Otherworldly Affairs Office

Pei Yan was still unaware of the big event that would soon unfold in the hall. He was currently sorting out his personal living necessities, having just received notification that he would be transferred to the special forces for a two-month training program starting today.

Wang Wenze and the others were immensely curious about Pei Yan's mysterious training, but they were repeatedly told by Hu Wenjun not to ask too much. They understood that this matter was of significant importance and stopped pursuing it, bidding Pei Yan farewell when he set out before the Teleportation Array.

Seeing their aggrieved expressions, Pei Yan rolled his eyes and raised his hand in assurance, "I promise, when I come back in two months, I'll tell you all about the training clearly, alright?"

"That's more like it! Okay, we're not worried about your safety once you're in the military, but..." Seeing this, Wang Wenze finally smiled, stepped forward, and wrapped his arm around Pei Yan's neck. He paused mid-sentence and, looking at the figure standing behind Hu Wenjun, whispered in Pei Yan's ear, "Since your training is so secretive that even we aren't allowed to know, it must be dangerous. Safety is paramount, and you should prepare mentally. Did you see the person next to Captain Hu? That's our investigation team's General! His surname is Ni. Honestly, I rarely see him, and his strength is unfathomable. He's going with you, so whether it's a blessing or curse, watch out for yourself." After finishing, Wang Wenze patted Pei Yan's chest and released his neck.

Originally indifferent to the person next to Hu Wenjun, Pei Yan listened to Wang Wenze and couldn't help but turn back to take a closer look. So this man was the General, towering above all captains in the investigation division? The division seemed to take his trip seriously!

After bidding farewell to several close friends, Pei Yan stepped into the Teleportation Array and waved to his companions who were unwilling to leave, his figure gradually disappearing into the light.

Pei Yan initially thought he would be training at the Golden Eagle Special Forces quarters, but once he arrived, he realized that was not the case at all.

First, he was teleported to a military base he had never been to before. No sooner had he stepped out of the Teleportation Array than he was picked up by a waiting off-road vehicle. Soon after, Pei Yan sat on a military helicopter for the first time in his life. In the roar of the rotor, the helicopter took off, and as the military base grew more distant below him, his initial dizziness and excitement from the helicopter ride gradually faded, leaving him contemplating the constantly changing scenery outside the window.

Over an hour later, the helicopter landed at a simple airport. After disembarking, the three changed to a car, then spent another two exhausting hours trekking to reach the temporarily constructed training ground deep in the tropical rainforest of Southern China.

There to greet him wasn't Engineer Li, with whom he had long collaborated, but his assistant Xiaosun. The entire training base consisted of only four people, including him!

That night, Pei Yan got the general idea of the next two months of training from Hu Wenjun's mouth. In summary, it was about challenging his physical limits, from the essence, to the body, to the mind, squeezing himself comprehensively.

First was the essence. In the empty rooms were multiple In-source Extractors, and Pei Yan's task was to release all his essence without reservation for extraction. When the essence within his body was exhausted, he would absorb and assimilate the In-source collected by the investigation team over the years from various dimensions, converting it back into his own essence, repeating this cycle for over three hours every day.

The purpose of this was twofold: firstly, to breakthrough Pei Yan's essence limit bit by bit during repeated consumption and replenishment, expanding his internal essence storage capacity, so he could quickly reach the threshold of second-stage awakening; secondly, it would familiarize him with the process of devouring other In-source in preparation for absorbing Song Mingyuan's abilities later.

Once Pei Yan completed the three-hour absorption and release training, the real training began. In the state of depleted essence, he was equipped with a capacity inhibitor and accompanied the silent Captain Ni in physical training, traversing the jungle with a load, conducting underwater training, combat training, and survival training.

This type of exhausting training, Pei Yan hadn't experienced for some time. Fortunately, he had a solid foundation and hadn't slackened, so he wasn't embarrassed when the training commenced. Nonetheless, even so, once the full day of training ended and he dragged himself back to base with heavy steps, he desperately wished to collapse onto bed and sleep like the dead.

But he couldn't, as dinner still required his preparation! That's right, he was responsible for cooking dinner! With Hu Wenjun offering guidance beside him, Pei Yan personally prepared the meal, whether delicious or not, it was the four people's dinner, and none could escape it.

Indeed, human potential, like water in a sponge, when squeezed, always has more to offer. The cliché of following a recipe and ending up with inedible dishes, as seen in other television dramas, didn't happen to Pei Yan. After some initial days of overly spicy or bland dishes and embarrassing presentations, his cooking skills soon reached a normal level—not particularly tasty but not bad either.

The only time during the day that allowed Pei Yan to relax was the half-hour of soaking before bed. Initially, despite his internal rejection of the bizarre, steaming bath tub, once forced into it, he still couldn't escape the seductive appeal, groaning in comfort as he quickly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep within five minutes.

A month later, within the Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest Nature Reserve, Pei Yan, shirtless and drenched with sweat, carried a log on his shoulder, trudging with difficulty through the muddy rainforest behind Instructor Ni. This month had made Pei Yan's body significantly more robust than before. His already tan skin had acquired a healthy, wheat-colored tone, and his shoulder and wrist skin, repeatedly broken and healed, had developed calluses.

Through long-term essence release and immersion in that strange medicated liquid, he transformed inside out, rapidly enhancing his strength.

As the sun set, the day's physical training drew to a close. Having adapted to this lifestyle, Pei Yan was no longer as pathetic as when he first arrived. Following General Ni, he walked out of the rainforest towards the base, spotting over twenty people carrying things away from the base as he approached the forest edge.

Pei Yan recognized these individuals, who came to the base punctually every three days, delivering food and daily necessities and were responsible for bringing new In-source storage tanks and collecting the filled ones with Pei Yan's essence.

Having entered the base and set down the log, Pei Yan saw Xiaosun, who had just refueled the base's generator with diesel, fanning away frustration at the entrance.

"What's up, Brother Sun? Who upset you again?" Pei Yan teased while washing off his body.

"Who else but this damn place? Damn weather! Damn mosquitoes! Why choose such a lousy location? I've done nothing here but feed the mosquitoes! And this lousy insecticide is worthless, after spraying several cans, it's still ineffective!" Xiaosun complained, picking up an empty insecticide can and tossing it outside the base in frustration.

Seeing Xiaosun covered in welts, Pei Yan dared not irritate him further. He thought of laying a swarm of nano-robots around Xiaosun's body tonight, just as they prevented him from suffering mosquito bites.

As he considered this, Xiaosun gestured towards the room, saying, "Pei Yan, the signal communicator inside is newly built, so you can video call with people from the division. Remember, it's confidential, don't reveal this location!"

"Got it!"