A Group, A Chance to Prove Oneself.

Chapter 17: 1.17 Chapter Groups, A Chance to Prove Oneself.

While Wei Keng was organizing the troops, the system was still introducing the background to the Wei Kengs in the communication group: In this era, human civilization exists in scattered points like oases in the desert.

During the great fusion, emergent biota, guided by regional dominators, achieved a state of coexistence within regional life communities. All of this had a corresponding impact on the societies of Old Era Humans, who also attempted to grasp power through coexistence with some dominant species...

Wei Keng (Comms 1): "Wait, let's not talk about that for now!"

Wei Keng (Comms 2 to 11) urgently explained the situation to those on the periphery: "Descend into the grass, quickly join us, don't be alone. Move inward."

The first scene Wei Keng saw after descending, with thousands of himself in the center, was a large number of himself moving in perfect sync. However, not all Wei Kengs opened their eyes to this scene upon descending. Some opened their eyes to the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees. Because they were in the outer areas of the scattered descent points, they were surprised to see the first identical self, and hadn't figured out the situation yet. They might even be fearful, and might even turn and run. It required the communication group and these nearly 150 unfortunate selves to notify them one by one, ensuring none were left behind.

Now, the counting voice in the center was very loud, providing a self-gathering signal for the early selves who had descended in scattered outer locations.

Wei Keng (Comms 12) was searching the system's public data, querying the automatic Q&A function: "Yes, genes and other life forms are easily cross-linked now, what's my situation!"

Wei Keng (Comms 45) was still talking to the Observer: "Where's my 'cheat'? Support, map, and shooting markers in the view, trajectory prediction for throws, yes! Hurry up."

Wei Keng knew the Observer was a girl. If he were facing her alone, he would be shy and polite. But now, he was a group and in such an uncertain situation, his dialogue had a bit of the demeanor of a crowd questioning a clerk at a window.

Wei Keng, now, had to prioritize his own well-being.

The vegetation in this jungle was very lush, but one could faintly discern traces of former human presence, as fragments of red bricks and a mixture of cement and sand remained in the soil. However, the structure of these hardened roads from the civilization era was twisted and distorted, much like the shattered glory of humanity's past.

The Wei Kengs had already formed four small squads for perimeter defense. The others were seizing the opportunity to consolidate their current resources. Everyone now had a quantum node, capable of warping material information. Some small caliber rapid-fire submachine guns had already been warped into their hands, and some protective suits made of Kevlar and Ceramic had been distributed to those on the perimeter.

A magnesium strip was rubbed to ignite the collected dry twigs, and then forty Wei Kengs, lining up to bring fuel, made the bonfire blaze. Thick logs that had been cut down were brought over and roasted, turning into makeshift torches that were sent to the outer areas.

Calling them torches wasn't entirely accurate. Torches would typically be wrapped with dry vines, and ideally, some oily fruit or pine branches would be tied on. This would allow them to burn longer. By the time these torches reached the perimeter, they might only be glowing red embers at the tip, requiring fresh dry vines to be tied on near the bonfire.

At this moment, the commotion in the northern jungle increasingly instilled a sense of urgency in Wei Keng.

Finally, in the northwest corner, Wei Keng's squad made contact with the threat there. The immense roars and the shouts among the Wei Kengs themselves sent chills down the spines of those still in the central area.

The Wei Keng responsible for organizing the northern sector shouted: "Everyone spread out, First Group and Second Group, come to the front."

Since the subsequent groupings were not yet complete, it was logical from an overall perspective to prioritize the deployment of the First and Second Groups.

The Wei Kengs within the two organized groups hesitated for about 0.1 seconds, but then collectively obeyed the group order.

Jia 33, within the First Group, said: "Fear is certainly present, but the system and rules are the foundation for the large-scale survival of my group. When it's time to go, we must go. This is the rule, the country's rule, societal morality, and the responsibility a man should bear."

Wei Keng had originally intended to go to the Eight-Day Plane as a merchant. Of course, the first step for a merchant was reconnaissance, and he had some basic defensive equipment.

This equipment now included the bulletproof vest he was wearing, the Kevlar helmet on his head, and a carbon fiber skeleton on his shoulders, back, waist, and knees to assist with carrying weight. He carried a two-kilogram small caliber rapid-fire submachine gun. As for his main weapon, it was a mechanical crossbow that he cocked with his foot, because he only had a hundred bolts, and each shot was one less. The metal arrowhead, however, could be reused.

Therefore, the Wei Kengs going to reinforce now prioritized taking out their mechanical crossbows. It wasn't that the crossbow bolts were more powerful than the submachine gun rounds, nor was it to save a few bullets. It was because, in jungle combat, the Wei Kengs' supplies did not include walkie-talkies. Uncontrolled gunfire would disrupt communication, making organized resistance difficult.

