Pleading for recommendation votes~~~~ Thinking of a triple update this Friday? Then let's go for it!

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…… Standing on the lawn were about twenty to thirty people, arranged in several rows. “We begin now with the first test,” the drill instructor announced loudly, standing before the crowd.

Everyone nodded and immediately dropped to do push-ups. Besides the instructor, several assistants supervised the group.

The instructor looked toward Ye Chen and the others; the indifference on his face vanished, replaced by shock. There, Ye Chen and the other four were moving their arms with incredible speed.

By the time others finished one repetition, they had already completed three. 58 seconds later.

“Done!” Ye Chen pressed his fingers into the ground, pushing up to stand erect. Bai Long and the others finished shortly after.

A task meant to take three minutes was completed in just one. The surrounding people stared at Ye Chen and his group in astonishment.

In that minute, the others had only managed about 40 repetitions before their arms grew slightly sore and their pace slowed drastically. For those with weaker constitutions, completing the task within three minutes was questionable.

Ignoring the astonished gazes, Ye Chen and his companions maintained calm expressions. Even Bai Long, usually prone to showing off, wore a flicker of helplessness.

If they hadn't restricted themselves to only one-hundredth of their true strength, their speed would have been much greater! “Next, the second item!” The drill instructor looked at Ye Chen’s group.

“You may proceed.” Ye Chen lay down on the ground, the soft, short grass cushioning his back. The others followed suit and began doing sit-ups.

One minute later, they finished! Everyone present already understood these five were not ordinary people, so there wasn't excessive surprise.

The three tests were quickly completed. The instructor handed Ye Chen five cards.

“These are qualification certificates, non-reproducible. One for each of you.

Present these to receive your uniforms at the barracks.” Ye Chen nodded, accepted them, and distributed them to Bai Long and the others. At that moment, a young man, seemingly one of the instructor’s assistants, approached and smiled at Ye Chen’s group.

“Please follow me, I’ll take you to the barracks.” Ye Chen didn’t ask further and followed along. The group exited the sports field and arrived at the roadside outside, where an off-road Humvee was parked.

However, its license plate looked different than usual: it displayed an “H” at the front, followed by a “Jun” (Military), and then the registration number. This signified the abbreviation for the Chinese Base City—the initial letters of the two characters in “Huaxia” (China)—while “Jun” denoted a military vehicle!

They climbed inside, two in the front and four squeezed in the back. Vroom!

The sound of the exhaust roared as the Humvee sped toward the distance. Although the apocalypse had struck, cars and gas stations were still ubiquitous; one only needed to scavenge them.

The scenery on both sides blurred rapidly. After a short drive, the vehicle pulled up to the entrance of a small complex.

The plaque above the entrance read: “Barracks No. 108!” Two men in camouflage uniforms stood outside the complex, built sturdy and with pistols holstered at their waists.

They saw the vehicle approach and walked over, stopping the car. “Hello, please present your credentials!” a young man said gently.

The young man driving reached into his pocket, pulled out a badge, showed it for a brief glance, and then put it away. The young guard stepped aside, allowing the car to proceed inside.

The vehicle stopped not far from the entrance. The group disembarked.

Led by the young guard, they were taken to a building. They entered and arrived before an office where seven or eight people sat at desks reviewing documents.

Upon seeing the young guide, a woman with short, sleek black hair and fair skin, possessing an icy beauty, spoke calmly. “Please come in.” The young man walked in and gestured toward Ye Chen and the others.

“These are the new recruits. Please take care of them; I need to return now.” The woman nodded slightly.

The young man turned, smiled at Ye Chen’s group, and then departed. “Present your interview cards.” Once the young man was gone, the woman’s expression reverted to cold indifference.

Ye Chen casually flicked his wrist, sending the interview card sailing precisely to rest beside her hand. The woman’s delicate eyebrows knitted, but she said nothing.

She picked up the card, glanced at it, and her gaze instantly sharpened. “Your name is Ye Chen?” the woman looked up at him.

Ye Chen stated blandly, “It’s clearly written on the card.” The woman let out a cold laugh. “Good!” Saying this, she pressed a button on the phone.

When it connected, she said urgently, “Captain Zhang? We have an issue here.

Please bring a squad over.” “Oh, no problem.” “Thank you.” The woman ended the call, then looked up at Ye Chen and his group with a cold sneer. “I advise you to surrender now, you scumbags!” “Scumbags?” Ye Chen was completely baffled.

Bai Long and the others behind him also wore confused looks, but hearing the phone call, they immediately realized trouble was brewing. “What do you mean?” Ye Chen stared coldly at her.

Leng Zi glanced at him dismissively and sneered, “Don't you know what dishonorable things you’ve done? Hmph, and you expect me to spell it out?

A despicable person like you, who doesn't even spare children, should have died out long ago! Heaven’s net is wide, yet you walked right into it, hmph!” Ye Chen frowned, studying the woman intensely for a moment before suddenly demanding, “Who ordered your arrest?” Leng Zi mocked him.

“What does it matter if I tell you? You social filth, resorting to any means for food, killing children, and then consuming their bodies!

You thought you pulled it off perfectly, didn't you? Colonel Li witnessed all your heinous acts.

You are finished.” Zhuge Fan quickly interjected, “We never did those things! You are framing us.” Leng Zi glanced at him with a flicker of disgust in her eyes.

“Learning to lie at such a young age. Since you know your doom is near, of course you cry foul.

If you had known this, why act that way in the first place?” “What a shrewish woman!” Yue Heng’s eyes flared with rage, his fists clenched. He likely would have slapped her were it not for the fact that she was a woman.

“What, you dare to be insolent?” Seeing Yue Heng’s demeanor, Leng Zi’s eyes turned sharp, and she barked. “Shut up!” Ye Chen glanced at her, his icy eyes regarding her like a corpse, completely devoid of emotion.

This made Leng Zi momentarily choke, followed by a surge of indignant shame at feeling threatened. She exploded in anger, “Who do you think you are, daring to…” Slap!

A sharp crack echoed as Ye Chen’s cold palm struck, leaving her delicate cheek immediately swollen and marked with a bright red print. Ye Zhu had appeared before her at some unknown moment and looked down at her with chilling indifference.

“They don’t want to lay hands on a woman, but I don’t care. A woman needs to know how to behave like a woman.

My brother told you to shut up; you had better comply!” Leng Zi stared at Ye Zhu’s cold eyes, the stinging pain on her cheek bringing tears to her eyes. Clutching her face, she glared venomously at Ye Zhu.

“You will regret this!” “I hope so,” Ye Zhu replied lightly before turning and walking back to Ye Chen’s side. Ye Chen shot her a sidelong glance.

“Why did you have to save her? You know that if you hadn't struck first just now, she would already be a corpse.” While the woman was babbling, killing intent had already begun to boil within him.

In the apocalypse, casually taking lives wasn't uncommon, especially against someone who posed a direct threat and showed hostility. Ye Zhu blinked and looked at Ye Chen with an expression of appeal.

Ye Chen was instantly defeated by that look and let out a helpless sigh. Click-clack… At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached—about twenty or so people, accompanied by the metallic sound of pistols being cocked.

“Are they here?” Ye Chen’s eyes turned cold. To run into such trouble immediately upon arriving at the barracks made the killing intent surge within him like water.