Chapter 61: New Crisis

One month slipped by quietly.

In Xuanwu City, the maze used for combat training no longer resembled its original form.

The maze's walls were riddled with countless bullet holes, and the ground was pockmarked with craters from explosions.

Every inch of this land bore witness to the Black Tortoise Guard's dramatic transformation over the past month.

As night fell, intense gunfire once again shattered the silence.

"Rat-a-tat-tat!"

"Cover me! I'm almost at the bell tower!"

A Qiang leaned against a broken wall, using firepower to suppress a shadowy figure looming somewhere above.

His face was smeared with camouflage paint, sweat and dirt mixing together and streaming down his cheeks.

Not far away, Han Ya crouched like a leopard in the shadows, her unsealed training dagger held in a reverse grip, each breath blending with the surroundings.

Her gaze locked onto the towering bell tower at the maze's center—their destination for the past month, a goal they had dreamed of reaching but never achieved.

Just then, a ghostly silhouette appeared silently behind A Qiang.

It was Wu Ya.

He still wore his teasing smile, the training dagger in his hand silently sliding toward A Qiang's neck.

But just before the dagger touched his skin, Wu Ya's alarm bells rang; he instinctively rolled backward into another shadow without thinking.

"Bang!"

Where he had been standing, a blue "blood flower" now bloomed.

He stared in disbelief at the source of the bullet—it was Han Ya!

This woman… had actually anticipated his move?

In his moment of distraction, another figure shot out like an arrow from the side of where he had just been!

It was Zhang Jian!

"Thud!"

A deep, muffled bell tolled.

Zhang Jian, expending his last strength, hurled himself into the bell tower's base, forcing out a grin uglier than a cry.

"We… we made it…"

Gui Ying and Wu Ya watched the disheveled figures slumped beneath the bell tower, their expressions complex.

A month ago, in their eyes, this group was nothing but a bunch of raw recruits.

Now… though still inexperienced, they could already be considered qualified soldiers.

"You won."

Gui Ying's voice remained icy, but with less contempt.

"Yeah—! We did it!"

Hearing that, everyone could no longer contain their inner joy, erupting in a thunderous cheer!

…

The next morning, Gui Ying and Wu Ya found Lin Yue.

"Mr. Lin, one month is up."

Gui Ying gazed at the young man before him, far younger than himself, and saw a hint of solemnity he himself hadn't noticed,

"According to our agreement, our mission is complete."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Lin Yue smiled and handed over two bottles of purified water,

"This past month, my people have undergone a complete transformation."

"It's because they themselves were desperate enough."

Wu Ya, uncharacteristically without sarcasm, took the water and gulped a large mouthful,

"Especially that woman named Han Ya—she's a natural-born warrior. In the future, her strength should not be inferior to mine."

To earn such praise from Wu Ya shows just how terrifying Han Ya's progress has been.

"What are your plans from now on?"

Lin Yue asked.

"Return to the refuge and report."

Gui Ying answered succinctly.

Lin Yue nodded, not trying to detain them:

"Safe travels."

Seeing them off, Xuanwu City returned to calm.

However, this peace lasted only three days.

"My lord, please come take a look!"

Han Ya hurriedly found Lin Yue, who was directing people to reinforce the city walls, her face betraying a hint of anxiety she couldn't hide.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Yue frowned.

"My lord, while I was on patrol just now, I suddenly noticed many people listless, and some even began to feel nauseous, vomit, and have headaches. I asked Doctor Zhang, and she said it's because these people are lacking sodium! In plain terms, they haven't eaten salt for several days!"

Han Ya lowered her voice to a whisper,

"Before, we still had some canned luncheon meat and instant food, so no one realized we actually had not a single grain of salt!"

Hearing this, Lin Yue's heart sank.

Something happened……

He quickly walked toward the newly planned medical zone in the east of the city.

A faint scent of herbal medicine mixed with disinfectant wafted over; Sun Qian, wearing a mask, meticulously treated the abrasion of a trainee.

Doctor Sun!

Lin Yue's voice carried a barely noticeable urgency.

"City Lord? Why have you come?"

Sun Qian raised her head, somewhat surprised.

"I'm asking you, what happens if a person goes without salt for a long time?"

Lin Yue got straight to the point, his expression extremely solemn.

Sun Qian froze for a moment, then immediately understood his purpose, took off her mask, and her face grew grave.

"Salt, namely sodium chloride, is an essential substance for maintaining normal bodily functions. Long-term salt deficiency causes electrolyte imbalance, severely affecting nerve and muscle function."

She sighed,

"Early symptoms are limb weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. In our city, more than half of the people have already shown these early symptoms."

Lin Yue's heart sank a little further:

"What if… the shortage continues?"

"The condition will deteriorate rapidly. Muscles will start painful spasms, then heart rate irregularities and blurred vision, ultimately leading to heart failure, cerebral edema, and even… death."

Hearing this, Lin Yue's heart jolted; he knew the consequences of long-term salt deprivation were severe, but he hadn't expected them to be this serious!

"City Lord, we… must find salt as soon as possible."

Sun Qian's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

Lin Yue said nothing, merely nodded silently, turned and walked out of the medical zone.

…………

Inside the command room, the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.

Wang Gongtou, Han Ya, Sun Qian… all the core members furrowed their brows, silent.

"Lin kid, what… what are we to do?"

Wang Gongtou broke the silence first, his weather‑worn face full of anxiety,

"Salt is extremely precious! I've heard that in some large settlements a small bag of salt can be traded for a young woman! Where can we get some?"

"Yes, City Lord,

Sun Qian also said in a low voice,

"The 'Dawn' gathering where I previously stayed also lost many people due to salt shortage."

Lin Yue said nothing, just silently stared at the map on the table, his mind racing.

Suddenly, a rapid series of "beep-beep" sounds rang out without warning.

It was the black military satellite phone.

On the screen flashed a familiar name—Zhang Zhen Guo.

Lin Yue felt a stir in his heart and pressed the answer button.

"Mr. Lin, sorry to bother you."

From the other end came Zhang Zhen Guo's steady voice,

"First, I want to thank you again for retrieving that batch of food for the refuge; you… simply relieved our urgent need."

"Commander Zhang, you're too polite; we're partners."

Lin Yue responded without changing his expression.

"Haha, that's right."

Zhang Zhen Guo chuckled, then shifted the topic,

"However, I'm contacting you today not only to thank you, but also to propose a deal…"

"A deal?"

"Exactly."

Zhang Zhen Guo's voice carried a hint of inexplicable meaning,

"I've heard that your Xuanwu City has recently run into a bit of trouble."

"I might have what you need here."

Lin Yue's heart jumped violently; he almost instinctively asked:

"What is it?"

On the other end, Zhang Zhen Guo slowly uttered a single word.

"Salt."

PS: New book, please urge updates and collect!