The Card Apprentice

There was an enormous troop setting up a camp in the woods. It was not easy for a troop containing of thousands of members to camp in the wild as it required a lot of work. They had to survey the surrounding land to make sure they did not trespass the territory of some ferocious beasts, at the same time, secure the source of water. The team was mainly made up of seasoned and senior card artisans. They were more experienced than Chen Mu in this aspect. However, it still took a long time for the team of thousands to explore during the jungle trekking.

Jungle trekking at such an enormous scale was a very difficult thing for any of the card artisan teams. Till now, the military was the only party who had carried out professional research on this. However, the performance of the communication equipments could barely keep up with the standard of the military’s needs. Hence, most of the studies regarding jungle trekking were actually vain attempts. They normally relied more on the experience of the jungle experts.

On the high ground circumfering the base camp, there were two card artisans guarding the place every 500 meters.

“Bear! Bear! Is there any issue?”

“Iron Rhino! Clear!”

“Tiger! Tiger! Is everything alright?”

“Iron Rhino! All clear!”

…

Every card artisan was equipped with a unique telecommunication card. The card could ensure their communication with each other within a diameter of 150 kilometers. ‘Iron Rhino’ was their secret code tonight. Initially, there was dispute regarding the decision of the secret code. Everyone had their own suggestions. Then they saw Wei-ah once again brought back another beast, they decided to make whatever beast Wei-ah brought back as their secret code of the day.

…

Tonight, Wei-ah brought a Winter Iron Rhino back!

Under the night sky, a few disc-shaped card appliances were flying around in the sky above the camp quietly. The card appliances containing of a powerful probe card were very useful although it was in the winter woods. In the base camp, there were three scouting cars that were specially modified from the jungle shuttles. For 24 hours, team members took turns in the scouting cars, constantly checking on the informations sent by the card appliances.

“Before this, I would have never believed anyone who told me that forest life is easy,” Fu Dong said sentimentally as he drank his warm meat stew.

Wen Renhong took a glimpse at the shut forest shuttles with an evil gaze, as he agreed, “I didn’t know that boss even possessed forest communication technology. If I’m right, isn’t Central Island Firm the only party who owns the forest communication technology?”

High security was enforced on the shuttles. Besides Chen Mu, Wei-ah and a few others, everyone else was forbidden to go near to the shuttle. There was no exception for the grade seven card artisans.

Their eyes were filled with thoughts and wonders.

Qiu Shanyu sat beside the fire and was slowly drinking the hot stew. The other card artisans remained a few meters away from her. For as they knew, Qiu Shanyu’s origin was a mystery. They had never heard of her speaking. Moreover, Chrysanthemum and the Hit Man always treated her in a weird manner.

“How many days has it been since boss’ last appearance?” Kuangshi asked. Since the day they gathered the winter gland of the Snow Bear, she had been hoping Chen Mu to make a card for her.

Fu Dong answered, “It’s been five days.”

Wen Renhong chuckled, “Shi Shi, it’s useless for you to feel anxious. Boss is not a fool. If he makes us cards now and accidentally raises a few tigers in his own den, then he would be bringing trouble to himself.”

He took a glimpse at Wu Jie after he spoke.

Fu Dong gently furrowed his brows, “Don’t speak groundlessly!”

Wen Renyong laughed nonchalantly, “Nonetheless, we all know it clearly.”

As usual, Wu Jie did not bother to even look at them.

Qiu Shanyu continued to silently drink the meat stew as though whatever happened before her eyes was completely irrelevant to her. In fact, she was very anxious. She had no clue if Faya had started to act upon Scarlet Card Artisan Team. What she had observed from the past few days made her realize how powerful was the energy of the man, whom she did not expect to be so shady! If Faya could form an alliance with this man, their ability would increase rapidly!

After many years of work, the battle shuttle car was the only result from Faya. The remaining projects were left hanging. However, the card appliances she had witnessed in the past few days was beyond her imagination. Chen Mu’s status in her heart skyrocketed. She believed that if Chen Mu was willing to lend his hand to Faya, they would be able to create breakthroughs in all the stagnant projects.

She only wished that the superiors did not overlook her opinion this time but quickly pressurize the Scarlet Card Artisan Team as this could be the easiest way to earn Chen Mu’s favour.

In her opinion, the Scarlet Card Artisan Team was already doomed.

