Chapter Fifty-One: Arrangements Before Departure (Part Two)

Ordinary people are not without opportunities! These words made the remaining crowd, especially the men, brighten up. After all, no one wants to live a hopeless life—there must always be something to strive for.

“What kind of opportunity does the leader mean?” Anderson naturally learned the art of flattery from his father, addressing Guo Lang as leader.

Young people have promise! Guo Lang privately praised him, though his face remained calm. “There are two ways. One is to join the combat personnel. In our team, there’s no distinction between men and women—anyone under thirty can freely participate. We have a systematic training method. Once you reach a certain level and pass the assessment, you’ll immediately receive the treatment of a combatant. And let me be clear: our training is highly systematized, so it won’t take too long. No need to worry about waiting!”

These words made the young people among the crowd, and some women unwilling to be mere bystanders, light up. At least now they had choices. However, those older, or who followed more academic pursuits, felt a bit disappointed—including Anderson. Though young, Anderson was highly educated and hoped his skills would be put to use here. If he chose not to become a soldier, where would his advantages lie? Yet Anderson wasn’t completely disheartened, for he’d caught the detail: Guo Lang had mentioned two ways, meaning there was more than just the military path.

“So what’s the second way, Leader?” Anderson asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.

He was still young and could not fully conceal his impatience, but it wasn’t a bad thing. Guo Lang smiled, motioned him to calm down, then continued, “The second path is through the special talent track.”

We have a very systematic approach to developing abilities. Frankly, in every field, we far surpass your Federation’s universities. Here, you can learn things beyond your imagination, because the technology we possess is beyond anything you know.

“Sir, I’m a geologist. Can I be part of this?” a middle-aged man in his forties asked anxiously.

“Of course!” Guo Lang reassured him, seeing his excitement, then continued, “But the benefits for special talent candidates are granted more slowly. Most of you are either college students or already working. You know that in the beginning, you won’t contribute much value; we have to use resources to train you. So although this path offers greater safety and good treatment later, the initial process is much longer than for combatants!”

Everyone nodded to themselves. These words made sense, aligned with common logic. People may have selfish motives and complain of unfairness, but if you lay it all out in advance, most will understand. Being unreasonable is what those with capital do; those without, who persist anyway, are just fools.

“I’d like to mention,” Guo Lang said, “our focus for research talents is biology—including microbiology, genetics, developmental biology, cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, biophysics, ecology, bioengineering, all these are key areas. But other disciplines will be included as well, so don’t worry. Here, there’s no useless field—even literary or historical researchers will find their place! Practical talents, such as medical staff, artisans (carpenters, blacksmiths, cooks), finance, even legal personnel, will have corresponding arrangements. In the early stage, artisans, finance, and medical staff will receive resource preference because the base urgently needs them for development.”

Upon hearing this, Mary’s previously gloomy face flushed with color, her eyes shining with excitement, and her daughter Anna beside her smiled brightly.

“What about basic labor?” asked Old Wick. He thought Guo Lang’s high-level development plan was good, giving everyone hope and goals, but shouldn’t the base encourage basic labor at the beginning, especially farming? Although they had brought ample supplies, they’d only last a few months at most. Eating canned food forever wasn’t feasible.

A truly reliable political talent—he immediately saw the practical issues. Guo Lang was very pleased with Old Wick. Smiling, Guo Lang gestured to the Tree of Life behind him. The entire tree twisted in a very human-like way, and at the tip of a branch, a fruit appeared, growing visibly larger until it dropped to the ground and burst open. From within floated a glowing green sphere!

Everyone was amazed. With so many miraculous things, they found something new every day!

“What is this?” Alice bounced over boldly and poked it.

“Hmm!” The sprite made a childish, sulky sound and dodged Alice. Many people noticed a face inside the glowing sphere—a very cute child, resembling a fairy from a storybook.

But Alice’s attributes had changed dramatically since she’d received the royal bloodline serum yesterday—her entire being was twice as agile. Now, Guo Lang could barely track her movements with his eyes!

Watching Alice approach the sprite mischievously, Guo Lang’s eyelid twitched and he barked, “Don’t cause trouble, come here!”

