Chapter 13: Learning to Live

Hearing Lelo’s words, a hint of joy appeared in Zhang Ran’s eyes. Being able to handle other weapons more quickly would undoubtedly help him restore his combat abilities. Besides, this was a wasteland world, and the types of firearms differed from those on Blue Star; Zhang Ran needed time to adapt and train.

“Thank you, Instructor Lelo!” he replied, and followed Lelo to begin further training.

Several hours later.

“Zhang Ran, you performed well today. As for pistol usage, you’ve met the requirements. Next time in firearms class, I’ll personally teach you how to use rifles! Compared to pistols, rifles are more powerful and are the most commonly used weapons in the wild. I hope you master them well.”

He patted Zhang Ran’s shoulder encouragingly. Zhang Ran rejoined the squad under Lelo’s guidance and returned to the main base of the Black Hawk Youth Training Camp, his peers casting envious and curious glances his way.

After completing firearms training, Zhang Ran’s platoon was brought again to the pool to undergo the baptism of level-one gene enhancement serum.

Stepping into the pool, Zhang Ran immediately assumed the eight poses of body refinement, continuously absorbing the evolutionary energy from the gene serum to strengthen his physical attributes.

“Body receives evolutionary energy transformation: Strength +0.006, Constitution +0.005, Agility +0.006, Spirit +0.005.”

Half an hour later, as he climbed out of the pool, the chip’s prompt sounded in his ear.

“The effect of the level-one gene enhancement serum has diminished again…”

While putting on his training uniform, Zhang Ran sighed inwardly.

Compared to the first month, Zhang Ran now absorbed three times or more the amount of the first-level gene enhancement serum each time, yet the increase in his attributes was only equal to, or just slightly higher than, before. In other words, for Zhang Ran now, the effect of the first-level gene serum had decreased by about two-thirds, and its efficacy continued to wane. If this trend persisted, by the time he entered the wild three months later, his physical condition would not return to its peak.

After dinner, the trainees from the five platoons were gathered once again and brought to a training ground inside the camp. Before them strode a burly man—two meters tall, broad-shouldered, with short brown hair.

“Let me formally introduce myself. I am Darren, your survival course instructor! In this class, your task is very simple—learn how to stay alive, how to survive in the wild!” Darren said, pacing before the trainees.

“Survive?” Most of the trainees were momentarily stunned, confused expressions on their faces.

“You think survival is easy? You’re gravely mistaken! If you’ve ever stepped into the wild yourselves, you’ll understand how crucial it is to know how to survive there!” Darren continued. “Don’t think that just because you’re ordinary people who haven’t become evolvers yet, even powerful evolvers can’t guarantee they’ll always make it out alive! However, if you master survival techniques for the wasteland, your chances of surviving increase dramatically. That’s the core of this course!”

Seeing their expressions, Darren wore a stern look and explained coldly. Only then did the trainees realize they would have to learn how to survive in a wilderness rife with radiation and mutated creatures. Their confusion turned to solemn determination.

“Good, it seems you understand the importance of this class! Our course is divided into five parts—finding water sources, obtaining food, avoiding radiation, traversing the wasteland, and evading mutated creatures. These are the essential skills for surviving in the wild!”

Observing their earnest faces, Darren nodded slightly and continued to outline the basics of the survival course.

Finding water sources was the most fundamental, vital, and necessary skill in wasteland survival, and the primary focus of the course.

Water is the source of life. For ordinary people, going three days without water means death. Even low-level evolvers, with their superior physical attributes, cannot last more than seven days without hydration.

The wasteland is not lacking in water sources, but most are polluted with radiation and deadly mutated viruses. Drinking such water—even for evolvers—can lead to disease, mutation, or death.

Aside from a few spell-domain evolvers capable of condensing water, most evolvers must learn how to find water sources with low enough radiation to be drinkable. This lesson covers five aspects: finding underground water, locating water-bearing organisms, water quality testing, water filtration, and rapid well excavation—each with its own uses.

Obtaining food is the second course of wasteland survival.

While water is essential for life, food is necessary to maintain combat effectiveness. Thanks to compressed and high-energy foods, evolvers can carry enough provisions for missions in the wasteland. Thus, this lesson is less critical, focusing mainly on edible parts and processing methods of various mutated creatures.

The third course in survival training is avoiding radiation.

Radiation in the wasteland is typically three to five times higher than in settlements. In certain areas, it can reach dozens or even hundreds of times higher. In such environments, even evolvers perish quickly.

This lesson teaches how to identify high-radiation zones and stay away from them. Additionally, it covers various anti-radiation measures in the wild to minimize exposure and reduce the harm to evolvers’ bodies when entering the wasteland.

The next course is traversing the wasteland.

Unlike the smooth stone paths of the training base, most of the wild has no roads—only deadly swamps and nests of mutated beasts. This lesson teaches evolvers how to recognize danger and move safely.

The final survival course is evading mutated creatures, an extension of wasteland traversal.

For low-level evolvers at the scavenger tier, while they can kill some mutated animals, encountering higher-level predators means certain death.

This lesson aims to maximize evolvers’ survival rates in the wild and is second only in importance to finding water sources. It is divided into three sections: identifying traces of mutated creatures, concealing oneself before mutated beasts, and methods to drive them away.

“That’s the main content of our course. If you want to survive after leaving the base, you’d better remember every word I say! Now, let’s begin with finding underground water…”

Having summarized the survival course, Darren began to explain each detail in depth.