Chapter 170 - 169: Veterans Leading Newbies

Chapter 170: Chapter 169: Veterans Leading Newbies

"Professor Ye, take your agricultural team and prioritize the Jade Potatoes’ planting area. Expand the scale. I’ll keep an eye on the mutated plants," Han Ning said.

Consuming Jade Potatoes over a long period could rapidly improve the physiques of ordinary people.

"Understood!" Professor Ye nodded. "If we expand the planting and ensure enough nutrition, the growth cycle of the Jade Potatoes can be compressed to within a week."

Han Ning then looked at Chairman Wu and Vice President Zhao.

"Next is Old Zhao. Organize combat squads. Have the Awakened lead capable ordinary people to hunt outside in teams.

"Try your best to pick off the weaker targets to gather Energy or Crystal Stones. Prioritize supplying them to the ordinary people to rapidly strengthen their bodies.

"Strive to forcefully elevate the foundational strength of the entire group."

With the Awakened personally leading ordinary people to hunt monsters and acquire Energy, Han Ning believed the strength of the ordinary people in the gathering place would quickly rise. With the orders relayed, everyone stopped hesitating and quickly sprang into action.

Chairman Wu and Lin Qianqian remained in charge of the study group. He reorganized some talented Awakened to study the advanced Rune knowledge alongside them. The two of them had decent learning capabilities. Moreover, as Awakened, their Mental Power was relatively strong, placing their learning progress at the forefront among their peers. They were well-equipped to temporarily serve as the team’s leaders.

After all, everyone here had survived the college entrance exams and studied advanced mathematics. Ultimately, this was just the foundational knowledge of the Source Race. No matter how difficult it was, there was a limit.

Professor Ye led his agricultural team headfirst into the planting area, meticulously caring for the Jade Potatoes. Han Ning only needed to occasionally go over and cast Rapid Growth.

However, as the number of crops requiring his skill increased, Han Ning pondered whether he should cultivate a few Nature Sprites. It wasn’t that he found it troublesome, but rather that sometimes he couldn’t spare the time, which would affect the plants’ growth speed.

Nature Sprites also possessed the ability to accelerate plant growth. They were natural creatures of the Otherworld, born amidst Extraordinary Plants rich in vitality, and were excellent companions of the Elf Race.

Meanwhile, several hunting squads—led by the Awakened and mixed with relatively able-bodied ordinary people—braved the cold wind and hail as they stepped out of the cave to find suitable prey. This mountain range was still relatively unfamiliar to everyone. Han Ning planned to have the Treasure-Seeking Bee guide them in hunting monsters.

***

"Rock pile on the left, two o’clock! A lone Demon Eye Frog!"

The Demon Eye Frogs were the group of toads Han Ning had killed last time. Because their eyes had concentric ripples, any Low Level Awakened or ordinary person caught in their gaze would uncontrollably stiffen. Thus, they were named Demon Eye Frogs.

Through everyone’s exploration, they discovered that a large number of these toad monsters lived in the flooded mountain streams near the cave and the surrounding waters. Their strength was not weak. Their individual combat power exceeded that of an ordinary Black Snake Monster and was barely on par with a Vortex Shell Crab. While Vortex Shell Crabs were few in number, there were many Demon Eye Frogs.

Yu’s figure darted like a phantom between the rocks above the water. He relayed his instructions through simple hand gestures to the two ordinary team members behind him.

"I see it!" an ordinary man in his forties, who hadn’t awakened any abilities, held up a Compound Bow, his fingers trembling slightly from nervousness. Since the ammunition from the captured batch of firearms had all been fired, the ordinary people could only use scavenged Compound Bows or Hunting Bows as ranged weapons.

The other team member kept a close eye on the flank.

"Don’t panic. Steady your breathing and wait for my signal!" Yu whispered. His figure suddenly accelerated, nimbly circling to the Demon Eye Frog’s rear flank.

The metallic Short Blade in his hand flashed with a cold glint as he plunged it into the relatively vulnerable side of the Demon Eye Frog’s neck.

"HISS!" The Demon Eye Frog recoiled in pain and sprang up violently.

"Fire!" Yu shouted.

TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!

The two ordinary men released their bowstrings almost simultaneously. The arrows whistled through the air. Although their accuracy was a bit off, shooting at a stationary target from such close range still successfully suppressed the Demon Eye Frog’s counterattack. Yu focused on restricting the Demon Eye Frog’s movements while a continuous volley of arrows completely finished the monster off.

"Good job!" Yu flicked the black blood off his blade and encouraged them. "Old Zhou, it would be even better if your aim was slightly higher. You two, come over here and absorb the Energy. Then, on to the next spot!"

Similar scenes played out continuously around the cave. The Awakened with rich combat experience acted like veteran players in a game carrying newbies, taking charge of crowd control. The ordinary people took on the roles of providing suppressive fire and landing the finishing blows.

As long as the ordinary people were allowed to absorb a few waves of Energy, their physiques would receive a significant boost. At the same time, this helped alleviate the nervousness of those rookies stepping onto the "battlefield" for the first time. Replacing their fear was the thrill of participating in combat and the reassuring sense of their physical strength tangibly growing.

With this positive feedback, everyone was fully motivated.

***

Over the next few days, this veteran-leading-rookie model yielded remarkable results.

Jade Potatoes were continuously produced at an accelerated rate, and the Energy-rich tubers were distributed to the masses. The changes in the thirty ordinary people were the most visual. Their complexions grew increasingly rosy and healthy, and their physical strength surged significantly. Even some middle-aged and elderly people in their forties and fifties walked with a noticeably lighter step. Their physical coordination and reaction speeds showed obvious improvements.

While Old Zhao and the others were out training the rookies, back at the gathering place, things were progressing inside the newly constructed study classroom. Outside, the generator HUMMED steadily. Inside, several high-wattage energy-saving lamps hung from the ceiling, brightly illuminating what would otherwise be a dim room.

Chairman Wu posted a spreadsheet documenting everyone’s learning progress and assessment results over the past few days. The study of the Source Race’s foundational Crystal Runes had entered a critical practical phase. The strict requirements for Mental Power and Energy Manipulation began to highlight the differences in Talent.

"Jiang Yuan, Jiang Rui. Begin the second assessment," Chairman Wu called out.

This pair of siblings had the most stellar performance in the ordinary people’s group. Jiang Yuan’s Mental Power seemed innately more active than an average person’s, whereas Jiang Ruirui was meticulous and possessed stable control.

The two walked up to a piece of laid-out snakeskin and picked up the specialized Engraving Pens. They held their breath in concentration, guiding the faint Energy Flow at the tip of their pens to painstakingly carve onto the tough snakeskin.

As Jiang Yuan’s pen traced across the surface, a crooked energy etching that barely formed a circuit slowly lit up. Although its glow was dim and flickered intermittently, the structure was fundamentally correct.

Jiang Rui was slightly more stable than her brother. The lines she engraved were simple, bright, straight, and clear, with noticeably less sluggishness in the Energy Flow compared to the others.

Beads of sweat subtly formed on the siblings’ foreheads as they etched out the simplest Rune Circuits with extraordinary earnestness.

A moment later, a faint, pure white glow flickered upon the two pieces of black snakeskin.

"Good!" A smile broke across Chairman Wu’s face.

"Starting today, the two of you are transferred to ’Rune Research Group One.’ You will be directly mentored by Lin Qianqian as you enter the next stage of your studies.

"Each of you will receive an extra daily allowance of Low Tier Crystal Stone Powder to cover your practice consumption and Energy nourishment."