Qin Siyang had just raised his teacup and taken a sip when he heard that number. He choked, nearly spraying tea everywhere.
"4444?! A good place?! Principal Zhao, are you kidding me? Just hearing the name sounds unlucky! Why would we build a military camp there?"
"Precisely because it sounds unlucky, you can build a military camp there. If the number weren't so incredibly inauspicious, someone would have claimed the area long ago. You think you'd still get a turn?"
Zhao Longfei stood up, pulled a map from the bookcase behind his desk, and spread it on the table.
"Come take a look."
Qin Siyang leaned closer. The map's lines were intricate and precise, densely marked with area boundaries. It was far more detailed than the maps in Harrison's lecture slides.
His gaze followed Zhao Longfei's finger.
One area, its name circled in red, stood out sharply.
"Here. This is Area No. 4444."
"You've taken Harrison's geography class, so you should know that all of State No. 4 consists of interior areas providing logistical support for the Safe Zone through heavy industry, livestock farming, and the like. There are no exits from the Safe Zone there. Area No. 4444 is no exception."
Qin Siyang froze. "An interior area? No, that won't work. If it's entirely inland, I won't be able to train the troops to hunt gods outside the Safe Zone or fight as a unit. What use are soldiers who've never seen actual combat?"
"Can't you read a map, kid?!"
Zhao Longfei drew a circle around Area No. 4444.
"Look carefully. Area No. 4444 doesn't have an exit from the Safe Zone, but three of its neighboring areas lie on the Safe Zone's perimeter. If you want to take your troops outside for field exercises, just go through one