In the end, Lansi still refused to let Wen Yu carry him.
He did not want to wake up the next day only to discover he had become headline news—or worse, inspire someone to write a ridiculous romance novel titled The Little Soldier and the Colonel.
After that day's patrol, Lansi finally understood the limits of his legs.
At most, he could walk for about four hours.
Once he exceeded that limit, his legs would begin aching intensely from prolonged strain. A thin white membrane would start secreting along his calves, and beneath it, pale scales would gradually emerge.
It was almost like a fish entering survival mode after being deprived of water.
In short, Lansi was dehydrated, and his legs were on the verge of turning back into a fishtail.
Still, despite all that, Lansi was in an unusually good mood.
Seeing the wealthy district with his own eyes was completely different from merely hearing about it from others.
However, after the excitement faded and he finally had time to think quietly, his mind became a complete mess.
That night, when it was time to sleep, Lansi refused to stay with Wen Yu.
Instead, he transformed his legs back into a fishtail and soaked alone in the bathtub in the adjacent bathroom while frantically searching for information about this world on the tablet Wen Yu had given him.
He had searched the internet before, but back then he had only skimmed through the world's basic background without looking too deeply into society itself.
Now, however, Lansi wanted to understand how humanity truly lived in this apocalyptic world and how people had adapted to survive.
And once he started searching, he ended up researching the entire night.
The next morning, Wen Yu walked into the bathroom and immediately burst into laughter.
Lansi was still sprawled inside the bathtub, his beautiful fishtail lying carelessly in the water.
The white tail gleamed brilliantly beneath the light. Now that it had absorbed enough water, every scale shimmered like diamonds. Yet the very tip of the tail drooped sluggishly, making it obvious—just like its owner—that he had stayed awake all night.
The moment Lansi saw Wen Yu enter, he lifted his head while holding a small red octopus plushie and greeted him weakly.
Wen Yu glanced at the octopus briefly, but his attention was quickly drawn to the enormous dark circles under Lansi's eyes.
He raised an eyebrow.
"You stayed up all night?"
"Yeah."
Lansi weakly held up the tablet toward him.
"I was watching recruitment advertisements."
The advertisement playing on the tablet was accompanied by passionate, exciting music. The camera swept rapidly across vast swamps and endless seas before shifting to groups of reserve soldiers marching neatly down clean roads. Finally, the video ended with an inspirational speech.
Although the video itself was short, Lansi had replayed it countless times and extracted an enormous amount of information from it.
After becoming reserve soldiers, recruits were required to participate in military expeditions.
Officially, these expeditions were called "trials," but in reality, they were missions that sent recruits to explore dangerous outer territories and defend the frontier.
If a reserve soldier survived the first mission, they could officially become full soldiers.
"Being a soldier really pays well."
Lansi sighed.
"You're basically risking your life for money."
According to the advertisement, the requirements for becoming a reserve soldier were extremely low. It did not matter whether someone was fat or thin, tall or short, male or female. As long as they were not criminals, they could participate in the first collective mission.
And if they survived, they would gain the chance to enter the wealthy district and completely change their social class through military achievements.
Such enormous rewards tempted countless people into joining the brutal meat grinder that was the reserve army, gambling their lives for a chance at glory and wealth.
The reason the Alliance organized recruitment drives every year was also very simple—
They needed manpower to deal with the annual beast tide.
After the apocalypse, large portions of land had been swallowed by the sea, and nearly all surviving creatures had undergone mutation.
But no matter how much those creatures evolved, they still lacked human technology.
Humans could barely survive within the protection of high walls and advanced systems.
The mutated animals and plants outside those walls could not.
Driven by instinct and hunger, the creatures surrounding the cities attempted to break through human defenses every September and October in order to feed on humans.
That was why every year, humanity required huge numbers of soldiers to patrol the outer walls and prevent mutated creatures from destroying the defenses.
This year's situation was even more severe.
Because of the recent abnormal weather conditions, black storms had appeared far more frequently than usual, causing the beast tide to arrive earlier than expected.
According to the recruitment advertisement, if Lansi submitted an application, he would need to report to the registration point in the lower district within the next few days.
Lansi raised his head and asked,
"If I go to the lower district… can I directly reach the sea from there?"
"No."
Wen Yu shook his head.
"It'll still take some time."
Although reserve soldiers seemed insignificant, and many of them died on the battlefield every year, it was undeniable that they still helped reduce part of the beast tide's impact on human settlements. In a sense, those soldiers who died were heroes.
The leaders of the Survivors Alliance were not foolish enough to ignore that.
They placed great importance on the new reserve soldiers recruited each year.
Because of that, they would not simply throw inexperienced recruits directly onto the battlefield.
On one hand, it was to reduce casualties and slow the rapid loss of population.
On the other hand, they wanted to train the soldiers step by step. If they were lucky, perhaps another person like Wen Yu might emerge from among them.
