Chapter 12 Threat Elimination
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[Recording Department]
This department within the research facility does not require adjusting equipment, nor does it need to process anything related to the experimental scenario.
Their sole task is to analyze in real-time, meticulously documenting the entirety of the practice process. Should they preemptively identify possible dangers, they will report immediately to ensure the overall stability of the practice.
The office is equipped with several movable blackboards,
and the most central one displays the theme of this practice - "Planting Zombies*"
*The difficulty level of this theme is variable and will be finalized before midnight based on the subjective behavior of the participants.
Currently, the staff of the Recording Department are getting excited, with their spirits and bodies gradually relaxing.
The subjective behaviors displayed by four youngsters have significantly decreased the difficulty of the theme, greatly enhancing the stability of the practice and forecasting a pass rate of over 90%, even warranting an early champagne celebration.
The department head is also smiling, affixing a red "Ceremony Interruption" label onto the blackboard.
[Mansion - Master Bedroom]
Two drenched girls, soaked by both sweat and rain, were taking out spare clothes from their backpacks.
They had attended the same kindergarten, elementary, and junior high schools.
Sadly, what should have been shared high school years for the two were interrupted by an event that caused Wu Wen to transfer schools. Their time spent together over the past two years had been greatly reduced, only able to meet on weekends without cram classes.
And the changes girls undergo at this age are the greatest.
As the two removed their tops in the master bedroom, Wu Wen was also startled by the sight before her.
Anna not only possessed a height and muscle mass far above the average for girls, but her physical development was also no exception, surpassing the average as well.
"Haven't seen you for two years and you've grown so much!"
Although the two usually acted quite open, Anna still subconsciously crossed her arms in front of her, casting a strange glance at Wu Wen.
Just as Anna was about to say something, she suddenly froze, for she had noticed something odd on Wu Wen's body.
"Wenwen, what's with your body?"
"Ah? Oh, these... My dad arranged the highest difficulty for my cram courses, the teachers are very strict, so it's inevitable to be accidentally injured."
"This doesn't look like an accident?"
While wiping off water stains with a tissue, Anna moved closer, carefully observing the various blue and purple streaks, along with numerous scars.
Just as Anna tried to get a clearer look, Wu Wen had already slipped on a black short-sleeved shirt.
"The human body is quite resilient, and Anna, you should know this better than I do. As long as it helps my growth, no matter how excessive, it doesn't matter. After all, what we're going to face in the future won't stop just because we're left with scars."
"Wenwen~ Is your uncle being too strict on you?"
"Dad is just concerned about me, after all, I made an error. To catch up with the top tier, I have no choice but to take these lessons. If I had kept up from the start, I could still be in the same school as you... But it's also fine, I wouldn't have met someone as interesting as Luo Di there."
"That's true, he is indeed quite special."
Anna also changed into a white short-sleeve shirt,
and when the two opened the shared map, the markers representing the two boys were already moving towards the mansion.
The class president had already donned a raincoat, taking out two extra ones to give to the returning boys,
"Shall we go downstairs to meet them? If they've really dealt with the corpse properly, they probably have to deal with the remaining tree in the backyard. Luo Di's chainsaw purchase was really spot on."
Meeting up in the lobby,
When everyone saw each other again, the class president quickly noticed a trace of discomfort on Gao Yuxuan's face, and curiously inquired:
"How exactly did you two deal with that corpse? You finished so quickly."
"Tossed it," replied Luo Di.
The class president nodded, "Threw it down a slope directly to the bottom of the mountain, right? No wonder you were so fast. By the way, how are you planning to deal with the tree in the backyard?"
"Cut it down."
Since everyone was in agreement, they once again headed to the backyard,
The unforeseen downpour interrupted the insects' feast, masking some of the pungent odor.
And due to the heavy rain washing away the heat generated from sawing wood, the likelihood of explosions was significantly reduced.
The class president attached light strips to the trunk's surface to avoid creating "Corners" during the cutting process.
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When the high-frequency saw teeth touched the surface of the trunk,
(Ah!)
Everyone heard a faint shriek, as if it were the tree itself crying out, and the entire locust tree began to shake slightly.
Luo Di did not stop his actions; the cutting continued.
Occasionally, foul-smelling sap would splash out as if blood gushed from a severed blood vessel,
And sometimes a large swath of leaves would suddenly fall from above, each seemingly carrying the expression of a face in agony,
Not even ten minutes passed,
And the entire locust tree crashed to the ground,
Its cross-section lacked the structure of annual rings and instead was entirely moldy and rotten, riddled with dense small holes that made one's scalp tingle.
The tree, already rotted to such a state, should have withered a long time ago.
...
Four raincoats were hung in the front yard, left to the rain to wash away the stains on them.
Outside the master bedroom,
The two girls waited; this time it was Luo Di's and another's turn to change inside.
Gao Yuxuan packed his removed clothes into a trash bag and tied it tightly, as if they were so contaminated that they did not warrant cleaning.
As he stood up to move the trash towards the door, his gaze was immediately captured by a 'spectacular' sight,
Muscles that could be seen in a painting or more likely on a TV program, back muscles that did not belong to someone of his age, and from certain angles, they almost outlined a fierce human face.
Although Gao Yuxuan ranked third in physical education in his class, there was a significant gap between his score and those of the first and second ranks.
He had not expected Luo Di to possess such a physique, no wonder he could always maintain first place, and he knew Luo Di came from a modest background, so achieving such a body must have required considerable hardship, earning a few more marks of respect from him.
The time reached the afternoon[17:00],
From setting out early in the morning until now, the four of them had only taken a few sips of water and had basically no nutritional intake,
Even though they were among the best of the youth, their bodies found it difficult to keep up, beset by both fatigue and hunger.
Knowing the total duration of this practice, their backpacks also contained various food items purchased from supermarkets, including self-heating convenience food and small energy snacks.
"Luo Di, here's yours."
Right after Luo Di had eaten two wafers, the class president brought over steaming self-heating rice meals for everyone.
"Thank you."
With warm and palatable food in his mouth, Luo Di also reflected on everything that had happened today, trying to guess the final threat of the Simulation Practice. But as his thoughts deepened, a wormlike sense of weariness began to wiggle through his brain, and he was simply too tired.
Luo Di had no choice but to give up on thinking for now and decided to take a short nap after eating.
On the other side, Anna seemed unsatisfied with just eating; she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out two bottles of high-concentration Russian vodka with labels in Russian.
"Want some alcohol? Just got out of the rain; it's a good time to warm up."
Everyone naturally shook their heads. Being underage aside, drinking could impair the thoughts and actions for most people.
But for Anna, with her pure lineage and upbringing of drinking at home, a meal without alcohol felt like not eating at all. Alcohol seemed to give her a better state of being and rest.
"Ah~ Nobody's drinking then? I'll drink on my own."
Anna didn't mind, just put the bottle to her lips.
A fiery heat rushed down her throat and immediately flushed her cheeks, and her sitting posture gradually became less ladylike.
Just as she was about to take her fourth swig after eating a few bites,
Drip!
A directionless "clicking sound" was received by the ear canal, instantly chilling her spine and frightening her so much she almost threw the bottle away.
Anna looked at the others who were still eating; they didn't seem to have heard the sound,
"Is it because of the alcohol?"
She decisively corked the bottle, ending today's drink there and then.