Evening fell, and the afterglow of the setting sun scattered across the hills before gradually fading away.
At this hour, it was the end of the workday for the daily survivors. With nightfall, the danger escalated dramatically, but Tang Yu wasn't the cold-hearted type to completely exploit every ounce of the survivors' worth.
After all, if they died, he would be the one losing out.
There were survivors idle and bored in the evening who requested to continue working, leaving Tang Yu both amused and frustrated; naturally, he rejected such requests.
The survivors who had completed their day's work gathered in small groups at the plaza, waiting to receive their food rations while chatting and boasting.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "The Patrol Team is back!"
It was the Patrol Team's first external mission, known to every survivor in the Sanctuary. Unlike some other patrols that exploited the survivors, this team wasn't like that. With Ding Qiang and his ilk gone, the overall atmosphere at the Sanctuary was good; most survivors sincerely hoped for the safe return of the Patrol Team.
"They're here, they're here!"
Zhao Xingping stood among the crowd, looking out with a few fellow survivors he got along with. Several people in the Patrol Team were familiar faces to him. As the team approached, he felt nervous—many sanctuaries would send teams outside, but often they would return incomplete, and Zhao Xingping feared this Patrol Team might end up the same.
"One, two, three... everyone's back!"
As the team drew near, someone meticulously counted the Patrol Team members and found no one missing, which instantly lifted the spirits of those present.
Zhao Xingping also noticed that although the Patrol Team members looked a bit dishevelled, they were hardly injured. The most severe injury was a minor one to an arm, which would heal in less than two days given an Awakener's constitution. He even felt that there was something different about them upon their return—they couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it seemed they... had more confidence!
Although the survivors gawked, they knew it was not the time to disturb the returning Patrol Team members, so they made way for them to pass and resumed their conversations, waiting for the audit of their work and the distribution of food.
"Hey, it looks like more people are coming back."
Zhao Xingping heard someone nearby make this observation and looked towards the distance, only to see several figures supporting each other and staggering towards the Sanctuary—it didn't look promising.
"Aren't those the Awakeners? What happened to them?"
Zhao Xingping wondered. Though their situation seemed not life-threatening, they looked far more miserable than the members of the Patrol Team. Had these Awakeners undertaken some dangerous mission?
For a moment, Zhao Xingping felt admiration for these Awakeners. Although they hadn't joined the Patrol Team, they had still made their contributions to the Sanctuary. He realized he might have misjudged them...
He watched as they walked inside the city walls.
However, Zhao Xingping didn't know that these Awakeners were cursing inside. They had merely followed from a distance, walking paths the Patrol Team had already cleared, yet somehow, they still encountered Demonized Beasts and were chased all the way, almost not making it back.
The few felt dejected, feeling the world was unfriendly...
Lu Xiaopeng was thrilled; today, he had killed three Demonized Beasts, although he still fell slightly short compared to the Fatty Peng beside him—just a few beasts short. But he was full of confidence and decided to refine his soul power tonight. On the next external mission, he was determined to outdo that gluttonous fatty.
Of course, before that, he planned to have a full meal, take a bath, and ideally stretch out on his bed. He was so tired he didn't even want to move his toes.
Suddenly, the team in front stopped, and Lu Xiaopeng, not paying attention, bumped into Fatty Peng in front of him. Fatty Peng didn't even respond this time. Lu Xiaopeng looked up and realized everyone was standing in front of an imposing building.
"Isn't this a wasteland? Did we take a wrong turn?"
Lu Xiaopeng racked his brain but was certain he hadn't taken a wrong turn, and it seemed this area had indeed been wastelands before; yet now, it had completely transformed—all thanks to Director Tang.
Thinking of Director Tang, Lu Xiaopeng could only admire him deeply; he was truly a role model for Awakeners. His biggest dream had merely been to become a skilled Awakener, capable of punching Demonized Wolves and kicking Demonized Tigers. But Director Tang had just annihilated a Demon Tide.
There was no comparison... as long as he surpassed this fat guy next to him, that would be good enough.
"This building is a training camp specially set up by the boss; inside, there are all kinds of training equipment. These facilities will benefit your training..."
Lu Xiaopeng and the other Patrol Team members all showed expressions of anticipation. If there was a building dedicated to training, wouldn't that mean they could improve their strengths even faster?
"...So, you have an hour to eat and rest. In one hour, meet in front of the training camp's gate."
Lu Xiaopeng was stunned. What did Captain Luo say? It seemed like they were to continue training in an hour?!
This was practically demanding their lives. After spending half the day practicing those tough moves, and the rest outside with their nerves tightly wound, he had thought he could finally relax like a salted fish in bed, but it seemed he had been too naive.
But difficult as it was, it was not possible for them to refuse. They had finally managed to latch onto the sanctuary's benefits—Combat Skills, Equipment, and now, the training camp. Everyone was holding their breath, wanting to keep getting stronger.
Slack off? Having come this far, and endured so much hardship, how could they possibly stop just before this training opportunity?
With a mix of pain and eagerness, they quickly returned to their quarters. Not to mention, it was necessary to properly rest during this one hour.
One hour later, the members of the Patrol Team quickly gathered at the entrance of the training camp, and under Luo Zhe's lead, they entered in single file.
The first thing that caught their eyes was the variety of training equipment on the first floor—the cold touch and iron-blooded appearance were immediately attractive to the team members. In Tang Yu's eyes, these equipments were ordinary, but that was only when compared to the higher-level facilities. If compared to pre-apocalypse training facilities, these were leagues beyond.
The team members quickly moved forward, trying out the training equipment and revealing expressions of amazement.
Especially the few Awakeners.
Since their Awakening and increase in strength, training equipment had been out of their reach. Pre-apocalypse equipment was meant for ordinary people, maybe strongmen at most—these were nothing compared to Awakeners. Typically, they could only resort to exercises like gymnastics; using training equipment? They would break it just by pinching, rendering it useless.
But now, Peng Bo stood in front of a strength tester, his strength was considered the strongest among the Awakeners, and yet, even after exerting the effort of eight meals, he could only move it slightly, causing him to even start doubting his own strength.
"This will be your training ground from now on; the first and second floors are open to the Patrol Team for free."
The team members grasped the implications. For those not in the Patrol Team, using this equipment came with conditions. Clearly, this was another benefit for the Patrol Team, making them further grateful to be part of it.
Some also realized that since only the first and second floors were free, there must be more floors above. The building clearly wasn't just two stories, so, what was the difference between the equipment there and here?
"Third and fourth floors have more advanced training facilities, which were created by the director using special methods. However, these facilities are limited and costly to use. Whether one can use these third and fourth floor facilities will depend on individual contributions."
This wasn't actually Luo Zhe's exact words but rather what Tang Yu instructed through a contractual message after he finished establishing the training camp.
The first and second floors were free for the Patrol Team to emphasize their benefits and enhance their sense of belonging and loyalty. But giving everything too easily was often unappreciated; keeping back half would give the team members enough motivation.
Tang Yu commended himself for his astuteness.
The Patrol Team members thought they would train on the first and second floors tonight. At that moment, Captain Luo added, "As the first group of members to join the Patrol Team, you have a special privilege. Tonight, each person can train on the third and fourth floors, which will also give you a better understanding of the facilities there, allowing you to plan for more strategic improvements in the future."