Chương 188: Chapter 187 - Pangea (LXVI)

"Thank you for putting your trust in me," Lukas said, as the crowd grew silent, their gazes now fixed on him with a renewed resolve.

"But I am just one, and I will need your help. For that reason, I'll start with my first command: the new organization we'll follow moving forward." The group's expressions turned serious, their focus sharpening.

"You will be assigned to three squads of seven. Each squad will be composed of two three-man units, led by a lieutenant, and a captain who oversees them. The chain of command is straightforward: members report to their lieutenant, lieutenants report to their captain, and captains report directly to me. In rare cases, I may take direct command of lieutenants."

"Squads will operate independently unless stated otherwise. Each squad will handle its own stage progression, meals, and training. There will be no fixed camps going forward—every squad will secure its own food, resources, and shelter as they travel." Lukas' gaze swept over them, his tone unwavering.

"Is that understood?" The group was initially taken aback by the military-style structure, but slowly, one by one, they nodded in agreement. Satisfied with the response, Lukas continued.

"The squads will be named Eagle, Dragon, and Tiger, with the units designated as Eagle-1, Eagle-2, Dragon-1, and so on." He paused briefly, his gaze steady.

"Now, the captain of the Eagle squad will be…" Lukas' eyes locked onto him.

"Arjun." Arjun stepped forward, maintaining his calm composure.

"The captain of the Dragon squad will be Wang." Wang stepped forward without hesitation, his face a mask of quiet determination.

"And the captain of the Tiger squad will be Imani." Imani followed suit, stepping forward confidently. Lukas turned his attention to the gathered group, their expressions a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and resolve.

"The members of the Eagle squad will be Josh, Sun Min, Diego, Zhang Jun, Monica, and Ishaam." Ishaam's chest tightened with excitement, his breath quickening. He had been chosen for Arjun's squad! A sense of validation washed over him, mingled with anticipation and a flicker of unease. He didn't have strong bonds with any of his squadmates, and the thought gnawed at him slightly. As the group of six stepped forward, Arjun stood waiting, his posture steady and his expression calm.

He took a deep breath, turning to face them.

"You all know me by now, but I'll introduce myself again. My name is Arjun Rathore. I appreciate the trust placed in me, and I will do my best to guide you and fight alongside you until the very end." Arjun scanned the group.

"The two lieutenants under me will be…" He paused, his sharp gaze scanning the group. Ishaam's heart pounded, his fists clenching tighter as the silence stretched.

"Josh and… Ishaam." The words hit him like a thunderclap. His eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat. He stood frozen, unsure if he'd heard correctly. Snapping out of his stupor, Ishaam took a shaky breath and stepped forward to join Josh, who greeted him with a respectful nod. The two moved to stand before Arjun. Without thinking, Ishaam raised his hand in a stiff military salute, drawing a chuckle from Arjun and a few others.

Heat rushed to his face, and he quickly lowered his arm, mumbling an apology under his breath.

"I will be in your care, Arjun," Josh said with a slight bow, his voice steady.

"I… I will be in your care as well, Arjun," Ishaam echoed, his voice trembling slightly but laced with determination. Arjun's expression softened as he regarded them both.

"Let's do this together."

"Good," Lukas said with a small smile, then turned his attention to the rest of the group.

"The members of the Dragon squad will be Zian, Camila, Chen Hao, Lin Mei, Sari, and Nikolai." The procedures continued smoothly, with Wang stepping forward next, followed by Imani, finalizing the formation of the three seven-man squads. No one was left unaccounted for. Once the process was complete and Imani's squad moved into position, all squads faced Lukas. The captains stood at the helm, followed by their lieutenants, with the remaining members aligned behind them.

Lukas surveyed the formation with a sharp, discerning gaze.

"Good. This is the structure we will maintain moving forward. As I mentioned before, each unit will fight together, eat together, and sleep together. You will be inseparable. There will be no more 'I' or 'you'—only 'we.'" His voice grew firmer, resonating with authority.

"You will respect the chain of command, and you will trust each other blindly. Lack of discipline may cost not only your life but the lives of others. That will not be tolerated." Lukas let his words hang in the air for a moment, his piercing gaze scanning the faces of the group.

"From this moment on, each of you holds the life of your squadmates in your hands. If one falters, the entire team suffers. Your survival—and your success—depends on how well you work together." Lukas paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle. Then, with a faint smile, he added, "Remember, you aren't just squads. You're family now. And family doesn't let each other fall." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd, the tension gradually easing.

"Now onto the next part," Lukas said, a smile playing on his lips as he reached for a pouch at his waist.

"I'm sure many of you still have lingering questions. How will we fight? Some of us are severely lacking in stage progress. The creatures out there could kill us with ease. So, let me ask you a question in return: how did humans become the apex species on Earth?"

"Brains? Tools?" Mei, one of Wang's lieutenants, offered hesitantly.

"Exactly," Lukas said, his smile widening.

"We humans have intelligence, and we've learned how to channel that intelligence into power. And the best part? We stand on the shoulders of thousands of years of human history—lessons we can draw from, tools we can replicate, and knowledge we can wield to our advantage." He held up his sword at his side, tilting it slightly to catch the light.

