【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

Chapter 516 [Empire] "Actual Combat Training"

We rode in a simple military transport vehicle, leaving the campus and heading towards the familiar post-war ruins. The view outside the car window was still the same shattered ruins, the scent of ruins lingering in the air forever. Those places that had once been the scene of fierce battles were now eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional echo of steel and the sound of piled wood.

In the car, I didn't say anything, just lowered my head and looked out the window silently. Qianmo sat next to me, as if he had long been accustomed to this kind of scene, with his head slightly lowered, as if lost in thought.

The car jolted a few times and stopped. We stepped out, onto the hard pavement beneath our feet. The air was thick with a faint smell of dust and metal. Although the smoke of gunpowder had ceased to linger, the area still bore the marks of battle. The surrounding buildings had largely collapsed, leaving only a few ruins and scattered shattered walls. Occasionally, soldiers or reconstruction workers could be seen busy at work.

"It seems we're just here to do some hard labor this time," I said self-deprecatingly, my tone not quite relaxed, but also without much emotion. After all, this kind of task is something almost every new trainee will experience.

Qianmo didn't respond, but simply followed me into the area where reconstruction was underway. We stood at the back of the group, awaiting further instructions. I looked around and realized this wasn't really a "combat training" exercise, but rather a thorough logistical support mission: clearing the battlefield, repairing facilities, and moving supplies. The trainees who had trained with us were now busy clearing debris, carrying materials, and even assembling makeshift dormitories.

The instructor walked up to us and gave us a blank look. "Your mission today is to help repair the ruins. Move construction materials from the rubble, clear accumulated water, and provide medical assistance if necessary."

I frowned, speechless. While not unexpected, every time I saw this kind of mission, I felt a sense of defeat. We, trained to be combat elites, were once again assigned to perform these basic logistical tasks, as if our abilities were limited to this. Furthermore, the instructor's tone was as cold as ever, as if this was just a routine matter.

"Your mission isn't challenging at all, but please complete it." The instructor's gaze swept over us, finally stopping at Qianmo and me. He didn't seem to consider our presence particularly important. He simply explained the mission and turned to leave.

Qianmo and I exchanged glances, sighed, and began assigning tasks. In this ruined landscape, there was no trace of battle; instead, there was a scene of mechanized recovery. There wasn't even a sense of urgency to clean up the battlefield; only pure labor and repetition remained.

"Go move the wood." Qianmo's voice suddenly rang out, and I looked up to see that he had already begun to move. He didn't show any dissatisfaction, as if he had long been accustomed to these mundane tasks.

I nodded and began to organize my work tools. I knew that in this situation, any dissatisfaction or resistance would be meaningless. The best way was to complete the task as quickly as possible and wait for the next opportunity.

Time passed unnoticed as we carried heavy materials and cleared debris from the ruins. Occasionally, we would come across weapons and equipment left behind from battles, but to us, these were just cold objects that could not arouse much fighting passion.

Qianmo and I divided the work and worked together, quietly carrying out the tasks at hand. Although this wasn't the training we expected, at least completing these tasks was part of our responsibility as "students."