barracks. When you hear the whistle, I want you to be in front of me within 15 seconds. Otherwise, you’ll have to consider the consequences.”

“Dismissed!”

Allen and the others were then led to a simple barracks.

The barracks were made of iron sheets, with thick steel bars as supports. Inside, there were only two rows of simple iron beds. Allen chose a bed in the corner, at least three meters away from the nearest window. Many children preferred to sleep near the windows, but Allen, due to his years of living in the wild, instinctively chose a corner that was less likely to be attacked.

His clothes were soaked, so he took off his shirt. Soon, the instructors brought the children some camp uniforms: a grass-green vest, camouflage pants, and black military boots. This was the best clothing Allen had worn in five years. The instructors supervised the children as they changed into the uniforms. The barracks were mixed, and a dozen girls had to take off their wet clothes in front of everyone. Some of the girls were already well-developed, revealing their nearly mature chests.

This naturally drew the enthusiastic gazes of the instructors and other boys, and Allen was no exception. However, having lived with snow wolves for years, he didn’t understand much about such matters. The other boys were different; some of the 13- or 14-year-old boys already had experience in this area, so their gazes were even more intense.

As the young people were changing, a dozen instructors suddenly burst into the barracks through the doors and windows. Each of them had a whip and began to lash out at the naked young people without hesitation.

Screams filled the barracks.

Allen’s choice of position gave him a one- or two-second head start to react. When an instructor’s whip came down, he rolled off the bed, causing the whip to hit the iron bed instead. The instructor grunted in surprise, flicked his wrist, and the whip swept out. Allen quickly dove to the ground, avoiding the second whip.

“Damn!” the instructor cursed and lashed out again.

The whip aimed for Allen’s head, and he immediately used his hands to protect it, curling into a ball to reduce the impact area. He then slightly shifted, causing the whip to hit the outside of his left arm, leaving a red, swollen mark.

More whips followed.

The barracks were filled with screams, but the attack was quick and over in just five seconds. Each child received at least two or three lashes. Allen got more, receiving six lashes, twice as many as the other young people!

At this moment, Lieutenant Ron walked in with a trademark smile, “Little brats, how does it feel? Remember, you’re here to undergo the strictest training to survive the most brutal game. Don’t think you’re still at home. Here, attacks can happen at any time. You need to be alert at all times and learn to take a beating quickly!”

“This is the second lesson I’m teaching you!”