25: future plans

Cafeteria.

Lunch consisted of five dishes and one soup, with each person getting a large, reddish-brown pig's trotters.

Qin Xianzhen never went back on his word, just like his fearless charges on the battlefield.

He would pay for the food.

The entire cafeteria was silent, everyone bowing their heads and frantically shoveling down rice.

They had no other thoughts; they just wanted to eat their fill and then start training.

The morning's screening had made all the new recruits truly feel the terrifying pressure from the monsters.

At the same time, it also made them aware of the current predicament of humanity.

In a corner of the restaurant, Qin Xianzhen and Yan Xiao, along with two others, were also gnawing on large pig's trotters, smiling as they watched these new recruits, who seemed like they had "survived a calamity."

Their expressions were exactly like their own back then.

"Here, your braised beef, the best part of the beef shank."

A chef with two pig-slaughtering knives at his waist walked over, holding an antique-style lunchbox.

Major Yuan Ye couldn't wait and directly took a piece with his single arm, biting into the juicy braised beef, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"As expected, Old Li's braised beef is still the best."

"Let me try a bite too."

"Me too."

Battalion Commander Chen Chu and Yan Xiao also reached out, unceremoniously digging in.

"Eat slowly, I'm not going to snatch it from you guys."

Qin Xianzhen watched his three comrades wolfing down their food, shaking his head slightly.

"I also heard some things about Base 0231!"

"Being able to come back alive is the best outcome," the chef said with emotion.

Upon hearing this, Major Yuan Ye and Battalion Commander Chen Chu immediately stopped, the braised beef in their mouths suddenly losing its flavor.

Only Yan Xiao continued to eat intently, muttering softly:

"Eat your fill, train these new recruits well, kill more monsters to avenge them!"

The other four just watched Yan Xiao silently; they knew very well in their hearts.

In the battle at Base 0231, most of the new recruits Yan Xiao had once led had died.

If anyone felt heartache, it was him.

"What are you looking at? Keep eating."

Qin Xianzhen lightly patted Major Yuan Ye and Battalion Commander Chen Chu on the head.

In a short while, Yan Xiao had completely emptied his lunchbox.

He casually wiped his mouth, his gaze falling on one of the new recruits.

"If it weren't for this kid this time, we probably would have all sacrificed ourselves at Base 0231, becoming one of the heroes in the Spirit Mountain."

A glint flashed in Yan Xiao's eyes as he said in a low voice.

"I heard he's a Hunter who killed a High-level Beast General?"

Qin Xianzhen followed Yan Xiao's gaze.

Chen Fan was still unhurriedly shoveling rice, as quiet as an elegant feline.

At some point, an idea suddenly popped into Qin Xianzhen's mind—if it weren't for that outstanding face, Chen Fan would probably become the most excellent assassin.

As if sensing the gaze, Chen Fan looked up and gave Qin Xianzhen a harmless smile.

"This kid hides his strength well. He's already a High-level General but still came to the new recruit camp. With this strength and military merit, he's probably qualified to be directly promoted to colonel."

Yan Xiao, who knew everything, did not speak, but his gaze grew deeper.

Recalling Chen Fan's various actions since joining the army, Yan Xiao did not tell his comrades present that a week ago, Chen Fan was only a Senior Warriors martial artist.

"It seems we need to find some opportunities to properly repay this guy."

"And while we're at it, think about how to ask this kid for guidance on how he became so powerful."

Soldiers always repay kindness, let alone Chen Fan's life-saving grace.

Qin Xianzhen's personality was bold and straightforward; he never hid anything.

By coincidence, the other three nodded heavily in unison.

After the meal, the new recruits immediately threw themselves into training.

As Qin Xianzhen had said, the afternoon training was all tailored to the physical limits of these aspiring martial artists.

Weighted frog jumps, fifty kilometers of armed cross-country, and energy-consuming push-ups and tactical crawling.

For every training exercise, Qin Xianzhen's goal was to squeeze out the potential of these new recruits.

If a martial artist wanted to improve quickly, one way was to go to the Wilderness Area and fight monsters, seeking progress between life and death.

The second was arduous training that repeatedly pushed physical limits and raised one's maximum potential.

Whether it was Qin Xianzhen or the three others, they had all clawed their way through that period and naturally understood all of this deeply.

In the vast training ground, Chen Fan and many new recruits sweated profusely together.

For Chen Fan, the training that was difficult for new recruits felt like nothing.

He even increased the force of every movement.

All for the sake of gradually gaining physique points and increasing his strength.

Training continued, and Chen Fan ran while thinking.

Even under the scorching sun, he did not feel the slightest bit agitated.

As a university lecturer in his previous life, he had a wide range of interests.

He knew how to adjust his emotions to maintain optimal condition.

Chen Fan pondered his current advantages—memories of the original work, the characteristic of getting stronger by training and killing enemies, and top-tier comprehension that allowed him to learn anything instantly.

Each of these advantages was crucial for Chen Fan.

Chen Fan's brain spun rapidly, searching for useful information from the original work.

He definitely couldn't rely on Luo Feng; it was better to rely on himself than on others.

No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruins, the Australian continent, Mist Island... these were all places he could go.

However, his current strength was too weak.

To explore any of them, he needed to at least become a God of War level martial artist... Chen Fan's thoughts continued.

Furthermore, there were more ancient civilization ruins on Earth than just these, as well as many mysterious places awaiting exploration.

More importantly, individual strength was completely useless in the face of an endless monster army.

Even powerful martial artists like Thunder God and Hong, who surpassed the God of War, had to rely on hyper-frequency laser cannons to deter huge numbers of monster groups.

This allowed them to negotiate with the King-level Monsters.

Chen Fan knew in his heart.

In the current situation, a single human faction trying to resist the endless monster hordes was not enough.

They had to unite and, with the help of national and military means, could better resist the monsters and continue human civilization.

Chen Fan analyzed the current human predicament very thoroughly.

Talent represented the future, but only strength could prove the present.

And during the Great Nirvana period, undercurrents surged, and the future might not arrive on time... Strength!!

Without reason, these two big words popped into Chen Fan's mind again.

Like a burning brand, they deeply stimulated Chen Fan's nerves.

I want to become stronger!!

As Chen Fan's thoughts changed, the surrounding cosmic energy stirred.

The Five Hearts to the Sky Cultivation Method automatically operated, and the acupuncture points all over Chen Fan's body involuntarily absorbed these overflowing cosmic energies frantically.

At this moment, every cell in Chen Fan's body became jubilant.

Under the irrigation of streams of cosmic energy like clear springs, Chen Fan clearly perceived his body growing stronger—

"Physique +5"

"Physique +5"

"Physique +5"

"..."

Perceiving his changes, Chen Fan recalled everything from last night in the dormitory, and a flash of inspiration appeared in his mind.

Regarding the current predicament faced by humanity, Chen Fan made a bold hypothesis.

No matter how terrifying the predicament, it could only be solved by confronting it head-on.

Chen Fan was not a person who liked to retreat; he was more skilled at facing difficulties.

Looking at the chief instructor on the podium, a smile hung on Chen Fan's lips.

Perhaps he could use them as an experiment to verify his ideas.

Stared at by Chen Fan's gaze, Qin Xianzhen and the other three involuntarily shivered.

This kid, something was a little off about him.

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