Chapter 13

Two months had passed in a flash.

Inside the elevator heading to the 647th floor, Long Yuehong, wearing a polyester shirt, looked at his reflection in the metal walls of the elevator and flexed his chest muscles.

"This high-intensity training really works. I feel like I could take on five, no, three of my former self right after graduation."

Moreover, his physique had improved significantly, and his demeanor had become much more masculine.

Shang Jianyao looked at the gap in the elevator doors and said,

"Well, I only grew to 175 cm after genetic modification, and I look pretty average, with mediocre grades..."

Long Yuehong was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily,

"Really, we've been eating meat every day for the past two months, but why haven't I grown even a centimeter taller?"

As they spoke, the two of them walked out of the elevator and turned into Room 14 with practiced ease.

They still didn't know what the morning's training would be, so they couldn't decide whether to change into the uniform provided by the Security Department or wear more convenient clothing for combat. They could only report to Jiang Baimian first and then go to the locker room in the bathhouse.

At that moment, Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen had already arrived, gathered around the former's brown desk, and were watching something intently.

"Good morning, Team Leader!" Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong had already gotten used to shouting loudly.

Jiang Baimian looked up and waved,

"Come over, I have something to tell you."

Long Yuehong glanced at Shang Jianyao and noticed that he seemed just as clueless.

The two of them walked over and saw a low-resolution map spread out on Jiang Baimian's brown desk.

Jiang Baimian lightly tapped the map with her fist and said with a smile,

"Today's training is:

'Field training!'

'What?' Long Yuehong exclaimed in surprise.

He knew that field training would come eventually, but he hadn't expected it to happen without any warning, giving him no time to prepare!

Shang Jianyao didn't say anything, but his smile couldn't be hidden.

Jiang Baimian looked around and said,

"I originally planned to start in a couple of days, but we just received a small mission to deliver water purification filter chips to a certain nomad settlement in the wilderness. So, let's set off today.

'Bai Chen, you can explain the final destination and the general route to them.'"

Bai Chen, still wearing a dusty gray scarf, leaned on the edge of the desk with one hand and tapped a spot on the map with the other,

"This is Qifeng Town, about 300 kilometers from the company. If there were repaired roads and no dangers along the way, we could drive there in a day by taking turns. Unfortunately, there are no intact roads in the Black Marsh Wilderness. Perhaps a small section of an old-world road is still in relatively good condition, but it's overgrown with weeds and the road surface is cracked. That's just an exception."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong knew that the "Black Marsh Wilderness" referred to the dangerous area outside the company.

It covers a vast area, with the northernmost part connecting to the ice fields, the northeastern part bordering the "Salvation Army," the eastern part being the territory of the "White Knights," and the southeastern part leading to the "First City."

To the south, there is another wilderness and several mountain ranges.

Bai Chen continued,

"You can see that the 'Great Marsh' separates us from Qifeng Town, with many areas marked as high-risk. Based on my experience, these areas either have no roads and are pure marshes, or are inhabited by mutated, terrifying monsters or groups of monsters, or contain ruins from the old world that are impossible to return from once you enter.

'After ruling out heavily polluted areas, we don't have many route options left. We also need to exclude the two routes commonly used by the company, which have checkpoints, to achieve the purpose of field training.

'Considering all these conditions and the geographical situation of the Great Marsh, I have planned two routes: both require us to navigate through the Great Marsh, and the time it will take is about the same, roughly one to two weeks to reach Qifeng Town, depending on the weather.

'Which route do you prefer? Or do you want to go around the Great Marsh from the outside? That would take even longer and the danger level wouldn't be much lower.

'Well, my knowledge of the Great Marsh isn't very detailed, and I haven't been to many places, so you can provide other suggestions.'

Before Jiang Baimian could speak, Shang Jianyao stepped forward and pointed to one of the routes,

"This one is better."

"Why?" Bai Chen asked out of habit.

Then, she deeply regretted asking.

"The line is smooth and the shape is beautiful." Shang Jianyao said earnestly.

Bai Chen turned to the team leader, hoping she would "mediate."

Jiang Baimian rubbed her chin and said,

"I agree with Shang Jianyao's choice. Since there's no significant difference between the two routes, we should definitely choose the more aesthetically pleasing one.

'So, it's decided!'

She then looked at Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong, pointing to her electronic watch,

"You have 15 minutes to prepare."

"Only 15 minutes?" Long Yuehong's face crumpled.

"14 minutes and 55 seconds." Jiang Baimian looked at her watch without lifting her head.

Long Yuehong immediately turned and followed Shang Jianyao's back,

"Hey, wait for me!"

The two quickly entered the nearby bathhouse's locker room and opened their lockers.

Because they sweated profusely every day during training, they kept many clothes here for easy changing.

— Inside the company, due to the lack of sunlight and the cold at night, employees couldn't dry their clothes, so the "Training Support Department" would collect, wash, dry, and return them (intimate items could be hung above their washbasins or placed in a basin below to catch drips).

Shang Jianyao took out a standard-issue camouflage backpack from the Security Department, unzipped it, and stuffed one of the uniforms inside.

Then, he put the all-in-one shampoo and body wash soap issued by the company into a plastic bag and threw it into the backpack.

After putting in toothpaste, a toothbrush, and other small items, Shang Jianyao quickly took off his clothes and threw them into the locker.

Wearing only a pair of shorts, he then took out the remaining gray uniform and quickly put it on.

