Gao Neng paid no mind to the conversation between Chen Bai and the talkative soldier.

Because he was on a high right now!~

With his enhanced energy flow, his cultivation speed was truly fast. The muscles in the fingers of his right hand weren’t very dense, and they were soon completely magnetized.

Next came his palm.

That, too, was very quick.

Gao Neng even had a feeling that if he were given a day or two, he could finish magnetizing both of his hands. That would mean he had officially stepped into the first rank.

Of course, the prerequisite was that he’d have to sing continuously for a day or two without eating, drinking, or sleeping.

Fortunately...

He was not a lazy person.

Especially when it came to studying and cultivating, his attitude had always been exemplary. If that weren’t the case, how could he have become the top student at his high school?

Genius plus hard work.

The rest of those scrubs could only despair.

The talkative soldier was in despair right now...

Because Gao Neng had been singing nonstop for half an hour, stuck on a "single-track loop." He hadn’t even taken a sip of water, and he was singing his heart out.

Most importantly, his voice was also devilishly grating.

You couldn’t really blame Gao Neng for this.

His family was really, truly... poor. As a poor boy born in the Forgotten Land, what chance would he have had to encounter an art form like singing?

Gao Neng’s aptitude for singing was... unconventional. Combined with a complete lack of training, his voice became so devilishly grating it was enough to drive someone insane.

The talkative soldier was truly suffering every single second.

But just as Chen Bai had said, he had gotten himself into this mess "with his own skills," so he had to see it through, even if it meant on his knees.

"He’s a little leaping frog, who crossed the blue Atlantic Ocean, leaped to the distant East, and landed right beside us..." Unable to bear it any longer, the talkative soldier finally started singing along.

He had a loud voice, too!

’Why must you be such a show-off?!’

And then...

He got beaten up.

A group of soldiers, suppressed to their limits, had finally found an outlet. They grabbed the talkative soldier’s head, slammed it to the ground, and began stomping on him furiously.

Even Chen Bai couldn’t resist joining the mob beating up the talkative soldier.

They couldn’t do anything to Gao Neng.

But they could definitely do something to *you*!

"This is unfair! He can sing, so why can’t I?!" the talkative soldier protested, refusing to accept it.

The other soldiers remained silent. ’You can refuse to accept it, but we can also beat you until you do. You’re the one who started this mess, and you have the gall to sing along? Who else would we beat up if not you?’

Two hours passed in a flash.

Gao Neng sang for a full two hours before finally stopping.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Chen Bai and the others, Gao Neng took out his personal flask, took a big gulp, then cleared his throat, preparing to continue.

"Gao Neng, take a little break. We’re almost there," Chen Bai quickly interjected when he saw what was happening. His head felt like it was about to explode.

"Yeah, little brother, take a rest."

"Mm, I have some crackers. Want some, little brother?"

"Or how about I demonstrate a set of Military Boxing for you? It could be helpful."

Hearing this, the other soldiers immediately shot to their feet, all of them wearing earnest smiles. Their sincerity was so profound, they were just short of kneeling.

Gao Neng blinked.

’There really are good people in this world after all.’

’Oh well.’ He was actually a bit tired after singing for two hours. He casually accepted the crackers a soldier handed him, taking out two for Xu Zilan first.

Xu Zilan, however, was quite calm.

No mother would think there was anything wrong with her son expressing his natural self. If possible, she would have liked to listen for a while longer.

Seeing Gao Neng finally quiet down, Chen Bai let out a sigh of relief.

The aircraft had begun its descent.

Through the darkness of the night, the lights of the City of Hope were faintly visible.

"Gao Neng, since this is your first time in the City of Hope, let me give you a brief introduction." Chen Bai shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Okay," Gao Neng agreed. He really didn’t know much about the City of Hope.

"Let’s start with its size. The City of Hope is divided into four districts: the Eastern District, the West District, the South District, and the North District. Its total area is roughly equivalent to one and a half times the size of the pre-Cataclysm Hua Country, with a current population of about five hundred million." Chen Bai quickly organized his thoughts.

"It’s that small?" Gao Neng was astonished.

Before the Great Cataclysm, the total human population had reached six to seven billion, and their territory spanned all seven continents.

But now, only an area one and a half times the size of Hua Country remained...

’It’s really small!’

"Right. Next, let’s talk about the Military Department. It has one great military district in each of the four major regions—these are the Four Great Military Districts. Each of those, in turn, administers four smaller military districts."

Chen Bai paused for a moment before continuing, "So that’s four great military districts and sixteen smaller ones. Add to that the Guard Army and the Security Department, which are under the direct command of the central Federation Council, and you have the entirety of the Human Alliance’s current military power.

The place we’re landing is the Eastern Capital Airport.

The Eastern Capital is the economic and military center of the Eastern District; you can think of it as the Eastern District’s capital city. Besides the Eastern Capital, the Eastern District also has twelve other provinces. The structure of the other districts is more or less the same as the Eastern District’s: one major capital city plus a dozen or so provinces."

Hearing this, Gao Neng began to get a clearer picture.