In each squad, three people were prepared with submachine guns, ready to form alternating fire when necessary to cover the main force's retreat! Yes, Wei Keng (he), holding a gun, knew he had the rearguard responsibility.

Within the First Brigade, the Fourth Squadron (thirty people in total) was the first to make contact with the target.

When the combat squad arrived at the front line, they encountered individuals from the reconnaissance team fleeing for their lives.

This individual, whose arm seemed to be entangled by some thorny tentacles, pointed behind him as soon as he saw the support squad, then suddenly fell to the ground and shouted, "Shoot quickly."

The squad immediately aimed their crossbows in the direction Wei Keng (he) pointed. As the grass behind them rustled, one person opened fire with a gun, while the others shot their crossbow bolts.

The thing in the grass seemed to falter for a moment after being hit. Wei Keng (he), who had been lying on the ground, immediately got up and shouted, "Maintain vigilance, that thing is as big as an elephant." Before this scouting Wei Keng (he) could run two steps, the creature emerged from the jungle.

Good heavens, what kind of monster is this!

Its lower body was the four legs of a tiger, its upper body was a segmented insect's metallic exoskeleton, and its front was adorned with sixteen tentacles like octopus suction cups. In the center of the tentacles were not octopus teeth, but mantis mandibles.

What in the world is this thing?

The Wei Keng (he) communications team immediately queried the system. The system replied, "The exploration level of this plane is too low, and there are various gene-fused species changes every day, so..."

The Wei Keng (he) communications team said, "Never mind if you don't know." They then focused on the present, ignoring the currently useless system.

In the tense situation on the verge of breaking out.

The monster, which had just been forced back into the jungle, was spotted by the fleeing Wei Keng (he) (reconnaissance team) in infrared view. As it prepared to retreat back to its main force, it immediately launched a charge. The explosive power of this feline was fully displayed in its lower body. The surviving Wei Keng (he) of the reconnaissance team was clearly too slow in their return.

Just as it was about to become a successful hunt, Wei Keng (he), acting as the temporary commander and holding a submachine gun, charged forward. He grabbed the scouting Wei Keng (he), rested the gun on his shoulder, and pulled the trigger, firing at the pursuing monster just five meters away.

This was less of a rescue and more like using another self as a human shield during an attack.

The fleeing Wei Keng (he) was clearly stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, not resenting this Wei Keng (he) holding the gun.

In this situation, Wei Keng (he) knew best: if the probability of successful survival was only fifty percent, he would choose a plan that would cause the target to bleed one hundred percent of the time.

The forward momentum of the fleeing Wei Keng (he) and the recoil from the firing Wei Keng (he) caused one to fall backward, gun in hand, eyes wide with disbelief at the approaching monster, while the other lay on top of him, resigned to being a human shield. If both were going to die, at least they would get a few more bursts into the thing.

Fortunately, the giant beast was once again halted by the firepower. The crossbow bolts from the second rank of Wei Keng (he)s behind them arrived, whizzing through the air and embedding themselves directly into the monster's body. It couldn't be said that the monster was turned into a hedgehog, because these bolts, fired from crossbows whose strings were wound by turning the wheel three times with their feet, directly penetrated the creature's body!

This monster was finally dealt a heavy blow. With dozens of crossbow bolts lodged in its head, a dense cluster of nerves, it lost the ability to control its entire body. It could only move erratically, relying on other nerve nodes within its body. The several-ton monster staggered forward like a drunkard.

The two Wei Keng (he)s who had been on the ground rolled away, narrowly dodging this final trampling. The Wei Keng (he)s' formation dispersed in time, and the creature finally crashed into a tree and fell into a pit.

"There's more than one, at least six others," the reconnaissance Wei Keng (he), who had narrowly escaped death, continued to relay his intelligence.

At this moment, shouts came from the east side of the jungle; other squads were also encountering battles.

"Go provide support!" Wei Keng, in charge of communications, shouted. All personnel turned, and those holding torches and wearing bulletproof vests consciously moved to the front, swinging wooden sticks with glowing embers to prevent ambushes from the grass.

Wei Keng's arrival seemed to have stirred up a hornet's nest within this plane's gene colony.

And the surviving Wei Keng seemed to have gained some insight, though the information obtained in panic was incomplete.

Indeed, there were still seven or eight large species, but this was not the entirety of the gene colony. Within the entire area, there were other small species, all now obeying the will of life in this region to reject outsiders.

When Wei Keng's Fourth Squadron reached the conflict zone, the first phase of the fierce battle there had already concluded. In the center of the battlefield, flesh and blood were scattered. Three Wei Keng were dismembered, and seven or eight others, bleeding and wounded, were dragged to the rear, protected by the formation.