"Sure, The Tower gave us these indestructible swords. And don't get me wrong—they're great. But humanity abandoned swords a long time ago for a reason. They require close range to be effective, extensive training to master, and if your body is much weaker than the creature you're facing, they're practically useless. So… why limit ourselves to the sword? Why not…" Lukas reached into the pouch, retrieving several bullet-shaped projectiles.

With a flick of his wrist, one of them floated above his open palm, shimmering faintly as it hovered. The crowd leaned forward, their eyes wide with surprise and curiosity. Lukas grinned as the projectile began to spin in a circular motion above his hand, accelerating rapidly until it became a blur. Slowly, he tilted his hand and made a gun-shaped gesture with his fingers, the spinning projectile now aligning vertically beside it. And then— BAM!

A sharp crack split the air, and a hole appeared in a tree roughly thirty meters away. Lukas lowered his hand, maintaining his gun-shaped gesture as he brought it to his lips and blew on it, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"Why not use guns?" The silence that followed was heavy with awe and disbelief, broken only by a few gasps of amazement.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lukas continued, his voice brimming with confidence.

"Welcome to the next step in our evolution. It's time we stop playing by The Tower's rules… and start playing by ours." Ishaam's eyes widened in disbelief. What the hell was that?!

"For most of you, these little things"—Lukas held up a bullet-shaped projectile between his fingers—"will become your main weapon moving forward. You will learn to craft them, you will learn to accelerate them with your waves, and you will learn to aim with precision." He paused, letting the crowd absorb his words.

"Now, I know what many of you are thinking: ' My stage progress is low, and my waves aren't strong enough to give these the momentum I need to harm any of those giant creatures.' And you're absolutely right. On your own, it wouldn't work." Lukas' grin widened, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"But there's always a solution. And here's the deal—I'll offer an extra six bullets to whichever squad comes up with the best answer." He let the challenge hang in the air, the crowd shifting uneasily as their minds raced to solve the puzzle. Ishaam blinked, his mind racing. Accelerating bullets? Crafting them? He clenched his fists, determination bubbling alongside confusion. What solution could Lukas have in mind?

"Well, come on," Lukas prompted, spinning another bullet in his fingers.

"Don't let me down. Think. What does every problem in The Tower teach us?"

"Adaptation?" someone ventured hesitantly from the back.

"The Tower does teach us that, but that's not the answer I'm looking for," Lukas said, nodding, the grin still plastered across his face.

"Teamwork?" another voice called out, followed by murmurs of agreement.

"Getting warmer," Lukas replied, pacing slightly as the bullet hovered above his palm, spinning lazily. Ishaam's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing as an idea clicked into place. Momentum… collective power… amplification.

"Waves," he said aloud, his voice steady despite the thundering of his heart.

"Combined waves." Lukas stopped dead in his tracks, the bullet freezing mid-air. He turned to Ishaam, his eyebrows raised.

"Well, well, Lieutenant," Lukas said with a slow clap, his smile widening.

"You might just earn those bullets for your squad. Combining waves—pooling your strength—that's exactly the answer." Gasps rippled through the group as realization dawned. A few squad members patted Ishaam on the back, while Arjun turned, offering him a small, approving nod.

"The bullets," Lukas continued, addressing the group, "are tools. Amplifiers. One bullet alone won't do much if your stage progress is low, but when several of you channel your waves into one shot…" He gestured toward the tree he'd obliterated earlier.

"You could easily surpass this." The group murmured in awe, excitement slowly building in the air.

"Here's the catch," Lukas said, holding the bullet between his fingers.

"You'll need discipline. Coordination. Trust. Be perfectly in sync with one another. Without those, this is just a lump of hardened shell and conductive filaments. But with them?" He tossed the bullet lightly into the air and caught it.

"It becomes your power." He swept his gaze across the group, his eyes sharp but carrying a hint of challenge.

"So, are you ready to take the next step? To start thinking like the apex predators we're meant to be? Or are you content to keep swinging swords like cavemen?" The crowd's murmurs grew louder, shifting into tones of determination.

"That said," Lukas continued, his tone lightening just a bit, "as much as I'd love to craft bullets all day, I do have other things on my plate. My workload is already overflowing, so the number of bullets I can provide upfront is limited to 18 per squad—plus six extra for Eagle Squad, thanks to its lieutenant's sharp thinking." Lukas nodded briefly toward Ishaam, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"The rest, you'll craft yourselves. Nikolai and Mateo have brought the materials as instructed, and I'll send detailed instructions on how to craft them to each of you via mental images. Also, keep in mind—they're mostly recyclable... mostly. Along with that, I'll include images showing how to use them as I just demonstrated and, more importantly, how to synchronize with one another." He paused, scanning the group.

"Each unit will operate in threes: two providing power, one as the marksman. Decide what works best for your unit and practice. I'll also send tips on hunting the octopus in this region. Your goal is to reach at least 21 kills per unit before the next boss arrives—in three days." Lukas' tone sharpened.

"Your captains will be busy farming stage progress for the upcoming fight, so do not disturb them unless it's an emergency." Then, with a smirk, he held up his pouch.

"And here's your incentive. The unit that reaches 21 octopus kills the fastest will receive 12 of my personally crafted, high-quality rounds for free. Consider it extra motivation." He raised his voice, the smirk growing into a grin." Now… LET'S GET TO WORK!"