When Chen Fei and Hanna Gagel set foot in Reconnaissance Camp No. 2, formally fulfilling their trade promises, the Merman Brothers Consortium subsequently announced the end of the corporate war.
All parties expressed their welcome, since amiable negotiations lead to prosperity, while fights to the death only result in a host of bad debts.
The happiest of all was not the Aircrew Base 911, but the still chaotically embroiled Apocalypse Defense Group. However, their troubles were far from over.
Dozens of shareholders had split into four factions, each having long since torn the veil of feigned comradery, stirring up chaos through the board of directors which rattled the entire company.
Even now, with external threats gone, they did not consider stabilizing the company anew, but rather intensified their internal feud even more fiercely.
Viewed from another angle, the Apocalypse Defense Group had long been fraught with hidden dangers and deep contradictions, which, even without this corporate war, were bound to erupt completely one day.
Had it not been so, the entire corporate group should have united to face the Merman Brothers Consortium with combined strength, and even if they could not win, they should have been able to knock out a tooth or two, ensuring the enemy did not get off lightly.
A large military contractor ranked twenty-seventh in the industry, if determined enough, could certainly teach a painful lesson to a behemoth ranked eighth, causing financial distress that could last for years.
The Global United Defense Committee identified over three thousand entrances leading underground in the Xingdu Kush Mountain Area, of which about seven hundred were suitable for human entry, in high mountains, hills, valleys, and flatlands alike, almost everywhere one could find these caves leading underground.
During wartime, these caves were the best hiding places for the local guerrillas, with the then-modern firearms having little effect, especially during the years of the massive mutant outbreaks, which took tremendous effort to clear most of the accessible caves.
Still, a very small portion of the caves, situated in remote and perilous locations, have yet to be stepped foot in by humans.
About forty-three cave entrances were located in the areas frequented by Mutant BC-2325, hence six temporary reconnaissance camps were established, forming a total of fifty-seven reconnaissance squads, some of which were mobile reserve squads tasked with search and rescue to handle emergencies.
The operation led by the Global United Defense Committee was conducted with frighteningly high efficiency.
In less than ten hours, a fully equipped camp rose from a wasteland, with modular buildings providing each person with their own room, the entire camp capable of accommodating at least five hundred people.
Those participating in the reconnaissance operation could come empty-handed.
The well-funded Joint Defense Committee had prepared everything for everyone, from socks and bedding to weapons and ammunition, everything included.
Right next to the registration area, an old man with graying hair pulled out a large box from a neatly piled "high wall", placing it effortlessly in front of Chen Fei.
As the box was set down, the ground trembled slightly, clearly heavy.
"Number 74, codename 'Rookie', this is yours!"
Chen Fei protested, "Why is my codename still 'Rookie'? Can't it be changed?"
A label on the box's surface bore Chen Fei's personal information and photograph.
He had always wanted to change to a dominating, cool, and explosively awesome work codename, but somehow he couldn't shake off the "Rookie".
The old man tilted his head, placing his hands on his hips, sizing up Chen Fei. He then pointed to Chen's left shoulder, squeezed his eyebrows together, and said with a mischievous smile, "Because you look like a rookie, this codename suits you. Be sure to keep it up, hahahaha!"
This young man is truly interesting. Doesn't he know that having an unusual codename means Lord Yama can't easily remember it, and that's what helps you survive in dangerous situations?
Among the crowd of "Two-Tails", "Big Hang", "Dumbo", "Worn Shoe", "Big Yellow Teeth", "Toad Face", the name "Rookie" is already quite a good one.
Aha! The tactical Band-Aid has come too, and although it might look small, it can save a life at a crucial moment.
This was Manager Hanna's insistence, that no means of saving lives should be given up, as a Magical Beast of the Second Rank of Human Order can provide a certain level of assistance.
So Chen Fei could only bring Little Bird and its nest to the camp for registration.
"Do you have a second work codename? Hurry up and help me with this box."
Number 73, Hanna Gagel, tugged at the full-metal tactical supply box she had just received, which was exceedingly heavy.
The box was large enough to fit a burly man, and in addition to the standard personal gear, it contained other items as per personal requests, just about anything that was available on the market within a certain budget.
Dammit... I really don't have a second work codename.
Annoyed, Chen Fei knocked on the all-metal box, grumpily saying, "Look! Even a coffin plank has been prepared!"
The dimensions, both inside and out, were stamped on the exterior of the box: 0.6 meters in height and width, with a length of 2.4 meters, enough to fit an adult and to hold a considerable amount of items.
Laughing happily, the gray-haired old man suddenly paused, his smile fading as he asked in confusion, "Have you participated in such an operation before?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Now it was Chen Fei's turn to be puzzled, as the other man clearly had an implication in his words.
