Paige Summers and the others were ostensibly on a training expedition, but in reality, it wasn’t that simple.

She and Claire Chapman had deliberated for a long time before deciding on their route, which targeted the southeastern region of Astoria.

Astoria’s important Foundry was once located there, but it had fallen into decline after the apocalypse. However, it was said to be in relatively good condition. Someone within the Central City Government had once proposed sending The Power Corps to investigate, hoping to bring it back online.

But for some unknown reason, the proposal was ultimately rejected.

When Paige Summers learned of this by chance, her heart began to stir with excitement.

’The Foundry!’

’Think of all the materials!’

’At the very least, I won’t have to worry about them anymore!’

That was right. The truth was, she had been constantly plagued by the problem of sourcing materials for Artifact Making.

Before, the Mercer Family had been her supplier, but she couldn’t rely on them forever. That would be like putting her life in someone else’s hands—something she detested above all else!

But without materials, she couldn’t perform Artifact Making, and too many other things would become complicated.

First, there were the Crystal Cores.

For the weapons she sold at Summers Armaments, she had initially accepted Credit Points, but later on, she began accepting only Crystal Cores.

Credit Points were only useful within Central City, while Crystal Cores were the universal currency accepted at all bases.

Most importantly, only Crystal Cores could be used to Promote one’s superpower!

Without Crystal Cores, confronting Sheldon Reid was out of the question.

Though her personal reserves were substantial, they wouldn’t be enough for the ever-growing numbers of Bloodfall. If she wanted to properly cultivate a group of people, Crystal Cores were indispensable.

Then there were the connections.

She had already experienced the profound benefits of this when she left the city.

In short, she had to have her own supply of materials. Otherwise, mass-producing artifacts would be nothing but a pipe dream!

With their objective set, their course of action was clear.

The six vehicles advanced southeast without hesitation.

In truth, no one was hesitant about the destination; all their attention was focused on the man and bird who had joined them midway.

The bird was fine. It was large, intelligent, and useful—truly a worthy Mutant Beast pet for Vice-Captain Sterling! Everyone was merely envious.

The man, however, was incredibly strange.

It was September, but the weather was still scorching hot.

Yet this man was completely covered up in a hat, gloves, long-sleeved shirt, and long pants. His face was deathly pale, his gaze was vacant, and he followed Vice-Captain Sterling around all day. If the Vice-Captain hadn’t explained that he’d been injured, had trouble speaking, wasn’t all there in the head, and only saw her as family, everyone would have thought she was having an affair!

Even so, the Bloodfall team members couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about the newcomer and would sneak glances at him from time to time.

Seeing this, Paige Summers could only give a wry smile to herself.

’How could he not be strange?’

’This was Ben, after all.’

Paige Summers had known for a while that when she left Central City, she would have to take Ben with her.

Since this time she was traveling with her own people, she didn’t plan on making him secretly trail behind them again.

For one, she wouldn’t be able to follow Levi Young’s advice and observe Ben up close to give him detailed reports on his condition. For two, Ben was too lonely. And finally, if Ben couldn’t resist getting close, it would inevitably lead to misunderstandings with the Bloodfall team members.

However, Paige Summers felt that revealing Ben’s true identity would be too abrupt. Considering her team’s ability to handle it, she ultimately decided to hide the truth for a while longer.

To allow Ben to travel with the team, Levi Young and Nadia had spent a long time back in Central City developing a special, powerful spray. One application every two days would maximally conceal the scent of rot on Ben, making him give off a human-like body odor instead.

With that problem solved, other things, like his appearance, were much easier to handle.

Ben’s face was quite similar to a normal person’s, just with a poor complexion, which wasn’t a big deal.

However, if his entire body had the same pale, bluish-white skin, it would easily arouse suspicion. So, Paige Summers prepared a custom-made combat suit and gloves for him. It was somewhat water and fire-resistant, as well as incredibly tough—even Ben’s sharp claws would have a hard time piercing it!

It was made from the latest fabric developed in recent years, and the price was astronomical. If she hadn’t wanted to avoid looking too conspicuous or like a rich snob, she would have gotten a set for herself.

And just like that, she had secretly disguised Ben and brought him into the team.

Fortunately, the attention Ben attracted didn’t last long.

Because everyone soon lost the interest—and the energy—to care.

Ever since Zephyr Mercer was appointed as Bloodfall’s instructor with a wave of Claire Chapman’s hand, tasked specifically with drilling all the accompanying team members, the miserable lives of these young people had begun.

All kinds of training, all kinds of pain.

They finally discovered that running alongside the vehicles was nothing. What was truly terrifying was being tied to the vehicles and forced to run; slow down even a little, and you’d be dragged along, shedding blood and tears! Life was hard outside the vehicles, but don’t think it was any easier inside. Sitting was completely out of the question. Everyone had to hold a horse stance. That feeling... anyone who hasn’t experienced it could never understand. This wasn’t flat ground; this was a speeding vehicle! You could be thrown around just by sitting, let alone holding a horse stance! Bruised and battered, everyone was convinced they were going to break their necks.

What? You don’t like it?

Fine, then get out and run! Others run for half an hour, you run for a full hour. Every single minute is a killer!

Want to complain? You can do that too!

Too bad no one will listen.

Even Vice-Captain Sterling, whom everyone worshipped, received the same treatment.

They could only grit their teeth and bear it. After all, the man was an officially certified instructor!

Nowadays, anything associated with "official" carried a certain weight of authority.

And this... was only the beginning...

Without a doubt, Zephyr Mercer’s methods were extreme, but the results were also remarkable.

Even Paige Summers, who had just been ’curious to see if it would work,’ felt the benefits. Her stance in combat was indeed a bit more stable after holding the horse stance for so long... Her body had been tempered by the Jade Pendant Mark; if even she could improve, how much more so for the others.

In just half a month, the physical fitness of the Bloodfall members had improved by more than a single leap. Whether they were speed-types or strength-types, each had found their forte.

After a few battles with Mutant Beasts, the team members fully appreciated the benefits. They had finally shed the mentality of relying completely on their superpowers—the mindset that if they couldn’t use their powers, all they could do was wait for death. As long as they were fast enough and strong enough, they could kill Mutant Beasts even without superpowers!

They began to enthusiastically pursue basic physical training.

At the same time, their superpower training couldn’t be neglected either.

Since the team members didn’t have many Crystal Cores of their own, Paige Summers implemented a reward system.

Anyone who performed exceptionally well in training or combat would be rewarded with a corresponding number of Crystal Cores.

This further fueled everyone’s motivation.

Of course, the rewards weren’t just for combat prowess.

The forty-eight team members were divided into six squads, with squad leaders elected by the members themselves. Those who showed outstanding leadership or provided excellent battle strategies would also receive rewards of varying degrees.

The goal was to encourage everyone to use their heads and develop in a well-rounded manner!

For the members of Bloodfall, this journey was truly an unprecedented training experience!