Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

[Tough Skin: Your body can protect you from more from external harm, reducing impact damage by 30%, and puncture or slash damage of energy level 7 or below cannot cause substantial injury; physical defense performance +2.]

The introduction was simple and clear, but the effect was also quite formidable.

In Bai E's view, this was the most useful option among the three choices for him, and his luck with this draw wasn't bad either...

"Reporting to the instructor!" A powerful roar rang out in the training group.

It drew everyone's attention, including Bai E's. Dan asked with a composed face, "What is it?"

"I want to challenge you as well!" The warrior stood tall and proud, basking in the attention of the many eyes upon him...

And since someone had managed to defeat an instructor head-on, did that mean there was a chance for him too?

I too have the makings of a Great Emperor!

Dan nodded calmly, "Come on."

The warrior stood with hands behind his back, his confident gaze straight ahead, his voice resonant, "Instructor, don't you need to rest?"

"No need."

"Ah!"

The victor was determined two and a half seconds after the battle commenced.

There wasn't even a chance for onlookers to give pointers.

Dan clapped his hands, ignoring the soldier who was lying on the ground, wincing in pain with a dislocated arm, and just smiled at Bai E, "Alright, since you have this strength, you don't need to waste time here anymore. You can carry out the battle training on your own and don't need to report to me."

"Yes, sir!"

Bai E saluted sharply.

Dan was a powerful and responsible instructor and deserved respect.

"Go." Dan waved his hand and looked away, turning his gaze to the other soldiers, "Anyone who wants to challenge me is welcome at any time. Now, continue training!"

Good, with that, he was essentially free from basic training types.

As Bai E left, he was making calculations—

Physical fitness, shooting, combat… The various basic trainings most needed by recruits were essentially completed. What he needed to learn next was what really made one a member of a special forces team.

Machine guns, flamethrowers, infantry vehicles, chainswords, etc., as well as non-combat abilities such as scouting, gathering, and dissecting.

But that would all have to wait until he returned from his current mission.

After practicing some archery for a while with the time he had left, Bai E rushed to the outskirts right after a quick lunch.

He was going on a mission tomorrow, and there were some things he needed to bring... such as that bottle of "Exorcism Essential Oil."

Normally, you wouldn't need such a thing in a military camp, and it was easy to get discovered by teammates living together every day, so Bai E kept these items in a warehouse.

Since he was leaving early tomorrow morning, Bai E naturally had to bring along such potentially useful items just in case.

Refugee Slum?

Suffering is most fertile ground for faith; when human society cannot provide solace to an individual, those people can only seek all possible means to survive tenaciously.

Believers completely commanded by demons indeed mostly follow the guidance of demons to spread their faith in human society, but it's also possible to encounter newly born faith.

Bringing along this kind of item that specially targets demons is definitely the right move.

It's just a shame there is only 33ml...

"Sir, we also want to submit supplies!" Dai Lian looked at Bai E with sincere eyes, "We want to contribute to the organization too!"

Yesterday, Kuang Xin had set an example for them, and they managed to exchange for a good amount of money, so they urgently relied on their own channels to inquire about the value of Exorcism Essential Oil.

It turned out that it was CJB.

This thing had no effect on any living creatures other than demons, not even on demon believers walking among humans...

Only against those real demons from higher dimensions and those particular entities who have transcended from normal humans into demons can it exhibit its intended effect.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

But with their current strength, if they really encountered a demon itself or those transcendental beings, it would undoubtedly be akin to offering themselves up on a platter.

This item would only be a threat to demons when in the hands of those who can hold their own against demons; it's an entry ticket to defeating demons, not something to increase power limits.

Matching up against demons?

Are they worthy? They are not.

And yet, yesterday the sir had especially reminded them that this item was in short supply for the organization; it's not worth this price under normal circumstances, so when else to submit it if not during a limited-time bounty period?

The thought that there were hidden dragons and crouching tigers in his organization, and that someone had actually been combating demons recently, filled Dai Lian with excitement—the future was bright!

"Good." Bai E nodded with satisfaction.

The funds were handed over painfully fast.

[Submitted Exorcism Essential Oil*33ml, received organizational funds*1650!]X2

He glanced at the progress of the warehouse construction and recorded another 10 contribution points per person.

The other two remained motionless, having their own objectives but lacking in contribution points, they sensibly saved themselves; only Kuang Xin was somewhat excited.

80 points!

He could finally redeem the Advanced Physical Training 3.0 he had been longing for; his physical ability had reached 13.5, and it had been difficult to improve for a while. Without any training methods, he felt like he was about to die...

