Monster Town

The Military Region buzzed with activity, and a lavish lunch had been prepared for the prospective Warriors participating in the Warrior Combat Assessment. In the afternoon, all 1680 prospective Warriors stood on a vast open square. High-ranking officials from Jiangnan City's Northern Military Region, along with leaders from the Thunder Dojo and Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, stood on a platform at the front of the square. "Next, prospective Warriors whose names are called, come forward to receive your combat uniform and weapons." "Yan Zhuo." "He Feng." "Wang Bingjiang." ... Ten military officers called out names, and each prospective Warrior stepped up to collect their gear. "Luo Feng." Luo Feng instantly recognized the loud voice and sprinted to the front. "This is your combat uniform, combat boots, and the Blood Shadow Battle Blade Series 2 you requested. We've prepared the heaviest one we have, 98 kilograms; we don't have anything heavier." The officer handed Luo Feng a set of items. "This is a communication watch, with GPS, communication, and other functions. And this is a hexagonal shield." As the officer spoke, a hint of confusion flickered in his eyes—it was strange for a prospective Warrior to request such a heavy Blood Shadow Battle Blade. Luo Feng smiled faintly, quickly gathering the nearly 200 kilograms of equipment and jogging away. ... On the square, all 1680 Warriors had been assigned combat uniforms that fit their size and various specifications of cold weapons they requested. Only cold weapons were permitted! This was a requirement of the Warrior Combat Assessment; hot weapons were strictly forbidden. After the distribution, everyone returned to their resting areas to change into their combat uniforms, combat boots, and other gear. ... Laughter filled the open square. Luo Feng, now clad in alloy combat boots, military trousers, and a combat vest made of special materials like Kro Alloy, with a hexagonal shield and Blood Shadow Battle Blade strapped to him, was happily chatting with other prospective Warriors. "This entire set of equipment, fully outfitted, would cost at least seven or eight hundred thousand," a young man with a buzz cut exclaimed, excitedly pointing at his combat uniform. "These trousers and vest, while not top-tier Warrior gear, are borrowed for this Warrior Combat Assessment. Still, they can withstand the claws of the weakest H-level monsters. They're far better than any bulletproof vest in the city; ordinary bullets can't penetrate them, and H-level monsters can't tear through this combat uniform's material." "They can't tear it!" A cold-faced girl beside him sneered. "But even if a monster can't tear your combat uniform, the sheer impact alone can shatter your bones and severely injure your internal organs." "I'm not that fragile, little sister," the buzz-cut youth chuckled, glancing at the girl. "How about we find a place later to test my strength?" "Speak less," Luo Feng said with a frown. "Yes, Brother Luo, we'll listen to Brother Luo," the buzz-cut youth quickly replied with a laugh. The news of Luo Feng's early recruitment by the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo had spread like wildfire among the prospective Warrior circles. Out of this batch of 1680 individuals, only three had been recruited early by the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo and Thunder Dojo! All these prospective Warriors knew that these three had an extraordinary future ahead. "Luo Feng, Luo Feng." A voice called from a distance. It was Wu Tong, the chief instructor of the Yangzhou City Extreme Martial Arts Dojo. "Uncle Wu." Luo Feng smiled and exchanged a few words with Yang Wu and the others before hurrying over. For the past month, Luo Feng had been living in Mingyue Residential District, naturally forming a close relationship with Chief Instructor Wu Tong, who also lived there, and affectionately calling him 'Uncle Wu.' "Luo Feng, come with me," Wu Tong said, leading the way. Luo Feng, full of questions, didn't press and soon arrived on the second floor of a quiet, secluded building. In the living room on the second floor, several people were gathered. Luo Feng recognized only one of them: Zhuge Tao, one of the four giants of Jiangnan City's Extreme Martial Arts Dojo! "Supervisor," Luo Feng greeted. "Ah, Luo Feng, sit over there with Wu Tong," Zhuge Tao said with a faint smile, clad in a dark, subtly shimmering silver combat uniform. "Zhuge, is this the Luo Feng you mentioned? I don't see him being any better than our Thunder Dojo recruits," said a burly man opposite Zhuge Tao, wearing a dark purple battle suit. His voice seemed to echo from his chest. "Our Thunder Dojo recruited two early this time. One's physical conditioning is no worse than your Luo Feng's, and the other is a firearms genius." The burly man gestured to the two young men beside him, who immediately stood up. "My name is Wan Dong," said the gloomy-looking youth with a purple birthmark on his face. "My name is Ma Xiao," the other youth said with a smile. He