Xiao Jin finished speaking, and Winnie beside him also discussed the rules of the mission with Li Zhonglou.
"We should depart tonight. Inside the Iron Forest, there's a trial area, and our mission location is within it. We will undergo three rounds of tests, and only by passing all of them can we qualify to compete for strongholds."
Winnie then elaborated on the content of these three rounds of tests.
First, it's a personal combat round. Each team can send three members to participate, and their final individual rankings will earn points for their respective teams.
As Winnie spoke, Xiao Jin added that each team's points are independent, and each camp evaluates based on the highest score achieved by any team within it. This means that even if another team performs poorly, it won't affect the camp's final ranking.
Their objective, naturally, is the camp's final ranking, which not only determines their status for the upcoming year but also the amount of resources they will receive.
The second round is a team competition between squads, with the scoring rules remaining the same as above. However, there's a crucial regulation: neither of these two rounds allows the use of any firearms or high-tech weaponry.
"So, these two rounds are testing pure individual strength?"
The two nodded and replied, "Yes. Although the third round, hunting, permits the use of various weapons, when it comes to true comprehensive combat, it all comes down to the final stronghold competition."
Only then did Li Zhonglou understand that battles like the one conducted by the Light Department would only occur after passing three rounds of tests. Furthermore, although Yi Long wasn't the strongest among the three captains, his hunting team was the strongest overall in the Dark Department.
The journey back to the stronghold from the outside, without sufficient strength, could easily lead to one's demise within moments.
At this point, Yi Long had finished conversing with Lei Feng and ordered everyone to rest for a few hours before departing for the trial area together as night fell.
However, this rest was not meant for actual relaxation but for everyone to prepare all their equipment and adjust their condition.
This was especially true for the depleted cryo-grenades and magnetic pulse grenades.
Having witnessed the methods employed by the Light Department and others, Yi Long had also secretly instructed everyone to carry ice grenades. Although such an action was akin to gambling with one's life, it was worth the risk in certain situations.
Since Xiao Jin and Winnie also needed to replenish their gear, Li Zhonglou found himself alone again.
With nothing to do and no one to supervise him, Li Zhonglou wandered around the stronghold. When he arrived at an artificial sandpit, he noticed seven or eight people practicing wrestling techniques on it.
At that moment, a胖子 (pàngzi - fatty) noticed Li Zhonglou.
"Hey, kid, new here?"
The sudden shout made Li Zhonglou turn to look. He saw a胖子, at least 1.9 meters tall, pointing at him.
Li Zhonglou didn't reply and prepared to turn away. However, the胖子 suddenly said again, "It's you, come and spar with me."
Li Zhonglou felt a bit speechless at being ordered to spar and simply turned to leave.
However, his actions unexpectedly attracted the attention of others.
"Wow, someone actually dares to give Brother Zheng a cold shoulder. How brave!"
"Brave my foot. Looks like a newcomer."
"Tsk, tsk, this is going to be interesting. I love newcomer training sessions."
The seven people on the sandpit immediately stopped their actions and gathered around, like spectators, watching Li Zhonglou with an expression of anticipating a good show.
As expected, the胖子's face instantly turned cold. He then suddenly squatted down and reached into the sand, groping. The next moment, when his hand emerged again, it held a black spherical object.
As Li Zhonglou was walking, he suddenly felt a sense of danger from behind. His body instinctively shifted to the left, and a black shadow quickly brushed past him, landing about a meter in front of him.
With a loud 'boom,' Li Zhonglou felt the ground shake. The black shadow had actually created a pit half a meter deep in front of him.
Lying in the center of the pit was the black sphere. It turned out to be a solid iron ball.
A flicker of killing intent flashed in Li Zhonglou's eyes. That strike, if it had hit him, would have undoubtedly left him severely injured, if not dead!
Turning back to the perpetrator, he saw the胖子 looking at him with some surprise.
"Yo, didn't expect trash to have such quick reflexes."
The胖子 then smirked disdainfully, putting one hand behind his back and taunting Li Zhonglou, "What, still not convinced, trash? Dare to spar with me? I'll even give you a handicap."
Arrogance, disdain.
The胖子 made no attempt to hide his emotions, and his condescending demeanor was particularly irksome.
"Do you want to die?"
Li Zhonglou was indeed provoked and looked coldly at the胖子, who resembled a mountain of flesh.
Upon hearing his words, the胖子 burst into laughter, "Did you hear that? Did I mishear?"
His laughter was genuine, and the seven people beside him also erupted in laughter, chiming in with their own taunts.
"Brother Zheng, you didn't mishear. The newcomer is threatening you."
"Brother Zheng, I advise you to apologize quickly, or I fear others might actually use lethal force."
"Hahaha, Brother Zheng, you have your day too. Kid, well done, you should talk to Brother Zheng like this!"
As they spoke, they all gave thumbs-up towards Li Zhonglou, but the mockery on their faces was clearly visible.
With the crowd's teasing, the coldness in the胖子's eyes intensified. He said to Li Zhonglou, "Perhaps your parents didn't raise you well, lacking such courage?"
This time, Li Zhonglou remained silent and walked directly towards the胖子.
"Very good, very good. That's more like it. Otherwise, I'd suspect you were spineless."
The胖子 extended a finger, provoking Li Zhonglou. When they were less than five meters apart, Li Zhonglou's figure suddenly flickered.
The胖子's expression changed slightly. He realized he couldn't track the opponent's movements!
However, the胖子 didn't show panic. He suddenly stepped forward with his right foot, adopting a standard wrestling stance.
Just as his stance was set, Li Zhonglou was already beside him, kicking fiercely towards his head.
This time, the胖子 finally managed to track the opponent's action, a cold smile rising to his lips. He clasped his hands forward fiercely, completely disregarding Li Zhonglou's kick.
Li Zhonglou's brows furrowed slightly. His initial intention with this kick was a test, and he hadn't intended to use full force. Therefore, the胖子's current plan to trade injury for injury was disadvantageous to him.
So, Li Zhonglou mid-kick reduced his force, lightly tapping the胖子 on the shoulder before using the momentum to flip over behind him.