The old man, with his fingerless tactical gloves, patted the full-metal tactical supply box in front of Chen Fei, heh'd, and said, "That's right, this is your coffin!"
Chen Fei's eyes widened as he followed the man's gaze and slowly looked down at the box, his hair standing on end involuntarily.
For goodness' sake, even a coffin was prepared in advance; the stark reality is right here, with the risks of the reconnaissance operation already laid bare.
System: Ding! 11.52 kilograms of titanium alloy discovered, absorb? Yes/No |?
Of course it's... no, no, no!
If it were absorbed, would one have to hold the stuff inside with bare hands?
The small, white-haired old man chuckled creepily, it seemed he was overthinking.
The other person was a true rookie, the 24K kind.
Chen Fei, annoyed, picked up the box and slung it over his shoulder, then grabbed the handle of Manager Hanna's box, and together they lifted it up.
Seeing Chen Fei carry a coffin-sized box, still and helping to lift another, Executive Manager Hanna Gagar asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"No problem, it's just too big and awkward to hold!"
Chen Fei shook his head, looking quite relaxed.
Ever since his Special Ability Awakening, his strength had grown day by day; the coffin on his shoulder, if it had been from before, could not only have been impossible to lift, but he reckoned it could have crushed him.
Their dormitories were almost side by side, marked with their corresponding numbers, 73 and 74. They were modular lightweight foam brick constructions with a layer of mortar smeared on the outside.
The interior wasn't small, featuring a bedroom and a bathroom, fully equipped with water and electricity, and the bathroom even had a bathtub, much better than the cramped single room at the 911 Aircrew Base where Chen Fei had stayed.
No sooner had they placed down the tactical gear box than someone outside the door called out, "Numbers 73, 74, 75, 76, and 77 of the 13th Squad, please come out and assemble, I am team leader number 78."
Chen Fei went to the door and saw a tall, thin black man standing outside. He looked left and right: Hanna's room number 73 was on the east end, his own was the second one from the east, and there were four more rooms to the right, all with lights on.
Clearly, the dormitories in the camp were specifically planned according to the reconnaissance squad structures, six people to a squad, with six adjacent dorms of lightweight foam brick buildings; then row upon row of neat houses. Including the camp's logistics staff,
there were exactly eighty rows, totalling four hundred and eighty single rooms, surrounding a huge central comprehensive main building.
If a dormitory was occupied, a light would automatically turn on at the door. From afar, the entire camp's attendance situation was crystal clear.
From number 73 to 77, each dormitory had someone stick their head out just like Chen Fei.
"I am the team leader, number 78, please line up by number!"
The tall, thin black man standing in front of the row of houses of the 13th Reconnaissance Squad raised his right hand.
Apart from Hanna Gagar and Chen Fei, the rest were from different aircrew bases. Being in a team for the first time, everyone was somewhat reserved, but they quickly lined up.
It wasn't just the 13th Reconnaissance Squad lining up; other squads with complete rosters were also assembling, starting to adapt to each other and build the most basic understanding.
"Please form a circle!"
The tall, thin man with number 78 again gave an instruction.
He was clearly someone with methods; when everyone stood in a circle, he said, "Now, starting from number 73, please introduce yourselves."
The executive manager spoke calmly, "I am number 73, Hanna Gagar, from the 911 Aircrew Base, a Wind-type Ability User, codenamed 'Eye of the Storm'."
Chen Fei was surprised.
This was the first time he heard that Manager Hanna actually had such a high-end job codename.
It was simply awesome PLUS!
Why did he have to be called "Rookie"? Could he not play happily together?
Others were curious about the "Eye of the Storm" too, evaluating the executive manager's One-Eye, wondering if this eye was the origin of her codename.
Noticing that everyone was somewhat distracted, the leader of the 13th Reconnaissance Squad, number 78, cleared his throat as a reminder, "Number 74, please introduce yourself!"
Chen Fei refocused and said loudly, "Hello everyone, I am Chen Fei, codenamed 'Rookie,' also from the 911 Aircrew Base, a Metal Ability User!"
Being a mechanic and pilot matter little here, there are no planes to fix or to fly, and next up is crawling into a cave, which is even less related to flying.
The 911 Aircrew Base producing two supernatural power users at once made the other members of the 13th Reconnaissance Squad look over a few more times, recalling recent rumors of the base that held its own in a corporate war against the eighth-ranked industrial giant, the Merman Brothers Consortium, and did not fall behind—the base was indeed 911.
Even many military contractors have no ability users, let alone aircrew bases, this 911 Aircrew Base was really something different!