Now, two squadrons of Wei Keng were confronting the monster group by the lake. With the arrival of the Fourth Squadron, there were now three squadrons in confrontation. The trembling hands of the Wei Keng in the original two squads, gripping their crossbows, steadied as their reinforcements arrived.

This lakeside was clearly an artificial lake. In the center of the lake, on a small island, stood a large cobblestone that could only be found in major rivers. Oh, this must have been a human park in the past, but it was unrecognizable now. The monsters were still gathering, and the Wei Keng cluster?

The cluster had also undergone a self-rectification of their minds in the rear.

The squadrons at the front had already united closely because they were directly facing danger. The Wei Keng there didn't have the mental capacity to think of anything else. Wei Keng facing an exam had the highest learning efficiency.

And in the rear, although logically they absolutely agreed that supporting their comrades on the front lines was necessary, some hesitation, some timidity, and some self-wishful thinking were unavoidable in their hearts.

A true army should be one where every individual is willing to sacrifice at any time for the collective victory.

Of course, Wei Keng understood themselves. Facing a collective composed of individuals like themselves, some Wei Keng would step forward to point out this hidden danger. And the way to point it out! It could be very direct.

After applying for permission to speak, Wei Keng 18 from the communications team voluntarily came before their cluster to give a mobilization speech.

This Wei Keng's expression was very difficult, but he finally mustered the courage, opened up his most hidden thoughts, and began the first self-examination of this life: "Everyone, we all have the same way of thinking, we are all Wei Keng, so we should all know that as individuals, unimportant individuals, isolated and helpless, the feeling of being rejected by the group! In this life, we want to forget some things, let go of some burdens, and strive not to go down the wrong path.

But now, we have become a group! We have come to this harsh environment.

As a group, we need to show ourselves! If a society, in all aspects, does not ignore or abandon the basic necessary conditions for the survival of every individual, and fulfills its responsibilities and obligations to the utmost, can everything develop in another direction?"

These words caused the Wei Keng, whose eyes had been unfocused, to suddenly look uniformly at this individual who had spoken. Then, seeing all the surrounding Wei Keng making the same movement, they understood that every one of them was the same.

The same thinking, the same will, the same point of resonance! Unification was completed instantly.

Like a prairie fire, subsequently, one by one, the Wei Keng began to consciously act according to their assigned posts.

I, Team 12, will form a formation based on me. Prepare to integrate nearby usable tree materials.

I, Team 7, will be my benchmark. Quickly collect the powder for the bonfire—searching for dry large leaves. (This is preparation for simple smoke cover.)

Wei Keng's view of society: The most terrifying thing about society is that after the group disperses, it begins to ignore individuals one by one. Today, it can ignore your meals, and tomorrow it will ignore my drinking water. And the day after tomorrow, everyone will live in a fragmented society, driven as expendable parts and lubricants by certain people holding grand objectives.

WWII Island Nation, to prevent American Soldiers from randomly xx, the government conscripted some women engaged in the sex trade to satisfy the desires of the occupying forces. This was to ensure that the majority of the populace would not have to worry. Would the majority of the island nation's populace be grateful to those women? No, they would not be grateful; they would ignore them, thinking, "They were already in this profession. Since the Politicians chose this method, then it's implied."

Even more, the entire society held a sense of superiority, believing they could protect themselves. When those chosen to fill the void spoke out, they would swarm like flies drawn to blood, inflicting all sorts of soft violence and hard indifference to satisfy the group's urge for violence.

Therefore, a poison flowed through their culture: the belief that one could be cowardly in the face of disaster, while others were meant for this very purpose, destined for it! This poison, along with their economic explosion for a period, then spread throughout East Asia with cultural dissemination. The degree of social change varied across East Asian countries, as did their immunity, but undoubtedly, all were affected.

This poison is "Indifference."

Social symptoms after poisoning: As long as the one suffering is someone else, one tries to numb themselves. As long as someone else will bear the responsibility, one considers it natural, as if society should have already assigned these roles to everyone.

Wei Keng had not yet had time to forget the pain caused by such social poisoning; time had not yet dulled the wounds.

It was clearly exploitation, yet they insisted it was "making you," and curiously questioned, "Why is there a lack of gratitude, a lack of striving?" Then, the representative of society, sober while all others were drunk, began to reflect: "Is there something wrong with this generation?"

And Wei Keng, because he hadn't had time to forget, because his own group was not yet irredeemably "poisoned," and because there was not yet a class division within his own group.

Then, why not prove now that he could mobilize the society he formed, and that he could choose not to follow certain "taken-for-granted" norms.