Wang Zhi made his way to the dining hall, enduring all sorts of jealous stares.
It was the usual fare: one meat dish, three vegetable dishes, and a soup.
"Is it true that one person died while on an outing for a Level Three Team?" Fatty asked while stuffing food into his mouth.
"Everyone is saying it, so it must be true," Wang Zhi replied.
"It seems even Level Three Teams aren't that great," Old He remarked.
"We can't think that way. Level Three is still Level Three. They wouldn't die so easily just by spending 10,000 Survival Points on gear. It must be that the mission difficulty was too high, or they had an internal conflict," Wang Zhi analyzed.
"I hope it was an internal conflict. If even a Level Three Team can't handle the mission difficulty, which one of us Level Two Teams would dare to go out?" Fatty said.
"Don't overthink it. Let's take things one step at a time."
The five of them finished eating and returned to their lodging. At this moment, Ling Lingyao delivered a new message.
Wang Zhi opened Ling Lingyao, and a newly published rule popped up.
Rule Content: Effective immediately, for every survivor brought back from an external operation, a reward of 100 Survival Points will be granted. Supplies will be rewarded according to their category. Furthermore, the training reward mechanism will be canceled in ten days.
This new rule, in essence, forced teams who were just idling and living off the system to either descend to the Eco-Industrial Zone as low-level workers or venture out to gather resources or search for survivors to replenish their personal Survival Points.
If they truly dared not venture out, they would have to resign themselves to being laborers. But who would willingly accept that fate? Labor meant a lifetime of servitude, with no hope of ever rising above their station.
Although the training rewards were canceled, Wang Zhi was still in no rush to conduct his second operation; he planned to wait until the very last day.
The reason was that their current supply of Survival Points was still quite plentiful, allowing them to first observe the few teams that had already left, gathering further intelligence on combat losses and overall conditions.
The first time was pure luck, but Wang Zhi knew he couldn't keep gambling on that luck every single time.
Ten days later....
The training grounds on the 2nd Floor had seen crowds reaching their absolute peak during these ten days.
During this final stretch, nearly everyone had managed to net an extra 100 Survival Points for free.
But once these ten days concluded, the population in the training area dropped off a cliff. Some chose to flee into the Eco-Industrial Zone; others decided to risk going out for a gamble. In any case, they could not afford to remain passive.
"Brother, you must stand up for me! We labored here for a full month, and it was all the fault of that Wang Zhi from the 2nd Floor!" Zhao Yang knelt beside a man, begging bitterly.
A month had now passed. The first thing Zhao Yang did upon emerging from the Industrial Zone was to find his older brother, Zhao Yan, and plead with him to take care of Wang Zhi.
"Oh? Wang Zhi? Is he the Captain of the Sunset Glow?" Upon hearing Zhao Yang mention Wang Zhi, Zhao Yan recalled the man who had been standing in Jie Xi's office earlier.
After he was kicked out of Jie Xi's office, he only managed to find out through connections that the man was Wang Zhi, the Captain of the Sunset Glow!
"Yes, that's him! Brother, you know him?" Hearing that his older brother knew Wang Zhi, Zhao Yang felt a pang of panic, worrying that it might be inconvenient for his brother to help him.
"I've seen him, just someone who gets in the way. Since you have a feud with him, how could I, as your older brother, just stand by and do nothing? Tell me, what do you want to do about this?" Zhao Yan said confidently.
"I don't know... Brother, do you have a good plan?" Zhao Yang asked.
"I have a plan. I will find a way to stall the guards; the rest is up to you to deal with him yourselves." Zhao Yan explained the plan, though in his heart, he was calculating another one....
Inside the 2nd Floor Training Hall, Wang Zhi and his four teammates were going through the usual routine: dormitory, training, dining hall, constantly racing against time to strengthen their physical fitness every day.
Only ten days remained before their next outdoor mission. The other teams had only three or four days left before their mandatory outings, although half the teams had already been dispatched early.
The training ground was unusually quiet at this moment. Just as Wang Zhi was about to focus on training, Zhao Yang approached with a group of people.
Wang Zhi noticed them and, sensing trouble, immediately notified his four teammates via communication.
"Oh, after a few days, Captain Wang, you've been promoted to a Level Two Team? Wow! And where did you pick up another little sister this time? Truly blessed with the ladies!" Zhao Yang walked over and said through gritted teeth.
"It's been a month, and you still haven't learned your lesson," Wang Zhi retorted without showing weakness, hitting Zhao Yang where it hurt.
Hearing Wang Zhi bring up that matter again made Zhao Yang's anger surge.
"Kid, you were just lucky last time. This time, hehe."
"Captain, why waste words with them? Let me go up first and scratch the faces of those two women." Wei Xiaolian stepped forward, but Zhao Yang stopped her.
"Xiaolian, don't rush. Shouldn't we first catch up with Captain Wang?"
"Tell me, are you coming with us to the arena this time, or are you staying here?" Zhao Yang glared at Wang Zhi again.
Looking at their posture, Wang Zhi could tell they had come prepared. Jie Xi was likely not around, and the guards were probably compromised as well.
Because he had received a subtle hint from Jie Xi beforehand, he knew that Zhao Yan must be behind Zhao Yang this time!
"I'll grant your wish. The arena," Wang Zhi replied.
Wang Zhi had confidence in his own team too. After a month of training, plus the life-and-death experience on the surface, it wasn't certain who would win or lose.
Going to the ring had its own understanding: the sword has no eyes, and even if someone was accidentally killed, it was considered a case of one willing to fight and one willing to receive the blow. After all, stepping onto the platform signified mutual consent between the two teams. Moreover, even if they avoided the ring, Zhao Yang would have started a fight with them right here.
Seeing Captain Wang agree to fight on the ring, Zhao Yang was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, Captain Wang, do you really think that just by training a month longer than us, you can actually win?"
Wang Zhi paid no mind to their laughter and turned, leading his four teammates toward the arena.
A 5v5 battle was about to erupt. Spectators nearby had also noticed the situation, and some had already begun recounting the details of the first clash between the two teams.
"Alas, I say peace brings prosperity. This is the Apocalypse already, why still fight for dominance? Isn't living well enough?"
"Apparently, the conflict started because the Scarlet Flame Team's captain went to harass someone's woman."
"It really is true: ever since ancient times, beautiful women have been the source of trouble."
"What 'beautiful women cause trouble'? If you lack the strength yourself, don't go provoking women! When trouble hits, and you can't handle it, you blame us women? Hmph, men."
"The young lady speaks well, my thoughts are similar. Why don't we go grab a bite later and discuss life? How about it, miss?"
"Get lost..."
More and more spectators gathered around the ring. This was the first time they had witnessed a fight on the stage since arriving—a fight to the death where killing was permitted. This fueled the excitement of the crowd below, and the atmosphere instantly ignited.