Since the war between humans and the sea race began, Ding Yun's perfume shop saw little to no sales. The sea race's offensive was simply too terrifying, and most people were no longer in the mood to buy things like perfume to adorn themselves.
They were more inclined to buy food to stock up.
Or perhaps medicine, or even tools for wilderness survival. Anything was more useful than perfume.
Coupled with the later disruption of some waterways and damage to certain transport routes, even if a few people did purchase perfume, it was difficult for Ding Yun to deliver it. Deliveries would often take ten days, half a month, or even a month.
So, Ding Yun simply closed the perfume shop.
She stocked up on supplies and stayed home.
As for high school classes, even though humans were at war with the sea race, students were not let out of school. However, to ensure family reunions and to prevent danger during commutes, the school could not bear the responsibility. Therefore, most schools had switched to online classes.
Teachers taught from home, and students learned from home.
Ding Yun was no different.
...
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Ding Yun's online class ended.
Normally, she would have made herself some lunch at this time, eaten, taken a nap, and then attended afternoon classes.
However, as soon as her class finished, her parents and older siblings, which was rare, returned at the same time for the first time since the war began. And their expressions were not good.
"Why are you all back so early today?"
One must know that during this period, the four of them were often so busy that they didn't come home. Even if they did, it was just to grab something quickly or to eat a hasty meal before leaving again. And their return times were never fixed.
The four of them had never returned together before.
Ding Yun didn't need to think much to know something was up.
"There's a shortage of personnel at the sea defense line. The higher-ups are urgently mobilizing all useful ability users to provide support. I'm a healing ability user, so I naturally have no choice but to go. Your mother's plastic surgery ability can alter the appearance of special water-attribute ability users who can survive in the ocean to resemble the sea race, helping us humans obtain intelligence on the sea race.
It's quite useful, so she's also being mobilized.
Your sister's Butcher's Knife skill also has some utility.
As for you and your brother, your abilities are not within the scope of conscription, so you don't need to go. Furthermore, because the three of us are going to the defense line, you've been granted the right to reside in the highlands. This is a small benefit from the higher-ups to allow us to work with peace of mind.
So, you should hurry back to your room and pack.
We have to leave today.
We'll first send you to the highland safe zone, and then we can confidently go to the coastline to participate in the support efforts."
Since they had to move, the entire matter could not be concealed. Thus, Wen Chang could only explain it to Ding Yun truthfully based on his understanding.
"Wait, Dad, didn't the news say a few days ago that our virus had taken effect and killed a large number of the sea race? Why are you suddenly conscripting ability users?"
This was too sudden, and there were many things she hadn't had time to do. This included some martial arts manuals she had compiled during this period, which she hadn't had time to present to them yet. Why were they going to the front lines of the war?
And three of them leaving at once, that's too many.
It was like drawing three from five.
"Aiyuan, time is of the essence. Go back to your room and pack. I'll tell you the specifics on the way."
Wen Chang glanced at the time, and then remembered his superior's instructions that the train to the highland safe base would not delay for a single minute. Therefore, he quickly refused to answer and urged Ding Yun to pack faster.
After saying that, he also urged his wife and the other two children, and then the whole family became busy.
At this moment, Ding Yun couldn't press the issue further and could only quickly return to her room to pack. She specifically set aside the martial arts handwritten copies that she had compiled during this period, which were very suitable for her father, mother, brother, and sister to cultivate and corresponded to their abilities.
She planned to tell them about it briefly on the way.
Let them cultivate and increase their self-preservation abilities.
Since everyone in their family had abilities, even if their abilities were weak, they still had a certain effect on improving their physical fitness. So, after more than an hour, they had packed all the items in the house. Those that needed to be carried were placed nearby, while those that were not needed to be carried but would be useful later were packed and a logistics company was called to deliver them to the designated location.
Especially the supplies stocked up in the previous period.
They had to take them away.
Once everything was ready, they locked the house door and, carrying their many bags, rushed to the designated station.
Registration, boarding, and settling down.
After the family of five sat in their assigned seats, had some water, ate something, and rested for a bit, Wen Chang finally explained, "Aiyuan, here's the situation.
A while ago, we spread the virus. Although it killed many of the sea race, after the second and third rounds of transmission, their contagiousness increased, and their toxicity weakened. They can no longer die in a short period.
Although they would eventually die without medical treatment, it would take ten to half a month. Therefore, all the infected members of the sea race were sent out as cannon fodder by the higher-intelligence sea race to launch mad attacks.
The specific intention was probably to retaliate against us.
It was also to control the spread of the virus.
After all, by sending most of the infected individuals to the coastline to attack us furiously, the number of sources of infection in the ocean would decrease, thus indirectly controlling the spread of the virus.
Of course, this is just my speculation.
But that's roughly the situation. With large numbers of infected sea race members launching frenzied attacks, there would naturally be a shortage of personnel on the coastline, necessitating the mobilization of troops.
If the situation continues to worsen in the future.
More conscriptions might occur."
"So that's what happened. Dad, Mom, Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister, I'll create a group chat later and add all of you. I have something to tell you in the group.
Don't be too surprised."
After Ding Yun nodded to show she understood, she began to create a group chat, setting up a small family group called "Loving Family" and adding her parents and brother.
Then, she fell silent and sent messages in the group.
"Loving Family" (5/5)
[Wen Aiyuan]: I'm telling you, I actually awakened two abilities. One is the "verbal abuse" ability that I've shown. The other ability might not have appeared before, so the instrument at the ability awakening station didn't detect it. I only discovered it myself later and spent a long time figuring out how to use it.
This ability doesn't have an official name.
I call it the Martial Arts Manual Conversion Ability.
This means that when I have a certain level of contact with an ability user, and achieve a certain relationship or other uncertain conditions, my ability can convert a martial arts manual that is highly similar to that ability.
And theoretically, anyone can cultivate it.
It's about converting abilities into martial arts manuals for cultivation.
I've converted the abilities of the four of you and recorded them into dedicated martial arts manuals. However, I haven't been able to determine the exact conditions for converting abilities into manuals.
So, I haven't told you until now.
But now I feel I can't wait any longer. Even if the manuals I convert are of little help to you.
It should still be somewhat helpful.
So, I want you to try them out.
After editing all the content she had been thinking of into text and sending it to the group, Ding Yun opened her portable bag and distributed the manuals she had copied out according to their different abilities.