“Ugh!” She pouted, made a face at Guo Lang, and darted behind Laura. Her movement was astonishingly fast—even without trying, Thomas and the others were shocked, realizing their eyes couldn’t keep up. They thought, “This rascal is getting more and more bizarre!”

After sending Alice away, Guo Lang smiled helplessly at the crowd, cleared his throat, and continued, “This is a sprite. It’s the main workforce of our base. It can do many things—farming, gathering resources, extracting minerals, even all sorts of chores.”

“Just this little sphere?” Abel was incredulous.

Guo Lang snapped his fingers; the sprite obediently burrowed into a patch of scorched earth. Everyone saw the soil gradually recover its rich, dark red luster, and a green shoot sprouted, growing rapidly. Soon, a crop resembling wheat but much larger appeared. After a moment, the sprite emerged from the soil.

“Is that... wheat?” Thomas asked dryly.

“Yes, specialty wheat. It matures multiple times a year, so you never need to worry about resources. I told everyone long ago—I will never let anyone who joins the base starve, and this promise lasts for life!”

“Oh, that’s incredible!”

“Amazing! Are you a divine messenger, Leader?”

The crowd erupted in excitement again, feeling that the future was brighter than ever.

“So!” Guo Lang interrupted their enthusiasm, “So I don’t lack basic labor. Everyone here should realize this. If you have no special skills and don’t choose to join the military, you’ll have to either cozy up to a soldier or offer yourself—otherwise, you’ll never receive the gene serum!”

“Haha!” The crowd burst into laughter.

“Leader, we don’t have to offer ourselves—what if there are submissive types in the team?”

“Are you kidding?” Abel, ever the clown, jumped out, “Our soldiers are all real men. Even if they’re gay, they’re always on top!”

“Shut up! Don’t embarrass yourself!” Kelly couldn’t take Abel’s nonsense anymore.

“All right!” Guo Lang clapped his hands for silence. When the crowd quieted, he continued, “Now, I’ll explain the tasks for combat personnel during my absence.”

The leader was leaving? The crowd was shocked, but Thomas, Kelly, and others remained calm—they’d been informed earlier.

“Quiet!” Thomas stepped forward, face stern, and everyone fell silent.

“As I said, the Tree of Life will continue to grow every day, its roots expanding at a rate of twenty square kilometers, accelerating over time. The sprite will notify you of the root’s spreading range. Abel, organize your men to patrol the perimeter daily and eliminate any living dead attracted by the roots.”

“Understood!” Abel shifted instantly from clown to reliable soldier at the mention of real duty.

“Thomas, you’re responsible for familiarizing yourself with the training fields inside the Tree of War and training the soldiers daily. Keep records. The top twenty performers will be prioritized for archer training. When I return, those who successfully become archers will be rewarded with higher-grade gene serums!”

There were higher-grade serums? Soldiers who’d tasted the benefits of the serum had green light in their eyes.

“Archers?” Thomas was puzzled. He’d been inside the Tree of War and was amazed by its vast training facilities. As a former special forces commander and instructor, he instantly fell in love with the strange-looking tree. But he wondered—since the tree offered hot weapon training and their ammo was plentiful, why train in cold weapons?

“You don’t need to know too much,” Guo Lang understood Thomas’s confusion but couldn’t explain further. “Just follow orders.”

“Yes!” Thomas saluted.

“Remember, be fair and impartial. Whether they’re from your elite unit, Abel’s navy, or new recruits, you must ensure the top twenty are truly the best—no favoritism!”

“Yes!”

“And Kelly,” Guo Lang looked at the team’s sole female soldier, “The Tree of War has huntress training. Explore it yourself. I’ll leave five sets of huntress gear for you, including five young moon leopards. The virtual coach and systematic training inside the tree will guide you on communicating and training with them. You’ll also be responsible for future female recruits—if you find promising candidates, you may train them as huntresses. Remember, quality over quantity!”

“Yes, Leader!” Kelly saluted solemnly.

“Thomas, Abel, Kelly, Old Wick—come with me shortly. I’ll show you around the facilities in the Trees of War and Knowledge and assign your duties in detail. If you have questions, ask now—your next chance may be months away.”

“Yes, Leader!” they responded.

Guo Lang nodded at the crowd, “The rest may disperse. Be ready for orders at any time.”

“Yes, Leader!” Their response was unified and crisp.