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墨書 Inktalez
The bustling camp spent the night in a chaotic yet lively manner under the night sky.
As the dawn's golden light pierced through the darkness, the camp, which had been noisy all night, fell into a relative silence, tinged with a sense of heaviness, tension, unease, and even fear. These emotions permeated the crowd within the camp, breeding an atmosphere of quietude.
People are like that; the more tense and fearful they are, the quieter they become.
The Practical Assessment would begin at seven o'clock. Since the camp was divided into sections, the Reference followed the broadcast from Monster Base and began to orderly head towards the examination entrance in batches.
The sprawling camp started to show patches of emptiness as crowds flowed like water towards the designated entrance. A row of towering iron fences and electric nets stood at the perimeter of the camp, astonishingly stretching endlessly, likely encompassing the entire island and delineating the beach as well as the assessment area.
Behind these fences lay three-quarters of the island's wild jungle, serving as the examination ground, where a pure ecological environment and biological chain thrived.
Of course, there were also mutated beasts that were discontent with their current state lurking within. Therefore, fully automated Intelligent scanning Railguns were set up around the perimeter!
Lu Fei Fan was a Reference for the district camp. When he arrived at Entrance No. 1 with Niu Dali and A Teng—two livestock who had returned after a night out—they were fortunate enough to witness the terrifying power of this defensive weapon.
Four Iron Rhinoceroses, each as large as an elephant, charged at the fence but were swiftly targeted by two Railguns. With a whoosh and another whoosh, searing electric currents enveloped by terrifying Pulse Flow surged forth like swords. The sound of air being sliced filled the air with a burnt smell as those charging beasts exploded into bloody chunks, scattering flesh and blood across the ground.
After neutralizing the threat, the Railguns quickly redirected their aim towards the noisy candidates outside. Some candidates couldn't help but vomit while others wet themselves in fear. The Railguns emitted mechanical whirring sounds as they adjusted their positions, causing the previously restless queue to settle down significantly and restore order.
Moreover, soldiers stationed at the entrance were fully armed, with several Armored Warriors patrolling outside. Anyone daring to stir trouble would be dealt with immediately by the Free Federation. Lu Fei Fan distinctly sensed several hidden powerful Pulse Energy signatures within the crowd; they were likely Fusers embedded among them rather than candidates.
At this moment, those waiting in line at the entrance remained anxious. The Lieutenant Examiner responsible for maintaining order occasionally glanced at his watch, seemingly concerned about time.
Suddenly, a loud clang echoed from the entrance as heavy steel doors creaked open. Following that, two military Jeeps equipped with Huo Xiao Machine Guns escorted three or four large trucks out.
The convoy halted in front of the entrance plaza where an officer stood up in one of the Jeeps and shouted:
"Medical personnel, bring down the injured! Recovery Team, collect and incinerate the bodies!"
At the entrance, the Medical Soldier swiftly lifted the stretcher, while soldiers on the truck began to carry down the living wounded. Following closely behind were members of the Recovery Team, mostly dressed in masks and head coverings, who proceeded to collect the bodies from the truck.
The personnel waiting in line at the entrance were met with a horrifying sight. Many of the injured participants were missing limbs, blood gushing from their wounds, some even had gaping holes in their heads from which blood and brain matter flowed. The gruesome scene caused several onlookers to vomit on the spot.
At least those who survived had their lives spared, but their futures were essentially ruined. The Free Federation only guaranteed a basic standard of living; it couldn’t provide a comfortable life. Those who signed a death contract before participating in this assessment knew that the Free Federation would not support them for life. After all, a country with so many people could not afford such expenses.
The bodies being brought down by the Recovery Team included familiar faces from the queue.
“Brother!”
“Li…”
“A Yong…”
As people recognized their relatives, friends, and comrades among the corpses being carried away, many could not help but rush out, wailing uncontrollably.
What was even more tragic was that many of the bodies were incomplete; they looked as if they had been partially devoured by beasts or torn apart beyond recognition. The Recovery Team could only gather the remains into body bags, labeling them as “unknown” before sending them off to be cremated.
Whispers filled the air as shock settled over the crowd, creating a heavy silence.
The Second Lieutenant from the convoy that had just spoken let out a cold snort, standing on top of a Jeep in his Military Boots. He looked down at the sorrowful scene of life and death unfolding before him and warned in a firm voice, “What are you crying about? Do you really think that the Practical Assessment is just a game? Hmph! Let me tell you, if you want to become part of the elite in the Free Federation, you have to deal with death. The beasts in this hunting ground are merely the lowest level. You should know that outside safe waters, dealing with Sea Monsters is far more terrifying. If you're not mentally prepared, then get out now and go home instead of whining like a bunch of babies.”
His words prompted many hesitant individuals in line to leave immediately, choosing to abandon their participation.