Although the concept of nations no longer existed after the formation of the Human Alliance, the four major districts could, in fact, be understood as the four great powers of the Alliance.

Of course, ultimate political authority had shifted from individual nations to the Federation Supreme Council.

"Next, let me tell you about the schools," Chen Bai continued. "The best schools in the Alliance are, naturally, the Four Great Military Academies under the direct command of the Military Department. But there are other schools besides the military academies. We’ll skip those for now and just talk about the military ones."

"Okay." Gao Neng nodded.

"Although there’s no official ranking for the Four Great Military Academies, there is a general consensus on their overall strength. The Western Alliance Military Academy is the strongest, while the Southern Alliance Military Academy is slightly weaker than the other three. As for the Eastern Capital Military Academy and the Beihai Military Academy, their strengths are comparable.

In a sense, the strength ranking of the Four Great Military Academies is equivalent to the strength ranking of the four great military districts. After all, the academies directly supply talent to the Military Department.

If an academy is strong, its corresponding military district will naturally be strong. Therefore, the strongest military district in the Human Alliance right now is the Western Alliance Military District."

Chen Bai paused again here. "Of course, when I say ’strongest,’ I’m only talking about overall strength. The Western Alliance Military District has the most powerful vanguard units, but when it comes to reconnaissance capabilities, the supposedly weakest Southern Alliance Military District is actually a bit stronger. They have the best reconnaissance and intelligence network!"

Gao Neng nodded.

He could understand this logic.

It was like choosing a profession. Some people were born Warriors, suited for charging into battle with powerful attack and Defense Power.

But you couldn’t guarantee that everyone would be that kind of Warrior.

Some people had to handle logistics.

After all, a real battlefield didn’t just have charging Warriors; it also needed logistical supply lines, powerful intelligence and reconnaissance teams, medical squads, and so on.

"We’re almost there, get ready," Chen Bai said, not continuing his explanation. The aircraft was already descending, and the buildings on the ground were becoming clearer.

Gao Neng took advantage of this brief pause to glance at his Attribute Panel.

Name: Gao Neng

Age: 18

Basic Information: City of Hope, Eastern Capital Military Academy First-Year Cadet

Health: 456/623 (Rating: Excellent)

Stamina: 220/286 (Rating: Excellent)

Talents: Iron 100%, Copper 100%, Tin 100%, Silver 100%, Gold 100%, Phosphorus 100%, Sulfur 100%, Silicon 100%...

Special Abilities: 1. Eye of Deprivation (Trial Version, Time Remaining: 60 days). 2. Three Hundred Nursery Rhymes (Intermediate). 3. Lifeform Transformation (Beginner).

Evolution: 4/5 (Completion)

...

That’s right, Gao Neng had chosen to renew the ’Eye of Deprivation’ for two months. After deducting the penalty fee, it had cost him over ten thousand Alliance Coins. He had also given ten thousand to Xu Zilan, leaving him with about eighty thousand now.

And after breaking through to become an Energy Warrior...

...his Health had broken past the 500-point mark, jumping to 623, while his Stamina had reached 286. If he wasn’t mistaken, breaking past 300 Stamina would likely lead to a new advancement.

’Just one more mission until I can evolve!’

’Sparkling red star, shining bright... in what form will this mission appear?’

’What new abilities will the system have after it evolves?’

’Will it stop being so lame?’

Gao Neng gently clenched his fist. After two hours of singing, the palm of his right hand was completely magnetized. This meant that at least one of his fists could now become an iron fist.

The roar of the aircraft grew louder.

Then came the jolt of the landing.

They had finally arrived at the Eastern Capital Airport in the City of Hope.

"Let’s go!" Chen Bai seemed a little excited himself. Having been away for over two months, it was impossible not to feel a sense of nostalgia upon returning.

"Little Neng, you go to the military academy with Lieutenant Chen. I won’t be going with you," Xu Zilan said at this moment.

"Mom, you’re leaving now? At least come with us to the Eastern Capital first. The airport is still some distance from the city, right?" Gao Neng still had some common sense.

"Yes, it wouldn’t be too late to part ways once we reach the Eastern Capital," Chen Bai agreed.

"There’s no need. I’ll have to trouble Lieutenant Chen to take Little Neng to the military academy to report for duty. This is something Little Neng and I already discussed." After speaking, Xu Zilan walked directly off the plane.

"Mom, how will I find you then?"

"I’ll write you a letter. You’ll know my address then."

"Mom, at least come out of the airport with us!" Gao Neng quickly chased after her.

"Alright." Xu Zilan said no more.

The group exited the airport.

Xu Zilan directly boarded a public vehicle heading from the airport to the Eastern Capital.

Meanwhile, Chen Bai found a small car through the airport services and, under the cover of night, drove Gao Neng at high speed toward the Eastern Capital.

’The roads in the City of Hope... really aren’t broken.’ Gao Neng gazed at the smooth road surface and the brand-new buildings all around, and for some reason, he inexplicably felt the urge to sing again.

City of Hope!

The genius Gao Neng has arrived!

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