Sensing Ye Lingchen’s odd gaze, Lin Tianxiong’s face reddened and he said angrily, “What’s with the look, you little brat? If it weren’t for me, the Sun Nation would have succeeded back then!”
Ye Lingchen pursed his lips. When the invasion happened, it was surely a group of people who resisted it. Lin Tianxiong would be one of them at most, but the man described it as though he was the most powerful one there.
“Old Lin made a really great contribution at the time,” Qin Baichuan said. “There were far fewer warriors back then than there are now. Hell’s Gate had only been open for two years and very few people could cultivate inner strength. Old Lin was the main carrying force, but unfortunately…”
Qin Baichuan pursed his lips regretfully, “Even though Hell’s Gate’s peripheries are teeming with spiritual energy, there were only a few people who could actually cultivate inner force in such a short period of time. In fact, martial arts training depended heavily on aptitude, and Old Lin’s aptitude was one of the best. If he hadn’t been injured at the time, his achievements would have been stellar.”
“Did you hear that, Kid?” Lin Tianxiong straightened his posture and immediately had a proud look.
“It does depend on aptitude!” Ye Lingchen had an enlightened look. “You said that one of the functions of the Warrior’s Department is to filter people. Are you filtering their aptitude then?”
“That’s right.” Qin Baichuan nodded. “The establishment of the Warrior’s Department was first and foremost to counter the crisis in Hell’s Gate. Secondly, we can select candidates suitable for martial arts training and send them to the gates. There, they could cultivate with spiritual energy and participate in resisting the gates of hell.”
Ye Lingchen smiled slightly. “This method isn’t bad at all. In addition to resisting the gates of hell, these talented warriors can withstand the pressure and enter the Void Realm once they’ve cultivated successfully. There’s a lot to be gained.”
“It’s not that easy. Once humans enter the Void Realm, the creatures inside will attack the humans viciously and most are likely to die inside. In fact, there’s actually a large number of people who died.” Qin Baichuan shook his head heavily.
Ye Lingchen raised his brows slightly. “The annual death toll…”
“Is made up!”
Qin Baichuan said in a low voice, “We can’t possibly publish the true statistics. The world would’ve long descended into chaos if we did and everyone would be panicking all day long. In fact, the death toll is more than ten times the published number!”
“Ten times?” Ye Lingchen’s pupils contracted slightly. The news came as a real shock to him.
According to the data released every year, the warrior’s annual death toll was about 3,000 people. In fact, that was already considered a big number. After all, it was an era of peace and all countries were in harmony with each other. Even if small conflicts broke out occasionally, the number of people who might die was small. If it really was ten times the published number, then the total number of casualties was upward of 30,000!
The deceased were not ordinary people, but warriors who guarded Hell’s Gates!
How many warriors actually survived?
“Didn’t you notice that the Warrior’s Department recruits people every year? More accurately, it’s the Military Department instead of the Warrior’s Department that does mass recruitment. Where did they go?” Lin Tianxiong asked. “The annual expenditure is pretty big too. Where did they go?
“Think about those powerful bombs. Not even our planet can bear it if it’s put into action. It’ll only hurt everyone, yet why do they continue making them? Is it really just for intimidation? Or decoration? If it weren’t for the use of atomic bombs, those powerful creatures from Hell’s Gates would only wreak havoc on mankind!
“Fortunately, cultivation is getting easier and there is a steady increase of martial artists.” Qin Baichuan said with joy, then looked at Ye Lingchen. “Little Friend Ye, you’re a talented person and an absolute martial arts genius! Would you like me to help? Would you like me to give you a referral?”
Ye Lingchen’s eyes lit up slightly, “It’ll be good if you can. Thanks for the trouble, Old Qin.”
“With your talent and strength, it’s really easy for you to go to the gate, if that’s what you want. I’m just responsible for the referral.” Qin Baichuan smiled casually. “By the way, this batch of warriors we sent to you will be tasked to go to the gates when the time comes. I ask that you train them as best as possible. At the very least, it will increase their chances of surviving.”
“Sure!” Ye Lingchen nodded.
…
People from the Warrior’s Department were not ones to procrastinate. Early the next morning, a ship sailed toward Miracle Island and the people from the Warrior’s Department arrived.
Ye Lingchen stood nearby and watched the ship approach the shore. The people from the Warrior’s Department then got off the ship.
The group was talking and laughing in loud, bright voices.
At a glance, Ye Lingchen could tell that there were a total of 86 individuals, many of whom were people that he knew.
There was Wu Yue, whom Ye Lingchen got to know when he first came into contact with the Warrior’s Department. At that time, they even competed with each other in obstacle courses and spear shooting, but Wu Yue was defeated so resoundingly that he began questioning his own existence.
There was also Brother Tiger and Rhino, who were both very eager to compete with Ye Lingchen in weightlifting when Ye Lingchen first went to the base of the Warrior’s Department.
Nevertheless, there were many more people who looked familiar but Ye Lingchen did not know their names.
Some have been to Ye Lingchen’s island in the past and remained composed upon arrival. For many others, it was their first time and they looked around in surprise, only to discover that the island’s environment was exactly like paradise that was seen on television.
“Attention!”
A loud sudden shout startled the group of people, who straightened up instinctively with their legs close together and looked straight ahead.
The next moment, they greeted in unison, “Chief Ye!”
“You’re well aware that I’m your chief and this is how you came over?” Ye Lingchen’s eyes narrowed. “Look at your current positions. Is this what you call a squad? Those who didn’t know better would’ve thought that you’re a bunch of bums. Is this how the Warrior’s Department trained you?”
The group of people kept quiet. Their faces were flush and they were powerless to refute him.
Although they were all warriors, they came from different special training camps and were not familiar with each other. As a result, they only mixed around with those that they knew well and formed small cliques. Some even hooked their arms over their friend’s shoulders, creating some distance between them and the others.
The first group had already reached within five meters of Ye Lingchen, while the slowest was only ten meters away from the ship. Individuals left and right were separated by several meters too, and everyone was completely out of order.
“In line!” Ye Lingchen ordered.
The entire group became frantic as soon as they heard the order. After all, they had never lined up together before and there was no tacit understanding between them. Nevertheless, the speed of their integration was not at all slow and it only took 30 seconds for them to assemble in order.
“Just follow this formation and start your run in this area. You’re not allowed to speak while running and you’re not allowed to stop without my permission!” Ye Lingchen stated curtly before ordering, “Turn right!”
“Now run!”
Those 86 warriors felt miserable after having to face a brutal drill after barely getting off the ship. They hardly had any time to rest, let alone catch their breath.
Meanwhile, Ye Lingchen acted as though nothing happened and did not keep watch over them. Instead, he minded his own business arranging people to prepare everything for the on-site filming…
