Chapter 7: The First Mission
Early in the morning, Zhao Xin, Liu Chuang, and the others had gotten up long ago. There was no other reason—they were excited because Lena had said she would issue their armor that morning. They had been so thrilled the night before that they barely slept, and today they had gathered on the training ground even earlier.
The others had been on the training ground for over half an hour before Yi Chen finally made his way there. If anyone hadn't been excited the night before, it was probably him. After all, he had the Bright Silver Armor gifted by the system, which was no worse than Ge Xiaolun's Dark Alloy Armor in any aspect. It was also lighter, more exquisite, and more stylish.
The group waited for about another hour before Lena finally sauntered over.
"Hey, sis, what took you so long? We've been waiting all morning," Liu Chuang complained when he saw Lena strolling over.
"What the hell, do you guys have no conscience? I went to the Giant Gorge Ship first thing this morning to get your armor. And you still complain about me? No conscience," Lena said unhappily.
After saying that, Lena handed out the armor, but there wasn't one for Yi Chen.
"Um... Yi Chen, your armor isn't ready yet. We didn't expect you to join us before, so we didn't prepare one in advance. But don't worry. It'll be finished within a month at most," Lena explained.
"No need. I'd like to exchange the armor for something else. I already have armor of my own," Chen Yi said.
"You have your own?" Lena was somewhat confused. After all, on Earth, the only ones capable of creating armor like this were probably the Super Seminary.
Then, under Lena's watchful gaze, Yi Chen used Spatial Technology to transfer the Bright Silver Armor from his System Backpack onto his body. The armor was gold and silver, with classical patterns engraved across the chest. A uniquely designed gray-black cloak hung from his back. It was so long that when Yi Chen stood there, its hem hovered only thirty centimeters above the ground. A pair of pure white, sacred wings adorned the cloak. Yi Chen had designed those wings himself.
Ge Xiaolun and the others were speechless. They had thought their own armor looked pretty cool, but after comparing it with this, they were thoroughly crushed. More importantly, that handsome armor was being worn by Yi Chen, which filled them with the urge to beat him to death.
"B-Bro Yi, do you have another set of that armor? I'll trade you mine. Whatever else you want, I'll give it to you," Zhao Xin finally said.
"No. This is the only set, and I don't even know how to make it. I only have this one."
"Man, comparing people really is infuriating," Zhao Xin sighed.
"Ahem... Zhao Xin, get back in formation. Who told you to wander off? Um... Yi Chen, since you already have armor, I'll have them give you something else instead. You might need it more," Lena said.
"Okay."
"Mm. Then let's begin today's training plan."
"Turn around and form a line." As she spoke, she walked to the front of the formation. "Run eighty kilometers straight ahead." After saying that, she took the lead and started running.
Yi Chen didn't know whether running would be useful for them, but he said nothing and followed Lena. Qiang Wei came next, followed by Qi Lin, Chen Yaowen, and Liu Chuang. Ge Xiaolun and Zhao Xin, however, were already looking weak. Eighty kilometers? Was this even something humans were supposed to do?
Over the next three months, aside from Yi Chen, who had his own training plan, everyone else underwent specialized training designed by Lena.
Zhao Xin mainly focused on running, though he had to run around Juxia City. Completing the route within an hour counted as passing. In his own words, he was so exhausted that he had become Lightning Xin.
Qi Lin and Qiang Wei trained together. One practiced evasion while the other practiced assassination, but Qi Lin clearly had a much harder time facing Qiang Wei, who possessed the Space-Time Gene.
Cheng Yaowen practiced control. His gene was named the Heart of the Earth, and as the name suggested, it gave him the ability to control the earth. He could use soil to restrain enemies or mold it into defensive structures.
Liu Chuang had it relatively miserable. Every morning, he had to fight Yi Chen for three hours. Facing the powerful Star Bolt Gene, all he could do was take a beating. Then, in the afternoon, he fought Lena for another three hours, which obviously meant taking another beating. Still, compared with being instantly defeated before, he could now exchange blows with them. His improvement was clearly enormous.
Ge Xiaolun's training was the simplest and most brutal. As the Galaxy Power, his Undefeated Body was extremely tough and could withstand tremendous damage. For now, his training consisted of taking all kinds of beatings. However, according to the higher-ups, he still had something even more powerful inside him, though Earth currently had no way to develop it.
After three months of training, the members of Xiong Bing Lian had gained some of the steely resolve of soldiers. They were no longer as childish as before.
Yi Chen had used the Power of Stars to temper his body every day during those three months. However, because he lacked the resources to upgrade his Divine Body, he was still only at the first generation of Divine Body.
"Hey... Bro Yi, over here." Liu Chuang waved at Yi Chen, who was carrying a tray of food, and called out to him. After three months of training, the members of Xiong Bing Lian had grown much closer to Yi Chen. Although Yi Chen was aloof by nature, they had trained together for so long that a bond known as comradeship had formed between them.
Yi Chen carried his tray over and sat across from Liu Chuang. After a while, Ge Xiaolun and Zhao Xin arrived as well.
"Man, I'm exhausted to death every single day," Zhao Xin complained.
"Haha... Actually, everyone is pretty impressive," Chen Yaowen said from the side.
"Hey, hey, which girl do you think is the prettiest?" Liu Chuang suddenly asked.
When they heard Liu Chuang's words, the girls at the neighboring table perked up their ears as well. They cared quite a bit about what others thought of them—or rather, they cared about what one particular person thought.
"Uh... I think they're all goddesses. But come to think of it, does the Super Gene change people's looks too? Just look at all of them." Zhao Xin hurriedly flattered them, avoiding offending anyone while praising everyone at once.
Hearing their conversation, Yi Chen couldn't help thinking of the Angel he had met at Angel International. Ever since that meeting, he had found himself thinking of her involuntarily.
"Hey, Bro Yi, what do you think?" Liu Chuang asked Yi Chen, who was lost in thought.
Suddenly, Lena stood up and pressed a hand to her ear. "Commander."
Everyone looked at Lena in confusion.
"What... what's going on?" Liu Chuang asked.
"I don't know either." Zhao Xin was equally baffled.
"Yes, we'll act immediately." Lena spoke again. Then she turned to the bewildered group and said, "We've received... our first mission."
"What happened? Are aliens attacking?" Liu Chuang asked.
"You know Victorious Fighting Buddha, right...? The Super Soldier who slept within your mythology has awakened. The military wants us to... act immediately." Lena's expression was solemn.
With that, she led everyone to the boarding area.
Lena stopped Yi Chen as he was about to board. "We won't be going on this mission. We have something more important to do."
"What mission? Can't you handle it?" Yi Chen asked in confusion.
"Uh... we're going to meet an Angel. You interacted with her before, so your presence might be somewhat useful." Lena was a little embarrassed. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to keep the situation under control alone, so she wanted to drag Yi Chen along to help bolster their presence.
(The End of This Chapter)
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