53: Chapter 53 Lin Fan has betrayed us! He's no longer acting like a human being!

Half an hour later.

At the base entrance.

Rows of heavy armored personnel carriers were ready to go.

The freshmen began to board the vehicles in an orderly fashion, organized by class and squad.

Everyone received a set of basic combat gear.

Alloy combat knives, tactical vests, communicators, first-aid kits...

Although they were all standard-issue, mass-produced items, wearing them instantly brought out a grim, murderous atmosphere.

Only Lin Fan was the exception.

He tossed the heavy tactical vest directly to the student next to him.

"This thing is too cumbersome; it's not breathable."

The student stood there, dumbfounded, holding the vest.

"Brother Fan, this is bulletproof and stab-proof! Are you really throwing away something that saves your life?"

Lin Fan curled his lips in disdain.

"Save my life? That might be true for you guys."

"For me, this thing is just a stumbling block hindering my progress!"

"If I wear this, what happens if the beasts don't hurt when they hit me? Wouldn't I be at a huge loss then?"

The student: "..."

Is he crazy!

Everyone else is desperate to bundle themselves up like iron barrels, yet this guy is complaining that the Defense is too high?

Lin Fan, wearing his signature white T-shirt, strutted onto the vehicle.

Inside the carriage, everyone was nervously checking their equipment or whispering about tactics.

Only Lin Fan got on and immediately started humming a tune.

"Stop humming, it sounds terrible."

Murong Yan, sitting opposite him, couldn't take it anymore and kicked him with her long leg.

Lin Fan took the opportunity to grab Murong Yan's ankle and didn't forget to squeeze it twice.

"Ouch, Instructor Murong Yan, these soles are a bit hard. Next time, wear soft-soled shoes; it feels better when you kick."

Murong Yan's face darkened, and she abruptly pulled her foot back.

"Do you want to die?!"

If the carriage space hadn't been so cramped, she would have absolutely put this guy in a cross-arm lock.

Lin Fan chuckled and let go.

"Don't be angry. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"Look at everyone, they're as tense as if they're heading to the execution ground."

"Relax, it's just a few little monsters. We're going there to bully them, not to serve ourselves up as food."

As he spoke, he looked at Xia Wanqiu next to him.

"Class Monitor, you must stick close to me when we get off later."

"Don't run around. If you get snatched away by a beast, where am I going to find such a good healer?"

Xia Wanqiu, who had been nervously checking her first-aid kit, blushed at these words.

"I'm not exclusively yours."

The convoy roared out of the base, heading deep into the Wilderness.

As they moved further away from the base, the surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate.

The crimson Gobi Desert was filled with jagged rocks everywhere.

A faint smell of blood permeated the air.

Occasionally, one could see the skeletons of massive beasts half-buried in the sand, looking exceptionally ferocious.

The atmosphere inside the carriage grew heavy.

Even the freshmen who were originally excited had stopped talking, their palms sweating as they gripped their weapons.

This was the Wilderness.

The territory of beasts.

A place filled with death and slaughter.

Only Lin Fan was pressed against the window, watching the desolate scenery outside, the light in his eyes growing brighter.

"This smell... it's so fragrant!"

He took a deep breath as if he were smelling a supreme delicacy.

That was the smell of experience!

That was the smell of becoming stronger!

"ROAR—!!!"

In the distance, a deafening beast roar could be faintly heard.

The entire armored vehicle trembled along with it.

Everyone's expression changed.

Only Lin Fan's mouth stretched wide to his ears.

"They're welcoming us!"

"SKREEE—!!!"

Accompanied by a harsh screech of brakes, the long convoy stopped on an open stretch of the Gobi Desert.

"Everyone out! Move fast!"

Instructor Chen Feng and the other instructors' roars exploded in the communication channel.

The doors opened.

A heatwave mixed with dust and a fishy stench rushed toward them.

