Chapter 8: The Arrival Of Seasoned Army Veterans

What appeared in place of the first-grade Leufons holograph image were a bunch of silver-skinned creatures. They had a bit of similarity with the first-grade Leufons, but there were a lot more differences.

With a single short horn protruding from their forehead, their eyes emitted a scarlet glow, and they stood as two-legged creatures. Unlike the first-grade Leufons, they stood upright like humans, but their body structure was nothing human-like.

"These are grade two Leufons. They are considered to be as intelligent as human teenagers, and they give orders to the first-grade Leufons.

Do not underestimate them just because they look less intimidating. They are way stronger than the first-grade Leufons. They just happen to be less violent, and this is one of the reasons they are the least dangerous extraterrestrial species we have identified so far.

Unlike the other two alien species that have reportedly killed, the second-grade Leufons tend to avoid confrontation with humans. However, they are still very strong, and not even a single second-grade Leufon has been killed in the line of battle since our first encounter with them," Instructor Anne explained lengthily.

"Maybe they're just curious about us then," Dennis stated from behind.

This caused heads to turn in his direction, making Dennis realize he had spoken out loud.

"You may be right since human teenagers tend to want to be curious about everything and try out unexpected stuff because of how their young brains are wired," Instructor Anne nodded.

"They have killed humans before. We can't assume that they are just a curious bunch," Instructor Gerrad voiced from the side.

"It was just a theory," Dennis wasn't sure since he was only just speculating.

"The second-grade Leufons have high speed and strength and can rip a person in half with a single swipe of their claws, but they're are lacking in defence compared to the first-grade Leufons. The first-grade leufons have an outer covering that makes it difficult for any artillery or projectile to break through their skin. The best method of taking them down is striking at their open spots where their outer covering doesn't extend to," Instructor Anne said while the holographic displays showed the small space in between the neck area and shoulder as well as some other areas that were weaker than others.

'I didn't strike any of those spots, yet I was able to kill them... I don't think the instructors are aware of the strength of the original UVS suit,' Dennis thought.

"As for the second-grade Leufons, even without such protection, they are still much more difficult to defeat. Although no one has managed to take down any of them in the past, it is possible with the UVS suit," She continued speaking.

"We are unaware of the motives behind the Leufons' occasional appearance on the planet since the first grades that have been abducted from the battlefield in the past are unable to give us any information. Should you lots encounter any grade two Leufons in the future, you are expected to try your best in bringing them in alive," Instructor Anne stated, causing the place to erupt with murmurs.

"Didn't you guys just say they were more dangerous?" Darrin questioned from the side with a sleepy expression.

"Unlike the other aliens who have performed acts that give us an insight as to what their motives are, the leufons haven't done so. Their intentions are extremely unclear, so you are required to try your best to bring back a second grade should you encounter them," Instructor Gerrad sounded firmly.

"Meh," Darrin just shrugged and went back to being passive.

Instructor Anne resumed, explaining more about the Leufons and the multiple locations where they had been spotted in the past.

The lecture on all the information gathered on the Leufons went on for another hour before Instructor Anne rounded up.

Dennis learned a lot more about the situation of the earth from this lecture and started to draw some speculations in his mind.

He was still curious about the other extraterrestrial lifeforms that had been identified, but one thing he knew from his memories was that the most dangerous ones were responsible for humans having to build shelters.

THE XINTROPIANS!

"A gentle reminder... the inspectors will be arriving tomorrow to witness the UVS prototype upgrade test and pick ten Modified Combatants for a special one-week training," Instructor Anne announced before everyone could disperse.

"I will let you lots in on a secret... it won't just be a special one-week training for the lucky ten," Instructor Anne voiced in a nearly whispering tone.

"Fiscal solutions,"

The instant she uttered these words, everyone's eyes widened slightly in astonishment and interest.

"Tomorrow's gonna be interesting."

"Oh, I can't wait!"

"I'm getting one for sure!"

The environment turned noisy as they dispersed.

"At least we all know who ain't getting it, hahaha," one of the combatants voiced before following with a flurry of laughter while bumping into Dennis on purpose.

Dennis staggered forward a little before staring at the person who had just spoken, 'Shaun from Second Combatant Unit...' one of Dennis's bullies and quite understandable too.

Dennis recalled that the person would have been on the first unit if it wasn't for him who had a 99% compatibility rate.

Shaun's physical capabilities placed him in tenth position overall, which automatically put him in the First Combatant Unit since every unit had ten Modified Combatants, but they had to place him in the second unit because of Dennis.

Shaun still bore a grudge and would taunt Dennis whenever he got the chance.

Dennis kept walking away undisturbed. He didn't care about that, but what had left him in confusion was the mention of the Fiscal solution and how he wouldn't be getting any.

If tomorrow's test was physically related without the use of the suit, it would make sense for everyone to assume he would perform badly, but that wasn't the case.

Since they would be equipping a UVS even if it was a prototype, his high compatibility rate automatically would enable better performance, which of course meant he had a chance of being amongst the ten.

'This means even if I passed, I wouldn't get the Fiscal solution, but why? And what is this Fiscal solution that has everyone excited,' At that point, Dennis was sure that he was indeed missing a few memories.

He contemplated asking Instructor Anne, but he still had his training regimen to complete for the day, so he hurried to the workout chamber.

....

The next day arrived in a flash, and morning drills began. Since they had a test that day, the morning drills were minimized, cutting out a lot of exercises that they would usually perform.

The Modified combatants ran across the training facility, skimming past multiple terrains and putting their bodies through hazardous tasks once more.

By ten am, a loud alarm rang out.

Diinnn! Diinnn!

Everyone was aware that this wasn't an alarm depicting danger. Instead, it told them the military inspectors had arrived.

It was finally time for their tests, and everyone began to report to a space behind the only mountain in the facility.

Upon arriving, they noticed that a shed had been set up where two men who looked middle-aged stood with slightly wrinkly faces and a few greyish patches on their heads.

The one on the left had a buzz cut along with bushy eyebrows and a goatee. He was averagely built, but he had a very sharp beast-like gaze and an aura of danger that surrounded him. There was no doubt that this man was a seasoned killer who had more experience than Mark did in his past life.

The one on the right was a blond-haired man with shoulder-length hair and a camo-colored eyepatch on his right eye. He had a visible scar line that extended from below the eyepatch down to his chin area. His frame was super broad, and there was no doubt that he was in good shape despite his age.

He ruffled his moustache with a scrutinizing gaze from his left eye as the Modified Combatants trooped into the area.

There was no doubt that these two were the inspectors of the day's test. Black colored cases were arranged before them, which no doubt held what was needed for today's test.

The instructors stood by the left of the two inspectors, donning the appearance of loyal subordinates. Instructor Anne, who was always lofty and jovial, had a serious look on her face, and we knew for sure that they meant business.

'They must have some pretty great accomplishments,' Dennis thought as he strode forward.

Chatter! Chatter! Chatter!

Currently, the vicinity was packed with over two hundred Modified Combatants, making it a little noisy.

"As you lots must have already been briefed, General Gustav and I are here to inspect your performance today. We will also be picking ten lucky combatants for a one-week training," The man on the left with a buzz cut began speaking.