During his first night at the military base, Jerry struggled to find sleep. Thoughts of the uncertain future consumed him. Lying on a simple iron bed assigned by Alan, he was among other survivors, all seeking refuge. The base offered security, yet an atmosphere of tension and anxiety permeated the air.
As morning approached, the bugle call of the army roused everyone. They were ushered into a spacious training ground where a middle-aged officer stood atop a podium. He introduced himself as Tom.
"From today," Tom declared, his voice steady and strong, "you will all undergo military training. We'll cover basic tactics and skills. Many of you are civilians, but in these times, every one of us needs to step up and defend our home."
Training started with basic physical exercises and military drills. Jerry, initially overwhelmed, soon found his footing. However, a heavyset man clearly struggled the most, often gasping for breath during runs, but he showed relentless determination.
During a short break, Jerry headed to the medical bay to visit Kellie. She was awake, though her complexion remained pale. Seeing Jerry, Kellie managed a faint smile.
"How's it going?" she rasped.
"Finally, you're awake. Had us all worried," Jerry said, taking a seat next to her.
Kellie tried sitting up, still looking feeble, "How are things here?"
Jerry updated her briefly on the base activities and the heavyset man's struggles, prompting a light chuckle from Kellie: "He's always been so self-centered."
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"Yeah, but right now, we all need to come together," Jerry responded.
After a while, noting Kellie's still frail state, Jerry advised her to rest. As he left the medical bay, he ran into Alan.
"How is she?" Alan inquired.
"She's awake, but still weak," Jerry replied.
Alan nodded, "Don't worry. We have the best medics here. She'll be alright."
With a grateful glance, Jerry said, "Thank you."
Alan simply responded, "In this world, we all need to stand united."
Days at the base settled into a rigorous routine of military training and assignments. Both Jerry and Kellie slowly adapted to this new life, learning shooting, combat, and other tactics. More survivors were continually brought in.
A few days later, Jerry sat contemplating recent events. He realized that his powers were linked to the tissues of creatures he consumed. This explained the wings after eating a mosquito and the agile, clawed arms after drinking cat blood. Yet, numerous questions loomed.
Particularly, the warning from the tiger: Why shouldn't he reveal his true abilities to others? And the wise tiger's words seemed to hint at a larger secret – were the animals planning some major retaliation against humans?
Within the base, Jerry gleaned information about the world's three major powers – the Church, Paradise, and the Government Army.
The Church, a massive group of Christian believers, revered those with superpowers as "Knights". These Knights were the Church's protectors. The Church's leader, self-titled as the "Savior", was a formidable superpowered individual whose exact abilities remained a mystery. The Paradise was a deceptive name for a place comprised of criminals and those desiring unbridled freedom. The strongest ruled, and resources were paramount. Finally, the Government Army, representing stability and order, was what remained of the U.S. military. They had vast resources but few superpowered individuals.
Jerry understood that he was only just beginning to unravel the complexities of this world. He resolved to brave the challenges ahead, aiming to bring hope and light to these tumultuous times.