Chapter 26 Training the Troops (Part 2)

Chapter 26 Training the Troops (Part 2)

Xiao Zui and the others had already returned and were following Xiao Hua's earlier instructions, distributing food to the teams. The collected crystal nuclei were given to Professor Tan Pingshan for research, while the rest were stored in Bai Mu's spatial pocket.

Later, it was the same dinner and casual chat time as the previous night.

The seven of them gathered again on the second floor, eating a hot pot.

Bai Mu's spatial pocket was like Doraemon's magic bag, stocked with everything they needed: a yin-yang hot pot, base ingredients, condiments, a variety of meats and vegetables, and even alcohol blocks and a lighter. Nothing was missing.

It was hard not to suspect that he had done it on purpose.

The bubbling soup base already made mouths water, and when paired with fresh and delicious fatty beef rolls, dipped in a secret sauce, the hot and fragrant taste was unforgettable.

Zhao Ye was over-the-top with his reactions, Su Mo's eyes glistened with tears, Han Xiu Jie savored every bite, while Xiao Zui and Tang Yi didn't say much but their chopsticks flew around, clearly loving it.

Xiao Hua couldn't help but admire how powerful a spatial pocket could be. *This is amazing! I love it.*

She was determined to stay on good terms with Brother Bai to keep her personal "meal ticket"!

Thus, with three parts reserve and seven parts flattery, Xiao Hua asked Bai Mu, "Brother Bai, what do I need to do tomorrow?"

"..." Bai Mu thought for a moment, "Xiao Hua, how did the survivors' training go today?"

On the surface, Xiao Hua remained calm. "I grouped them up and had them practice fighting zombies together. It went pretty well."

But inside, she was freaking out. *Is this some kind of interrogation? Is Bai Mu seriously going to make me train more people? Ugh, I'm just a regular college student, I don't want to...*

Bai Mu turned to Xiao Zui. "How about this: Xiao Hua goes with us to gather supplies tomorrow, and we assign someone else to continue the training. What do you think, Captain?"

Xiao Zui nodded without hesitation, "You decide."

Xiao Hua: "..."

Xiao Hua: "???"

"Xiao Hua, don't you want to?" Bai Mu asked, puzzled. Didn't she say she wanted to fight zombies yesterday? Had he misunderstood?

Xiao Hua smiled, "I do."

It was just that she had been internally complaining about Bai Mu, and the sudden reversal had caught her off guard.

"That's good then." Bai Mu relaxed and continued, "Now, let's discuss who will take over your training tomorrow."

The previously noisy room suddenly fell silent. After a long pause, Zhao Ye hesitantly suggested, "What if... Brother Bai, you take over?"

Bai Mu turned to Zhao Ye and calmly replied, "I’m a spatial-enhanced individual."

Zhao Ye sputtered, "Oh."

As the only spatial-enhanced individual, it would be a waste for Bai Mu to stop gathering supplies just to train new recruits.

Bai Mu considered Zhao Ye for a moment before suggesting, "Actually, Zhao Ye might be a good fit for this."

Zhao Ye thought, *Brother Bai, you're settling personal scores!*

But he didn't dare to refute.

Xiao Hua glanced at Zhao Ye’s baby face. "No offense, but... does Zhao Ye really have the presence to command respect?"

Bai Mu was uncharacteristically quiet.

Zhao Ye muttered, "Damn."

Back-to-back, and a personal attack too!

Brother Bai, your silence is killer!

Han Xiu Jie and Tang Yi tried to stifle their laughter, keeping their heads down and focusing on their food to avoid drawing attention—and getting dragged into the mess.

Xiao Hua realized things were going wrong and quickly tried to smooth things over. "I mean… Zhao Ye doesn't have any powers, and he doesn't exactly have an intimidating presence. He probably wouldn't be able to handle a crowd like that."

Bai Mu nodded, but still asked, "Hey, Zhao Ye, you wanna give it a shot?"

The most awkward thing in the world is when someone looks down on you, and you can't even refute it, but deep down you think they have a point.

Zhao Ye felt exactly that way. He shook his head, looking dejected. "No."

Bai Mu wasn't surprised. He thought about what Xiao Hua said—someone with powers and an intimidating presence. There was only one person who fit the bill…

A mischievous smile spread across Bai Mu's face as he turned to Xiao Zui. "Captain, it's your turn to take the lead… finally."

Xiao Zui was taken aback, but he couldn’t argue. "…"

But he didn’t have a reason to say no, so he reluctantly nodded.