After buying everything he needed, Qin Mu turned his attention back to improving his own strength.
In the mornings, he found people at the martial arts school for sparring practice. In the afternoons, he practiced driving, marksmanship, and the use of firearms. At night, he cultivated the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Method.
The days passed in cultivation.
Eleven days. Qin Mu still had not sensed Cosmic Energy.
Thirteen days.
Fifteen days.
Nineteen days.
At night, in the living room of Qin Mu's home.
"I'll try one last time. If I still can't sense it, forget it."
After more than ten consecutive days of failure, Qin Mu had initially become increasingly irritable.
But as the scheduled departure date drew near, his heart gradually calmed instead. If he could not sense it, then so be it. The preparations he had made were already thorough enough.
Qin Mu's state of mind became increasingly peaceful. He emptied his thoughts, and his entire body entered a strange state. He no longer deliberately tried to sense anything and simply let himself go blank.
"So comfortable."
Qin Mu suddenly sensed wisps of faint energy entering his body through the Baihui acupoint atop his head.
A smile appeared at the corner of Qin Mu's mouth. He had finally sensed Cosmic Energy.
Gradually, it was not only the Baihui acupoint atop his head. The centers of his palms and the soles of his feet also sensed wisps of Cosmic Energy flowing in.
As Qin Mu became more proficient at sensing Cosmic Energy, the speed at which it entered his body grew faster and faster.
It was like a ruptured water pipe. At first, only a trickle flowed from the crack, but as the crack widened, Cosmic Energy began to gush forth.
After entering Qin Mu's body, this Cosmic Energy was frantically devoured by the extremely hungry cells throughout his body.
During the process of devouring it, Qin Mu's entire body began an instinctive Gene Evolution. His bones, muscles, and internal organs were all evolving.
His cells began to divide, and even his body weight started to increase.
His physical fitness rapidly improved during this process.
Only after more than an hour did Qin Mu open his eyes.
"The first time humans cultivate Gene Energy, their strength improves the most. Since the body has never absorbed Gene Energy before, the first cultivation can easily increase one's strength by several hundred, or even over a thousand, kilograms."
"From the second time onward, progress becomes much smaller. One can only cultivate day after day."
"For ordinary warriors, cultivation can increase strength by 300 kilograms."
"Six hundred kilograms counts as excellent, 1,000 kilograms counts as elite, and anything above 2,000 kilograms means you're a genius."
Qin Mu knew his own talent well. Among ordinary people, he could be considered outstanding, but among warriors, he was merely average.
This improvement should be between 300 and 400 kilograms. It could only be considered ordinary.
Still, Qin Mu was already very satisfied.
"All preparations are complete, and I've gotten my driver's license. I can leave directly tomorrow."
Qin Mu stood up and looked around his home, feeling a touch of emotion.
In the living room sat a huge package. Inside was the Worker Bug, which had accumulated a full 650 Energy Points and transformed back into a bug cocoon.
Beside it was a weapon case containing a Po Jun 2 Series spear.
His combat uniform and other items were in another bag.
*******
Early the next morning, Qin Mu got up, hailed a cab to the station, and headed for Jiangnan Base City.
With his Pre-warrior status, he did not even need to have his ticket checked.
Just as planned, Qin Mu easily brought his weapons and the bug cocoon aboard.
"So this is Jiangnan Base City?"
After getting off at the station, Qin Mu carried a large bag on his back and held a small bag and a weapon case in his hands as he looked around.
"It doesn't feel that different from Yangzhou City."
Because he was carrying so much, Qin Mu hailed another cab as soon as he left the station and went straight to the train station, where he would board a train out of the base city and into the Wilderness Zone.
The transfer went smoothly. The trains heading to the Wilderness Zone differed from the trains running between cities. There were not many people, with only around ten passengers in each carriage.
Aside from Qin Mu, the other passengers were clearly divided into three small teams. Like him, every one of them carried large and small bags.
