Several groups of people walked past Xu Jintang and his companions, chatting as they went.
"Thanks to the few of us traveling together, otherwise we would have been eliminated in the first assessment today."
"The main problem is that the monsters we encountered on the road were too disgusting, and we couldn't use our superpowers. I definitely couldn't beat them all by fighting them one-on-one."
"I wonder what the second assessment will be like. I hope we can continue to team up together."
Xu Jintang noticed their conversation.
It turns out that they had all teamed up together to pass the assessment.
However, Wang Qian and her teammates were reviewing the first assessment and did not hear the conversation.
At this moment, outside the simulated battlefield.
Wang Yile and several Command Camp leaders sat around the conference table, discussing the performance of the trainee soldiers in the first assessment.
"That little guy named Xu Jintang just now, the magic weapon he used looks a bit familiar."
"It should be the same magical artifact as the one that was quite popular at the recent Ability User Competition, Big Watermelon. I didn't expect someone to develop the same one so quickly."
"Hahaha, so Elder Wei also watched this year's Ability User Competition."
" The Mask Squad is so popular, a lot of people around me are watching it, so I had to follow the trend too."
Wang Yile's gaze fell on the replay video of the previous assessment.
In the scene, Xu Jintang nimbly dodges the jets of high-temperature lava, displaying agility and skill that clearly demonstrates his expertise in close combat.
Of course, what surprised him most was the last scene: Xu Jintang chose to evacuate with his teammates.
What sets their Command Camp apart from other battalions is that they place greater emphasis on cultivating the trainee soldiers' command, organization, and leadership abilities.
Although the assessment just now was a battle for individual survival, the team leaders were actually focused on observing the trainee soldiers' leadership abilities.
The logic is simple: given the difficulty of the recent high-temperature desert test, it's absolutely impossible to pass alone. Smart people will quickly find teammates to ensure survival.
Therefore, in the first assessment, most of the people who were eliminated were the interns who foolishly chose to go it alone.
" Captain Wang, shall we continue with the second round of the assessment?"
The 15-minute break was over, and people nearby cast inquiring glances at them.
Wang Yile replied with a smile, "Okay."
The second round of individual survival assessment begins.
The group at the Oasis Base was instantly pulled into a new simulated battlefield.
Before Xu Jintang's consciousness was withdrawn, an electronic prompt popped up in her mind. "Do you wish to team up with someone nearby to enter the assessment? Please make your choice within three seconds."
Xu Jintang paused for a moment, then quickly selected "Yes".
After the "beep beep" notification sound, the feeling of weightlessness gradually disappeared.
When I opened my eyes again, the environment had changed, but surprisingly, my teammates from the previous round were all around me.
" Sister Jintang, did you hear the team-up notification when you came in? I selected 'yes'."
"I chose yes too. So we're grouped together again."
"Great! It feels safer to travel together."
Xu Jintang glanced around; all his teammates were there, except for Wang Qian.
"Where is Sister Qian?" someone noticed something was wrong and suddenly asked.
Xu Jintang searched around but couldn't find Wang Qian. He stated, "I guess she chose not to enter as a team."
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Sensing the sudden awkwardness among the group, Xu Jintang quickly changed the subject. "This survival assessment is in a high-altitude snow-covered mountain area."
The crowd's attention was drawn to their surroundings.
Looking around, all you can see is a blanket of white snow, with towering mountains dotting the surrounding landscape.
Xu Jintang looked up; above him was a hazy, gray sky, and the light was rather dim.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in and accidentally slipped into her body through her collar. Xu Jintang instinctively shrank her neck, and her mind cleared.
Just then, a familiar electronic voice rang out from the horizon. "Final assessment of the individual survival battle: the extreme cold snow-covered plateau region. All trainees, please strive to survive to the end."
This time there was only one hint; the rest was up to everyone to figure out on their own.
The assessment is more difficult than before.
An experienced teammate immediately analyzed, "Since it's an extremely cold climate, there will definitely be competition for resources like fire and shelter. We need to find a place to stay as soon as possible, otherwise the temperature will drop even further at night."
Xu Jintang nodded, "Let's talk as we walk."
The group quickly chose a direction and set off.
At this time, in another area.
Wang Qian appeared alone at the foot of the snow-capped mountain.
She pursed her lips, her expression serious.
When she entered the second round of the assessment, the simulation system prompted her to choose whether to enter as a team, and she did hesitate for a moment.
Without Xu Jintang's help, she would have had almost no chance of passing the first assessment.
But she has always been self-reliant since childhood.
After much deliberation, I decided to go in alone.
