Chapter Eighty-Seven: Urgent Arrangements

About an hour later, Abel returned with the frontline fighters. With the three main administrators now all present, Guo Lang began to listen to their reports on the state of the base one by one.

First was old Wick’s report on logistics. According to him, of the nearly one hundred survivors, aside from the five including Anderson who entered the Tree of Knowledge and became high-level specialist trainees, about seventeen women had initially chosen to join the military, and more than ten men opted for combat roles. Yet after a week of selection, only nine women remained, with the rest returning to the ranks of the ordinary populace. The men fared slightly better, with only two eliminated. This was expected, since most men in that town had been miners or engaged in other physically demanding work, giving them greater resilience than women who had spent their days on lighter tasks at home.

Old Wick further divided the ordinary population into several categories. Most were assigned to control the sprites in farming, then collect crops, sort, classify, and handle general chores. Those with other skills, such as brewing or tailoring, were given additional arrangements: besides farming with the sprites, they also spent time in the Tree of Knowledge to study their crafts. These tasks required some technical proficiency, but not an excessive amount of time for training. Given that facilities were not yet built—Anderson’s father had not even learned how to make the simplest Night Handloom—they could only prepare for future learning. Nevertheless, those with skills were allotted extra rations and more water from the Moon Well.

In the future, when the necessary equipment was in place, these skilled workers would be prioritized for gene serums—a promise extended to those who spent their spare time beyond farming to learn valuable trades.

Guo Lang nodded, quite satisfied with Old Wick’s management and allocation. For now, the financial administration remained simple, and with the energy the gene serum had given Old Wick, he could easily handle the paperwork without tiring.

Next, Thomas delivered his report on training. Combatants worked in shifts at the front, and spent their off-duty hours in the War Hall honing their battle skills. The initial days focused on live-fire weapon training; such weapons remained the most effective, and it was crucial to ensure a solid foundation. With enhanced attributes, soldiers needed some time to adapt, but simulated combat drills were rapidly improving their techniques.

Thomas had also selected the top thirty soldiers for specialized archery training with cold weapons. Every ten days, they would undergo evaluation: the top five would receive higher-grade gene serums (advanced inferior serums), the next ten would continue training, and the bottom fifteen would be eliminated and rotated to reinforce the front. The top fifteen performers in general training would cycle back for further instruction, while those eliminated would await another opportunity.

Thomas’s plan was straightforward and efficient, and Guo Lang found no fault with it. For now, this approach would suffice, and they would adjust based on results. Abel then reported on the frontline. Thanks to sound leadership, there had been no casualties so far, but he emphasized that the roots of the Tree of Life were expanding more rapidly and widely. The soldiers were stretched increasingly thin, and without Alice, they might have already reached their limit.

On Kelly’s side, progress was slow. Training the female soldiers took longer, as their resilience was generally lower. Moreover, the female hunter was a difficult profession to cultivate, requiring a longer cycle. For instance, just training the moon leopard would take at least three months before it could participate in drills. Thus, Kelly’s group could not be counted on for the current war against the undead—the enemy would never allow half a year for them to develop.

After hearing all this, Guo Lang remained quite satisfied with everyone’s capabilities. Though there were no great surprises, nothing had gone awry. He first affirmed their work, then began to assign the next set of tasks.

Guo Lang had no concerns about domestic infrastructure. The Nightfolk, with their living wood technology, were unrivaled in construction speed, especially with sprite assistance. Many machines could be built with efficiency far beyond their kin—one of the Nightfolk’s greatest advantages. Under normal circumstances, Guo Lang could, given time, quickly establish a level-two base and gradually conquer this plane with open strength.

But the current situation was special: the undead apocalypse had brought civilization to collapse, which both eased development restrictions and accelerated their speed, but also multiplied the pressure. No matter how fast they built, the undead would be faster. Once the native powers were destroyed, the enemy would soon reboot satellites and find them. With their power at that point, wiping Guo Lang out would take no more than moments.

Guo Lang looked at the assembled group, his expression grave. “Time is short. We must accelerate our progress. Old Wick, keep things as they are for now. The main changes will be on the combat front.”

At his words, Thomas and Abel straightened, their manner deeply respectful.

Their attitude greatly pleased Guo Lang. This was why he preferred recruiting soldiers as his lieutenants: it might be harder to subdue them at first, but once loyal, they were leagues above ordinary folk in discipline and quality.

“First, Thomas,” Guo Lang began, without further ado. “I’ll be providing you with double the advanced serums, as well as some of even higher grade. You can expand the candidate pool in training—let the top ten or fifteen have a chance to receive advanced serums and proceed to the next stage. Accelerate the training: within a month, I want at least ten archers at level three. I’ll have important tasks for them at that time.”

“Yes!” Thomas saluted crisply. He voiced no complaint about the task’s difficulty, nor questioned the reason. He simply obeyed as a soldier should.

Then Guo Lang turned to Abel. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll give you access to control the spread of the Tree of Life. You can extend it by one to two hundred kilometers per day, and gradually increase that pace.” Gesturing to Sherin and the others, he continued, “These are mercenaries I hired at great cost. Along with Alice, divide them into four directions to support our firepower. Don’t worry about large groups of undead—so long as it’s under two thousand, they’ll handle it easily.”

Abel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are they really that formidable?” he wondered to himself. Aloud, he saluted. “Yes, sir!”

“Hmm…” Guo Lang considered, then pointed to Sherin and Cang Mingyue. “Assign these two to the area with the densest concentration of undead. Make sure they’re together.”

“Yes!” Abel nodded solemnly, though he did not know the reason.

Guo Lang had no choice but to arrange it this way. Second Brother Xie, it seemed, was the only one who could keep that wild woman in check. Keeping them together minimized the risk of mishap; the others were, after all, a bit more normal.

Sherin simply smiled at this arrangement, making no comment, though he did ask another question in puzzlement. “Xiao Lang, why do you seem to be in such a hurry?”

Guo Lang paused. Second Brother Xie’s sharp eyes saw right through him. So he replied frankly, “Yes, time is very tight.”

“I’ve always had a question,” Sherin said, straightening his sleeve and speaking in the language of Planet D with a smile. “I looked at the characteristics of your race earlier. Frankly, your development speed far exceeds that of our human race. Why are you in such a rush? Did you bring us here for an assassination mission? That’s the riskiest approach—why not keep gathering refugees and develop quietly, then use your strength to confront the enemy head-on?”

“Racial strength in direct confrontation?” Guo Lang smiled bitterly. “In theory, you’re right, Second Brother Xie. But let me tell you—even if all your families moved your bases here from your own planes, it still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the enemy’s appetite.”

Everyone was stunned.