Chapter 150: The Panicked Shapeshifter

Finally, after running three full laps around the outer city wall, all the young men collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.

They were drenched in sweat, and the linen garments beneath their leather vests were soaked through. Kneeling, sprawling, or lying flat, they all panted heavily, their chests heaving up and down.

When Jia Zhengjin walked over, the new recruits tried to straighten their bodies, but their legs had turned to jelly, making it impossible.

"Your physical stamina is abysmal!" Jia Zhengjin said, looking down at the sweat-soaked recruits. "Therefore, the training for the next few days will follow the exact same routine! Amber, I will have Wolf oversee you. You must properly lead everyone through posture and physical conditioning!"

"Yes..." Amber gasped for breath, finding even the act of speaking exhausting.

"Being a soldier is no simple matter," Jia Zhengjin paced around the circle of recruits. "Going to war is not as straightforward as you imagine! Merely picking up a bow and crossbow does not make an elite soldier! You must learn the skills of combat from scratch through relentless training. First comes posture and physical conditioning, followed by overload training, marksmanship training, melee combat training, and more. If you wish to become exceptional soldiers—and perhaps even stand out to become officers—you must prepare yourselves mentally for everything! If you cannot endure, you may choose to quit. But if you want to become stronger, you must summon ten, a hundred, a thousand times the determination and effort! Do you hear me?"

"We hear you!!" All the recruits mustered their remaining strength and roared in reply.

"Very good!" The physical training had already instilled a slightly better spirit in the recruits, which left Jia Zhengjin relatively satisfied. He turned his gaze to Wolf. "From today onward, you are responsible for supervising the training of these recruits!"

"As you wish!" Wolf replied. Language barrier was not an issue; his only job was to keep an eye on them and ensure no one slacked off.

"Alright! That is all for today, dismissed!" After spending the entire morning practicing military posture and the entire afternoon marching—circling the outer wall was an immense distance, primarily due to the rugged terrain—Jia Zhengjin announced the dismissal, instructing Amber to lead the recruits back to the inner city.

"Master!" Just as he finished, Karl the werewolf came running over from the mining area.

"Why are you back?" Jia Zhengjin had stationed Karl at the mines specifically to ensure their security. Seeing him return without orders filled him with puzzlement.

Karl hurried up to Jia Zhengjin and said anxiously, "Master, the dragon guarding the mining area suddenly became agitated and is now howling incessantly. We have no idea what is happening, so we urgently request you to come and see! The miners are so frightened by the dragon that they dare not resume digging!"

Hearing that the issue involved the doppelganger, Jia Zhengjin didn't even stop to think before following Karl toward the mines. He had stationed the doppelganger at the mines to protect the area, not to terrorize the miners. Normally, the doppelganger maintained the appearance of a dragon, roaring loudly to deter any magical beasts above tier three. Its imitation of a dragon was so flawless that no one could possibly see through it.

What kind of creature could possibly terrify a doppelganger transformed into a dragon?

Upon arriving at the mining area, he indeed saw the doppelganger flying overhead, frantic and roaring.

Because of its chaotic behavior, the miners and other kobold troops stationed there were thrown into complete disarray.

Witnessing this, Jia Zhengjin immediately pulled out a whistle and blew it hard.

*Roar~~* Realizing its master had arrived, the doppelganger immediately descended to his side, letting out thunderous roars repeatedly.

"Quiet! Quiet..." Jia Zhengjin reached out to stroke the doppelganger's dragon-like snout, soothing it as best as he could.

True to form, under his soothing touch, the doppelganger gradually calmed down.

"Everyone remain calm, back to work!" Having pacified the doppelganger, Jia Zhengjin scrambled up along its snout, quickly reaching the head and wrapping his arms around its horns. "Take me to see what has made you so uneasy!"

*Huff, huff~~* Receiving its master's command, the doppelganger fluttered its wings and took flight, despite its lingering fear, carrying him away from the mining camp and flying straight into the depths of the forest.

Along the way, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The creatures of the forest scattered in panic from this fake dragon, and magical beasts were no exception.

After circling for a while, Jia Zhengjin asked in confusion, "What on earth are you afraid of? There's nothing here at all, is there?"

*Roar~~* The doppelganger emitted a deafening sound and slowly descended toward a patch of ground.

"Hey! Where is this dangerous creature you sensed?" Jia Zhengjin patted the dragon's head.

The doppelganger shook its head, then actually pressed itself against the ground, wrapping its massive pair of dragon wings tightly around its body.

"What is the meaning of this?" Jia Zhengjin jumped down from its head and cautiously surveyed the surroundings.

At that exact moment, the bushes in a nearby thicket suddenly rustled.

The doppelganger shrank even smaller in panic, almost completely enveloping itself in its dragon wings like a tiny dragon egg.

Jia Zhengjin hurriedly leapt back onto the doppelganger's head, ready at a moment's notice to have it carry him away. After all, for a creature capable of terrifying a doppelganger, it had to be immensely dangerous!

*Rustle, rustle.* The brush was gently parted, and something seemed on the verge of emerging from within.

Jia Zhengjin nervously clutched the dragon's horns, bracing himself completely.

To his surprise, the entity emerging from the bushes was no terrifying magical beast. Amidst his extreme tension, a red-clad young woman with an explosively voluptuous figure stepped out with a smile on her face.

The woman in red appeared to be around thirty years old. Not only was she clad in a fiery red, deep-V dress, but her thick, flowing hair was also as vivid as roaring flames. Her appearance was extraordinarily beautiful, and when one gazed directly into her deep cyan eyes, it created the illusion of stepping into a starry firmament.

Her breasts were outrageously massive. While Tina's figure was already considered fine, compared to this woman, she looked like a mere child.

If Tina's bust could be likened to coconuts, this woman's were giant papayas twice that size! With every step she took, those heavy burdens bounced violently up and down, leaving Jia Zhengjin dumbfounded.

Sexy! The kind of breathtaking sexiness that made one unable to suppress their impulses at first glance!

Under Jia Zhengjin's stunned gaze, the red-clad woman walked up to him with a light chuckle: "You must be the one, right? There is the scent of those little sprites on you."

"Little sprites?" Jia Zhengjin looked blank. "May I ask who you are..."

Ordinary humans simply could not exist within the Monster Forest, so she was undoubtedly extraordinary! That much was clear from the way the doppelganger was still trembling.

Yet she seemed to harbor no hostility, which was why Jia Zhengjin had not immediately ordered the doppelganger to take off.

"A few days ago, my daughter got lost in the forest and encountered danger. The sprites told me that you risked your life to save my precious daughter!" the woman in red said with a smile. "I came here specifically to express my gratitude, though I didn't expect you to come out and welcome me first?"

"Ah~~ You're that child's mother?" Jia Zhengjin suddenly remembered. "May I ask what race you belong to?"

"That's a secret!" The red-clad woman smiled faintly. "You may call me Connie, though!"