“Sir,” Jason Carter said seriously, “you probably haven’t seen how big the wild wolves outside are these days. In fact, many people in the town have never seen them or dealt with them, but I have. Don’t even mention running into a pack—just a lone wolf is enough. You might as well pick out a grave now.”

Originally, Jason Carter thought David Bolton would refute him, since what he said could undermine the teacher’s authority and dignity.

However, after thinking for a long while, David Bolton suddenly said, “From now on, you can sit in the classroom for lessons, and you’ll teach the survival class.”

For the first time, the school in the settlement outside Refuge Barrier 113 had a substitute teacher.

But Jason Carter didn’t explain in class how, since he had seen lone wolves and even wolf packs, he had managed to survive.

“Task completed, reward: 1.0 strength.”

……

A whole day passed, and Jason Carter still hadn’t found a chance to use that basic skill learning chart. He went to the school because he liked absorbing knowledge, but the knowledge David Bolton possessed wasn’t of much help to his survival for now.

What Jason Carter prioritized now was still survival.

So, since he couldn’t use the chart, there was no way to verify whether everything in his mind really came from his own imagination.

However, Jason Carter kept waiting, because he felt there would be another task.

Now, having completed another task and gained 1.0 strength—a very tangible number—Jason Carter’s sense of his own body was even more direct.

He could even feel the muscles under his clothes starting to bulge slightly. This was truly supernatural—no one could suddenly gain extra muscle strength in just 0.1 seconds.

Now Jason Carter was truly certain that the palace in his mind was indeed a unique ability.

This made Jason Carter feel a kind of wild joy. In fact, he should have been happy long ago, but he was afraid it was all fake.

A person who hunts often must be very familiar with their own body. You need to know how much weight you can carry, and you also need to know just how fast and hard you can punch or strike with a knife.

So Jason Carter immediately assessed his new strength. If a normal adult male is a 3.0, then the old Jason Carter was a 2.5.

He was only 17, so being a bit weaker than an adult was normal. Over the years, he survived in the settlement not because he was strong, but because he was ruthless enough, and also vigilant and calm enough.

Now his strength had surpassed that of a normal adult, which meant his chances of surviving in this wasteland were even greater.

On the way home after school, Brian Cooper said excitedly, “Bro, you’re a substitute teacher now! Maybe you’ll take over from Mr. Bolton and become the schoolteacher in our settlement one day.”

Jason Carter hesitated for a moment. “That does seem to be the case. Mr. Bolton also started as a substitute, and only took over the school after the old teacher died.”

“Exactly! Everyone in the settlement knows that whoever becomes a substitute teacher might end up as the school’s teacher. Think about it: Mr. Bolton let you attend classes, and now he’s letting you be a substitute teacher. He must want you to take over for him someday,” Brian Cooper laughed. “If everyone in the settlement finds out, they’ll probably treat us with a bit more respect.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Jason Carter thought for a moment and said, “I figure he probably just ran out of cigarettes.”

“……” Brian Cooper looked at Jason Carter. “Are you serious, bro?”

“Actually, being the schoolteacher wouldn’t be so bad,” Jason Carter said. “If I become the teacher, I’ll pass the position on to you. That way, you’ll be the school’s teacher.”

For Jason Carter, he had never really thought about becoming the schoolteacher in the future—not because he looked down on the job; if he did, he wouldn’t offer it to Brian Cooper.

It was just that he felt he wasn’t suited for that kind of work. If he never got the chance to enter the refuge barrier, then the wilderness was where he truly belonged.

As Jason Carter walked along, imagining a future where he handed the schoolteacher’s position to Brian Cooper, he didn’t notice that Brian Cooper had gradually stopped walking. Brian Cooper watched Jason Carter’s back, feeling something indescribable.

This boy, with his hand still bandaged, always had a sharp tongue, but he always wanted to leave the best things for him.

When Jason Carter turned around and saw that Brian Cooper had fallen far behind, he called out irritably, “What are you doing? Hurry up!”

“Coming!”

The chimneys of the factories outside the barrier spewed white smoke into the sky. The setting sun shone on the backs of the two of them, as if there were never any troubles in life.

……

On the way home, Jason Carter and Brian Cooper suddenly saw a group coming out from the refuge barrier—about thirteen or fourteen people. Half of them wore all sorts of colorful, bizarre outfits, while the other half wore the mercenary combat uniforms of the rulers of Barrier 113. It looked like there were soldiers accompanying them, which explained why they dared to go to a place like Jing Mountain.

These people didn’t really need a guide with any fighting skills—they just needed someone who knew the way.