The next morning.
Early the next day, Li Dong drove to a fully enclosed training base.
Located in the suburbs of Dongjiang City, the training base spanned tens of thousands of square meters and featured over a dozen low-rise modern buildings.
The buildings were fully equipped with essential facilities and infrastructure.
The base was also highly functional, with certain areas resembling military installations—complete with standard obstacles such as trenches, low walls, jumping platforms, high walls, log bridges, deep pits, horizontal ladders, and low-post nets.
This was the place Li Dong had deliberately chosen.
It was spacious and comprehensive enough to meet all future requirements.
Using it solely for security training would have been a waste.
However, Li Dong wasn't just training security personnel—he was building a combat-ready force capable of surviving the Extreme Cold Apocalypse.
According to his younger brother Li Tiang's description, the Extreme Cold Apocalypse would be an extremely dangerous environment, filled not only with Mutated Zombies but also Radiation Monsters and other threats.
Humans, however, wouldn't undergo any form of evolution.
The Shelter Base of Daqin Heavy Industries needed a team capable of protecting the facility and maintaining order.
Dormitory building, training base.
Beep beep—
A sharp whistle sounded, followed by a booming voice that echoed through the entire dormitory.
"All of you—get dressed, put on your shoes, tidy up your quarters, and assemble downstairs immediately! You have three minutes—move, move, move!"
Dormitory 301, third floor.
The occupants of Room 301 immediately began straightening their uniforms and tidying up at the head instructor's command.
Li Dong had hired a team of professional retired military instructors to assist with training—all of them former drill sergeants, well-versed in whipping new recruits into shape.
Training five hundred people alone would have been impossible for Li Dong.
The numbers were too large to manage effectively.
Moreover, a significant portion of this security force—roughly half—were ex-military personnel. Earning the respect of these veterans wouldn't be easy.
The senior instructors Li Dong had brought in to enforce discipline were typically hired by high schools and universities every September to conduct military training. Their standards were high.
Of course, most universities—especially prestigious ones—preferred to recruit active-duty military personnel for training.
This was because top-tier universities in Great Xia adhered to a strict admissions and graduation policy. Every student admitted to these institutions was considered elite—so much so that if even one student from a local high school gained admission, the school would celebrate with champagne.
These students were the true pillars of Great Xia, their value never diminished. Enrollment numbers remained low, with no expansion in sight.
It was the average undergraduate programs that had seen a decline in prestige.
As a result, military training at these top universities was notoriously rigorous—so much so that fatalities during training were reported almost every year.
"Uncle Gaoyuan, what do you think our distant cousin's angle is, hiring us as security? And paying us this well?" A plain-looking young man in his twenties asked as he tidied up, glancing at the man across from him.
"No idea. I was called here by Uncle De too—said he had a job for me, over ten thousand a month with Five Insurances and One Fund. So here I am," replied the man named Li Gaoyuan.
"But I find it strange. The atmosphere here is different, as strict as in the military," muttered the ordinary-looking young man.
"I've never served, so I wouldn't know," Li Gaoyuan shook his head.
"You don't get it? Brother Dazhi, you need to understand the difference between security guards and professional security teams. I've heard from some former comrades that certain big companies have extremely strict security teams, mostly made up of veterans, with military-style internal management," another young man in the dormitory chimed in.
"That strict? Now I see why the pay is high—definitely not easy to earn," the plain-faced young man named Li Dazhi immediately complained.
"Alright, enough chatting. Let's hurry downstairs. Besides, given the current situation, landing a high-paying job isn't easy."
Beep beep—
Beep beep beep—
"Three minutes are up! Get down here and assemble now!"
The head instructor below the dormitory blew his whistle twice before shouting impatiently.
"Oh no, we're late! Let's go!"
"Quick, move faster, guys ahead!"
Downstairs, Li Dong watched as people began rushing out onto the corridors of each floor in the dormitory building.
The stairwells soon swarmed with people, all scrambling to get downstairs.
Once they reached the ground, they found their assigned teams and started forming up.
But their formation looked more like a disorganized mob—far too loose.
"Too slow! Too slow! You're worse than college students! Your posture is sloppier than elementary school kids! Look at how crooked this formation is!"
The head instructor glared at the lopsided ranks and the slouching postures, not holding back his scolding.
"I know at least half of you are veterans, but take a good look at yourselves right now—do you see even a shred of military discipline left in you?"
"Seems like you've forgotten everything the army taught you!"
He was especially harsh on the veterans.
Most of them straightened up immediately after being called out like this, and the formation quickly became more orderly, their posture noticeably improved.
Now, they at least looked somewhat like soldiers.
Of course, some had always maintained discipline—likely recent veterans, their training still deeply ingrained in muscle memory.
"You at the back, hurry up! You're the only ones left!"
The head instructor barked at the few still lingering by the stairwell.
"Alright, everyone—heads up, chests out, eyes on me!"
Soon, all five hundred security members had assembled, forming a massive square formation.
Then, the head instructor tore into them mercilessly—no holds barred.
His presence was overwhelming.
Watching from the side, Li Dong felt a pang of nostalgia for his own two years of compulsory military service.
The drill instructor who had trained him back then had been even fiercer than this head instructor—rumored to be from some classified special forces unit.
After thoroughly berating the five hundred men, the head instructor launched into a speech.
The gist was that they would undergo three months of fully enclosed training at this base, learning various survival skills.
Here, "survival skills" referred to those needed in the Extreme Cold Apocalypse.
For the first month, Li Dong would have them rebuild their physical fitness and strengthen their bodies first.
Some veterans' physical condition had declined significantly, no longer at their peak. However, with their solid foundation, regaining their form would be relatively easy.
Those who had never served in the military would undergo the same training to gradually develop their combat skills and physical fitness.
Of course, they also needed to cultivate discipline and organization.
After the chief instructor finished speaking, it was Li Dong's turn to address them. But Li Dong didn't waste words on empty talk either.
He simply said a few words, telling them to train hard here, obey the chief instructor's commands, and that those who performed well would be rewarded. If they became squad leaders or platoon leaders, their salaries would increase significantly.
Li Dong didn't plan to reveal too much to them at this stage.