After Raising Monsters, I Was Loved by Everyone in the Wasteland – CH44

The experience of observing the mutant creatures firsthand left many trainees in fear.

But within a few days, their fears began to dissipate. They realized that, no matter how short-staffed they were, the training camp wouldn’t actually send untrained civilians against mutants—that would just be suicide. If a wave of zombies or mutants attacked the base, heavy weaponry would be deployed first; they wouldn’t have to act as human shields.

Relieved, the trainees felt a little safer.

Their main training resumed, focusing once again on endurance and combat skills. But just as this group was getting into shape, the City A base took in nearly a thousand new survivors.

Another three to four thousand were still waiting outside the city walls, undergoing thorough health checks and being monitored.

With this massive expansion, the number of trainees surged from over a hundred to more than four hundred.

Wen Xin, who had started as Team Seven’s captain, was soon promoted to be the head of the entire Seventh Class. His group grew from fifteen trainees to forty-three.

As he worked to memorize the new trainees’ names, he put even more effort into his own combat training.

The new recruits, instead of being intimidated by the strict instructors, found themselves deeply impressed by Wen Xin’s relentless dedication and stamina.

“This is insane!” they muttered, clutching their chests in disbelief.

“I came in early this morning and found him doing deep squats and weighted jump squats in the training room. When I came back after lunch, he was still there.”

“Last night, I went back to grab something I’d forgotten and saw that the lights were still on in the training room. When I peeked in, it was him again!”

“Does he ever sleep? Rest? Go to the bathroom??”

In truth, Wen Xin did all of those things.

However, since the training camp was far from where he lived, he discussed with Li Yongming the idea of renting a dorm room near the training room. Even with transportation arranged, his commute still took about an hour each way.

The area was pretty isolated, with few buildings around. Most of the resources in the base were dedicated to city defenses, leaving little for constructing new trainee housing.

Wen Xin’s dorm was small, just about twenty square meters—barely enough for a bed and a small closet.

Lin Nan, one of the trainees, came by out of curiosity. He entered, looked around, and emerged with a bewildered expression.

After a long pause, he managed to mutter, “You’re… incredible.”

Wen Xin, too, found the room a bit cramped.

But after sleeping on car seats during their escape, this space seemed quite comfortable. At least it had a bed where he could stretch his legs and warm blankets for the cold.

Hearing this, Lin Nan was even more awestruck, and sincerely asked, “Bro, why do you push yourself so hard?”

No one quite understood Wen Xin’s drive.

Especially after the mutant observation, his training intensity seemed to double, like he’d taken hundreds of energy shots. His determination was admirable but also unsettling for others.

Wen Xin, however, knew why he was pushing so hard: to meet the qualifications to join the formal military.

When he’d seen that the giant snake on the recording wasn’t Ah Lü, he’d felt a pang of disappointment. But almost immediately, hope rekindled in him.

Since Lan Tuan, Ah Jiu, and the others weren’t supernatural beings but actual mutants, he had a chance to find them if he could access information on mutants.

Li Yongming hadn’t seen Wen Xin in several days.

It wasn’t for lack of care; he had personally chosen Wen Xin’s instructor and received immediate updates if anything happened. But lately, he’d been overwhelmed with work.

Not long ago, Captain Luo (the buzz-cut man) and his team had returned with a sample of the giant zombie they’d encountered. They also brought alarming news: zombies might be evolving.

Since receiving this news, Li Yongming had barely had a moment to breathe. He was gathering verification from other bases, coordinating with the leaders, and working to implement preventive measures.

If zombies could evolve, it would be a devastating threat to human survival.

Finally, when the situation settled, Li Yongming had a chance to check on Wen Xin. The instructor’s first words nearly made him drop his thermos.

The instructor reported that Wen Xin had pushed himself to exhaustion multiple times, nearly collapsing on the way home from training on several occasions. Li Yongming found this hard to believe—until he visited the training camp himself.

Seeing Wen Xin dripping with sweat as he trained, Li Yongming was stunned. He hadn’t expected Wen Xin’s determination to protect his brother to be so extreme!

That night, during a routine report to Wen Jingfeng, Li Yongming mentioned Wen Xin’s dedication.

After a long pause, Li Yongming received a single, puzzled message from Wen Jingfeng.

“What’s his goal?”

If Wen Jingfeng’s first message wasn’t sarcastic, it meant he was genuinely perplexed.

