Chapter 68: I’ll Give You a Chance

The assigned room was a single occupancy, very simple: an iron-frame bed and a wardrobe, with a bathroom inside.

It seemed plain, but to Zhou Liming, it felt quite cozy. From childhood to adulthood, his room in the Orphanage had similar furnishings—simple and straightforward. The only difference might be that this room was a bit more spacious, equipped with smart lighting design, and also contained a computer and a television.

During high school, Zhou Liming dreamed of owning a computer, but given his status back then, it could only have been a luxurious wish.

He threw his backpack aside, pointed at the computer, and asked, “Can I use this?”

Lian Ruixue rarely showed a smile, but this time she did. She said, “Of course. Everything in this room will belong to you.”

Zhou Liming cheered and immediately sat down in front of the computer to boot it up. Lian Ruixue shook her head, turned around, and left, gently closing the door behind her.

His physique, enhanced through Genetic Modification, was incredibly formidable. For injuries, for example, it took only a few days for them to heal completely, leaving not even a scar. His personal stamina seemed endless. After staying in the hospital for half a month, Zhou Liming had gone crazy from boredom. Now that he had access to the computer, he was naturally fascinated by it.

He had computer classes in high school, so he knew how to operate one. The computer came with a pure system, containing only basic functions and nothing else. With no other options, Zhou Liming could only browse the news online to understand the situation outside the base. Many websites had stopped operating due to the fall of the coastal region, leaving only a few portals still active.

There wasn’t much news about the coastal area online. Most of the information focused on government actions.

It made sense. While there were certainly lucky survivors in the coastal region, he might not have been a journalist. Even if he were, would anyone risk reporting news selflessly when Fierce Beasts were everywhere? That was absurd. This meant that the situation in the coastal areas could only be judged through reconnaissance data from unmanned drones and military satellites, which held little journalistic value.

International news was equally scarce.

Every country was busy dealing with the arrival of the Fierce Beasts, so in the midst of their chaos, they had no time to exchange information with each other.

After browsing through the news, Zhou Liming finally understood the current situation.

First, dozens of defensive cities had all fallen to the tide of Fierce Beasts. The death toll reached nearly 200 million, with over a million soldiers sacrificing their lives for the country. The national defense forces had suffered heavy losses. The government had now activated the War Order and would rebuild an army of over ten million to establish new defensive Frontlines.

After occupying the entire coastal region, the Fierce Beasts did not advance further. Instead, they occupied their own territories and stopped attacking humans.

According to Ren Zhigang’s theory on Fierce Beasts, the lowest-grade Fierce Beasts could complete their growth in just seven days. As the level increased, the time required also increased. Fierce Beasts would appear in a stepped manner, from lower to higher levels. Due to their territorial instincts, the landing of each new grade of Fierce Beast signaled a new offensive to claim more territory for division.

Currently, the highest grade of Fierce Beasts to land on land was Fifth Stage. The most representative of these was the Hell Spider Beast.

Due to the lack of information on Fierce Beasts, no one could determine exactly how many levels existed or how many more Fierce Beasts were yet to land. Just the Fifth Stage Fierce Beasts had already caused heavy losses to humanity. If Sixth or Seventh Stage Fierce Beasts appeared, what could humans use to stop them?

There were many pessimistic voices online, and a sense of depression could be felt everywhere.

The internet speed here was very fast. A game downloaded in just a few minutes.

Zhou Liming stayed in the room until it was time to eat, when Lian Ruixue notified him via the internal phone. The underground base had all necessary living facilities. It had a small cafeteria that could accommodate a hundred people. By the time Zhou Liming arrived, all members of the X Squadron had gathered. They had all received their dinners and were eating at the tables.

Lian Ruixue stood at the door with her arms crossed and said coldly, “In the military, discipline is the most important thing. From now on, you are not allowed to be late for meal times. Since this is your first time, the punishment is waived. Go in and eat now. Afterward, rest for the night. Assemble at the training ground tomorrow morning.”

Zhou Liming was still not quite used to this kind of life. He received a tray of food, which was quite rich.

The people there ate very quickly. In just ten minutes, Zhou Liming was the only one left in the cafeteria. He stared speechlessly at the empty room, thinking, “Eating so fast, are you rushing to reincarnate?” At this moment, Zhou Liming truly lacked any sense of military discipline.

After dinner, he returned to his room and played games all night. Under the wake-up prompt, sounds of washing and brushing teeth came from other rooms. After a short while, most members of the squadron came out of their rooms at roughly the same time and headed toward the training ground.

Remembering that he was scheduled for training today, Zhou Liming turned off the computer, quickly splashed his face with cold water, and rushed outside.

When he arrived at the training ground, thirty-three members of the X Squadron were already standing in formation. Lian Ruixue was also wearing tactical camouflage. She glanced coldly at Zhou Liming and said, “Take your position.”

Zhou Liming stood in the back row, trying to stand straight like the others, staring unblinkingly at Lian Ruixue in front of him.

Lian Ruixue frowned. Looking at Zhou Liming, who stood straight but lacked any military posture, she shouted loudly, “Zhou Liming, step forward.”

Zhou Liming didn’t expect to be called out. He had no choice but to step forward and stand awkwardly beside Lian Ruixue. He scratched his head and asked, “What do you want?”

The people below couldn’t bear such an answer. They burst into laughter. Although they were like combat machines, they were still human and possessed emotions, even if they rarely showed them. Seeing Zhou Liming’s foolish appearance, how could they hold back? In their eyes, Zhou Liming was not fit to be a soldier, let alone a member of the X Squadron and their teammate.

Lian Ruixue did not smile. She stared coldly at Zhou Liming for a long time before saying, “Introduce yourself.”

Zhou Liming said, “Ah?” But under Lian Ruixue’s murderous glare, he continued, “My name is Zhou Liming. I am eighteen years old, from City B in Zhejiang Province, and I was a sophomore in high school.” He gave a bitter smile and added, “That’s about all. Please take care of me.”

There was not even a round of applause from below. Everyone returned to their cold, robotic state.

Lian Ruixue said, “Zhou Liming, return to your position.”

Having watched many TV shows and movies, he knew the drill. Under Lian Ruixue’s command, Zhou Liming jogged back to his original spot.

Lian Ruixue stood with her hands behind her back in front of the three rows of soldiers. She scanned the face of every member with a cold gaze and said calmly, “Compared to half a month ago, our X Squadron has gained half new members. I know many of you resent me as your captain. You think a young girl is unfit to lead you, and some believe this captaincy was obtained through powerful backing.”

She took a few steps and said coldly, “Now, I will give everyone here a chance. Whoever can defeat me, I will apply to the higher-ups to appoint them as captain, granting them the rank of Major General and fulfilling their dream of becoming a General. If no one dares to challenge me, then you will obediently follow every one of my orders, no matter what I ask you to do.”

Hearing this, Zhou Liming realized that she already held the rank of Major General.

How old was the captain? Seventeen? Eighteen? Or nineteen? It was hard to believe. Not even twenty years old, yet already a Major General. Zhou Liming, who had felt excited just the night before about his own rank of Major not being low, now felt that his Major rank was nothing but crumbs compared to Lian Ruixue’s.

Below, there was a moment of silence. Then, a burly man, nearly two meters tall, stepped forward. He silently took off his shirt, revealing crisscrossing muscles, and said, “I will test the captain’s strength.” The fact that he had eight-pack abs was enough to show the extent of his physical conditioning.

Lian Ruixue merely nodded slightly, took a few steps back, and gestured for him to go first.