In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

"Report! Special Forces Zhao Tian!"

Zhao Tian immediately stood at attention and shouted loudly.

"Emergency assembly."

The communications soldier said coldly.

Those four words instantly lowered the temperature inside the tent to freezing.

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and Luo Susu was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she subconsciously clenched the crystal core tightly.

Are they here to confiscate the crystal cores?

Although he found this second-tier crystal core by chance,

However, the rules on the battlefield are that whoever gets the crystal core keeps it, and there's no rule saying you can't pick up a second-tier crystal core.

As the temporary leader of the squad, Zhao Tian was also hesitant, but he was still the first to rush out.

"Line up!"

Of the fourteen-member team, excluding the wounded, twelve quickly lined up outside the tent.

As the temporary team leader, Zhao Tian had no choice but to step forward, stand at attention, and salute.

"Report! Task Force 1 should have 14 members, 12 members present, two are hospitalized due to injuries! Requesting instructions!"

The communications soldier didn't speak immediately, but stepped aside to make way for him.

"By order of superiors, wounded soldier Xu Yang is fully recovered and ready to return to the unit!"

Xu Yang?

Has he fully recovered and returned to the team?

These two words together sound exactly like a horror story.

Everyone was stunned. How could this be?

When Xu Yang was carried away the day before yesterday, he had multiple bone fractures all over his body. What team did he belong to?

However, the next second.

That familiar figure emerged from the shadows of the jeep.

There was no stretcher.

There was no cane.

Even the heavy bandages that covered his entire body were gone.

Everyone was stunned.

Zhao Tian rubbed his eyes, almost thinking he was hallucinating from his continuous high-intensity combat.

"Old...Old Xu?"

He stammered, "Why are you back?!"

"What's wrong with everyone? They all look like they've seen a ghost!"

The familiar voice carried a hint of teasing, and a long-lost sense of ease.

Standing at the door was none other than Xu Yang!

At that moment, he had no bandages on him, not even a single adhesive bandage.

Although he was still wearing the same blood-stained combat uniform, he was in high spirits, with a rosy complexion, and was smiling as he looked at his stunned teammates.

In that state, let alone a seriously wounded soldier, people would believe he had just returned from leave.

The communications soldier ignored their pleasantries; mission accomplished, he saluted and turned to leave.

Only after the communications soldier had gone far away did the group step forward to recognize each other.

"Is it really Lao Xu?"

Lin Zihao slapped his forehead, thinking he might be dreaming. "Your injuries are already healed?"

"It really is Brother Xu Yang."

Luo Susu covered her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening.

Xu Yang chuckled and took a step back to prove himself.

To everyone's astonishment, he performed a clean and crisp backflip.

"Bang."

The tactical boots made a dull thud as they stepped on the ground.

He moved his wrists and ankles, and his joints made a crisp sound.

"It's not just that it's healed."

Xu Yang's face was filled with an excitement that even he found unbelievable. "I feel like I haven't been this healthy since I joined the army!"

Everyone was completely stunned.

This is no longer a medical miracle; it falls into the realm of theology.

Lin Zihao was the first to rush up, pinching and patting Xu Yang's body as if he were touching some precious treasure.

He walked behind Xu Yang and yanked open the hem of his combat uniform. "It's really healed! Even the bruises are gone, you can't even see a trace of them!"

The area on his lower back that had been badly bruised by the mutated deer was now as smooth as new.

Pei Miaomiao also stepped forward, frowned as she examined Xu Yang's previously fractured arm, and even pressed it hard.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"I don't feel anything."

Xu Yang acted as if nothing had happened.

"Old Xu, what exactly happened?"

Zhao Tian pushed through the crowd, his face grave, and asked in a deep voice, "We all saw you being carried away on a stretcher. It's only been a day, how come you're all better already?"

When this was mentioned, Xu Yang's expression turned strange.

It felt both the relief of surviving a disaster and a touch of indescribable fantasy.

His smile faded slightly as he pulled over a folding chair and sat down.

"When they carried me away, I thought I was going to die. Every breath felt like a knife cutting into my lungs."

The tent fell silent, and everyone pricked up their ears.

"The helicopter took me directly back to the Kunlun base. I was still a bit groggy when I saw several senior experts in white coats rushing over to a young man who looked to be in his early twenties."

Xu Yang glanced at everyone's faces as he said this, "Then, that young man grabbed my wrist..."

He paused deliberately at this point, and didn't continue.

"and then?"