was remarkably handsome! Indeed, 'handsome' was the word to describe him; if he were a woman, he would be the kind to bring ruin to nations. Luo Feng smiled and nodded: "Luo Feng, as you already know." "Luo Feng," the gloomy youth spoke. "Do you dare to compete? Tonight, in the Warrior Combat Assessment, who can achieve the highest score?" A glint of light appeared in the gloomy youth's eyes, as if he had spotted the most delicious prey, filled with desire. "No interest," Luo Feng shook his head. The gloomy youth paused, then sneered, saying nothing more. Zhuge Tao and the burly man from the Thunder Dojo both laughed. "Zhuge, your young man is quite interesting. At least he's composed; he doesn't get hot-headed at the slightest provocation! I'm starting to like this young man. Luo Feng, have you considered joining my Thunder Dojo?" "Go, go, go," Zhuge Tao glared at him. "Just kidding, you're no fun," the burly man laughed heartily. Zhuge Tao glanced downstairs: "Let's go too; the Warrior Combat Assessment is about to begin!" ... Luo Feng and the 1680 prospective Warriors, a mighty procession, were led by soldiers for a full half-hour before reaching the outskirts of a small town. It was already evening, and the sun had set. "Roar~~" "Hiss~~" Various chilling roars and cries emanated from the town. The outskirts of this small town were surrounded by barbed wire, and numerous soldiers patrolled with firearms. "Quick! There aren't enough monsters inside. Transport another 1200 Iron-Furred Boars, 300 Shadow Cats, and 500 Tiger-Hound Dogs!" As the order came from within the town, Luo Feng and the others didn't wait long before seeing heavy trucks arrive, each emitting furious roars. Luo Feng and the many Warriors watched closely... Each heavy truck carried cages, and each cage held a monster. Their angry roars made the hearts of some prospective Warriors, who had never killed a monster before, tremble. "Luo Feng," Chief Instructor Wu Tong, standing beside Luo Feng, said with a faint smile, "Good physical conditioning and blade skills don't mean you can kill monsters! After all, some people, at the sight of blood or facing life and death, can't even unleash ten percent of their strength. So, this Warrior Combat Assessment is mainly to temper your mental fortitude. You must adapt to life-and-death combat with monsters; never be soft-hearted." "Understood," Luo Feng nodded. "Hmm... these monsters are all the weakest H-level monsters, equivalent to a Junior Warrior level," Wu Tong explained. "Their weakness is their very low intelligence. However, their advantage is their bloodthirsty madness, their aggression, and their killing intent. That's why in every combat assessment, there are always prospective Warriors who die or are crippled." Luo Feng nodded. Indeed, in real combat with monsters, absolute safety was impossible. ... After some of the weakest H-level monsters were transported into the town, the number of monsters inside reached an astonishing figure. "Everyone!" A loud voice reached the ears of every prospective Warrior. Luo Feng and all the other prospective Warriors looked up to see a military officer standing on the roof of a dilapidated three-story building inside the town, addressing them. "This combat assessment follows the same rules as before! It will officially begin tonight at 6:30 PM and conclude tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM!" "The more monsters you kill, the more points you earn. To prove a kill, cut off the monster's left ear." "Remember, infighting among prospective Warriors is forbidden. All your actions are under surveillance, and violators will be executed on the spot!" "Out of you 1680 prospective Warriors, the top 60% will qualify as Warriors! The bottom 40% will be considered failures and must wait for the next Warrior Combat Assessment." The officer's voice grew colder. "That means, out of 1680 of you, 1008 will pass. 672 will be eliminated!" The prospective Warriors below began to murmur, surprised by the 40% elimination rate. "A reminder: generally, killing three monsters is enough to pass the assessment. If you only kill two, it will depend on your luck," the officer's voice resonated in everyone's ears. "When scores are tied, rankings will be determined by the time taken to kill monsters and the severity of injuries. So, once you've killed a sufficient number of monsters, exit the town as early as possible." "Remember, if you are severely injured, you can press the SOS button on your communication watch. Someone will immediately rescue you... but at that moment, your Warrior Combat Assessment will also end." The officer leaped. Whoosh! He directly jumped over ten meters high from the building inside the town, then made two more leaps to reach the outside of the town. "All prospective Warriors, move out, enter the Monster Town!" The officer waved his hand. The 1680 prospective Warriors surged into the Monster Town like a raging tide. "Close the gate!" the officer commanded. "Boom!" The sole gate slammed shut. The Warrior Combat Assessment had officially begun!