Chapter 632: Humanity is also growing stronger

"Mr. Zhang!"

Yu Wen was waiting in the parking lot and hurried over as soon as he saw Zhang Su approaching.

"Old Yu, let's go. Grab some paper and pens; we're heading down the mountain to conduct the selection tests."

Zhang Su was in high spirits. With the camp's population rising and all aspects slowly getting on the right track, both the Yama Legion and he himself would be relatively more relaxed in the future, and life in this apocalypse would only get better.

Yu Wen smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang, I have a small discovery I'd like to tell you about. Do you have a moment?"

"A small discovery?" Zhang Su glanced at his wristwatch, followed Yu Wen to a slightly more secluded corner, and asked, "What kind of discovery?"

"Mr. Zhang, do you feel like I've become stronger than before?"

*Pat, pat. * Yu Wen tapped his own chest and arms. The question sounded funny, but his expression was extremely serious.

If Pang Dakun or Wu Lue had said this, it would definitely be a joke, but Yu Wen wouldn't play around. Zhang Su looked at him carefully, referenced his performance over the recent period, and nodded uncertainly.

"I do feel that way a bit. It's not very obvious if you compare it over a short time, but compared to when I first met you, the improvement is significant. Why?"

"Exactly, I'm talking about comparing it to the past." Yu Wen nodded heavily and continued, "At first, I only felt some changes in myself, so I started observing many people carefully. Including these past few days, while chatting with people in the village, I've also been collecting information on this."

"I have a bold guess. Of course, I don't know much about this field; it's just a conclusion I've drawn from observation. I feel that since the disaster broke out, all of our bodies have received a certain degree of strengthening!"

"Oh?"

Zhang Su's gaze sharpened. He recalled his own changes. Because he already had a foundation and trained tirelessly every day, plus later learning the Ju-style Martial Dao taught by Ju Wuying, his physical fitness and combat power had been soaring all along, and he hadn't noticed the essential changes in his body from a subtle perspective.

Now, after Yu Wen mentioned it, Zhang Su turned his gaze toward others around him, and it seemed there was indeed such a trend.

"Old Yu, so you mean that it's not just the zombies that have been strengthened, but that our human bodies have also been enhanced by some mysterious substance?"

"Based on my own experience, the phenomena I've observed, and the intelligence I've gathered, this is not an isolated case. And the less someone exercises—like the logistics personnel—the more obvious they feel it."

Yu Wen said.

Combat personnel train every day and attribute their growth to hard work, while those logistics personnel don't have systematic training and just do manual labor, making it easier for them to notice changes in their bodies.

"Actually, I'm not the only one with this feeling. I've chatted with many people in the village, and they have the same experience. If one or two people showed this phenomenon, it could be attributed to exercise or the tempering of a hard life, but if it appears on a large scale... it's worth studying."

Yu Wen said seriously.

"If your theory holds water... Alright, let's take advantage of this afternoon's test to see everyone's level."

Zhang Su nodded, feeling that if this were true, it was essential for everyone to have this awareness; it would be very meaningful for boosting confidence.

For some time, and even now, many people have been anxious and fearful because zombies are constantly getting stronger. If they knew they weren't standing still either, their psychological state would undergo a fundamental shift.

"Yes, that's what I think too. We could consider setting the standards a bit higher."

"Then let's do that!"

Dozens of people had gathered early on the ridges of the fields below Tianma Mountain. Some anxious combat members, wanting to be in good condition, ate a little something beforehand and came over to familiarize themselves with the venue. As time drew near, more and more people walked out of the village, including both combat personnel and ordinary logistics staff.

By twenty past one, over three hundred people had gathered on the wasteland. With only a few thousand people in the entire Qincheng, the scene appeared exceptionally lively!

The logistics personnel huddled together whispering, while the combat personnel stood in distinct groups.

The Le-Gou branch, the Kindergarten branch, the Auto Park branch, the Barracks branch, the former reserve team, the people from Daciaobao Township, and the three captives from the Flying Wolf Gang, including Xie Guangfa, were also present. Around them were some stragglers who hadn't joined any team before; the Wang father and son, Zheng Ziwen, and Tian Fan were all among this group.

The old blacksmith Ding Yongguo was not there. Not only did he not come himself, but he originally didn't want Zheng Ziwen to participate in the test, but Zheng Ziwen slipped away when he wasn't looking...

The Yama Legion was also present, but their numbers were small, only about a dozen people. Today's activity was mainly aimed at combat personnel outside the Yama Legion, so the sentry duty naturally fell on the shoulders of the Yama Legion.

"Hey, Old Wu, look at those ropes and poles they're carrying. What are they for?"

In the Le-Gou branch, Zhang Xin leaned over to Wu Baokang and pointed at the Yama Legion members. Wu Baokang spread his hands with a strange expression: "It must be related to the afternoon assessment. The Yama King is the best at coming up with all sorts of tricks. Let's just watch!"

