Chapter 25 Training (Part 2)

Chapter 25 Training (Part 2)

Everyone was divided into teams, and Xiao Hua looked at the crowd, seeing only two-thirds of them remained. She then listened as Captain Li came over to report, "There are 3,886 people left in total."

Xiao Hua nodded, then cleared her throat to begin her instructions.

"Those who are still running a fever, come stand on my left side. Those who have already awakened their powers, stand on my right side."

A few people stepped out from the team and came to stand beside Xiao Hua. Xiao Hua counted and sighed.

Out of nearly four thousand people, forty were still running fevers, and only five had awakened powers.

Still, with so few, it was easier to manage. Xiao Hua quickly adjusted her mindset and announced, "Those with fevers, stay behind to rest. Your training will be postponed. Those with powers, I will personally coach later."

As soon as she said this, the ordinary people’s gazes immediately focused on the two groups—some envious, some jealous, and even a few sympathetic.

Xiao Hua ignored them, sharply pointed to a team, and ordered, "You, the first team, come and pick your weapons."

"Each team will go out for ten minutes, following my commands. The goal is to kill zombies while ensuring your own safety. Zombies will be counted by their heads. The team with the best performance will receive a reward."

By the time she had briefed everyone, it was almost 10 o'clock. Xiao Hua stopped wasting time and led the first team outside, exposing them to the zombies' line of sight.

The team members were visibly shaken. Some were eager to step forward, while others were so frightened their hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"Everyone, turn your backs to the gym and face the zombies. Do not scream loudly."

"The zombies' weak spot is their head. Those with long weapons strike first, and those with short weapons be ready to finish them off."

"Stay alert, and at least one teammate should keep an eye on the surroundings."

Xiao Hua’s tone carried the cold hardness of a commander, and her commands steadied their frantic hearts like a shot of adrenaline. Under her steady guidance, they followed her instructions, positioning themselves and staying vigilant. When the first zombie lunged at them, they surged forward and stabbed it to pieces.

After they had stabbed the unfortunate zombie to bits, everyone finally relaxed their tense nerves. One frightened girl collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide and unfocused.

"Time’s not up yet, stay alert!"

At the command, the ten people suppressed their roiling emotions and followed the same method to kill another zombie.

As they killed the zombies, Xiao Hua observed them closely.

Two middle-aged men seemed to have killed zombies before; they were noticeably more composed than the other eight. Three young men also had the courage to attack the zombies.

The remaining three middle-aged women and two girls were terrified but tried their best not to hold the team back.

This team was quite good.

After killing two zombies and with only a few minutes left, Xiao Hua told them to stop and instructed, "There’s a crystal nucleus inside the zombie’s head. Dig it out."

"Ah?" Several people hesitated, the idea of digging into a zombie’s brain making them feel nauseous.

Xiao Hua said indifferently, "Consider it a way to count your kills. You can exchange them for food later. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to dig it out."

At the mention of food, the three middle-aged women rushed forward. Before the others could react, they had already extracted the crystal nucleus.

If it could be exchanged for food, who cared how disgusting it was?

With this group handled, Xiao Hua led them back and immediately prepared to select the next team.

This time, a team was already ready with their weapons, waiting to head out.

The previous fight had taken place quite close to them, and Xiao Hua hadn't hidden anything during the clean-up. They could see her standing aside, and as long as they followed her commands, nothing major would happen to them.

Besides, the items they recovered could be exchanged for food, so they had to take the initiative.

After all, people are motivated by rewards. With a good start, the process went quite smoothly. Most teams followed commands and cooperated well.

For the few teams that disobeyed orders, screamed, or caused a commotion, Xiao Hua wouldn’t hesitate to freeze them on the spot—no exceptions.

When the ten minutes were up, everyone was thrown back into the gym, landing on the wooden floor with a "thud." The ice shattered, revealing people trembling in their frozen state.

The effect was as good as ever.

In this world now, the strong rule.

Xiao Hua commanded when needed and asserted her power when necessary. By balancing authority and intimidation, she gradually handed over the remaining teams to Captain Li and the others.

To improve efficiency, each team was led by three soldiers, fanning out in a coordinated pattern to support each other.

Xiao Hua, on the other hand, began to focus on the enhanced individuals.

Looking at the small group, Xiao Hua said, "Show me what you’ve got, one by one."

The first was the girl from earlier. She pressed her lips together, her right palm facing up, and a fist-sized flame appeared.

Xiao Hua's eyes lit up. "Not bad."

The second was a female office worker. Holding an empty bottle in her left hand, she emitted a small stream of water from her right index finger, sighing helplessly after filling half the bottle. "That's the best I can manage," she said.

Xiao Hua offered comfort. "It's okay, keep at it."

The third and fourth were surprisingly a pair of twin brothers, both with speed powers.

The fifth was a strong middle-aged man with earth powers, currently able to produce one or two small lumps.

After observing them, Xiao Hua had a basic understanding of their abilities.

Next, it was straight into practical combat.

Xiao Hua led the five to an open area and attracted a zombie for them to fight together.

Since they didn’t know each other, they minded their own business, randomly using their powers without hurting the zombie, only to exhaust themselves first.

In the end, it was the strong middle-aged man who remained calm, relying on his strength and experience to smash the zombie's head.

Xiao Hua shook her head and sighed, disappointed by the lack of coordination.

While the group rested in exhaustion, Xiao Hua spoke up. "For the next round, the earth power will engage the zombie in front, using earth spikes to disrupt. The speed powers will sneak up for an attack, and the water power will use water arrows while the fire power uses fireballs for long-range interference. You must be accurate."

"Got it," the middle-aged man responded first, showing signs of becoming their leader.

This time, Xiao Hua attracted four zombies, one after another. They started off in chaos but gradually fell into their roles, with improved coordination and accuracy in their power usage.

After two rounds, each person had killed an average of one zombie. Xiao Hua immediately ended the training and let them go back to reflect on their own.

Captain Li still had many ordinary teams, so Xiao Hua continued juggling both responsibilities, managing to finish just before it got completely dark. Everyone safely retreated back into the gym.