"Say it then!"

Why am I holding your hand?

Lin Zihao, in a panic, scratched his head and elbowed him, yelling, "What's wrong with you? You're in the middle of taking a dump, you're driving me crazy!"

"Don't interrupt!" Zhao Tian glared at Lin Zihao.

Xu Yang took a deep breath, his tone becoming serious: "Honestly, that moment was too eerie. He just held my hand, for probably only a few seconds."

As he spoke, he gestured to describe the feeling: "I felt a warm current flow directly through my whole body, and the excruciating pain disappeared all at once."

"what?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances; the description was far too fantastical.

"Really, it only took a few seconds, and I was done."

Xu Yang said seriously, "Then, the kid who was holding my wrist turned pale, his legs went weak, and he was carried away on a stretcher by the people next to him."

A deathly silence fell over the tent.

"He must be an 'Awakened One'!"

Pei Miaomiao was the first to react, her eyes shining, "Only an Awakened One can do this. His ability is to transfer your injuries to himself."

Zhao Tian suddenly looked up, a flash of inspiration striking his mind.

He instantly understood all the key points.

"I see,"

He spoke with a complex mix of emotions, a sense of relief and sorrow, saying, "Instructor Su said, 'The end times don't support idlers.' From now on, we'll either die on the way to the front lines, turning into a pile of minced meat."

Either way, as long as he's still clinging to life, he can save us, cure us, and send us back to the front lines!

No serious injuries, no retirement, only fighting to the death, or... awakening.

What appears to be a benefit is actually another death knell.

It's telling everyone in the cruelest way: Don't even think about lying down, you can't rest even if you're injured, keep pushing yourself to the limit!

The expressions on everyone's faces varied!

Some people don't care; as long as they can survive, what's wrong with going to the front lines ten more times?

Some people even considered a do-or-die approach, desperately trying to awaken to the truth.

As long as he's still alive, Instructor Su can save him.

Just then, Luo Susu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up and asked a question that everyone had overlooked.

"That,"

Luo Susu spoke weakly, breaking the silence, "Brother Wang Meng, can he also be cured? Why haven't we heard anything yet?"

The cold water was poured just right.

This directly extinguished some people's fantasy of "infinite resurrection".

"This..." Zhao Tian was stumped by the question.

Yes, why?

If Xu Yang could be cured, why is the fate of Wang Meng, the bravest warrior, still unknown?

Zhao Tian remained silent for a moment, recalling the scene Xu Yang described of the young man being carried away on a stretcher, his eyes becoming deep and solemn.

"It seems this treatment comes at a price. As Old Xu just mentioned, the awakened person was carried away after treating him."

"So, everyone, stop dreaming about that kind of good thing as going back to the fountain."

He surveyed the entire team, his tone serious, "Don't even think about entrusting your lives to others. That kind of ability is never without its limitations. In the future, on the battlefield, you must fight as hard as before, and putting survival first!"

"clear!"

The crowd responded in unison, their voices less filled with hope and more with determination.

……

at the same time.

Kunlun Base, Special Care Ward.

Zhu Jingye felt he was going to be ruined.

The aches, tearing sensations, and dull pains emanating from every bone in my body...

It felt like being stuffed into a washing machine and tossed around for a whole day and night.

"Achoo!"

He couldn't help but sneeze.

The shudder instantly triggered a series of nerves throughout his body, causing him to grimace in pain.

"Ouch... Holy crap..."

He felt pain in every bone in his body, as if his body was falling apart.

This is the price of "damage transfer".

Xu Yang suffered multiple bone fractures and soft tissue damage, all of which have now been experienced on his body.

Although I have super-strong self-healing factors keeping me alive, the pain is real!

"Comrade Jingye, hang in there a little longer, we need to collect another set of your bone marrow hematopoietic data."

Several elderly men in white coats surrounded him, scanning him with various instruments.

"Let's try again! This time, we'll record the energy fluctuations in your cells!"

"Comrade Zhu, bear with it a little longer, we'll draw another vial of blood so we can analyze your self-healing factors!"

Zhu Jingye lay paralyzed on the bed, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear.

What kind of human suffering is this?

"We can't stay here any longer!"

He cursed inwardly, "What kind of awful place is this?! Are they really treating me like a strategic human blood bag?"

First, she helped Bai Lu transfer the negative effects of alcohol, and then Instructor Su assigned her to transfer the damage to a seriously injured potential seed.

Now he finally understands.