Drenched, Rafael lied on the ground weakly. The card artisans around him looked at him in admiration.

Bei Ling could not be bothered by the fact that he was dirty, and helped him up with strenuous effort. She ranted, “How can boss assign you with such a ridiculous plan? If this happened in the academy, he would’ve been charged with intentional homicide!”

Rafael gritted his teeth in agony, yet, could not help but reply, “That’s not true. Boss is doing this for my own sake.”

“I know,” Bei Ling said as she bit her lips and slowly dragged him into the tent with her greatest effort. Warm water had already been prepared inside the tent. A pit with a depth of approximately one meter was made impromptu and the wall of the pit was coated with solid materials. The pit was turned into a simple pool, filled with warm water.

Bei Ling pushed Rafael into the pool. She giggled as two faint dimples appeared on her cheeks, “Drowned rat!”

Rafael moaned out of comfort. Bei Ling sat beside the pool and said, “I didn’t know you admire boss that much.”

“It’s only natural for me to admire him,” Rafael said without contemplating, “I could only achieve what I have today because of boss’ nurturing. You’ll never expect that, six months ago, my perception was only at level-4.”

“What? How is that possible?” Bei Ling exclaimed with her mouth covered.

“Ha! It’s true. That’s why I’ll carry out all the plans boss customized for me no matter how strict it is. They may not understand what’s the benefit of the plans, but I can understand it clearly,” he said proudly, “All the card artisans who have worked under boss have improved greatly. Without boss, I’ll not be who I am today. I belong to boss forever!”

Bei Ling tilted her head. She said as she bit her fingernail, “Well, it seems to be a good idea to follow boss if he’s as good as you said.”

Finally, Chen Mu exited the jungle shuttle. He appeared to be a little lethargic, yet his eyes were filled with joy and energy.

They had been executing strict military discipline at the base camp. The patrolling card artisans carried the aura of a soldier as all their actions were uniformed and stiff. The base camp was very quiet at night. All of the card artisans were worned out by the full day training and had fallen asleep soundly at this hour.

As Fu Dong and the rest saw Chen Mu exiting, they quickly stood up.

Xiaobo and Sang Hanshui hurriedly walked towards Chen Mu while the rest of them sensibly stayed at their own places.

“Boss, did you manage to make anything good?” Xiaobo asked excitedly in a low voice.

Sang Hanshui was not as mischievous as Xiaobo. He handed a stack of report to Chen Mu, “Boss, this is the summary of the training for the past few days. There are a few tactical regulations that have been proven to bring a less satisfying result after testing it in real life battles. I’ve recorded all of that down.”

He carried fierceness in his aura and his triangular pair of eyes were sharp and frightening. Being the main instructor leading the troop, it was understandable for him to change his character.

“Good job.” Chen Mu took over the thick report as he requested, “Conduct a competition tomorrow and pick the best team.”

Xiaobo’s eyes beamed with excitement, “Boss, what’s the prize?”

Sang Hanshui, too, was anticipating, as boss would usually cook up something unique.

“A makeover,” Chen Mu said as he read through the report in his hand.

“Makeover?” Xiaobo and Sang Hanshu widened their eyes as they stared at each other. After a moment, Sang Hanshui stammered, “Boss, there are four hundred people in a team.”

“I know. And I’ve prepared six hundred cards,” Chen Mu replied nonchalantly as his eyes never left the report.

“600 cards in five days…” The corner of Xiaobo’s eyes twitched, “Boss, what’s the level of the cards?”

“500 three-star cards and 100 four-star cards. I intended to make more, but, unfortunately, I ran out of materials,” Chen Mu’s gaze still fixed on the report. All the details and issues from the training in the past few days were recorded thoroughly on the report. Sang Hanshui was not a talented captain, yet, he worked diligently and adhered to Chen Mu’s order rigorously.

Xiaobo and Sang Hanshui were completely startled by Chen Mu’s words.

He made 600 cards in five days time. 500 three-star cards and 100 four-star cards! This shocking efficiency was sufficient to badly shame the other card masters.

“Oh right, make sure no one goes near to my jungle shuttle,” Chen Mu added.

Their eyes beamed with excitement. There must be a secret hidden in the jungle shuttle car if boss was able to make 600 cards in five days. Boss must have invented something incredible!

