The headquarters went all out for this award ceremony, even bringing in a filming crew to record the event, with plans to play the footage on the base’s large screens.

At the moment, there are no TVs in the base, and ordinary people don’t have access to the internet. It’s pretty bleak.

There are only a few large electronic screens set up at fixed locations, which occasionally show important messages or news.

When Qin Luo and his team arrived, they found out that it wasn’t just their squad receiving awards; several other battle squads were being honored as well. These other squads ranged in size from seven to twelve members, while theirs had the fewest.

More importantly, Qin Luo’s team had casually dressed in their usual clothes, but when they arrived, they saw the other squads looking like they were attending a formal event.

Some were even wearing suits.

Qin Luo was stunned, and Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu almost burst out laughing.

Wang Weihou also felt embarrassed for the squad in suits. It was just too awkward.

But all of that was unimportant.

They were treated like tools, and for the sake of better video effects, they had to rehearse the ceremony. The new officers seemed like a pain, and they weren’t very polite toward the battle squads.

Chen Xiaofei couldn’t help but ask Bai Shu, “What’s the deal with these new officers? They’re really big on themselves.”

Although they trusted the headquarters and believed everyone was working hard for the future of humanity, there were always some bad apples in the bunch.

Bai Shu pushed up his glasses and whispered, “Those who commit many injustices will eventually perish.”

Even in the apocalypse, people like that wouldn’t last long. The public wouldn’t tolerate them.

In these times, people respected only the strong.

Real strength is in battle power.

After attending such a phony award ceremony, the rewards they received were tangible at least. The new officers didn’t dare to steal the prizes given by headquarters.

Team 3A received the latest electronic wristbands and vouchers to upgrade their weapons. They could take the vouchers to the artisan department to have their weapons enhanced. The voucher was the most valuable reward.

The artisan department was located near the city center in a newly built, round building with nine floors. It gathered the strongest ability users specializing in crafting. Many of the base’s products, like earpieces and wristbands, were made by them.

The new battle vehicle they received as a reward was also modified by the artisan department.

The design was amazing!

They hadn’t even used all of the vehicle’s functions yet, but it was clear it could handle real danger.

Currently, even in the black market, it was priceless. Only official rewards could provide it.

Qin Luo and his team were really excited when they got the vouchers. Qin Luo, in particular, was thrilled because his favorite weapon was his dual-edged blade. Wang Weihou had been wanting a good pair of boxing gloves, Bai Shu definitely wanted a better gun, and Chen Xiaofei hadn’t decided yet, but he had always wanted something like throwing knives. With his wind abilities, it would make him invincible!

On their way to the artisan center, they kept discussing weapons. After all, what man didn’t love weapons? They were all so excited.

“By the way, what’s our little team leader going to enhance? Each person gets one chance. Don’t waste it!”

They all looked at her in unison.

The voucher was linked to each individual, and everyone only had one chance.

It couldn’t be transferred.

Weapons could be personally bound to the user. There was a psychic ability user at the artisan center who could bind weapons to one’s soul.

As soon as Xiaoduo heard Chen Xiaofei’s question, she immediately pulled out her beloved chainsaw!

The four of them fell silent and then couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up!

Only she would do that!

They took the bus to the city center, and on the bus, everyone kept their composure. Even the mutated humans sat quietly in corners, doing their best not to disturb others.

Most people on the bus were ordinary humans, but they used to be wealthy before the apocalypse. The true ordinary people were too busy with survival to be out shopping.

They also couldn’t afford it.

Although the world had been reshuffled, the social class structure hadn’t disappeared.

It still existed.

But now, having an ability made ordinary humans envy you immensely.

Just the lifespan extension alone was a huge advantage.

The most basic ability users could live for about two hundred years, as long as they didn’t die in battle. Higher-level ability users had even longer lifespans. This was the age of the strong.

However, there were downsides to being an ability user. They had to go on missions and participate in various defense battles, which were far more dangerous than being protected as an ordinary person.

For instance, during last night’s fierce typhoon, ordinary people stayed indoors, but ability users had to go on missions, enduring all kinds of bad weather.

On the other hand, ability users earned points more easily and weren’t afraid of infection. While the zombie virus could kill ordinary people, it couldn’t harm ability users. In short, there were pros and cons.

Qin Luo and his team still preferred having abilities. Ordinary people had protection, but if the person protecting them died, they’d be left to die, and that was just too passive. It was better to improve their own abilities.

【Ding dong, Hope Road has arrived at the station. Please exit from the rear door. Next stop: Guangming Road…】

After they successfully got off the bus, they saw the round building. The top of the building was decorated with shapes like hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers. It looked quite magical, and there were a lot of people going in and out.

They showed their vouchers at the security desk, and they were let inside.

The first floor was full of exhibition halls.

There were robots, modified vehicles, weapons—basically a paradise for combat enthusiasts.

Qin Luo’s eyes lit up, and even Xiaoduo, seeing him so excited for the first time, exclaimed, “Wow, this is so cool! Incredible, amazing!”

Chen Xiaofei and the others also couldn’t help but exclaim in excitement, already looking forward to their personalized weapons.

Just then, someone came to guide them to the second floor, where the weapon modification discussions were taking place. They were given a form to fill out, detailing what weapon modifications they wanted, what kind of weapons they were hoping for, and the features they desired.

“After you fill out the form, the artisan department will make the best weapons for you. You can trust the quality of the materials, and you can pick up your modified weapon with the voucher.”

Qin Luo quickly filled out the form and then said, “The artisan department’s products are always top-notch. We’re not worried. Just let them do their thing!”

He decided to upgrade his dual-edged blade because it was the weapon he was most comfortable with.

Wang Weihou wrote that he wanted a pair of boxing gloves, Bai Shu wanted a good gun, and Chen Xiaofei wanted throwing knives.

The service desk lady then looked at the only female member of their team.

Recently, gossip about Team 3A had been all over the forums, especially after they made such a splash last night.

That huge swarm of mutated bats! Their team managed to make it out unscathed??

Incredible!

The people on the forums were either shocked or amazed. For the first time, they saw Team 3A’s true combat strength! There was no one who wasn’t impressed.