For that reason, the recruitment and assembly points for reserve soldiers were deliberately established near the wealthy district, giving recruits a transitional buffer period.
After the reserve soldiers gathered, officers would lead them through training while also assigning them to handle various tasks in the lower districts.
During that time, they would learn combat skills as well as professional knowledge about identifying mutated animals and plants.
At each stage, once the officers believed their recruits had passed the assessment and were ready to advance, they would gradually bring them farther outward toward the city's edge—
Until eventually, the recruits would reach the base of the high walls and receive their first real mission.
Patrolling the outer perimeter of the walls.
That would also be the moment when Lansi came closest to the sea—
And his best opportunity to escape and return to it.
"Okay. I understand."
Lansi climbed out of the bathtub and sat nearby, waiting for the water on his tail to dry so it could transform back into legs.
"What about you? Aren't you my orderly commander?"
"I'll be participating in this recruitment as well."
Wen Yu replied calmly.
"Throughout the entire recruitment process, I'll be both your commander and your instructor."
Lansi opened his mouth slightly.
For some reason, he felt that was not a good thing at all.
…
That afternoon, Wen Yu began teaching Lansi hand-to-hand combat techniques.
At first, Lansi had been extremely confident.
With a mermaid's overwhelming physical abilities and natural strength, he believed he would easily dominate Wen Yu.
And in the beginning, his prediction proved correct.
Thanks to a mermaid's exceptional dynamic vision and reaction speed—far beyond human limits—Lansi managed to overpower Wen Yu almost immediately despite having virtually no combat experience.
The difference shocked Wen Yu.
However, as time dragged on, Lansi's stamina gradually wore down under Wen Yu's deliberate pacing and combat experience.
Slowly, the situation reversed.
In the end, Wen Yu won.
Mostly because he accidentally stepped on Lansi's foot.
Now Lansi sat crouched in the corner, emotionally devastated.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to."
Wen Yu crouched behind him, apologizing carefully.
"How about you step on me too?"
"Is that even the same thing?!"
Lansi suddenly turned around. Tiny white droplets splashed onto the floor as he glared at Wen Yu with teary eyes, looking especially aggrieved.
"You just couldn't beat me, so you deliberately stepped on me! Don't you know that's basically my tail?!"
For Lansi, the moment Wen Yu stepped on his foot had been unforgettable.
The instant it happened, Lansi felt as though his soul had left his body.
It was like a giant spike had suddenly pierced straight through him from the sole of his foot to the top of his head.
It hurt so much the fish nearly died.
And because Lansi's feet were smaller than Wen Yu's, he had not even been able to pull away once he got stepped on.
Wen Yu looked extremely guilty as he defended himself weakly.
"If this were a real battlefield, the enemy wouldn't care whether your feet hurt."
"Are you the enemy?"
Lansi shot back immediately.
"...No."
Wen Yu's voice weakened considerably.
"Then is this a battlefield?"
"...No."
Wen Yu tilted his head slightly.
"Do you want me to massage your feet?"
Massage?!
Lansi instantly stood up in outrage.
Then, using his still-uninjured foot, he viciously stomped onto Wen Yu's shoe, leaving behind a clear footprint.
Wen Yu: "..."
It seemed a mermaid's feet really were their weakness.
Even their overall strength weakened considerably once their feet were injured.
After successfully taking revenge, Lansi unilaterally declared the training session over.
He limped weakly toward the living room, preparing to soak in the bathtub again and turn his legs back into a tail so he could check whether Wen Yu had somehow kicked something important out of place.
But just as he passed through the living room—
"Ding dong—"
The sound of the doorbell suddenly rang out.
Both Lansi and Wen Yu stopped at the same time.
"Ding dong—"
Lansi turned to look at Wen Yu.
"Is it Carl and Rose?"
"No. If they were coming, they would've informed me beforehand."
Wen Yu found it strange as well.
If the visitor were Dr. Murin, the man would have sent several bizarre messages in advance instead of politely ringing the doorbell.
Lansi did not think too deeply about it. He walked over first and checked the smart security screen beside the door.
Standing outside was Michael, dressed neatly in a formal suit.
Those green eyes left a strong impression on people, so Lansi recognized him immediately.
Turning back toward Wen Yu, Lansi asked,
"It's Michael outside. Do you want to see him?"
Wen Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.
Clearly, he had no idea why Michael had suddenly come over.
"Let him in."
Wen Yu said calmly.
"Let's see what he wants."
That was exactly what Lansi wanted as well.
He opened the door directly and smiled politely at Michael.
"Can I help you?"
Michael smiled in return and handed over a bottle of wine along with a box of small cakes.
"I came to visit you."
After speaking, he glanced toward Wen Yu, who was standing behind Lansi, before adding naturally,
"And while I'm here, I might as well visit Colonel Wen Yu too."