They exchanged glances with each other, and coincidentally, both their gazes were filled with a murderous aura!

They would certainly destroy anyone who went near to the jungle shuttle!

The rest of the people saw that boss was mumbling to Chrysan and the Hit Man. They tried their best to eavesdrop, yet, failed to hear anything.

The next morning, Sang Hanshui and Xiaobo made an announcement simultaneously. A competition would be held among all the teams, including the youth team. All the aspects would be taken into account in the judging process, especially the application of their tactical skills. There was exception for the youth team.

All the card artisans were very enthusiastic. It wasn’t a joke. Boss was conducting a competition right after he left the shuttle. Everyone could easily deduce that there must be something rewarding prepared in the shuttle.

The team leaders were meticulously working on their final preparation. They were the first batch of team leaders that were trained personally by boss. None of them wished to disappoint boss in their first competition.

As the competition commenced heatedly, Chen Mu was still dwelling on the tactical regulations. He had only realized that it was an extremely complicated work to lead a team. All of the tactical regulations, except two, that he had customized were not exactly practical.

However, without any guidance, he could only depend on himself.

Why the need to do so? Why can’t I do it the other way? Why…

He racked his brain for a better plan. Initially, the progress was quite lagging. However, as time passed, he understood more things and he became more confident.

Most of the aspects on the battlefield was based on calculation!

Amount, power, time, space, mental and other factors were needed to be taken into account to form a complex plan.

Chen Mu had learned incredibly a lot about the details in battle after handling all of the miscellaneous things. The typical tactical executives would learn about the theory before they applied the theories practically. They were guided by seniors and thus able to learn efficiently.

But, it was different for Chen Mu. No one was there to teach him about the theories. He had to understand the regulations before him on his own before he could apply and prove its usefulness during training. It was impossible for him to make a perfect plan. In fact, the regulations were severely lacking. However, his mindset was essentially different from the tactical executives who went through the standard learning process.

Hence, his team would become a completely distinctive team.

The winner was finally crowned after three days of competitions.

The fifth team had won the final victory. Chen Mu rewarded them with 100 four-star cards and 300 three-star cards on the spot. The fifth team went through a complete makeover!

The other four teams and the youth team were extremely envious. They did not foresee the winner to be rewarded with such great prizes.

The team leader of the fifth team grinned from ear to ear as he received the 400 cards. The second he took the cards, his hands shivered and his gaze were painted with disbelief.

There was a clear mark below all of the 400 cards: An alphabet ‘C’ and a serial number.

400 numbered series of cards! Blood gushed to the brains of the other team leaders, who were witnessing. My God! They were all numbered series of cards! They should have known better and try to win the competition with all their might!

They were overwhelmed by grudges and regret. They returned to their respective teams in extreme jealousy. That night, all the team members had received order that their training would be doubled from tomorrow onwards!

The 15 grade seven card artisans were dumbfounded.

400 cards!

It was not one or two cards! Boss rewarded them with 400 cards!

He made 400 cards in five days!

This gave an impactful shock for all the grade seven card artisans. Their expressions changed significantly, then turned to Chen Mu with a curious gaze. How did he produce 100 four-star cards and 300 three-star cards in just five days…

Some of the smarter card artisans were stunned by their own guesses.

If that was really the case…

The capability of the fifth team became the top among the troops. A quarter of them now owned a four-star card! Moreover, a four-star numbered series of card! Shortly after that, they received an order from boss for them to promptly submit a tactical report of the cards.

The new tactics came along with the new cards.

The team leader of the fifth team immediately regained his composure from the overexcitement. That night, an emergency meeting was conducted among the members. All the tasks were assigned immediately to all the members. They had gotten all the limelight to themselves this time and they were really thrilled. The enthusiasm of the members was boosted never like before. They had more or less undergone some basic tactical lesson. As for the card artisans who were rejected by the military, they were very eager to prove their worth this time!

The next day, Chen Mu officially named the team as Wood Word Camp!

Xiaobo was secretly mocking their boss for copying the name of Tan Yumin’s Yuzi Military Force. However, nobody objected the idea. The fifth team was now officially named as the first team and the members were very proud of the new title. The remaining four teams were demolished and reshuffled according to the results of the contest. This arrangement had once again elevated the spirit of all the members.

The brand new Wood Word Camp was slowly developing into a decent team under Chen Mu’s considerably crude touch.