The strategic team is one of the core institutions of the Federation. Naturally, soldiers are on duty 24 hours a day. In addition to routine inspections of people entering and leaving, they must also be vigilant against various signs of "unintentional" invasion and report them in time.

Dak and Wolfya did not enter directly from the main gate of the iron fence, but chose to walk to the small door for internal personnel to enter and exit, press the red plastic buttons to call on duty.

The uncomfortable sound accompanied by the mesh-like blue light emitted around the buttons, making the originally dark little house by the door become brighter in an instant.

Soon, the sound of mechanical metal running came, and the thick steel plate iron door was slowly opened. A young man wearing a messy dark green uniform of the Federal Army, holding a military cap, and a tired black-haired man walked over.

After yawning heavily and stretching, he asked reluctantly:

“Are you participating in the ‘Military Strategy Study’?”

"Yeah, yes." Dak and Wolfya said at the same time, nodding slightly to show politeness.

"You came so early." The young man on duty said sarcastically:

"You can't say what you are here for. I have to believe what your identity is. Show your ID and the message from the strategic team to you. Otherwise, it won't work if the Federal Chief Executive comes."

"A little doorkeeper treats himself as something!" Dark cursed in his heart:

"Aren't you asked us first? Why did we become fake? This tone... I just wanted to go up and beat me up!"

Although I greeted the young people on duty hundreds of times, when I took out the "Federal Military Member Certificate" and the telegram to participate in "Military Strategy Learning", I couldn't help but smile and basic social etiquette.

After taking the ID, the young man on duty looked around casually for a few times, then returned it back, still yawning, his eyes drooping, and pointed sleepily at the ten-story building at the strategic team station behind him. While walking back, he said:

"There is a residential area behind the office building. You came too late and could only live in a few floors underground. Ha... Christmas is coming soon, and the leaders of the strategic team are not there. Many others... Many people go to the commercial area for holidays. It will be very deserted and no one cares about food. If you are inconvenient, you'd better solve it yourself. However, the old man on duty on the first floor has not left yet, let him... take you down."

Pressing Wolfya's veins bulging arm, Dak also suppressed the urge to beat someone in his heart, gave the young man a blank look, and walked along the cement road with Wolfya to the accommodation area.

Cruzder's winter is mostly a biting cold. Even though the coldest winter solstice has passed, the cold wind and the frost condensed in the air have made Dark almost tremble and he is not willing to stay outside for a second.

Fortunately, the door of the strategic group accommodation area is open all year round, at least on the first floor, with a little subtle dim light.

Opening the iron door and walking into it, Dak and Wolfya chose to walk towards the only room with light. A few seconds later, looking at the door sign of the words "Garage Duty Room", Dak breathed a sigh of relief, bent his fingers and knocked on the door softly.

When, when.

"Here you come." A heavy but slightly old voice came from the door.

The footsteps of the unknown ancient god slaves came as if they were in the dark deep sea. After several seconds, the wooden door of the "guard duty room" was slowly opened "creaking", and an old but majestic face appeared in the eyes of the two.

After only glanced at the two of them, the old man seemed to have instantly learned everything about them. He slowly moved his inflexible right leg, walking towards the worn red leather sofa, and said:

"Come in, you two, it's really late."

"Uh, I'm really sorry, it was too late to receive the order to study." Dark apologized and pulled Wolfya into this not-so-spacious room.

As soon as he entered, a warm breath came to his face. In an instant, Dake felt that he had walked from the cold purgatory to the warm heaven.

"Put the things this night first. I don't think you have the energy to clean up at this time. Don't worry, most of the others have been to Christmas. The one who stayed behind is a kid who likes technology. He stayed in the dormitory all day and spent tinkering with machinery, and didn't even have time to eat. I, the old man, can keep it for you and will not lose it." The old man sat upright and pointed at the luggage on Wolfya and said.

"Oh, OK, thank you." Wolfya thanked in a gentle voice, groped for a while before searching for an open space in the messy room and threw down the heavy backpacks of the two.

"It's very dark, right?" the old man asked with a smile. Then, he groped to the switch behind him. After a "bang", the whole room was filled with incandescent light.

"After living in this boring wasteland world for a long time, I feel less and less disliked. It is actually inaccurate to say 'not like', it should be 'fear' it." The old man smiled and asked Dak to sit down.

"Why, do you hate light?" Dark said puzzledly and looked at the old man.

"The longer a person lives in the darkness, the more he will be assimilated by it. Its change to you is subtle. Perhaps at the beginning, you will occasionally be unable to adapt and shed tears when you see the dazzling light. But the longer you are, the less you will be able to withstand light. On the contrary, the closer you are to the dark world, the more you will like it from the bottom of your heart, as well as the "sense of loneliness" it creates and the "wonderful feeling" that the faint candlelight is shrouded in darkness." The old man said, constantly rubbing his dry eyes.

