Why did you provoke me?

Jing Er looked at Yu Meng with suspicion.

"This is an evolved alien," Yu Meng finally spoke, but her brows were furrowed.

After a long while, she looked up and asked, "If the aliens were to break out, what would you most want to do?"

Jing Er looked at Yu Meng and said, "Teacher Yu, I'm not lying to you. If it really comes to that, the thing I want to do most is run as far away as possible."

Yu Meng glanced at the person next to Jing Er, "And you?"

"I share the same thoughts as Shizuka."

Yu Meng nodded. "What if there's nowhere safe?"

Jing Er was somewhat puzzled, "Can't we even go far away from the alien battlefield, to the rear?"

"That probably won't work."

Jing Er scratched her head. "Teacher Yu, I'm slow. Could you explain it to me more clearly?"

Yu Meng pointed to the alien on the table, "I've discovered several types of this mutated alien. It's sending us a signal that the aliens we used to know have fallen from their dominant position and become the bottom of the hierarchy."

"I still don't understand." Jing Er's face was already red.

"Your success is an exception; I can't guarantee everyone's success. The Alien Battlefield is showing signs of upgrading, and you are all very important to me. Without absolute certainty, I won't allow you to merge with the lines. And I certainly won't allow you to lose your lives because of merging with the lines."

"If we find a suitable one, will Teacher Yu help us?" Jing Er asked cautiously.

Yu Meng rolled her eyes. "You are all from my Cangshan lineage. You can become stronger, but I can only hold you back."

Jing Er breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Yu Meng would refuse to let them become stronger in order to protect their lives.

Yu Meng took the alien and left.

Secretary Wu took the folder and found the second batch of trainees.

"The reason I brought you back this time is to have you join the Zhou family on a mission. Because of the upgraded battlefield, you have received special benefits. You are allowed to keep ten alien beads, which you can share with your relatives and friends after you return. You all know the uses of these beads; they are very valuable."

Everyone was happy; after all, who doesn't have relatives and friends?

Secretary Wu raised his hand and pressed it down. "There's another task: you need to draw a map of the second battlefield. Our membership will be increasing, so open source is very important. We can't always just plunder our own territory. Does anyone have any questions? You can ask them now."

"Can we keep the higher-level alien beads?"

"I don't object if you want to keep the lower-level ones."

Secretary Wu's words elicited a burst of laughter. "Xie Er, are you stupid? Only an idiot would ask such a question."

Xie Er wasn't angry. "Only after I understand the situation will I feel more at ease."

"Secretary Wu, do you know how many days we'll be gone this time?"

"Your current model is considered employment, and it depends on the employer's decision."

"So what level do we need to reach to be considered qualified?" someone else asked.

"As long as they come back intact."

"Secretary Wu, you mean if we encounter danger, we can abandon the situation, right?"

Secretary Wu looked at the man and said, "You can go up after you've confirmed it's safe. The purpose of sending you there is only to assist them in collecting more aliens, not to have you lead the charge."

"If we stay in the rear, won't that bring shame to our lineage?"

"Is your face more important than your life?" Secretary Wu retorted.

The man actually nodded. "The reputation of our lineage is more important than my life." Secretary Wu looked around at the people, "Is that what you all think too?"

Everyone actually nodded.

Secretary Wu was a bit of a headache. You couldn't say their ideas were wrong. But Yu Meng had made it clear that she couldn't risk her life because of an employment relationship.

Secretary Wu pondered for a moment, then organized his thoughts, "Our lineage cannot lose face, but we must never risk our lives to save face."

"Should we go in if we encounter danger?" someone asked seriously.

Secretary Wu glanced at him. "Your main purpose is to peel off the alien's skin. If you encounter danger while peeling off the alien's skin, do you think you'll go in?"

"Oh, then we definitely have to go."

"With the talisman given by our bone-drawing master, your chances of encountering danger are almost zero."

"Yes! We all have amulets."

"Yes, then wasn't the question we just asked problematic?"

Secretary Wu didn't let him off the hook. "Tell me, what dangers will you encounter? Are you prepared to charge into battle? Or do you think you've got some skills and are ready to enter forbidden territory?"

"I...I didn't think that way," the man said softly, bowing his head.

Secretary Wu looked at him for a long time. "After you go in, you may be divided into many groups. Although we encourage mutual help, if anyone is reckless, we can abandon the rescue if there is sufficient evidence."

Everyone fell silent. This meant they might all be abandoned.

Jing Er asked in a low voice, "Secretary Wu, if we make a mistake, will this lineage abandon us?"

Secretary Wu knew that what he had just said was a bit excessive, but if some people didn't recognize their place, he wouldn't mind removing them.

"I will explain all the tasks in detail, and I will let you ask questions if you don't understand anything. If you still make mistakes after all this, I don't know what value you have left to train."

This is what it means to be abandoned.

Jing Er didn't know what to say either.

"Do you have any other questions?" Secretary Wu also had many things to do and couldn't stay with them all the time.

No one spoke; they were a little frightened.

Secretary Wu stood up. "When forming teams, try to find reliable comrades. The alien battlefield is ever-changing, and I don't want you to be betrayed and die a horrible death."

Jing Er stood up as well, intending to see Secretary Wu out.

After walking quite a distance, Jing Er finally spoke, "Secretary Wu, aren't you worried that we might form a clique?"

Secretary Wu looked at him and said, "I'm not afraid of you having cliques; on the contrary, I support strong cliques."

Why?

Secretary Wu looked at him, somewhat helplessly, "Think about it yourself. Being the chief senior brother isn't easy."

Secretary Wu returned to his office, poured himself a cup of tea, and tried to calm himself down. He wasn't optimistic about this group of trainees; they were too stupid.

He glanced at another folder on the table, picked up a pen, and added a few more necessary conditions. As he closed the folder, a few words were vaguely revealed—Sample Assessment Standards.

Yu Meng was unaware of all this. She took the alien to Qingyuan's laboratory, glanced at the room they were in, paused for a moment, opened the door, Qingyuan turned and looked at her, then quietly came out.

"Aunt Qing, congratulations!" Yu Meng greeted her with a smile.

"Don't say that, you've lived such a long life in vain."

"It's better than me being so cold-hearted."

Qingyuan rolled her eyes at Yu Meng, "What are you saying at such a young age?" She glanced at the box in Yu Meng's hand, "Is this a new Xenomorph?"

"Yes, Xiao Wen had them bring it back. Aunt Qing, the alien has evolved. The battlefield is preparing for an advancement."

"Yu Meng, tell me, even if we knew, what could we do?"

"Aunt Qing, do you have a hometown? Do you want to protect it?"

Qingyuan shook her head. "My mother-in-law bought me from human traffickers. I have no feelings for my hometown!"

Yu Meng was a little surprised, but didn't say much.

"I want to protect my family. They're fine!" Yu Meng said softly after a long while.

"Then I'll protect you!" Qingyuan replied without hesitation.