Bending down to tie the laces of his leather boots, Shang Jianyao straightened up and walked to the half-length mirror to adjust his shirt.

In the mirror, his eyebrows were straight, his brown eyes bright, his black hair neat and tidy, and his face had deep, rugged lines.

Paired with the well-designed and military-styled Security Department uniform, Shang Jianyao looked both sunny and strong.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Shang Jianyao slowly took out a nameplate from his pocket and pinned it to his left chest.

The nameplate had a red background with four golden characters in Ashen script:

"Pangu Bio."

...

After leaving the locker room, Shang Jianyao waited for two minutes until Long Yuehong was ready, and they returned to Room 14 together.

Long Yuehong looked at Shang Jianyao, then looked again, and finally couldn't help but ask,

"Don't you notice anything different about me?"

Shang Jianyao glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Long Yuehong raised his arm,

"I'm not nervous! Didn't you notice I'm not nervous?

'If it were before, I would be scared and pessimistic, but now, it's just a field training, and I think I can handle it.

'This two months of training has really been useful.'

Shang Jianyao slowed his pace and looked up and down at Long Yuehong.

Suddenly, he smiled,

"Your legs are shaking."

"..." Long Yuehong's expression fell.

Shang Jianyao ignored him and walked toward Room 14.

Long Yuehong came to his senses, looked down at his legs, and shouted,

"They're not shaking! They're not shaking!"

This distraction made him feel that he really wasn't nervous at all.

The two quickly returned to Room 14, and Jiang Baimian's gaze fell on Shang Jianyao's left chest.

She raised an eyebrow and said,

"There's no need to wear the nameplate; this isn't a company-level operation.

'Besides, in a small group, the nameplate only brings danger. The bandits and nomads on the Ashen Land don't care if you're from a major force. Sometimes, if they can't get anything, they might not even survive the day, so considering the consequences of attacking a major force is meaningless.'

Shang Jianyao nodded lightly and said loudly,

"Ritual!"

"..." Jiang Baimian rubbed her forehead and said,

"Take it off once we leave the company. We're leaving now."

Shang Jianyao, Bai Chen, and Long Yuehong, carrying the same camouflage backpacks, followed her to the elevator area.

Inside the elevator, Jiang Baimian took out her electronic card, swiped it, and pressed the number "650."

A few seconds later, the elevator stopped, and the doors opened.

The 650th floor was the closest to the surface in the underground building of "Pangu Bio." There were almost no freely moving people, only the silver and white metal walls, heavy doors dividing the corridors, and armed Security Department employees on guard.

Jiang Baimian swiped her electronic card repeatedly, opening one heavy metal door after another.

She led Shang Jianyao and the others through a long corridor to the other side of the 650th floor.

During this process, several doors scanned the cardholder's iris and body to confirm they weren't imposters. The last door even required a password.

At the end of the corridor was a row of elevators. Jiang Baimian casually chose one, swiped her card, and pressed the metal button for the "Surface Area."

The elevator slowly ascended, revealing a wide square with a metal dome and steel supports to Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and the others.

"Parking lot," Jiang Baimian said with a smile.

The parking lot was filled not only with various cars but also with tanks and missile vehicles, all neatly arranged in rows, stretching endlessly, deeply impressing Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and the others.

Jiang Baimian quickly found the car assigned to her:

It was a gray-green four-seat jeep with a high chassis and large wheels, looking very imposing.

Jiang Baimian then opened the trunk and pointed to the left,

"These are the weapons for this field training. They are the company-standard 9mm pistols, called 'Ice Moss.' They are replicas of the 'Red River' guns from the 'First City,' and the ammunition is the most common and easiest to replenish."

The "Ice Moss" pistols were silver-white with anti-slip patterns on the grips.

Jiang Baimian continued,

"One for each of you, and also the 'Union 202,' one for each of you.

'These two are assault rifles, the company-standard 'Berserker,' using 5.56mm ammunition...

'This is the 'Orange' rifle, which can be used as a sniper rifle with a scope...

'This is the grenade launcher, nicknamed 'Tyrant'...

'These are all the weapons, and the ammunition is here. Put the pistols on you and take a few magazines each.'

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong had become familiar with various weapons over the past period and calmly picked up the "Ice Moss" and "Union 202," attaching them to their waist belts.

Jiang Baimian then pointed to the cardboard box on the right,

"Military canned food, energy bars, and compressed biscuits—this is our supply.

'Ha, they won't last until we reach Qifeng Town. The remaining part will need to be obtained in the field, which is part of the training.'

'Yes, Team Leader!' Bai Chen, Shang Jianyao, and the others were not surprised at all.

"Alright, get in the car." Jiang Baimian waved her hand with a bold gesture.

Since Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong didn't know how to drive, the two women sat in the front, preparing to take turns driving.

They planned to teach the two men once they reached a more open area.

With a simulated engine sound, Jiang Baimian started the four-door jeep, driving it through one checkpoint and gate after another in the parking lot.

After a while, Jiang Baimian pointed to the front with her chin,

"The last gate."

It was a pair of silver-white doors, guarded by nearly twenty Security Department employees.

After the final inspection, Jiang Baimian drove the jeep toward the metal gates.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong couldn't help but feel nervous, holding their breath.

This was their first time going to the surface since they were born.

As the jeep approached, the silver-white gates slowly opened.

Golden light flooded in, neither as white as fluorescent lights nor as yellow as candlelight.

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong simultaneously hunched their shoulders, raised their right hands, and shielded their eyes.

The light was a bit blinding.