Along the way, Qin Mu did not make trouble by trying to speak with them, and they had no interest in paying attention to him either.
Several hundred miles north of Jiangnan Base City was a military district garrison.
The train slowly came to a stop, and fully armed warriors disembarked one after another.
This was already the wilderness. Soldiers armed with live ammunition stood guard everywhere.
Following the guide he had looked up in advance, Qin Mu went out with the crowd and headed directly for the warrior supply base inside the military district.
It was a very quiet little building, with a front desk for receiving warriors who had just entered the base.
There were many service staff here, some from the military, others from the Limit Martial Arts School, Thunderbolt Martial Arts School, and the Underground Alliance.
They provided services, but they also purchased valuable materials harvested from monsters from the warriors.
"Which squad are you with?"
A man in military uniform asked without even raising his head.
"I don't have a squad."
The man looked up at Qin Mu in surprise and asked.
"Are you a lone traveler?"
"Yes."
Qin Mu answered firmly.
"Fine. Register yourself. The wilderness is very dangerous, so it's best to go in a team."
Seeing Qin Mu's still somewhat youthful face, the man handed him a form and advised him.
He had been at this base for several years and had seen quite a few gifted youths who became warriors at an early age and thought themselves impressive, only to die the first time they entered the wilderness.
Qin Mu carefully looked over the form. It mainly required his identity information and strength certification.
He picked up a pen, quickly filled it out, and handed it over.
"Qin Mu, Pre-warrior? Are you trying to get yourself killed? With your strength, any random monster in the wilderness can kill you!"
The man carefully looked Qin Mu over, then checked the form again. He entered the information into the computer and verified it repeatedly. Once he confirmed he had not misread it, his face took on an expression as though he had seen a ghost.
"Can't a Pre-warrior enter the wilderness alone?"
Qin Mu's expression remained calm. He had expected this reaction long ago.
On the HR Alliance forums, he had learned that while cases like his were rare, they were not unheard of.
Every year, many Pre-warriors entered the wilderness to broaden their horizons or temper themselves.
However, someone would usually lead them and ensure their safety.
There were Pre-warriors tough enough to enter the wilderness alone, but most of them died there.
"Of course you can! As long as you aren't afraid of dying."
The man shook his head and handed Qin Mu a ring of keys.
"Your room is E8. You'll see it if you walk forward a little. Until you leave the supply base, this little building is yours to use. Brother, take my advice. If you're alone, don't go into the wilderness. See if you can find a team, or wait until you're stronger before going in. You're still young."
"Thanks. I wasn't planning to go far anyway. I'll just take a look around the base and gain some experience."
Qin Mu took the keys, smiling.
"Then make your own decision. Good luck."
Picking up his bags, Qin Mu walked in the direction the man had indicated. Before long, he indeed found a three-story building marked E8.
The environment in the little building was quite nice, far more luxurious than Qin Mu's home in Yangzhou City.
However, Qin Mu had no mind to admire any of that. He put all his bags in the room, then headed outside to find the military truck and other goods he had purchased through the HR Alliance.
He did not even bring the enormous backpack containing the Worker Bug cocoon.
This was a safe zone arranged by the military, so security was very high. Basically, no one foolish enough to steal would dare do so here.
After asking around outside, Qin Mu quickly found his things.
An Off-road Pickup Truck, an off-road motorcycle, automatic rifles, a quadruple rocket launcher, and all kinds of ammunition were all present without anything missing.
After checking that nothing was missing and that the vehicle was in good condition, Qin Mu personally loaded everything onto the Off-road Pickup Truck. By the time he finished, it was already dark.
Qin Mu did not know that while he was busy, word had already spread through the supply base that he intended to enter the wilderness alone.
Everyone was extremely curious about what kind of person this bold and reckless fellow was.
Some had even opened betting pools on whether Qin Mu would return alive after going out.