The group's performance left Mingyue very dissatisfied. On their first day out, many shortcomings were exposed.
Was it just the apocalypse? Without a comfortable environment, without high technology, with zombies rampant and animals mutated, what was there to fear?
Compared to the environment of the Primordial Era, this was a minor issue. It was already as comfortable as could be, so why couldn't they adapt?
They had only traveled for a day, and that too, while sitting in a vehicle, yet they looked as if they wished they were dead.
Furthermore, their physical strength was truly too weak! If this were the Primordial Era, they wouldn't survive at all.
In the Primordial Era, to obtain food, they would hunt, tracking prey for days and nights, all while guarding against attacks from fierce beasts.
Even the children of the Witch Clan had better stamina than them. With such physical strength and willpower, they absolutely could not survive in the apocalypse.
To be responsible for everyone, Mingyue decided to use this time to temper their will and improve their physical strength.
Everyone had no objections to Mingyue's arrangements. It was just military training, something they had all experienced in school.
However, after a night's rest, when the training truly began, they realized how brutal Mingyue's training was.
After breakfast, Mingyue put the vehicles into her spatial storage and then handed each person a backpack.
Inside were dumbbells for exercise, weighing one hundred jin for the men and eighty to ninety jin for the women.
With their backpacks on, Mingyue drove them into the lush jungle, a place she had specifically chosen.
Vines grew in abundance, and the grass was taller than a person. There was no path at all. With a command from Mingyue, they were ordered to attack.
From the beginning, Mingyue had made it clear to everyone that she would act as a pursuer, hunting and attacking them in the jungle.
They had initially thought Mingyue would go easy on them, but they were mistaken. Mingyue showed no mercy.
Wind blades, fireballs, and ice arrows, all at level six or higher, rained down, enveloping them like a vast net.
Direct confrontation was impossible. Ji Shiyou was the first to flee into the jungle, and the others, reacting, followed closely behind.
Mingyue pursued relentlessly. Anyone who fell behind would be whipped without mercy by her vines.
Even the two girls, Tian Shang and Jin Xi, were not spared.
They ran for the entire morning. Finally, when they were completely exhausted and lay on the ground, defeated, Mingyue ordered a rest.
After eating and a brief ten-minute rest, Mingyue waved her hand, and various firearms and ammunition appeared on the ground, beginning Gong Que's weapon training.
This time, Mingyue was also a student, learning alongside everyone else, and studying more diligently than anyone.
Gong Que, as expected of someone who had won first place in a special forces competition, was intimately familiar with the performance and usage of all sorts of firearms.
From theory to practice, he patiently explained everything to them, then personally guided them through shooting stances and techniques.
As all of them were ability users, their learning and adaptation abilities were extremely strong.
After a week of training, even someone as delicate as Jin Xi could run like the wind through pathless jungles with a hundred jin on her back.
Someone as timid as Tian Shang could now fire at mutant animal hordes with a blank expression, hitting every shot.
Everyone, from their initial complaints and suffering, had now adapted and even come to love the training. Mingyue was very satisfied with the results of this special training.
They had already left the natural reserve, and the roads were becoming clearer. They resumed their journey by car.
Three days later, they entered the Jiangcheng area. They began to encounter refugees and zombies on the road.
"We should be able to enter Jiangcheng city proper in about a day. It's getting dark, and traveling is dangerous. There's a small town ahead where we can rest for the night."
Closing the map in his hand, Ji Shiyou informed everyone. Mingyue basically didn't manage such travel arrangements; he was in charge.
The group got into the car and drove towards the small town Ji Shiyou had mentioned. Dusk was settling, and they needed to make good time.
About ten minutes later, the town appeared before them, and they drove in.
This small town, likely a necessary stop on the way to Jiangcheng, was still quite prosperous, with shops lining both sides of the street.
There were sporadic zombies wandering the streets, but they scurried away in fear upon sensing their aura.
The group chose a building that looked sturdy and entered.
Before the apocalypse, this had been a hotel. The lobby was in disarray, the facilities were smashed, and the staff had long since departed.
They went upstairs via the stairs, found a few clean rooms, ate a simple meal, and then retired for the night.
Mingyue, Jin Xi, and Tian Shang shared one room, while the other men shared another. There were actually many rooms upstairs.
They chose to stay in the same room to be able to support each other in case of any unexpected events.
In the middle of the night, Mingyue heard voices from downstairs, a noisy clamor, as if many people had entered.
Then she heard someone coming upstairs, pushing her door. Mingyue had locked the door from the inside before resting.
The people outside couldn't open it and began cursing loudly in the hallway.
"There are people inside. There are many rooms here, please choose another one."
It was Ji Shiyou's voice. He had heard the commotion and gone out to investigate.
He saw about a dozen people gathered in the hallway, men and women. A young man was pushing on Mingyue's door. Ji Shiyou said coldly.
"We want to stay in this room. Make the people inside move out. My son-in-law is an ability user."
A middle-aged woman, looking at Ji Shiyou, approached him with her chin raised, speaking proudly with an air of superiority.
"If you want to stay here, find another room. If not, get out."
Ji Shiyou waved his hand, and several flying daggers appeared out of thin air, hovering in the air and pointing at the woman.
"Don't cause trouble. We'll go to another room."
A middle-aged man, seeing that Ji Shiyou was also an ability user, and not a low-level one at that, directly pulled the woman away.
"Brother, my name is Di Yihu. Are you interested in joining our Fierce Tiger Squad?"
The young man who had been pushing Mingyue's door walked over. He looked to be in his twenties.
Dressed in black punk attire with long hair styled in dreadlocks, he looked like a rock singer.
He saw the ability Ji Shiyou displayed and came over to greet him, intending to recruit him.
Ji Shiyou didn't even look at him and didn't reply, simply shutting the door with a bang.
"What's so great about him? He's just a metal ability user, acting all high and mighty."
A heavily made-up woman, holding Di Yihu's arm, said in a shrill voice upon seeing Ji Shiyou's attitude.
Di Yihu directly pulled her away. That person's level was higher than his own. This brainless woman would only cause him trouble.
"Sister Mingyue, what's wrong?"
Tian Shang, sharing a room with Mingyue, woke up startled by the noise and looked at Mingyue vigilantly.
"It's nothing. It's not zombies. Ji Shiyou has already handled it. Go back to sleep."
After comforting Tian Shang, Mingyue sat on the edge of the bed. She had heard the voices from downstairs and, for some reason, felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Impossible. She had few acquaintances in this world, apart from Ji Shiyou and her former colleagues. She must have misheard.
Thinking this, Mingyue lay down again and fell asleep.
The next morning, after Mingyue and the others woke up, they gathered in the lobby.
They had already eaten breakfast in their rooms and were preparing to set off for Jiangcheng early.
"Mingyue, you little brat, how could you be here?"
A voice called out from upstairs, addressing Mingyue by name, and not very politely.