Watching the group of people dressed in camouflage gradually disappear into the distance, Nan Muran quietly breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll give you two extra chicken legs tonight, five each.”

Tank and Da Fu both jumped up excitedly upon hearing this.

“Mu Ge, what do you think of those three military dogs we just saw?” Nan Muran looked at Jia Wu, her eyes filled with a hint of calculation.

“You want to recruit military dogs?” Jia Wu looked at Nan Muran, unable to quite grasp her intentions.

“People are too complicated. Dogs are simpler,” Nan Muran said bluntly.

If she wanted to ensure that the environment around the hillside villa was safe, she had to control the area from the foot of the mountain. Right now, she didn’t have enough people at her disposal.

If Tank, after mutating, could control military dogs, using enough of them to take complete control of the entire hillside would be the best choice.

The four people who had just come up from the basement listened to Nan Muran’s words and exchanged uneasy glances.

For a moment, they weren’t sure whether to step forward or retreat back into the basement.

“You guys awake?” Jia Wu was the first to notice the group at the stairwell.

Nan Muran heard his voice and turned around, seeing the awkward expressions on their faces. She more or less guessed the reason but didn’t bother to explain. “How do you feel?”

“We’re not sure about the situation. We need your help to check,” Si Ye and the others could feel the changes in their bodies, but they didn’t know how to assess their abilities.

“Focus all your energy on a fixed point and try to see if you can do something,” Nan Muran gestured to Chen Dong, who was at the front.

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Dong obediently did as instructed.

Then suddenly, he yelled, “Ahhh… Help me!”

Seeing him completely lose control and crash into a wall at high speed, everyone jumped in alarm.

If he hit the wall directly, Chen Dong’s baby-faced appearance would be completely ruined.

In a split second, Nan Muran’s willow branch quickly shot out, wrapping around Chen Dong’s body and pulling him back just in time.

Chen Dong, who had nearly collided with the wall, gasped, “Damn, you scared me to death.”

“Speed ability. It’s quite effective in combat,” Nan Muran retracted her willow branch.

Chen Dong, thrilled with his change, continued trying to control his ability.

Soon, he started moving around the room faster and faster. “Whoa, this feels amazing. Thanks, Nan Jie!”

Nan Muran almost wanted to remind him that she was younger than him, but then remembered her own tough five years in the apocalypse and chose to remain silent.

Okay, being called “Jie” (Sister) was acceptable.

The others were just as happy for Chen Dong.

Only Wang Qiang, who had just scattered a trace of ash, looked completely downcast, his square face scrunched up in frustration. “What is this? Ash scattering?”

Nan Muran looked at the trace of ash drifting away and couldn’t help but frown.

Is an early-stage awakening of earth abilities this weak?

That shouldn’t be the case. In her previous life, there were plenty of earth abilities that could raise walls from flat ground.

“Earth abilities are actually very good for defensive purposes. At their peak, combined with other abilities, they can build bridges and repair roads effortlessly.”

Though she said this, Nan Muran was doubtful whether Wang Qiang could reach that level.

Wang Qiang, hearing her words, was pleased. Building bridges and repairing roads? Just thinking about it made him excited.

Then it was the turn of the eagle. After focusing, everyone around him felt a slight breeze.

No need to say more—wind abilities. As a natural mutation ability, it could form wind blades and also perform group attacks. Its power would not be weak in the later stages.

Finally, everyone’s gaze turned to the silent Si Ye.

Chen Dong, seeing his captain hesitating, began to feel uneasy. “Captain, you haven’t awakened, have you?”

“That’s not it. I’ve awakened dual abilities…”

“Wow, that’s impressive!”

“Captain is awesome!”

“So, what now?” Nan Muran sensed something was off.

Si Ye looked at everyone with a helpless expression. “The problem is, I can clearly feel their presence, but I can’t use them.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t it supposed to be something you can use after focusing?” Eagle was confused.

Si Ye’s talent should be above theirs, so what was going on now?

Nan Muran also found it strange.

“Watch carefully.” Since Si Ye wasn’t sure how to explain it, he decided to demonstrate.

A visible flame appeared out of nowhere.

Then, suddenly, a waterball appeared from nowhere, extinguishing the flame, neither too big nor too small, just enough to completely douse the fire.

After repeating this three times, everyone understood.

“Captain, you’re literally facing water and fire… they don’t mix.”

Si Ye shrugged helplessly. The good news was that he had awakened dual abilities. The bad news was that his abilities were water and fire, which conflicted with each other in combat.

“You need to first feel the power of both abilities in your body, distinguish their differences, and then use them.”

“This isn’t hard. Just try more times,” Nan Muran wasn’t worried at all. In fact, when awakening dual abilities at the same time, it was common to have difficulty distinguishing between them.

“Are there military dogs outside?” After hearing her words, Si Ye felt relieved but also sensed danger.

The group quickly gathered in front of the monitoring screen.

They saw three military dogs running wildly in the open area in front of the hillside villa. From their gear, it was clear they were trained military dogs.

“These three are impressive,” Eagle said, his eyes lighting up.

Nan Muran looked at him with a hint of surprise. “You know how to train dogs?”

“When it comes to this, Eagle is top-notch,” Chen Dong said, looking at Nan Muran. After all, the entire special operations brigade’s military dogs were under Eagle’s care.

“I want them to become the guard dogs for this forested area. Is that possible?” Nan Muran asked Eagle.

Eagle looked at the three military dogs outside. “In terms of ability, they’re more than enough. But trained military dogs are intelligent and have their own thoughts. They might not want to.”

“This isn’t something you need to worry about. Just take Tank and Da Fu with you, and don’t worry about them not listening,” Nan Muran said, as Tank had already opened the villa’s front door.

Everyone watched as the three military dogs obediently followed Tank into the villa and sat down in a row.

“Mu Ge, prepare some meat for them,” Nan Muran said, acting generous as she looked at the three strong and fierce-looking military dogs.

Upon seeing the dog food and meat in the bowl, the three military dogs’ eyes visibly lit up.

Since the apocalypse began, it wasn’t just humans who had suffered; the dogs had also been poorly fed.

“It should be fine now,” Eagle said, watching the dogs devour their food. He sighed, clearly bought by the food.

Afterward, they began training their abilities while also helping to train the three military dogs.

Nan Muran, meanwhile, started leading Jia Wu on a patrol around the hillside, aiming to eliminate any danger from mutated plants.

“Should we join you today?” Si Ye and the others, now skilled with their abilities, wanted to help with something.

Otherwise, staying in the villa all day, eating and drinking, and being watched by others might make them feel awkward.