019 Self-Breakthrough

"Huff~ Huff~"

Bai E controlled his breathing.

The air filled his lungs, and with the transportation of cells, enough oxygen was delivered to every tissue of the body, providing sufficient energy.

This was the regulation of the "reflex" attribute. With a 0.1 enhancement, Bai E could instinctively deepen this control.

As his hands released the ropes, and his feet struggled to step onto the platform, a burst of noisy excitement suddenly erupted from the observing squad not far away.

He really made it up there!

The soldiers of Unit 358, sitting and resting on the ground, were looking up at their glory.

A chasm that had never been crossed by new recruits was now conquered by their comrade.

From this moment, those with a shallow understanding of the world began to slightly grasp the meaning behind words like "group" and "honor."

["Lucky Hit" charge +3.]

Hmm?

Bai E, taken aback by the unexpected notification, almost faltered and fell backward due to surprise and his already exhausted body.

Stabilizing himself, Bai E's gaze swept across the faces looking up at him.

The new artificial human soldiers all watched him with eager eyes, among which Bai E thought he saw emotions like "admiration" and "worship."

Recalling the situation when he was maintaining Ying's machine gun, Bai E narrowed his eyes, forming some speculation—

The charge mechanism of this skill might be coming from other people's... some positive emotions?

Acknowledgment, worship, respect, faith...

It's worth trying more.

But could it wait for a different time? He was really tired now...

Every finger of Bai E wanted to slack off, regrettably, there was still some unfinished energy inside him.

Without completely draining his physical strength, he wouldn't gain the benefits of the exercise, and breakthroughs would be hard to come by, not to mention any "buy three, get one free" after completing the task.

Looking at the rings swinging gently in the breeze before him, he shook his sore arms.

Next, it was time to test the strength of his arms and core.

Up we go...

Since I'm here, what else can I do?

The high breeze was cool, and Bai E took a deep breath.

The coolness dispersed throughout his body, and every rested cell was fully immersed in the nourishment of oxygen, with some particularly solid presences feeling the will of their master and expelling their accumulated strength of many days...

[Your body feels your intense desire and rapidly converts a bit of energy from the "Action Power Reserve" for you. Please cherish it; it's at its limit.]

[Physical recovery 1%, Quick Recovery (unlocked) progress 2%.]

It's like the arrival of a spring breeze overnight.

"..."

???

Are you joining the excitement too?

The talent "Quick Recovery" could restore not just injuries but also stamina?

That's a pleasant surprise.

But at this moment, it's rather shocking.

"Geneva!"

Bai E gritted his teeth, even the cool air seeping through his clenched teeth couldn't be stopped.

Why is it so difficult when I just want to honestly push my limits?

Climb! Will climbing not suffice?

Bai E leaned forward, gripping the unevenly spaced, cold steel rings in front of him with both hands.

...

"Moving forward from here wouldn't be appropriate, right?"

The young military officer's tone became somewhat uncertain now.

Perhaps most of the artificial human soldiers were unclear on more details, but as the highest-ranking officer in this military camp, he knew precisely the extreme records.

Since the establishment of this military camp, there have been new recruits who managed to cross the slope on their first training, although not many.

But those who had surpassed the challenge of the rings, thus far, there were none.

He skeptically flipped through the file in his hands, confirming that this artificial human soldier's physical data was indeed 11 points when he emerged from the incubation pod.

"It shouldn't be..."

Could it be because of his specialty?

He flipped to the specialty section...

"[Dynamic Vision Self-Perception is excellent, capable of capturing objects moving at high speed, inclined towards 'shooting class' talent specialties.]"

???

Shooting class talent specialty?

Is that memory accurate?

"How could he have a shooting specialty?"

Yue Ying, who had witnessed Bai E's shooting performance, heard Weslin mutter to himself and said indifferently.

"He indeed possesses a shooting talent, and his shooting abilities are quite outstanding."

Talent abilities remain unseen until they are fully unlocked; however, personal abilities, in a sense, are one facet of talent specialties.

Those with related talent specialties tend to be much more efficient when performing related actions, and one can completely infer the underlying talents from the outward performance.

But at the moment... does he also possess decent talent in physical aspects?

Could it be the rare case of a dual talent specialty?

Weslin put away the file and gazed thoughtfully at the figure struggling on the rings.

Even if it were a dual specialty, the current performance of this artificial human, Number 95, definitely exceeded understanding.

Incomprehensible.

But that's alright... there are plenty of incomprehensible things. The scientists in the city still haven't fully figured out the underlying logic of the artificial human incubation chambers, let alone cracking the mystery of the genes.

As for research? What research!

If those scientists could research and discover something, they wouldn't still be relying on these artificial humans to conquer the world.

He's just a minor gene mutation among a vast population; no one knows how long he'll live.

Having one more formidable soldier not only means more enemies killed, but there's also no harm; in the end, it's just an artificial human...

Letting go of the desire to question its rationality, Weslin crossed his arms, focusing intently on the spectacle.

At this point, he was also curious about what this mutant artificial human could ultimately achieve.

Let me see your limit!

...

Bai E hung midway on the ring course, with the inconsistently spaced and staggered rings presenting a great challenge to him; each advancement required the full cooperation of every muscle in his body.

This stage was more physically demanding than any previous one, completely draining his strength.

At this moment, the only thing keeping Bai E from letting go of the rings was sheer willpower.

One step beyond the limit!

From beginning to end, Bai E's goal was only that.

Moving forward was no longer possible; maintaining his current position without falling was already a challenge to his limits, with each additional second being a testament to that challenge.

One second...

Two seconds...

The soreness in his arms reached its limit, even becoming numb.

Bai E gradually lost control over his palms.

His fingers reluctantly slipped one by one from the smooth iron rings until they finally let go completely.

"I wonder if he can rely on self-breakthrough..."

Not every surpassing of one's own limits leads to an enhancement of attributes; otherwise, the standards set by the instructors would have to be moved forward again.

Bai E, his body falling through mid-air with dry lips tightly pressed together, thought somewhat hazily.

"Catch our hero!"

He heard someone shouting not far away.

"[You have surpassed your own limits during intense activity, physical strength +0.1, reflex +0.1.]"

"[You have completed a self-breakthrough, 'Side Quest — Physical Training' progress 0.1/0.3.]"

Hmm?

The consciousness of Bai E, quietly returning, suddenly heard the somewhat distant fuzzy notifications from the panel.

Strength and control over his body almost simultaneously revived, and Bai E, still in mid-air, involuntarily spun around.

His body performed a 180-degree turn in the air, and the moment he landed, he supported the ground with his feet and one hand in a conical shape...

Instructor Wood, who had come prepared to catch the hero, blinked his distinct black and white eyes.

He ended up embracing solitude.