Why did Instructor Su call him a "strategic talent"?

This is a strategic consumable!

They're treating it like a blood transfusion!

"Instructor Su is a devil!"

Zhu Jingye secretly vowed to himself, "I must escape from here! I must return to the front lines!"

……

Another round of testing has finally come to an end.

Zhu Jingye felt numb.

Just then, the ward door was pushed open.

Su Ran walked in.

He was urged to come by news from Li Guodong's side.

It is said that Zhu Jingye made quite a fuss, both volunteering for battle and threatening to write a letter in blood.

He was determined to "return to the team," and no amount of persuasion could change his mind; this was something that had to be handled by him, the head of the Awakened Headquarters.

Upon seeing Su Ran, the researchers immediately came to greet her.

"Advisor Su, the experiment was a great success!"

The senior professor at the head of the group adjusted his glasses and excitedly reported to his supervisor.

"Zhu Jingye perfectly absorbed all of Xu Yang's damage! Based on Xu Yang's own recovery speed, it is estimated that it will take three months."

But when the infection was transferred to Xiao Zhu, combined with his cellular activity which was twenty times greater than normal, the bone density scan just now showed that the crack had begun to heal. Based on our model's projections, it is estimated that he will be basically healed in just four days!

After saying that, he turned to look at the hospital bed, his eyes burning with passion.

When Zhu Jingye saw Su Ran, he struggled to get up, but as soon as he moved, excruciating pain surged through him like a tidal wave.

"hiss……"

He gasped.

Su Ran waved her hand, gesturing for him to lie down. "Professors, you've worked hard. People aren't machines. Today's test data should be enough. I'd like to have a private talk with my team members."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Okay, okay, Consultant Su, please go ahead."

Although the researchers were still reluctant to leave, they held onto their data boards and reluctantly went out.

The ward door closed, and the air became quiet.

Su Ran pulled up a chair and sat on the edge of the bed. She didn't rush to speak, but instead slid her fingers across the tablet with a slight frown.

"These old guys from the Academy of Sciences really don't know their own strength."

Su Ran seemed to be talking to herself, or perhaps she was speaking up for him, "They really treat the members of my Awakened Headquarters like lab rats."

Zhu Jingye felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, and the tough man almost shed tears.

That's so thoughtful of you!

However, the main objective cannot be modified.

"Instructor Su... once I'm better, I'd like to apply... to return to the front lines."

Zhu Jingye swallowed hard, but still forced himself to speak, "I want to fight alongside my comrades."

Su Ran looked up at him. "What's the reason?"

"My abilities are rather unique, and the Academy of Sciences hasn't been of much help to me."

Zhu Jingye stated firmly, "I believe my potential can only be fully realized in battle. Only by returning to the front lines can I maximize my value!"

His words sounded righteous and awe-inspiring, but they were also a form of protest.

They protested that Su Ran had treated him as a strategic human blood bag.

Su Ran understood.

This idea is perfectly normal.

Anyone who awakens superpowers wouldn't be content to just be a behind-the-scenes healer, especially one who has to seriously injure themselves every time they treat someone.

"Okay, that shows you're prepared."

Su Ran put down the tablet, leaned forward slightly, and instantly exuded a strong sense of pressure. "Dedicated, actually, I'm here today mainly to develop your abilities."

Zhu Jingye's heart tightened, and he looked at Su Ran warily.

"I have a bold idea regarding your abilities."

Su Ran spoke calmly, yet every word was like a thunderclap: "Your ability is called 'Damage Transfer,' and currently it's used to transfer other people's injuries onto yourself, right?"

Zhu Jingye nodded, his face full of bitterness.

Su Ran's lips curled into a smile. "Then, can we use it in reverse?"

Zhu Jingye was taken aback: "Huh?"

Reverse application?

"I mean,"

Su Ran stared into his eyes and said, word by word, "Transfer your own 'negative status' to someone else. Or, if you're not human, transfer it directly to a zombie or a mutated beast."

boom!

Zhu Jingye's mind went completely blank, as if struck by lightning.

He had never thought of it that way!

He always thought that his ability was simply to "take the blame for others" and to be a "mobile blood bank".

But Su Ran's words opened a door to a new world for him!

Can a "mobile health pack" directly evolve into a "humanoid damage reflector"?

If that were truly possible, then what would be the point of being a blood bag!

At that time, he will be the most benevolent father of all mutated creatures!

Zhu Jingye swallowed hard, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Will this... will this work?"