"Risk of infiltration?"
As soon as Gao Liangwei spoke, quite a few researchers in the conference room exchanged glances.
They looked at one another, somewhat unable to make sense of it.
Seeing this, Gao Liangwei explained, "Everyone here works at the Countermeasure Research Institute and has access to the latest firsthand information. You should all know that since the Apocalypse Rules descended, dozens of countries around the world have already perished."
"When those countries perished, they lost not only countless citizens, but also their precious culture, heritage, and history. Our Beixing Nation absolutely cannot end up the same way. Therefore, if we are to cultivate a team to fight for the nation, the backgrounds of its members cannot have any problems whatsoever."
"..."
The researchers fell silent. Their task was to study the rules, but Gao Liangwei, the military-born director, clearly had many more responsibilities on his shoulders.
"I believe you all know I came from the military, so protecting our homeland and defending our nation is what I value most. Just imagine: if we poured all the nation's resources into nurturing a hidden enemy, how much harm and loss would that cause this country?"
"For that reason, personnel backgrounds must be screened rigorously. Does anyone still have questions?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Dr. Zhang, continue."
"Alright." Dr. Zhang gathered his thoughts before continuing, "As for the requirements for this team's members, I believe Mind Power exceeding 100 and reaching an excellent rating is a necessary condition. I won't go into the rest in detail."
"What I want to discuss more is how to strengthen this team. Based on the current three rules, since the Fire Thief uses extreme methods to select humanity, we can learn from it and use extreme training to develop the team members."
"In other words, besides facing Rule Challenges, team members must also undergo extreme survival challenges designed by us. This will not only strengthen their adaptability; I believe it can also accelerate the increase of their Mind Power limit."
"I see." Gao Liangwei said, "The military does have quite a few extreme training programs used to cultivate top special forces soldiers. We can put them to use now."
Dr. Zhang agreed. "Some of the military's extreme training programs have been tested by soldiers and proven effective. They can indeed be used."
At that moment, someone else asked, "Must it be done in a team format? Everyone's circumstances are different, after all. Wouldn't individual training be better?"
"No." Gao Liangwei said decisively, "The Social function previously added to the Personal Terminal clearly included an option to Team Up. That shows it will definitely be useful later, so we must train personnel in a team format from the very beginning."
"That's true..."
"There's one more point." Dr. Zhang added, "Among the rewards for Rule Three, there is a First Ascendant Challenge Invitation."
"Something with such obvious competitive implications suggests there may be direct confrontations between people later on. The results of those confrontations may affect many things, so beginning specialized training now is also a necessary preparation for competition."
Everyone agreed with that point.
Since it was called a "Challenge," it meant it was a contest. And where there was a contest, there was competition, victory, and defeat.
This differed from the Hidden Rules in Rule One. That rule about knocking others unconscious to obtain Sobering Candy was less competition than it was some form of malice from the Fire Thief. Its purpose was to lure people into attacking others in order to obtain survival items.
Gao Liangwei nodded. "Dr. Zhang is right. Whether for the final Apocalypse Operation or for what lies ahead—"
Before you continue