No matter what method was used for selection, strength was the only stepping stone. Wu Baokang wasn't nervous at all and was full of confidence.

In front of the Kindergarten and Auto Park branches, Liu Yao said to Yang Xin: "Hey, Old Yang, I think the equipment they brought looks like what they use for sports meets. Could it be that they're going to give us a physical test?"

Yang Xin nodded as if it were a serious matter: "Looks like it."

"That's so boring. I thought we were going to spar. Boring, really boring!" Liu Yao muttered, feeling a sense of emptiness as if his martial arts had nowhere to be displayed.

Yang Xin glanced at Liu Yao sideways: "Boring? Then just put in less effort later and stay in the reserve team as a squad leader; that's not bad either."

"Screw you. I'm clearly material for the Yama Legion; how could I go to the reserve team? You, on the other hand..."

"I'm warning you to shut up!"

Yang Xin grabbed a handful of dirt and made a gesture to throw it, scaring Liu Yao into dodging to the side and covering his mouth.

People in every team were chatting, and the content of their discussions revolved around the afternoon's selection. Anyone with ambition hoped to enter a higher-level team, which would allow them to get more resources and also have the opportunity to receive better training.

After experiencing so much, everyone had a consensus: personal strength is the hard truth! "He's here!"

Qi Xiaoshuai had been keeping an eye on the foot of Tianma Mountain and suddenly saw someone riding a small electric scooter appear in the distance. It was the organizer of today's activity, the Yama King.

Wearing toad-eye sunglasses, riding a small electric scooter, and with a gun slung over his shoulder, he had a bit of a Terminator vibe, but it was the budget version...

The small electric scooter was indeed not as imposing as a big Harley, but after the speed limiter was removed, it was *whoosh* fast. In no time, Zhang Su arrived among the crowd.

The un-imposing entrance actually made everyone feel a sense of intimacy. Their inner thoughts: *Look, we can also ride the same small electric scooter as the Yama King! * "Everyone is in good spirits."

Zhang Su arrived at the front of the line, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces, taking in the situation of every faction.

The Le-Gou branch had suffered heavy losses in Beidong Town, with the two most elite combat teams basically wiped out, leaving only Wu Baokang and Luo Yongzhan. But even so, the Le-Gou branch still had the most combat personnel!

The original Survivor Alliance had three Vanguard teams, three Search teams, and a Guard team, plus some marginalized combat personnel. Even with over twenty people dead, there were still over sixty combat personnel now! Of course, there were many who were just making up the numbers; today was mainly about screening these people into positions that suited them better.

In terms of numbers, the Le-Gou branch was the dominant one. Others like the Kindergarten branch had over twenty people, and the larger one was the Barracks branch, with over thirty.

"Hmm? Old Yang, I remember the original Apocalypse Group's combat troops had more people than this. Where did you put them?"

Zhang Su noticed a problem when he looked at the Auto Park branch. Yang Xin was standing behind only ten people, which was a far cry from the previous situation; at least half were missing! "It's like this, Brother Su..."

Yang Xin took a step forward, chest out and head high, and said: "Some brothers have self-awareness. They were forced into battle before, but now that there are more suitable jobs in the village, they chose to stay in the logistics department!"

"I see..."

Zhang Su looked at Yu Wen in the crowd and saw him nod slightly, confirming that Yang Xin's words were correct, so he didn't dwell on it.

As the camp's population grew, Zhang Su realized that the previous regulation on the military-to-civilian ratio could not be implemented. If they operated according to the three-to-one ratio at the time, leaving only twenty-five percent of the people in the camp to be responsible for logistics, there was no way to support so many combat personnel, and even basic operations would be difficult.

Recently, he had studied this problem again with several advisors and came up with a new plan: the camp's military-to-civilian ratio would be maintained at one to four. That is, for five hundred people, there would be one hundred combat personnel and four hundred logistics personnel.

One to five was the red line. At the same time, even the so-called "civilians" had to have basic combat capabilities. There was also a basic definition for this: in a defensive battle, if two people working together could deal with one zombie, they were considered qualified.

Currently, there were over one hundred and sixty combat personnel gathered on the ridge, while the camp's total population was seven hundred and eighty-three, a ratio close to one to four.

Zhang Su believed that there would be some slackers among these so-called combat personnel. Through today's screening, those slackers could be filtered out, and the final ratio should be maintained at one to four—a very healthy ratio for the present!

When his gaze fell on the former reserve team, he found Su Xiaoya standing in the team for some reason. The little girl stood with her chest out and head high, looking straight ahead, with a valiant and spirited appearance. This left Zhang Su secretly speechless and amused.

After a few days of integration, the people from Daciaobao Township had a very good mental outlook, which was inseparable from Meng Changwei's management.

The remaining stragglers were also in good condition.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 633 =====