The cabin door opened, revealing several figures.
The person at the forefront wore a ferocious scarlet mask traced with faint dark gold patterns. It was none other than the captain of the Masked Squad—Wang Mian.
His gaze was cold and devoid of emotion, calmly sweeping over the dense crowd of recruits below who looked like mere ants.
Behind him followed the vice-captain, Tianping, and the curvaceous Qiangwei.
Further back, a member wearing a spiral-patterned mask—Xuanwo—was adjusting his flashy hairstyle in a small mirror, muttering to himself.
"For the annual fried chicken pass the captain promised, I have to look absolutely stunning today!"
Wang Mian ignored his antics and simply made a hand gesture.
The members of the Masked Squad, including Xuanwo who was deeply motivated by the 'annual fried chicken pass,' leaped down one by one from hundreds of meters in the air.
They carried no parachuting equipment, the howling wind exploding in their ears.
Then, the scene from earlier unfolded.
Xuanwo struggled to adjust his posture in mid-air, trying to strike what he believed to be the coolest landing pose.
The recruits looked up, their pupils reflecting the rapidly approaching black dots as gasps of shock erupted all around.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Several muffled explosions detonated in rapid succession at the center of the training field.
The Masked Squad members landed steadily in various poses, kicking up massive clouds of dust.
Xuanwo deliberately struck a pose, kneeling on one knee with a hand planted on the ground, thinking he looked incredibly dashing.
However, the cheers he expected never came.
All the recruits' eyes were drawn to the bone-chilling, murderous aura radiating from Wang Mian.
The atmosphere of the entire training field seemed to freeze, becoming so heavy it was suffocating.
Wang Mian slowly stood up straight, his gaze beneath the scarlet mask sweeping over the recruits like a blade.
His look carried scrutiny, indifference, and above all, the bone-deep arrogance unique to the Masked Squad.
"I hope you greenhouse flowers can at least help us stretch our muscles a bit."
Wang Mian's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly across the entire training field.
"Especially certain... so-called 'Dual God Proxies'."
He deliberately emphasized the words 'Dual God Proxies'.
This undisguised provocation instantly ignited the recruits' fury.
"Too arrogant!"
"Don't think you're such a big deal just because you're the Masked Squad!"
A hot-tempered recruit couldn't hold back any longer. With a furious roar, he exploded into action and charged straight at a Masked Squad member.
The battle broke out in an instant!
Wang Mian coldly snorted. His figure blurred, instantly appearing opposite Ian, his icy aura locking firmly onto him.
Qiangwei let out a sharp cry as a warhammer materialized in her hands. As she swung it, the weapon expanded into a massive warhammer entirely disproportionate to her petite frame. She and Tianping flanked Lin Qiye from the left and right, trapping him in the middle.
The rest of the Masked Squad members also moved to intercept the charging recruits.
The training field instantly transformed into a chaotic battlefield.
"Hah!"
Qiangwei shouted as the giant hammer in her hands suddenly multiplied in size again. Like a small mountain, it smashed down toward Lin Qiye's head with a piercing shriek that tore through the air.
Before the hammer even hit, the heavy, oppressive force made the surrounding air feel thick and viscous.
At the same time, Vice-Captain Tianping moved erratically, circling to Lin Qiye's other side like a ghost.
He pressed his hands down in the air, releasing an invisible wave. He was attempting to use his signature [Gravity Manipulation] to interfere with Lin Qiye, creating an opportunity for Qiangwei to land a fatal blow.
Facing the pincer attack from two Masked Squad elites, Lin Qiye remained calm and unhurried.
With a thought, a brilliant purple light suddenly erupted from his body.
A set of dark Netherite Armor, shimmering with an enchanted glow, instantly covered his entire body.
The armor's lines were sleek yet ferocious, every plate seemingly brimming with terrifying energy.
Immediately after, he reached out with his left hand.
A flash of light sparked in the air, and a heavy shield inlaid with Netherite materialized out of nowhere.
"Clang—!!"
A deafening metallic crash echoed above the training field.
Qiangwei's unstoppable giant hammer was easily blocked by Lin Qiye's shield.
The immense force directly caused the shield to dissipate into nothingness.
The recoil numbed the webbing between Qiangwei's thumb and index finger, nearly causing her to drop the giant hammer. Her eyes filled with solemnity as she looked at Lin Qiye; this recruit's strength far exceeded her expectations.
Right at that moment, Tianping suddenly increased the output of his [Gravity Manipulation].
Lin Qiye felt his body suddenly sink, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him. The ground beneath his feet even caved in slightly.
However, this feeling only lasted for a split second.
Lin Qiye's footsteps merely paused for a moment before returning to normal, as if the terrifying gravity had absolutely no effect on him.
In reality, Lin Qiye had secretly activated the power of 'Milk'.
That peculiar power from the Minecraft world silently erased all the negative status effects Tianping had inflicted upon him.
A flash of astonishment crossed both Tianping and Qiangwei's eyes simultaneously.
Their teamwork was flawless, and [Gravity Manipulation] had always been an infallible trump card. How could it fail against this recruit?
But before they could dwell on it, Lin Qiye flipped his right hand, and a Netherite Sword, also shimmering with a purple enchanted glow, appeared in his grasp.
He wasn't in a hurry to counterattack. Instead, he treated this two-on-one battle as a training ground to familiarize himself with his new equipment and adapt to his strength. This was in stark contrast to Qiangwei and Tianping's eagerness to take him down.
The longsword in his hand moved nimbly, easily parrying Tianping's attacks. The tip of the blade occasionally thrust at Tianping's weak points, forcing him into a frantic scramble.
The shield in his left hand acted like an extension of his body, skillfully neutralizing Qiangwei's stormy onslaught. Every block was executed with perfect precision.
It left Qiangwei completely frustrated and out of options.
During the fight, Lin Qiye continuously adjusted his techniques and the way he exerted force.
Under the tempering of actual combat, his swordplay and shield techniques grew increasingly proficient at a visible rate.
On the other side, the standoff between Wang Mian and Ian appeared somewhat bizarre.
The aura radiating from Wang Mian continued to climb, incomparably sharp like a peerless, vicious sword about to be unsheathed.
Meanwhile, Ian maintained his breezy and indifferent demeanor, as if the person standing before him wasn't the captain of the Masked Squad, but an insignificant passerby.
He even had the leisure to observe the battles between the surrounding recruits and the Masked Squad members, occasionally offering a comment or two.
Seeing that Lin Qiye not only hadn't been swiftly defeated but was actually holding off two people with ease, Wang Mian frowned imperceptibly.
He decided to wait no longer and strike personally, wanting to test exactly what kind of strength this Ian—who was also labeled as a 'Dual God Proxy'—possessed.
"Swish!"
Wang Mian's figure suddenly vanished from his spot. In the very next instant, he appeared right in front of Ian.
His right fist, carrying a sonic boom that tore through the air, aimed straight for Ian's face.
This punch was powerful enough to shatter an armored vehicle.
Ian remained standing in place, seemingly completely unresponsive to this fatal strike.
Just at the exact moment Wang Mian's fist was about to touch the tip of his nose...
Ian moved. With blinding speed, he raised his right foot and viciously kicked Wang Mian, sending him flying backward.