Chapter 111: Setting Out Once More

“No! Enough. Don’t waste my time—bring me my food immediately.”

Hearing the waitress’s words, a cold glint flashed in Zhang Ran’s eyes. He cast her a sharp glance and sternly reprimanded her.

Though the waitress’s looks were above average in the wasteland, by the standards of Blue Star before Zhang Ran’s time travel—where he had seen countless beauties—she was even uglier than most village girls. Having witnessed the various beauties of Earth, how could Zhang Ran possibly be interested in such an unattractive presence?

Moreover, judging by the waitress’s behavior, even if she were truly a high-quality beauty, Zhang Ran would not feel the slightest attraction. As a woman who sold her body and was thoroughly unclean, there was no way she could catch Zhang Ran’s eye.

“My lord, please forgive me! It was my fault—I will bring your food at once!”

Sensing the coldness in Zhang Ran’s gaze, the waitress immediately panicked. She quickly bowed and spoke in fear.

Although she was a free citizen and not a slave—who had no rights, could be bought and sold like goods, and was infinitely low in status—before a high-level Evolver, a free citizen’s life was scarcely worth more than a slave’s, akin to that of an ant.

To a high-level Evolver, even killing a free citizen only required a symbolic fine of ten thousand Black Eagle coins, without any substantial punishment. If the free citizen had ever offended the Evolver, this fine could often be waived entirely.

For the five executives of Black Eagle Corporation, free citizens were little different from slaves—they generated no real value. Even those civilians with potential to become Evolvers would receive no extra protection from Black Eagle until they proved they possessed the courage and mindset to become Evolvers.

Within Black Eagle’s settlements, there were roughly five hundred thousand civilians. In the wasteland, civilians reached reproductive maturity at nine years old, and gestation lasted only six months instead of nine.

Besides reproduction, ordinary people in the wasteland had almost no other entertainment and lacked access to abortion methods. As a result, the number of newborns each year under Black Eagle’s domain reached about fifty thousand.

Among these newborns, approximately one in thirty possessed Evolver potential. On average, Black Eagle saw about one thousand five hundred newborns with such potential every year.

Of course, not every newborn survived to age six; in fact, only about one-third lived that long. The rest either starved or succumbed to radiation.

However, children with Evolver potential had stronger resistance to radiation and rarely died from it. Thus, each year, more than a thousand such children were selected to enter Black Eagle’s youth training camp.

With Black Eagle’s resources, each child was naturally provided with firearms and guided to grow into an Evolver. Yet, in truth, this approach was largely meaningless.

On one hand, while firearms could kill mutated beasts, Evolvers trained without life-or-death combat were weak and lacked battle awareness. If they hunted mutated creatures independently, they would likely be killed. This fell short of Black Eagle’s training goals.

On the other hand, Black Eagle’s nearby resources could not support so many Evolvers. Training a qualified Evolver demanded vast manpower and materials. An Evolver’s advancement required killing many mutated creatures, but the number of such creatures was limited. It was better to have fewer but more elite.

Therefore, Black Eagle conducted large-scale trials for children with Evolver potential. Only those with courage, strong combat will, and obedience were ultimately nurtured and granted Black Eagle’s protection. After brutal elimination, they could enter forward bases for further hunting and ascend to Evolvers.

Unlike residents of the settlements, descendants of Evolvers in Black Eagle City had a higher proportion of Evolver potential. They did not undergo the harsh Black Eagle youth training camp but instead trained in gentler facilities.

These individuals generally had a higher chance of becoming Evolvers, producing more Evolvers than those from the settlements.

However, because their training was more comfortable and involved fewer life-or-death challenges, Evolvers from Black Eagle City were often less capable in combat than those hardened in the youth training camps. They typically served as guards rather than venturing into the wasteland to hunt.

Consequently, some high-level Evolvers chose to send their children into the Black Eagle youth training camp. Their children’s foundations were better than average, and they received extra care, thus usually surviving the ordeal. Among Zhang Ran’s former squadmates, the one who initially led the others by a wide margin belonged to this category.

“Go,” Zhang Ran said coldly to the waitress, not willing to argue further.

“Thank you, my lord!” The waitress breathed a sigh of relief, disregarding her sweat-soaked clothes, and hurried to the kitchen to bring out a large plate of sumptuous food.

Taking the food, Zhang Ran ate heartily before returning to his rented bungalow.

Among the bungalows were still many girls for hire—some were base staff attempting to earn extra money, others female trainees hoping to hook a high-level male Evolver for a safer, easier path to Evolver status.

With two young girls clinging to him, Zhang Ran coldly rebuffed them before entering his bungalow.

After a simple bath, Zhang Ran immediately entered the virtual combat space to hone his fighting skills.

Finally, he performed the usual “Body Tempering Eight Forms” training, fully utilizing the residual evolution energy within his body. Later, aided by a chip, he closed his eyes and entered deep sleep.

The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, after breakfast, Zhang Ran left Base Six and set out once more into the wasteland to hunt mutated creatures, making his final push to become a Level 4 Evolver.