Not long after entering the simulated battlefield, light snow began to fall from the misty horizon.
The fluttering snowflakes fell from the sky, adding to the chill in the air.
Following the northward path, Xu Jintang and his group soon spotted a small wooden house ahead.
"We have a place to stay!" a teammate shouted excitedly, pointing to the wooden house.
The group quickened their pace, approaching the cabin. Upon entering a certain area, the capture mechanism was suddenly triggered, and an electronic notification sounded again from the horizon:
The cabin at coordinates 109,873 has been occupied. It cannot be looted for the next twelve hours. The cabin at coordinates 109,873 has been occupied...
The broadcast played on a loop three times before stopping.
Xu Jintang was slightly taken aback.
Robbery of the cabin is prohibited for twelve hours. What happens after twelve hours?
The teammates' joyful mood was instantly extinguished.
"Seriously? Once these coordinates are released, everyone in the vicinity will have to rush over here."
"I knew it. Besides stealing the cabin, we'd definitely steal the kindling for warmth too."
"It's a good thing we teamed up from the start, otherwise even if we had captured this cabin, we wouldn't have been able to hold it."
"A twelve-hour protection period is not bad; at least we can get a good night's sleep tonight."
Xu Jintang arrived at the door of the wooden house and pushed it open.
"Squeak--"
The wooden door, which hadn't been used for years, made a jarring sound when it was opened.
The room was covered with cobwebs, and a thick layer of dust had settled on the wooden floor.
Xu Jintang stepped on the floor, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust.
Light from outside streamed into the wooden house, casting a faint glimmer on the white cobwebs.
"Come in, let's clean up first, it's covered in dust," Xu Jintang said as he entered the wooden house.
Then, the others followed them in.
Upon seeing the mess inside the cabin, everyone fell silent.
A few seconds later, someone responded positively, "Let's sweep away the cobwebs and dust on the floor first."
"Note: The survivor navigation function is now enabled. Survivors can directly locate and track specific landmarks using this function."
The electronic sound rang out again from the horizon.
Xu Jintang and the others, who were tidying up the wooden house, all stopped what they were doing, and their expressions became somewhat subtle.
"This is outrageous! How can it even have navigation functionality?"
"Damn! Now everyone around here will have to come over here."
As expected, after hearing the broadcast, people in the vicinity all tacitly headed towards the coordinates of the wooden house.
Wang Qian is quite far from the coordinates; it would take at least three or four hours to get there on foot.
She hesitated for a moment, then chose to give up.
It's too far. By the time she gets there, others might have already arrived, and she can't compete with them all by herself. It's more reliable to find other unoccupied cabins.
Fifteen minutes later, the wooden house was completely transformed by Xu Jintang and his companions.
The extra-large tatami bed can comfortably accommodate five people, and the room also has underfloor heating, so it warms up quickly once the door is closed.
"I estimate this assessment will take a long time. In order for everyone to cooperate better in the future, I suggest that we choose a team leader now. What do you all think?" someone suggested.
The others exchanged glances, then secretly looked at Xu Jintang out of the corner of their eyes, and immediately spoke in unison, "I vote for Sister Jintang."
I'm voting for Sister Jintang too!
When you're out and about, everyone knows to find someone powerful to rely on.
Xu Jintang's Fourth Tier strength, coupled with his performance in the previous assessment, is enough to convince everyone.
Xu Jintang became the captain of the four-person team without any doubt.
Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.
Is anyone there?
Chapter 149
The atmosphere inside the cabin became tense.
The group exchanged glances, then turned their attention to Xu Jintang.
"I'll go out and take a look." Xu Jintang pushed open the door of the wooden house.
A tall man stood in the snow-covered outdoors. He was dressed in black, with strong features and a somewhat serious expression.
"What's the matter?" Xu Jintang asked, sizing up the man a few meters away.
Lu Wei'an said calmly, "Are you short of a gatekeeper? I'm at the Peak Third Tier tier of mental strength, and I excel in close combat, so I should be perfect as a henchman."
Xu Jintang was a little surprised, "You're here to be the doorman?"
Lu Wei'an nodded, "Yes, I'm all alone and I'd like to find a team to play with."
"How did you pass the last assessment?" Xu Jintang continued to ask.
Lu Wei'an lowered his head and pondered for a while, "I passed the last assessment on my own. My special ability greatly amplifies physical strength, so dealing with those demonic beasts wasn't too difficult. Later, when the Flame Desert Turtle Flame Desert Turtle its identity, I risked everything and jumped off its back, landing right at the Oasis Base. I passed by sheer luck."