The Lieutenant in charge of security instructed his subordinates to register those leaving without further difficulty or mockery while others coldly observed everything happening around them.
“Hey, these worthless fools dare to take on the Fuser assessment? Don’t they understand that fortune comes with risk?” Tu Jianglong said with a smirk as he rubbed his hands behind Lu Fei Fan.
His comment drew agreement from many others, and several people sought to curry favor with Tu Jianglong, hoping to team up with him for the Practical Assessment. Teaming up for hunting significantly increased their chances of survival.
As the bodies and injured from the convoy were being transported, a series of red flares suddenly shot up into the sky.
“Damn it, this distress signal just won’t stop. It’s really trying to kill me,” cursed the convoy's Second Lieutenant, plopping back down onto the truck. He patted the vehicle and waved his hand, prompting the rear door to swing open once more as the convoy drove back into the hunting grounds. Meanwhile, several aircraft roared overhead, indicating that more than just ground trucks were involved in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Despite this, the rescue team still seemed overwhelmed. After all, with tens of thousands of references entering through a dozen entrances, there were simply too many participants in the hunting ground assessment for the number of rescuers available.
The entrance gate closed again after the rescue convoy had passed through.
Not long after, a military jeep arrived from the assessment base and stopped in front of the entrance square. A Second Lieutenant jumped out and ran up to salute the officer in charge of maintaining order at the entrance.
“Zeng Lieutenant, I have orders from above. This area is now under my full command. You are to report immediately to the drop-off point in the hunting grounds. Here’s your deployment order: by nine o'clock, you must have released three thousand Azure Wind Antelopes, four thousand Snow Gold Bloodthirsty Mice, two thousand Iron Arm Gibbons, and one thousand Obsidian Crocodiles!”
After handing over his responsibilities, the Lieutenant saluted and hopped back into the arriving vehicle, which then sped away in a cloud of dust.
The waiting reference personnel couldn’t help but gasp at these deployment numbers; such quantities would certainly keep them busy. It seemed that as more personnel entered the hunting grounds, there weren’t enough beasts left to hunt, necessitating an increase in releases—a logical conclusion.
The Second Lieutenant overseeing this entrance surveyed the restless crowd before glancing at his watch and announcing, “Everyone prepare yourselves. In five minutes, you will be allowed to enter the hunting grounds for your Practical Assessment. Before entering, each of you will receive a wartime supply pack containing the conditions you need to fulfill for this assessment; these are random. You may trade or cooperate with others for hunting—just complete your tasks and submit them at any exit. Additionally, each supply pack includes two rations and drinking water for each of you, along with a bottle of first aid spray that can be used on wounds or consumed for life-saving effects. Lastly, there’s one more item that is crucial for all of you fellows: a signal flare!”
At this point, the Second Lieutenant smirked coldly before continuing his explanation.
“This flare is for when you need to call for help. You can use it from a safe location and wait for the rescue team to come for you. Whether you live long enough to see them arrive depends on your own luck. But let me make it clear: using this flare means forfeiting this assessment.”
With that, he waved his hand, and with a clang, the entrance gate slowly opened again. A Railgun turned its barrel towards the doorway, ready to fend off any beasts attempting to ambush.
The line began to move as everyone received their tactical supply packs from the soldiers at the entrance. As expected, everything inside matched exactly what the Second Lieutenant had described—no more, no less.
After the group of examinees entered, the Gate came crashing down again, sealing itself as it awaited the next batch of evaluators.
"Heh heh, finally got in! It was boring as hell out there!" Tu Jianglong rubbed his hands together, excitement written all over his face. He then shouted to the crowd behind him, "Hey, those forming teams, get moving! Just a heads up, if you die or get hurt later, it's not my responsibility!"
With that, he turned and led a group of people towards the wild mountains and jungles of the hunting ground. Lu Fei Fan stood still, observing the island hunting ground before him.
Looking around, he could see people screaming in agony or shouting for help. He even spotted four or five signal flares rising from the jungle or wilderness areas. Empty aircraft or the Ground rescue team immediately rushed to the source of the flares to provide assistance.
Compared to Tu Jianglong's large-scale team formation, Lu Fei Fan chose to stick with Dali and A Teng, forming a smaller squad for better maneuverability since each person's hunting mission was randomly assigned.
A Teng and Dali happened to have good luck, being assigned to hunt ten ‘Ben Wolf’. They only needed to cut off ten wolf tongues and hand them in at the exit to pass their evaluation.
Lu Fei Fan's task was a bit more challenging; he had to deal with ‘Venomous Nest Spider’, specifically obtaining ten ‘Spider Sac’ from within them!
Sighing, he thought to himself that his luck was quite extraordinary.
"Let's go," Lu Fei Fan called out to the armed-to-the-teeth A Teng and Dali as they began making their way into the hunting ground, where gunfire was already ringing out. It was time to start hunting!
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