Chapter 185: The Grey Knights Selection Begins
It was basically the same as the things shown in movies and TV shows.
There was no real difference from the discussions and guesses online. The direction was correct, but it wasn't the Astartes and Ravens. After all, no one would believe that these two powerful warbands, capable of easily slaughtering countless demons, had been formed for less than a year.
Kamar-Taj were the real heroes.
Matthew did not argue about it.
He watched as Gwen asked questions with great enthusiasm, but he did not say too much afterward.
Gwen seemed to notice that Matthew was not very willing to talk about this subject, so she very wisely stopped pressing him.
For Gwen, that day was extremely exciting.
For some time afterward, Gwen basically came over whenever she had time. It was just that many times, Matthew was not there, which made the girl feel a little disappointed.
After all, at an age so prone to fantasies, she was easily led into wild thoughts, and her curiosity was very strong.
As for Carrie's school life at Midtown High, with Gwen's help, it passed quite happily.
The education burden in America was not heavy.
There were rarely any night study sessions.
Living like this, Carrie gradually became more optimistic and cheerful, slowly walking out of the gloom.
On Matthew's side, the formation of the Grey Knights was going very smoothly.
The second batch of five thousand soldiers had already been fully selected.
The training site for this second batch of soldiers was not the island base in the South Pacific.
It was on the Siberian Plain.
Extreme environments were the easiest way to temper the mind.
Compared with the island base, the Siberian base was larger and more spacious, with equipment and facilities just as complete.
With the experience of establishing the two warbands, building the second base went even more smoothly. They lacked neither money nor resources. Building a base did not take too long, especially since they were not constructing some formal military base.
It was now October. The base had been built north of Omsk, in the southern part of the Siberian Plain, on terrain mixed with forest and open plain. It was remote, belonging to a deserted wilderness.
By October, it had already started snowing.
The temperature had begun to drop below zero.
It was extremely cold.
But at this very moment, the base was burning with heat.
Five thousand soldiers had been drawn from all over the world and brought to the base in batches on Ghost flights.
Large numbers of men and women from different races and countries had gathered together here.
The entire base was enormous, a closed, full-domain training camp built specifically for five thousand people.
A high wall and isolation belt stretched for several kilometers around the perimeter. They were not meant to defend against enemies, but to prevent wild beasts in the area from getting in.
Inside the base was a circular road that also served as a running track.
The internal layout was very clear. Large, orderly barracks stood in rows, all built in thick, low, cold-resistant brick structures. The walls had extremely thick anti-freeze layers.
The windows were small and sealed tight to resist Siberia's bitter wind and snow.
Beside the barracks were a huge cafeteria, supply warehouses, low-temperature storage facilities, a medical center, and a logistics support area, enough to handle the daily meals, lodging, supplies, and rest for five thousand people.
The central area was a vast main training ground, a flat, hard stretch of frozen, snow-covered earth. On the other side, it extended toward wild forestland.
Snow fell from the sky, and before long, the entire base was wrapped in endless white. On the silver-white wasteland, only the orderly camp buildings stood.
The soldiers wore thick coats and fleece-lined trousers.
Fur hats covered their heads. Although the cold wind left their cheeks red and dry, none of them paid it any mind. A blazing fire burned in every heart, driving away the cold. They all knew exactly what it meant to be allowed into this base.
Take Domino, for example.
Domino's real name was Neena Thurman. She was a mutant, and her ability allowed her to alter how possibilities developed.
First, she had to have the intention. Second, it had to be within her line of sight.
For example, when she shot at an enemy, if she had the thought and the enemy was within her aim, then even if the chance of hitting was very low, under the influence of her power, that probability would rise sharply.
Conversely, if an enemy shot at her and she saw it, then as long as she had the thought of dodging the bullet and acted on it, the enemy's hit rate would drop greatly. A shot that should have hit might become a graze, and one that should have been fatal might become only a minor injury.
The key lay in intention and line of sight. If someone shot her from behind, or if she saw it but failed to react, then nothing would change.
In addition, when Domino encountered danger, her cerebral cortex would release a wave-like pulse that stimulated her reflex nerves, giving her physical ability and agility beyond that of ordinary people.
In essence, it was an ability that actively modified the probability of luck.
Very mystical.
In truth, like many other mutants, she had a bad past and had once been lost. But perhaps because of her luck, she had unexpectedly joined this organization.
The generous treatment had made Domino, who had still been wandering and unsure of what to do, follow her instincts and join.
Then Domino seemed to find a place where she belonged.
Although she had only joined for a few short months, the people in this organization were all very good, whether they were comrades or superiors.
A sense of belonging was a very mysterious thing, because it made Domino feel the meaning of her own existence.
And slowly, she began to yearn for more. She longed to become stronger. She longed to meet that highest Leader, the Leader who could guide everyone forward.
She longed to join the Astartes and Raven.
Especially after the instructors showed her and the other soldiers footage of the Manhattan demon invasion on television.
Everyone finally understood what the instructors had once told them.
"The great Leader will lead us down a different path. There will be no scheming, no damned oppression. What we walk is the noblest and greatest path. We will face threats from beyond Earth. We are the wall, the line of defense, and the sharp blade."
"We are the hope of human civilization and the guardians of order."
And so, Domino was no longer lost. She trained, carried out missions, studied, and even shaved off her black afro.
Yes, Domino was Black.
But she was a pretty Black woman with a hot figure. Dreadlocks and afros were also part of Black cultural symbolism.
But in the army, this so-called culture was not needed, so Domino abandoned that cultural symbol without hesitation.
She now had shoulder-length black hair tied into a ponytail, simple and capable.
The other female soldiers were the same.
Domino lined up and received her dog tag. It bore the code number that would represent her during training. Afterward she went to her assigned dormitory.
The room was not large—a standard four-person quarters with two sets of bunk beds, built entirely to military standards. Domino had no trouble adapting. It was no different from the previous base, and she was not a fussy person.
She also met her roommates. Two white girls, one from Eastern Europe, and herself. Then she felt a slight sense of inferiority, because the three female soldiers in front of her seemed somewhat strong.