Li Yongming thought to himself, Of course, the commander is calm and rational, even when it involves family. He admired how Wen Jingfeng managed to remain composed, analyzing Wen Xin’s motives rather than being swayed by brotherly sentiment.

Only someone as tough as Wen Jingfeng could secure City A’s survivor base amidst the initial chaos of the apocalypse.

A while later, Wen Jingfeng’s second message arrived.

“Forget it. Tell him he doesn’t need to push so hard. I’ll be back soon.”

Soon? Li Yongming was baffled.

The current negotiations involved resource allocations on bordering territories—a crucial factor for weapons production and infrastructure. These were valuable resources, and the other base leaders wouldn’t easily compromise.

Wen Jingfeng himself had said that it would likely take over two months.

How could he return so quickly?

Suddenly, Li Yongming understood. Wen Jingfeng was speeding up his return to ease Wen Xin’s burdens directly.

Days in the training camp passed.

Even though Wen Xin knew Wen Jingfeng would return “soon,” he didn’t slack off and kept his focus on training. Li Yongming saw this and was even more impressed.

Wen Xin’s perseverance not only improved his stamina and combat skills but also won him favor with the instructors.

Soon, Wen Xin began hearing tidbits of information about mutants.

Rumors circulated that mutants had first emerged in City H, where the First Base was now located. The First Base had the earliest discoveries and most advanced research on mutants, and nearly all credible information about them came from there.

If any new, hard-to-handle mutants were found, other bases would turn to the First Base for help.

The First Base was generous with support, charging only a nominal fee and always sending aid promptly. However, they had one non-negotiable rule: they always retained ownership of any mutant specimens for research, even collecting remains if the mutant was dead.

Grateful, the instructor praised the First Base, saying, “They’re meticulous in cleanup. Even if it’s just a finger-sized piece of flesh, they’ll retrieve it. Once, they even risked facing a large wave of zombies, spending three days ensuring no mutant remains were left behind.”

“Without the First Base, mutant numbers would have likely skyrocketed by now. We owe them a lot.”

Wen Xin wanted to feel grateful too. But something felt off, though he couldn’t pinpoint why.

He suddenly recalled the giant tiger they’d seen in the video. “Didn’t that tiger first appear near the First Base?” he asked.

The instructor confirmed, “Yes, it supposedly escaped from the First Base, and many lives were lost before they managed to capture it.”

Beyond this, recent reports indicated unusually high tides. Some claimed they’d seen a whale in shallow waters, although others dismissed this as a mistake since whales typically wouldn’t survive in shallow areas.

Additionally, sightings of large schools of fish migrating were reported, even with different species mixed together.

Wen Xin immediately recognized the pattern. This odd gathering of animals, disregarding natural behaviors, was something the instructor had told them about. It was a typical sign of an S-rank mutant.

Impressed, the instructor praised his quick thinking, but he warned him, “If you ever go on missions, avoid the ocean.”

“Yes, sir,” Wen Xin replied.

The instructor chuckled, then added, “That reminds me of something funny.”

Wen Xin looked curious.

“Rumor has it, a new cult has emerged in the southeast, sparking conflict with the biggest religious group in the area. Can you guess their motto?”

After the apocalypse, many people clung to spirituality for comfort and hope. Some religions that had been oppressed even grew significantly.

The instructor, barely containing his laughter, continued, “They say, ‘‘Faith is best, Faith above all.’” 

He laughed, slapping Wen Xin on the shoulder. “With a slight accent, they could be saying your name, Wen Xin! Show up there, and they might make you their prophet!”

*T/N: The instructor is referring to how it sounds In Chinese, the slogan is pronounced like: ‘Weixin is best, Weixin above all’

Wen Xin blinked, unamused, unable to grasp the joke.

*

Wen Jingfeng kept his word.

Though he’d initially expected two months, he managed to compress the negotiations to one. No one knew the methods he used, but the other base leaders soon found themselves yielding to his terms.

Yet, fate had other plans.

Just as Wen Jingfeng was about to relay the good news to Wen Xin, Wen Xin had reached the formal military requirements and immediately took on his first mission, eagerly leaving the City A base.

The mission, as it happened, involved that very cult the instructor had mentioned.

But Wen Xin’s interest lay elsewhere—rumor had it that traces of a fox mutant had been spotted in that area.