"Very well," Alex stood up, revealing a rare smile. His abrupt actions the previous day were meant to prompt William and the others to reach this realization. Witnessing the unwavering determination in the eyes of the three teenagers, Alex was ready to begin their training.In the days that followed, Alex devised a comprehensive training plan for the trio. Unlike William and Carl, Arthur possessed no special abilities, so he began with physical conditioning. Arthur's daily regimen involved mountain climbing and running. Thankfully, Arthur had an indomitable spirit, enduring physical exhaustion with grit and determination. His resilience seemed boundless, as he always bounced back energetically after a night's rest.Carl's training plan was relatively straightforward. His cautious nature and sensory-enhancement ability made him an elusive target for monsters. Consequently, Carl's primary goal was to synchronize his body's reaction speed with his enhanced perception. This would enable him to respond swiftly to threats, even if he detected them with his enhanced senses. Additionally, Carl took on the role of procuring supplies from the mountain and providing early warnings of potential monster incursions.As for William's training plan, Alex had some initial doubts but eventually devised a plan tailored to his needs.Considering the different characteristics of William, Carter, and Arthur, Alex developed distinct training plans for each of them. Arthur's training regimen was straightforward yet demanding. Unlike William and Carter, who possessed special abilities, Arthur's focus was solely on enhancing his physical fitness. His daily routine included activities such as mountain climbing, running with weighted packs, and rock climbing. Arthur understood that strengthening his physical endurance was essential for facing the monsters head-on during World War I. He didn't complain about the monotonous and tedious training, realizing its importance. Even if he couldn't defeat the monsters, Arthur wanted the physical strength to protect his friends or make a quick escape.Carter's training plan was more intricate due to his exceptional perception abilities. To harness his full potential, Carter needed to synchronize his body's reaction speed with his rapid perception. Each morning, before dawn, he climbed Yinshan Mountain to train, focusing on improving his coordination between body and perception. As the sun rose, he practiced adapting to changes in his vision.After a short break, Alex engaged in training exercises with Carter. He blindfolded Carter, using his own abilities to send blades flying and creating noise through collisions to disrupt Carter's concentration, thereby honing Carter's hearing. The goal was for Carter to accurately catch stones thrown amid the clamor, enhancing the coordination between his body and hearing. Carter's heightened senses were both a boon and a challenge. For instance, even a faint scent of cologne from William could make Carter uncomfortable, making it difficult for him to discern the presence of monsters by smell alone. To address this, William introduced various strong odors during training, forcing Carter to adapt and locate targets amidst pungent smells.Additionally, Carter ventured down the mountain for supplies every three days, using his abilities to avoid encounters with monsters and reduce unnecessary risks. This practical training proved valuable. They had sufficient funds, as Carter had taken all the money from the butcher shop when they left.However, William presented a challenge. While he possessed great determination, his physical endurance lagged behind. The same training that left Arthur energized left William fatigued and with aching muscles. Unlike Carter, William hadn't grown up understanding his abilities; he'd discovered them only after being attacked by a monster. Thus, he struggled to control and master his power.Alex, unable to help William directly with his abilities, focused on physical training, offering him half of Arthur's training regimen. Half a month passed, during which Lucy's careful nursing helped Alex recover significantly from his injuries. Although not completely healed, the wounds no longer hindered their progress.Arthur remained dedicated to his training, consistently showing boundless energy each day. Carter's mastery of his abilities improved, extending his perception range from 800 to 1000 meters. While his body's reaction speed still trailed behind, he managed to catch three or four out of every ten stones Alex threw at him.However, William struggled to understand and control his abilities. Despite half a month of effort, he made little progress. Thankfully, the physical training had significantly improved his endurance.One day, Carter returned from a supply run with troubling news. "I heard a rumor thatthose monsters are planning to search Yinshan.""Search the forest?" Arthur questioned. "Why the sudden interest in the mountains?""They've been looking for us for a while now," Carter replied. "It's not surprising they'd decide to search the mountains. We've been hiding out here.""I doubt they're searching Yinshan just for me," Alex chimed in. "I don't think they're entirely focused on finding me."William added, "Remember the first few days when our classmates from the group chat kept asking about us?""Yeah," Carter recalled. "They were inquiring about why the three of us gave up on the college entrance exams and missed the graduation party.""Exactly," William continued, "and there's that monster that disguised itself as my father, lurking behind that door. Our schoolmates may have figured out our secret."Their situation grew more perilous as monsters would never tolerate humans who knew their true identities. Fearing exposure in the city, they'd decided to hide in the mountains."We don't have many mountains nearby," William said with concern. "They might find us soon.""Maybe that's a good thing," Arthur said determinedly. "We can catch them off guard in the mountains." Alex intervened, maintaining a calm demeanor. "You've all improved significantly these days, but it's still too early to confront a group of monsters. Let's pack up. We'll leave tonight and get out of here."They embarked on a journey that would take about five days to cross Yinshan Mountain and reach the neighboring city. During this time, they continued their training. They'd set out before the monsters initiated their search in Yinshan Mountain, and their journey had been smooth thus far. However, when they finally reached the outskirts of the city, an unexpected development awaited them.William found himself standing at the edge of the city, gazing at the dense woods ahead. After five long days of travel, they had finally reached the city's outskirts. Beyond this forest lay the mountains of the neighboring city, their next destination. William knew nothing about the world beyond their city's limits. However, due to the existence of those aliens, he expected the outside world to be vastly different from what he had seen on TV. It might be teeming with all sorts of monstrous creatures, even more terrifying and cruel than he could imagine."Are you all ready?" Arthur's sudden shout broke the silence, as if he needed to muster courage for himself and motivate everyone else. Lucy clung tightly to Carter's sleeve, her expression nervous but resolute. Car's eyes were unwavering, and he comforted Lucy with a reassuring touch. Meanwhile, William glanced back at the path they had taken. Although the city's buildings were no longer visible, everything that had happened felt like it had occurred just yesterday."Goodbye," William whispered silently to himself. He was bidding farewell to the city he had called home for 18 years and to his former self."Let's move forward," Alex announced as he produced a key.As they ventured into the woods, the crystal in Alex's hand began emitting a faint red glow. Arthur couldn't contain his excitement. He pointed at the key and exclaimed, "Look, the key is responding!"As they continued forward, the red light within the crystal intensified. William thought to himself, "If this thing is as described in the data, once the red light fills the key entirely, we can leave this nightmarish place."Finally, the red light enveloped the entire crystal. Just as they were preparing to leave with newfound confidence, William suddenly felt dizzy. His head throbbed, and the world before him began to blur. It was as if something were tearing at his very soul. He tried to warn the others, but his body wouldn't respond. Panic surged within him."What's happening?" William's thoughts raced. "Why? Have those monsters caught up to us?" "No, if there were any monsters nearby, Carter would have sensed them.""Damn it! Damn it! We were on the verge of victory, and now this?"William's consciousness grew increasingly hazy. In his dazed state, he seemed to see two familiar figures sitting in front of him. They wore warm smiles and clapped their hands as they spoke. The candlelight flickered, and a cheerful song filled his ears. It was a song he had heard every year, a song that had once brought joy but was now the beginning of his nightmares: "Happy birthday to you, happy every day and happy forever! Happy birthday, William! Blow out the candles!"After a momentary trance, William snapped back to reality. The two people sitting before him were his parents, the same parents who had been ruthlessly killed by Alex."William?" his mother called out. "William, what's the matter with you?"

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