43: Training

The night passed without incident.

The next day, the six continued their journey.

Dilisi, fuming all night, pulled Lu Xiaoxiao over, a mischievous thought brewing in her head.

She whispered into her ear, "Sister Lu, it's too boring on the road. How about we train this little handsome guy?"

"He hasn't developed a pollution core yet. It wouldn't be impossible to use our connections to bring him to the High Molecular Compound Zone."

"I think his mind is pretty good, and he's not bad at shooting."

"He could be trained to become our... person."

Lu Xiaoxiao glanced sideways at Dilisi. This suggestion didn't seem entirely out of the question.

The Red Rose Squad would never consist of just five people, never.

They needed elites.

Of course, those who had already developed a pollution core were out.

"Hey, handsome," Lu Xiaoxiao quickened her pace to walk beside Xu Jingzhe. "What's your name, or what's your number?"

"You see, all five of us sisters have told you ours."

Xu Jingzhe looked at the desolation and bleakness before him and said helplessly, "9527."

"9527, how long have you been in the Pollution Zone?"

"Almost three months, I guess."

"Do you feel any discomfort in your body?" Lu Xiaoxiao asked.

"Not... yet."

Lu Xiaoxiao and Dilisi exchanged glances, both feeling curious.

This was a bit different from what they understood. Logically speaking, ordinary people coming to the Pollution Zone initially had only two possibilities.

Either they were 'killed' by nuclear radiation and became zombies.

Or their bodies underwent an initial mutation, external or internal, with a chance of developing special abilities.

However, he had nothing, which seemed a bit strange.

This was a non-existent third scenario.

"The Pollution Zone is full of dangers. To survive, you need to train well."

"We five sisters graduated from the Blue Star First Women's Academy and follow the path of Old Art body refinement. Therefore, we've decided to train you." Dilisi said impatiently, "Today, I'll train you first."

Xu Jingzhe: "???"

He always felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Were the people from the High Molecular Compound Zone and the Pollution Zone getting along too peacefully?

And they even wanted to help him train?

The group stood still, and the thought of the devilish training from the 'she-devils' at the Women's Academy made them shiver.

Even after graduating, the psychological trauma hadn't 'graduated' yet.

Dilisi stood firm, adopted a starting stance, and said, "Attack me with all your might."

Xu Jingzhe rubbed his nose and asked, "Really?"

"Really."

Xu Jingzhe stepped back a few paces, then ran to build momentum.

After undergoing modifications from bacteria and some Moon Soil Evolution Fluid Pure Liquid, his physical fitness was considerably stronger than before.

As he got close, he leaped high, like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey, and his fist smashed towards Dilisi's head.

"Thump!"

One kick.

Xu Jingzhe felt as if his chest had been struck by a giant rock, his internal organs violently shook, and breathing became difficult.

Then, he flew a good dozen meters, falling heavily, with branches snapping and cracking.

"Holy... crap." He clutched his chest, struggling several times before getting up.

"Sister, that kick of yours..." Lu Xiaoxiao tried to suppress her laughter. This was blatant revenge.

"I held back, otherwise, I would have kicked him to death." Dilisi clapped her hands, brushed back her long, flowing hair, looking quite enchanting.

Yezi ran over, supporting Xu Jingzhe, and asked, "Are you... okay?"

"Xiao Si... was already very restrained."

Xu Jingzhe felt that this sentence hurt more than the kick itself.

"Oh, you can still stand up? Then let's continue training."

"You attack me."

Xu Jingzhe gritted his teeth, clenching his fists.

He... was very angry.

Again, a running start, a jump, and a smash!

This time, Dilisi was very precise. With her slender jade hand, she smoothly grabbed Xu Jingzhe's wrist, applied a slight force, and pulled him down.

Xu Jingzhe face-planted, getting a mouthful of dirt.

"Continue, come on, if you're a man, hurt me once." Dilisi taunted.

He got up and tried again.

He fell to the ground.

Again... knowingly doing the impossible.

Xu Jingzhe was as tenacious as an unkillable cockroach, fighting from morning until noon, until he finally collapsed, unable to get up.

However, he still hadn't managed to hit Dilisi even once.

"Man, you're no good. I'm the weakest among the five of us, you know." Dilisi provoked Xu Jingzhe.

"I... am good." Xu Jingzhe used all his strength but couldn't get up.

"Hehehehe... Sisters, it's time to eat."

"Replenishing energy, it's still more interesting to stay in the Pollution Zone. Back in Musileke City, it's just a bunch of sycophants."

"How about we stay a few more days, hunt a few more Contaminators that are over ten years old, and go back to exchange for things."

Dilisi took out some compressed food from her bag and distributed it among them. She then threw a portion to Xu Jingzhe, saying, "Eat up, we'll continue this afternoon."

"I agree." Yezi said.

"I wholeheartedly agree." Ming Xixi also said.

"All right then, we'll change our route and go back later." Lu Xiaoxiao said.

Yezi came to Xu Jingzhe's side, opened the package, and said, "Eat it, to replenish your energy. These foods are high-quality protein and vitamins."

Xu Jingzhe shook his head and said, "I want to eat... acorns."

"Acorns? What are those?" Yezi asked, puzzled.

"I have a few in my pocket. Please, if you don't mind."

Yezi pulled out three acorns, and with a slight effort, she put the nuts into Xu Jingzhe's mouth.

Afterward, she said something to Lu Xiaoxiao, and the two left.

Half an hour later, the two returned, bringing Xu Jingzhe many acorns.

Yezi was very meticulous, peeling each one and feeding them to Xu Jingzhe.

Once the acorns entered his stomach, they were quickly broken down and absorbed by the system.

Five minutes later, Xu Jingzhe was full of vigor and vitality.

His eyes gleaming, he said, "Come on!"

Dilisi got up from the rock, clapped her hands, and said, "Come."

...In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

During these ten days, besides attacking Dilisi, Xu Jingzhe also had to do weighted exercises, breath-holding exercises, speed exercises, endurance exercises, and so on... His overall physical fitness steadily improved, and the system praised him endlessly.

Ingesting bacteria was internal conditioning, and training was external supplementation.

It could be said they complemented each other.

After being knocked down one more time, Lu Xiaoxiao and the others exchanged glances and then simultaneously disappeared, leaving only Xu Jingzhe.

Xu Jingzhe was still wondering what was going on.

Then he smelled a foul, rotten odor, and heard the low growls of beasts.

He shivered and sprang up like a carp.

Damn it!

This was too much. Three... zombie dogs.

The nightmare... had arrived!

The trauma of almost losing his life to dogs last time hadn't faded, and now they were back.

However, he wasn't as helpless as last time.

"Xu Jingzhe... you can do this."

"Charge!"

Xu Jingzhe picked up a dagger they had deliberately left on the ground and actively charged towards the zombie dogs.

At the same time, the three zombie dogs also rushed forward. Their foul-smelling saliva, due to their speed, formed straight lines, sticking to their bodies. Maggots crawled all over their decaying bodies, becoming increasingly clear in Xu Jingzhe's vision...