Thousands of freshmen quickly jumped off the vehicles and, under the command of their respective class instructors, formed a defensive formation.

After landing, Lin Fan didn't look for cover; instead, he craned his neck to look around.

"Where are the monsters? Where are they?"

"Where is the promised beast tide? Why can't I even see a hair?"

Although this Gobi area was desolate, the visibility was quite good.

Aside from a few clumps of withered grass and piles of rocks, there was nothing.

"What's the rush! Are you in a hurry to reincarnate!"

Murong Yan walked up to him and said irritably.

She was holding an alloy spear, looking heroic and filled with aura.

Xia Wanqiu followed closely behind them, her small face tense, and a faint white light was already glowing at the tip of her staff.

Just then, Instructor Chen Feng's voice echoed through the loudspeakers.

"All units, pay attention!"

"Our current position is in the C3 area on the outskirts of the Wilderness."

"According to radar, there is a large group of beasts moving toward us three kilometers ahead!"

"There are about five hundred of them! Mostly Iron-Armored Rhinos and Wind Blade Wolves!"

"This is also your first battle!"

Hearing that there were five hundred beasts, the legs of many freshmen began to tremble.

Five hundred!

That black, overwhelming mass charging over; the sheer momentum alone could scare people to death!

Instructor Chen Feng seemed to notice everyone's fear, and his voice became even more stern.

"What are you afraid of!"

"You are Awakened! You are the future of humanity!"

"If you're scared of even this, go home and drink milk!"

"Follow my orders! All melee classes, hold the front line! Ranged classes, provide output from the back! Support classes, pay attention to healing!"

After giving these tactical arrangements, Instructor Chen Feng took a deep breath, his tone becoming extremely grave.

"One last thing!"

"Ensuring your own safety is the top priority!"

"Also, this is not an assessment like the ones you've participated in before!"

"No one, for any reason, is allowed to attack your comrades!"

"Do you understand!"

The crowd shouted in unison: "Yes! Instructor!"

The sound shook the earth, dispelling much of the previous fear.

However, just as the roaring voices died down, a discordant figure suddenly dashed out of the formation like a dog off its leash!

"Stop yapping!"

Lin Fan ran wildly, waving his hands, letting out excited, strange shouts.

His speed was faster than a hundred-meter sprint!

Instructor Chen Feng's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Lin Fan!! Get back here!!"

"Who told you to act on your own!!"

"That's three kilometers! Not three hundred meters! Are you running that fast to go die!!"

However, Lin Fan ignored him completely.

What tactics? What coordination?

If you guys kill all the beasts, how am I supposed to grind my Defense experience points?

"ROAR—!!!"

Just then, a cloud of yellow dust rose on the horizon ahead.

Immediately after, the sound of the earth trembling arrived.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Hundreds of massive Iron-Armored Rhinos, like a group of moving tanks, charged toward them with red eyes.

Beside them were countless agile Wind Blade Wolves.

The terrifying momentum left all the freshmen breathless.

"A... attack! Attack quickly!!"

Someone shouted in terror.

The elemental Awakened in the back row scrambled to cast fireballs and ice spikes.

"Don't move!!"

Just then, Lin Fan, who was charging at the very front, suddenly stopped.

He turned around, spread his arms, and shielded the front of those beasts.

He roared at the crowd behind him at the top of his lungs:

"Nobody is allowed to attack!!"

"These are all mine!!"

"Stop stealing my monsters!"

Thousands of people: "???"

The beast horde: "???"

At this moment, the whole world seemed to go quiet.

Everyone looked at the thin figure blocking the beast tide as if he were a fool.

This guy... is he trying to see how fast he can die?!

Just as both humans and beasts were stunned for a second, someone suddenly shouted, "Lin Fan has betrayed us! He's not planning on being human anymore! Everyone, attack!"

The crowd: "???"

"Betrayed? If he's not being human, what is he doing? Don't tell me he's becoming a beast?"