"Sir! I'd like to learn methods that can effectively train my physical abilities," Kuang Xin formally requested.

"No problem," Bai E agreed without hesitation, and 80 contribution points were instantly deducted.

["Teaching" concluded. Through the feedback from the "teaching," you've acquired 90 combat experience points and 510 general experience points.]

Only 600 points?

Bai E felt a pang of disappointment as he looked at the experience gained.

To roll out this damn 3.0 plan, he had spent quite a bit of experience himself; it was easy for the players to learn from the groundwork others laid.

But it was not a big problem. The more people learned, the more he earned, and looking forward, it was bound not to be a loss.

"I have to go out again tomorrow. I'm not sure when I'll be back. In the meantime, you guys will have to manage things yourselves."

Bai E took the initiative to remind everyone and reissued the quota for the mission.

"Yes, Sir!"

...

Returning to the military camp, Bai E ran into Dai Lian and others who were waiting for him.

"Let's go. We have a mission tomorrow. First, let's gather the members of our three squads to get acquainted, then familiarize ourselves with the mission target and designate each team's specific tasks."

They had been given a heads-up the night before, and Bai E nodded in agreement, "Okay."

There was no dedicated conference room, so they found a spot in the sun, where Bai E saw the other two squads besides his own.

At a glance, he didn't recognize anyone except for the Blood God...

"They are all pretty seasoned. We might have to follow their lead for this mission," Dai Lian whispered a reminder in Bai E's ear, and Bai E subtly nodded without making a sound.

"These are the only two photographs we have of the target."

One of the muscular men in a tight combat suit held up two photos and said, "Take a look and pass them around, so you can get a rough idea."

After Bai E received them, he scanned the first one—

A yellow background with an overall terrain shot: it looked like a honeycomb cake, the wind-eroded caves dotted across the vast land. The picture was still, yet Bai E could already hear the howling of the wind.

The second photo was predominantly black. Only after carefully looking could one discern the different shades of shadows outlining the terrain—it was the interior of a cave.

Based on the timestamps in the upper-left corner of each photo, they were taken no more than half an hour apart.

So... even under the daylight, the lighting conditions inside the cave were still not great.

"This is the target location for our mission," the man spoke up after everyone had looked at the photos. "Those refugees are hidden inside these numerous caves. There might be traps they've set up to ward off wild beasts inside, and everyone must be careful. The scouts we sent before most likely lost contact due to injuries inflicted by those traps."

"They are hiding deep inside the caves. We will split up into small teams to go in and scout. If you see someone, stay alert. If we are attacked, defense comes first. First, we state our intentions and try to persuade them, and we are not allowed to harm the refugees unless absolutely necessary."

"I have a question..." Bai E suddenly spoke up.

The man frowned slightly, gathering all eyes on Bai E. Maintaining his composure, Bai E continued, "Are we sure that the earlier missing scouts disappeared solely due to their own carelessness? I think it's best if we don't spread too thin before we understand the situation."

Chavez and Carlos's repeated cautions made Bai E extremely cautious, and he just wanted to raise his concerns to keep everyone extra vigilant.

The man who had been speaking, possibly a squad leader, furrowed his brows into a '川', "How can those ordinary scouting groups compare with us?"

The special ops teams present were the elite of the elite, and the two teams had incredibly seasoned members who had participated in countless battles.

Moreover, regular scouting groups went out in pairs, whereas special teams operated in groups of five. Samuel felt his arrangements were overly cautious already.

"I just want to ensure the safety of everyone..."

Another man—who hadn't spoken up until then—gazed at Bai E with a sharp look, enunciating clearly, "Our duty is to scout dangers for the city. No one's life belongs to themselves. You're currency in the hands of the city lord, and you shouldn't have your own opinions."

With that, he turned to Dai Lian, "I don't care how you usually assign your team's missions, but when we're on a joint mission, make sure to keep your team in line!"

Samuel too stared into Bai E's eyes, "This is an order, not a negotiation."

"..." Bai E could feel Dai Lian tug at his clothes from behind.

In truth, he had no intention of arguing further.

In this era, individual strength varied greatly, and the wilderness environment was complex and unpredictable; it's impossible to say what might cause someone to vanish.

Since these people were so confident, they likely had their own judgments.

Of course, the line between confidence and arrogance is often paper-thin.

Bai E could not control others, so he could only do what he was capable of...

He couldn't rely on them...

His gaze lingered on the dim environment in the second photo; Bai E remembered he still had an unfinished specialty...