Chapter Nineteen: Never Encounter a Pig

The Guardian Squad only recruits new members on the first of each month, so even though Ke Bei had already decided to join, he could not immediately undergo the assessment. Counting on his fingers, he realized that there were still seven days until October 1st. During these seven days, Ke Bei lived a fulfilling life—training in the evening to strengthen his body with the Primordial Cultivation Technique, and by day, devoting himself entirely to mastering “Thunder Slash,” often forgetting to eat or sleep.

After seven days of hard work, Ke Bei had basically grasped the techniques for unleashing the power of Thunder Slash. However, the skill, which required an instantaneous explosion of full-body muscle strength, put a greater strain on his body than he had anticipated. Even with his current physique, nearly on par with a third-tier warrior, performing Thunder Slash seven or eight times in succession would leave his muscles aching.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. That morning, just as dawn was breaking, Ke Bei had already washed and dressed. He put on a long-sleeved shirt sewn by Li Qianqian herself and a new pair of leather shoes, then left the house in high spirits.

Ke Bei lived in the southern district, a fair distance from the Bluestone Plaza in the eastern district. By the time he arrived at the Guardian Squad registration site, a large number of martial artists were already quietly seated.

“So many people,” Ke Bei thought, drawing a subtle breath as he gazed at the sea of heads, marveling inwardly. There were at least a thousand people sitting here.

Across the vast plaza, groups of two or three martial artists clustered together, speaking in hushed, tense voices.

“Brother Yan, do you think you’ll make it?” A young man with a crew cut greeted a middle-aged man beside him, feigning a relaxed demeanor.

“I can't say for sure. The Guardian Squad’s assessment is much stricter than the Free Martial Alliance’s,” the middle-aged man replied, his thick black brows tightly furrowed and his tone heavy. “There must be over a thousand of us here today, but I doubt more than a hundred will pass the test.”

“Really? Is it that strict?” The crew-cut youth sounded surprised.

“Of course. Did you think the government would hand out such generous benefits to just anyone?”

“That’s true. Passing the assessment gets you a house and a full set of equipment. The authorities wouldn’t do business at a loss. But…” The young man paused, a flash of confidence in his eyes. “I have faith!”

He clenched his fists tightly.

Ke Bei stood nearby, quietly listening to the two converse, his expression unchanged.

A high elimination rate—so what? He didn’t know the exact content of the assessment, but with the strength he now possessed, rivaling third-tier fortifiers, if even he could not pass, who could?

“Everyone!”

A resounding voice suddenly rang out, reaching the ears of every martial artist present.

“Welcome to the Guardian Squad assessment. I am gratified by your courage in coming here. Life in the base city is peaceful—there are no zombies, no monsters—but remember, the peace you enjoy today was built with the lives and blood of generations of guardians!”

“I hope most of you will pass the test. I hope you survive and continue to protect humanity and the base city for those guardians who have fallen!”

“The assessment now begins!”

Over a thousand martial artists stood in the vast plaza. On the platform at the front stood a middle-aged man in black combat gear, his face stern.

“Now, each of you come forward to receive your number.”

At his command, the martial artists stepped forward in an orderly fashion to receive a wooden plaque.

“Nine hundred and eighty-six.”

Ke Bei walked up, took a plaque, and glanced at the number on the back.

“Numbers one to one hundred, step forward.”

After everyone had received their plaques, the man in black continued with another sharp order.

Whoosh!

A hundred candidates lined up neatly in a row.

“Divide into ten groups according to your numbers, and follow me.”

The man in black strode toward the far end of the plaza and the enormous structure there.

The building was imposing—a circular edifice from the outside, an ellipse from above, covering about sixty thousand square meters. Facing the plaza, the ground floor had ten round archways.

The man in black nodded to the heavily armored guards at the gates. All ten arches, two meters high and one meter wide, swung open at the same time.

“If more than six people in your squad are still alive after one hour, you pass the preliminary assessment,” he said, his face expressionless as he swept his gaze over the ten squads.

“Go in!”

With a cold command, the first hundred candidates, divided into ten squads, entered through the ten arches.

Rumble!

Once everyone was inside, the heavy steel doors slowly closed.

An hour later, the gates opened again.

The man in black, standing at the front, swept his gaze coldly over the squads.

“First squad, three survivors—eliminated!”

“Second squad—eliminated!”

“Third squad, six survivors—passed!”

…

“Ninth squad, eight survivors—passed!”

“Tenth squad—eliminated!”

“Ninth and third squads, all members remain here to rest. The rest may leave.”

The man in black turned away indifferently and walked back toward the plaza.

“Numbers one hundred and one to two hundred, step forward!”

Another group followed the man in black toward the vast, circular building.

“Sigh, only two squads out of ten passed. But that ninth squad is strong—eight survivors!”

The plaza was not far from the building, so everything was clearly visible. Only two squads passed out of ten, and the mood among everyone was heavy. Seeing eight members of the ninth squad emerge together, many felt a twinge of envy.

“The mortality rate is so high!” Ke Bei frowned, but his attention was not on the successful squads—it was on the teams that failed.

“Ten squads, a hundred people went in, but less than forty came out. Only fourteen passed!”

“And this is just the preliminary round!”

“The Guardian Squad is indeed difficult to join… Getting a free house and a set of weapons and armor is no easy feat,” Ke Bei reflected, glancing down at the plaque in his hand.

“It’s not the godlike enemies you have to fear, but the pig-like allies! Let’s hope I don’t end up with any pigs,” he thought.

Ke Bei had been completely confident about passing, but now, having witnessed the Guardian Squad’s methods, he felt a sliver of doubt. He was strong, but what if his teammates let him down?

As dusk fell and the setting sun bled across the sky, several hours slipped quietly by before the man in black appeared again.

“Numbers nine hundred and one to one thousand, step forward!”

Ke Bei tightened his grip on the plaque, exhaled softly, and stepped forward.

“It’s finally my turn.”