Dark originally wanted to continue discussing this philosophical issue, but after experiencing the battle with the lost and having a long journey, he felt really tired and simply didn't speak.

The strange old man, Dark and the others seemed not very interested in his arguments. They sighed slightly, stood up with the wall, moved to the red table, and sat down.

"I know you may not be interested in philosophy, but if I could understand these principles earlier, I would not have reached the point where I am today. A struggled life may be painful or interesting. Okay, give me the ID and I will register. But you have to wait a while, I will write very slowly." The old man smiled helplessly.

This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! After taking the IDs of the two, the old man found a pair of glasses, took out a pen, and started registering.

It was also at this moment that Dake focused on the old man and the surrounding environment.

The age of the old man is estimated to be over 60 years old. This age is rare in the Federation under the Wasteland Era. After all, valueless elderly people over 50 will be driven by the Federation to spend the rest of their lives in remote strongholds in the extreme cold realm, unless the factory owner who has a large amount of resources or someone who has made outstanding contributions to the Federation.

Although the old man was a little hunched because of his age, it was not difficult for Dake to see that he was straightening his chest as much as possible, and he felt a sense of majesty. His eyes were dark, his eyes were sharp, his nose was high, his skin was yellow, and he felt a little thin, but he was still quite straight. His face was covered with wrinkles and scars, and the largest piece covered the entire left eye, as if the entire skin was torn off.

If the military uniform he was wearing was remembered correctly, it should be the old style from forty years ago, but the overall style was old, with wrinkles everywhere, and the color was much dim. Dake, who had some understanding of the power of magic, could vaguely feel the unclear energy fluctuations in the old man's chest, but in just one second, the subtle feeling disappeared without a trace.

I stood up and observed the room. In addition to their luggage, there was an old desk, a dirt-covered bed, a row of sofas, small mechanical parts, temporary storage supplies and a fireplace with power. The reddish light emitted inside made Dake feel a natural sense of power.

Looking at the wall, on the dark yellow background is a portrait of Ivan XII of the Cruzed Empire, as well as a photo of Viking Vladimir, who was known as the "trailblazer".

In addition, it is a shabby pure shady curtain, which seems to be something that does not exist after covering the solid walls.

After about four or five minutes, the old man put the pen aside, closed the registration book, got up and handed the ID, the two keys taken out of the drawer and the two "Army Control Area Class II Passes" that had just been filled in.

"Although everyone has been exposed now, you are too late after all, and only the '-317' and '-318' on the edge of the third floor can still be used. It is very dark and there is a lot of smoke and dust in the aisle, so you have to clean it yourself. However, the furnishings of the room are all new, the bathroom can be used, and the electricity is enough, so you don't have to pay. If you want to eat, you can go to the market on the edge of the 'arms control area' and go to the kitchen on the first floor to get it back. It's not only expensive to go to the restaurant, but it's not reimbursable. After all, the canteen will be open, and it will be a week after Christmas." The old man instructed:

"Of course, it's good to go to the capital center if you have time. There will be fireworks on Christmas days. This pass can ensure that you can pass freely in the non-banned areas of the 'arms control area'. I think the boy at the door will definitely give you a look. There is no way. His uncle is the director of the mechanical team of the strategic team. With this, he will not dare to stop you anymore."

A brief thank you. After receiving the certificate, the two walked out of the "duty room" that was restored to the dim state. With their strong night vision ability, they found the place without spending much effort.

After a few simple instructions, the two entered their respective rooms.

As soon as he entered the door, Dak groped at the wall for the switch. After turning on the electrical lights, he looked around and looked at his residence for some time in the future.

The old man was right, everything in the room was brand new.

One bedroom, one bathroom, and a small "workshop", which is not spacious or small.

The room only has a small window on a high place, which seems to connect to the ventilation vents.

The entire wall was pasted with a layer of soft-toned wallpaper. In addition to a single bed, there was also a glass table, a sofa and a writing desk in the bedroom, which was thoughtfully placed with a pen holder, folder, storage box and notebook. It seemed that the Federation really wanted them to receive military training and "learning".

This bedroom seems to have both the functions of a living room and a study.

The tired Dark had no time to check the rest of the room, took off his combat uniform that had already smelled, and wore only a close-fitting cheap shirt, and then rushed to the bed and fell asleep in a daze.

Dak, who was gradually falling asleep, seemed to hear the sound of plants growing and crackling sounds, and he felt his body heavier, as if he was pressed on countless rocks.
Chapter completed!