Chapter 16
After learning his lesson from yesterday, Ye Xuan set several alarms to wake himself up. He changed into the combat uniform placed beside him, washed up, then took a pack of bread from the storage box in the kitchen for breakfast.
After finishing all that, he still had twenty minutes left. More than enough time to walk to the training field.
Before going out, Ye Xuan glanced at Xia Chenxi’s bedroom door. He should still be sleeping. Ye Xuan gently closed the door.
When Ye Xuan arrived at the training field, there were not many people there yet. They were gathered in groups of two or three, while some were alone like him.
He felt a malicious gaze fall on him. Following that line of sight, he saw a man with a buzz cut. His face looked fierce. Ye Xuan did not understand where this man’s baseless hostility toward him came from.
Ye Xuan withdrew his gaze and went to stand in a corner. Even though he did not know these people, he could still tell that most of them had formed their own groups. Rather than rashly joining them, it was better to stay unchanged and respond to changes.
After a while, the team leader arrived, and everyone officially gathered. Ye Xuan still stood at the back of the line, but Nan Yunzhou, who had stood beside him yesterday, did not appear. The team leader gave no explanation for this and directly had them start the group training before free training.
The so-called group training was physical training. It was like military training, but with a much heavier workload. However, compared with military service training before the government fell, Ye Xuan guessed the amount was still far from enough.
But for him, it was still very difficult. After all, back in university, he had been a “three-no-one-yes” student: no stamina, no physique, no energy, but yes appetite. Fortunately, after yesterday’s torment, he could barely adapt to this training.
The first training item was a ten-minute plank.
“Everyone, get down!” At the team leader’s order, everyone dropped down in perfect unison.
Ye Xuan clenched both hands, lowered his body, placed his toes on the ground, and tried his best to keep his body parallel with his arms. Just like that, he held on for five minutes. After five minutes, continuing became extremely difficult.
The team leader patrolled around once, then walked to Ye Xuan’s side and used his foot to step Ye Xuan’s hips down.
“You’re here for physical training, not to show off your coquettish charm.”
A few people laughed quietly.
Ye Xuan said nothing. He only lowered his head and continued holding the plank.
“Raise your head. Are you planning to hang your head all the way down to the ground? Or did I hit some shameful little thought of yours?”
More laughter sounded.
The harsh words and mocking laughter entered Ye Xuan’s ears. He told himself again and again not to argue with these idiots. One day, the difference between them would be like clouds and mud.
If he argued with them now, he would only fall into the team leader’s trap.
Seeing that Ye Xuan refused to make a sound no matter what, the team leader also found it boring, so he walked to the other side to patrol and pick faults.
“You’re raising your ass that high too? Do you want me to give you a kick as well?”
That person was so frightened he immediately lowered his hips.
“Hey, your hands. Are you a butterfly flapping its wings? Or did you do something shameful last night and end up this weak today?”
That person trembled a few times, could not hold on, and collapsed onto the ground.
The team leader kicked him and cursed, “Trash.”
When the ten minutes ended, Ye Xuan braced himself against the ground and climbed up. Every muscle in his body was screaming with soreness. Thankfully, he had taken the medicine Xia Chenxi brought yesterday, so his neck did not hurt as much today.
The following training was no easier than the ten-minute plank: running, climbing, push-ups, and terrain simulation training.
After the whole set, Ye Xuan only felt tired, so tired that half his soul had flown away.
After the team leader announced free training, Ye Xuan directly collapsed onto the ground. He wanted to rest for a while, but he felt an unreadable gaze fall on him.
He looked toward the source of that gaze. It was the buzz-cut man from the morning.
Their eyes met. The buzz-cut man curled his lips into an evil smile and walked toward Ye Xuan, followed by three underlings who looked just as ruffian-like.
Ye Xuan inwardly thought, Not good. He climbed up from the ground, preparing to avoid these people, but it was already too late. Those underlings were a step faster than him and surrounded him.
“Brother, if you want to have a friendly chat, we can always do it another way,” Ye Xuan said, playing dumb.
“A friendly chat? Of course.” The buzz-cut man walked through his underlings and came up to Ye Xuan. “Of course, the condition is that you’re willing to be honest with me.”
The unrelated people gathered far away to watch the show. No one wanted to interfere, because the person talking to Ye Xuan had been a famous gang leader in the prison before the zombie outbreak. They had no idea how this kid had offended that thug.
The team leader lifted his eyelids, then closed his eyes again to nap. As long as no one died, it did not matter what happened. Even if he was questioned, the reason would be mutual help and stimulation to awaken abilities. If someone like Ye Xuan did not want to keep getting beaten, he would eventually submit.
This rule, once silently accepted in the prison, had been carried over here.
But Ye Xuan, a young brat who had not experienced much of the world, did not understand the twists and turns behind it at all. He was still thinking about how to get away from the thug in front of him, unaware that disaster was already unavoidable.
“Of course. As long as I know, I’ll tell you everything,” Ye Xuan hurriedly answered.
“This kid is pretty sensible.” The buzz-cut man pointed at Ye Xuan and burst out laughing with the underlings around him.
“Of course.” Ye Xuan could not care about embarrassment and desperately showed his sincerity.
The buzz-cut man approached Ye Xuan and patted his shoulder. That face was twisted and greedy, like a poisonous snake suddenly darting out and baring its fangs, ready to kill its prey in one strike.
“Then tell me, that brat who stayed with you yesterday—how did he become an ability user?”
Ye Xuan was nailed in place. His body began to tremble uncontrollably, and cold sweat seeped from his back. He had no idea how Nan Yunzhou had become an ability user. Yesterday, Nan Yunzhou had only taken him through more physical training. As for the method to become an ability user, he knew nothing at all.
“Kid, gone mute?” The hand that had been loosely resting on Ye Xuan’s shoulder suddenly clamped down. Ye Xuan felt pain, but he forcibly endured it and did not cry out.
“Boss, I think this kid is just asking for a beating. He doesn’t want to tell you.”
“That’s right. Dahu is right. This kid spent so much time with Nan Yunzhou yesterday. He must know something.”
“Boss, don’t worry about anything else first. Beat this kid up first. Once he knows pain, he’ll naturally open his mouth.”
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, the people nearby retreated even farther, yet they could not help stretching their necks to watch closely. They also wanted to know the trick to becoming an ability user. Nan Yunzhou was the first ability user from their reserve team, and also an ability user who returned to the reserve team for training from time to time. He had never spoken to anyone before, except Ye Xuan. Even when this thug leader had tried to talk to him, Nan Yunzhou had blasted his face black.
Now Nan Yunzhou had actually taken the initiative to talk to Ye Xuan, so everyone’s hopes fell on Ye Xuan.
They hoped Ye Xuan would speak up voluntarily. If he refused, then it was only right for the thug leader to teach him a lesson.
The base needed ability users, so sharing experience was only natural, was it not?
On this training field, everyone was eyeing Ye Xuan like a tiger watching its prey.