Five minutes later, Michael sat in the living room with a glass of boiled water placed in front of him.
His expression remained perfectly natural, but after observing Lansi and Wen Yu sitting side by side for a while, his gaze gradually lowered—
Until it landed directly on Wen Yu's military boots.
The footprint on them was impossible to miss.
"Ahem… so, what brings you here?"
Seeing Michael stare at the footprint, Lansi's face instantly turned red.
He quickly coughed several times to force Michael's attention away from Wen Yu's shoes.
"Oh, it's actually nothing important."
Michael remained calm and composed, his green eyes looking especially sincere and harmless.
"I mainly came to thank Lansi for saving Loma before. And since we're neighbors, I thought I'd stop by for a visit."
"Oh?"
Wen Yu let out a cold sneer from beside Lansi, making it obvious he did not believe a single word.
"Well… the main reason is actually because Lansi and I got along very well."
Michael smoothly changed his explanation without hesitation.
Lansi remained expressionless.
Who exactly was this man trying to fool?
"I'm serious."
Michael looked directly at Lansi as he spoke.
"I learned that Lansi is from District 25, while I'm from District 26. You could say we're practically fellow townsmen."
Then Michael paused briefly before continuing,
"Lansi, do you know about the reserve soldier review system?"
Seeing Michael suddenly become serious, Lansi instinctively straightened his back.
"What's that?"
"The reserve corps first gathers in Zone C42 before gradually advancing toward the outer walls."
Michael smiled lightly as he explained.
"Every year, a large number of people from the lower districts enlist. In order to preserve the army's 'purity,' the military established a review team."
"Whenever the review team reaches a region, they randomly select soldiers who claim to have been born or raised there. Then they investigate their birthplace and living environment. If they find problems with someone's background or character, that person is removed from the army."
To put it bluntly—
It was political screening.
Lansi fell silent.
There were so many recruits every year. Since the inspections were random, perhaps he would never be selected.
But he could not stop himself from thinking—
What if his luck was terrible and he got chosen immediately?
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Wen Yu asked directly.
"Nothing much."
Michael smiled lightly.
"I'm only reminding Lansi. Oh, right—I also know quite a few people in District 25. If you ever run into trouble, you can come to me."
"So that's why you came here?"
Wen Yu's expression darkened slightly.
"To be honest, I could easily interpret what you're saying as a threat."
"Why would it be a threat? I'm simply happy to meet someone from a neighboring district."
Michael looked at Wen Yu, clearly trying to use his gentle green eyes to appear harmless and ease Wen Yu's suspicion.
"Well, after saying all that, there actually is something I wanted to ask of Colonel Wen Yu."
Without waiting for either Wen Yu or Lansi to respond, Michael continued speaking on his own.
"The company selected me to accompany the military during inspections of grain warehouses and branch facilities in the lower districts."
This was the only path available for promotion.
The only problem was that the timing was terrible.
During inspections, if anything went wrong, there was a very real chance of being dragged away and killed by mutated beasts that broke through the defenses.
Michael's expression finally became serious.
This time, it genuinely seemed like he was speaking about his real purpose rather than the earlier roundabout hints.
"I know this trip may be extremely dangerous. So I shamelessly came to ask for your help, Colonel. I hope Colonel Wen Yu can pay a little extra attention to me and my team."
"You could've asked someone else."
Wen Yu spoke calmly.
"Why choose me?"
After all, Wen Yu's reputation among humans was notoriously poor. Normally, no one seeking protection would choose him as their first option.
"That's because Lansi and I are practically fellow townsmen."
Michael smiled again, looking completely relaxed and at ease.
"I'm hoping that because of this connection, Colonel Wen Yu might take a bit more care of our team."
On the surface, the explanation sounded reasonable.
Yet the entire conversation still carried a strange undertone.
"This was the real reason for my visit today."
Michael stood up and bowed politely toward both of them.
"I'll be relying on you."
Michael truly deserved his reputation as a high-ranking executive.
He maintained the perfect distance between himself, Wen Yu, and Lansi—not too close, yet not too distant either. Everything about his attitude felt natural and comfortable, leaving no obvious flaws to criticize.
After Michael left, Lansi and Wen Yu exchanged glances.
Both of them instinctively felt that something was wrong.
Although Michael repeatedly claimed he only wanted protection and assistance from Wen Yu, both Lansi and Wen Yu understood that the request for "protection" was merely an excuse.
What Michael truly wanted to discuss was the earlier topic—
The review system.
He was hinting at something.
Warning them about something.
"He's really exhausting to deal with."
Lansi complained helplessly.
"Clever people are so annoying. Everything they say goes in circles. Doesn't he get dizzy talking like that?"
Wen Yu reached over and rubbed Lansi's head, sounding oddly comforted.
"That's exactly why I like you."
Lansi: "..."
Was Wen Yu implying that he is stupid?