"Son of a bitch!" Chen spat, watching Steve, Larkin, and Aaron jump onto the other building, "This is fucked up!"
"Shut up and make a tiny arrow!" Eric ordered, creating a baton-sized arrow and grimacing, "There's a lot, but that mean's we're shooting fish in a barrel!"
Whoo—CRaaCkKKkkKkkKkkKKK! WHOOSH!
A fountain of blood gushed from the sea of zombies when his arrow shot through five in a row. When he curved the arrow up, it cut through another two, creating a geyser of blood.
The sight stunned everyone for a moment, but it lit a fire in a few of them.
"I'm sewing like Aaron!" Jackson grinned, creating a medium-sized bolt of Qi. He released the arrow and made it curve back and forth with his eyes.
The arrow zigged and zagged through a sea of zombies, creating a gruesome, snaking river of blood.
Layla created the smallest bolt and shot it down the wall, curving it to hit ten zombies in a line. Then she curved it horizontally, cutting through another dozen on its way across the street.
Denzel's jaw dropped, and he pulled out an arrow, trying the same thing.
WhooOOOoShH!
Two.
Two zombies fell lifeless when his bolt curved [into the ground] instead of moving horizontally.
Layla giggled, making the buff black man's eyes deaden. "This is going to be a long day."
"Shut the fuck up and kill them!" Moe screamed, reading another arrow and shooting it, "Because we keep getting lucky and living, and I don't want that streak to end!"
The other soldiers got serious and pulled out arrows.
Eric appraised the situation with a grave expression. There were thousands of zombies, and the size was growing, just as it had when they were in the skyscraper. "It's going to be a long night."
-
—July 27th, 2032 | Noon—
"Gah! It's so hot!" A bright-red man groaned, crouching under a tub with a continuous fire above his hand, "Now that we've gotten the flame down, the danger of this task has turned to torture!"
It was the fourth day of training under Evalyn's new regiment, and the embattled Lainwright soldiers desalinating water could regulate a flame.
However, that only added heat from the fires and steam to the summer sun. Everyone's skin was sunburnt and steam burnt, making the entire process excruciating.
"Fuck this, I'm going swimming." He snapped.
"Don't do it, Eddy." His red-haired coworker grimaced, shaking his head, "General Skye told us that we shouldn't go swimming."
"It wasn't an order, Benny." Eddy countered sharply, "General Skye said that she didn't [recommend] it. Salt doesn't mix well with wounds, so I usually wouldn't either.
But get what, Benny? I don't have any wounds."
The soldier bathed his naked upper half with a red light, healing his blistered skin. Then he worked on his feet and back, ensuring everything was clear.
"Get back to work!" A light-haired brunette snapped, "We're only allowed to do whatever we want [if we finish our work], and we're running behind."
"Why is that, Marie?" Eddy asked, stretching his arms, "Maybe it's because we need to concentrate, but we're sunburnt to shit, and our body temperature is through the roof.
I'm betting that a ten-minute swim will double my productivity. What do you guys think?"
The tides turned in the bold man's favor as his healing brought his skin back to normal color, giving him a healthy, trustworthy appearance.
"Well then, ladies and gentlemen." Eddy said with a bow, "Last one in is a sunburnt whore!"
Without waiting for Marie's reply, the man ran into the ocean and dove in.
═─┈─═
"You have soldiers gathering resources who are tired to fight, you're breaking social prejudices, weeding out troublemakers, and constantly assessing people." Kaze recounted amusedly, "What more could you want to do?"
The Ice General solved her economic dilemmas and mitigated trust risks with her training. However, she still sat in a military-style tent across from the emperor, asking him for advice.
"While this training solves my major problems, it's having the opposite effect on some." Evalyn explained, "One team ran away after seeing a team of Immortals in the wild.
They sensed their mortality and realized that even if they survived my training, they'd have to face the Immortals next.
Others have had similar experiences, losing the will to fight or giving up on becoming Immortals.
I don't doubt I'm using a good strategy—what I need help with is nuance to mitigate these negative effects. I didn't foresee some of these problems until they were staring at me."
The emperor studied her expression with a complex gaze. He had to remember that the advice he'd give to the Ice Phoenix wasn't what he could give to Evalyn Skye.
"You've proved they're powerless against the current threats, yes?" Kaze asked calmly, "If so, it's time to give them the alternative.
They must be able to experience the miraculous effects of power—they need a win."
"How can someone win if they've seen how weak they are?" Evalyn grimaced, "No one is delusional enough to believe a technique or training will make up the differential between them and the Immortal elites. Especially when the Immortals have sky-grade cultivation techniques."
"They do not have to taste victory against the Immortals—only against foes threatening their lives." He replied calmly, "They must see their improvement and the potential of further power."
"What if the soldiers didn't improve?" The Ice General smiled wryly, "While many have, others are traumatized, disillusioned, and estranged from others. It could backfire."
"Only if it's a fair test." Kaze smiled amusedly, "If one's goal is to raise morale, they should always rig the fight."
"Rig it?" Evalyn narrowed her eyes in interest, "How do you rig a fight to increase morale?"
The emperor smiled mischievously and suggested a simple plan. As he spoke, her eyes widened in disbelief before gliding to the left. His simple yet genius plan gave her countless ideas.
"How soon could you arrange that?" The Ice General asked pensively.
"I could arrange it by tomorrow night." Kaze replied casually, making her eyes deaden.
"Of course, you could." She chuckled bitterly. However, her expression softened and she smiled, feeling profound emotions and pride in her man. "So, should we act immediately?"
"I wouldn't recommend it." He shook his head, "Before you do this, you must address your problems head-on. If you raise morale and address a powder keg after, it'll poison all your gains.
So I recommend you address your problems and use this as a way to build them up."
"Burn down their resistance and then help them rise…." Evalyn whispered in a trance.
"From the ashes." Kaze smiled magnetically, "It was the Ice Phoenix's favorite strategy."
The blonde opened and closed her mouth, strange feelings of deja vu crashing into her mind.
"General Skye!" A brunette soldier yelled, bursting into the tent with a panicked expression.
Evlayn's eyes became murderous when the woman burst into her meeting with Kaze, who was there clandestinely. However, the panicked soldier was trembling. "What is it?"
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