Chapter 678
Chapter 678 Episode 018 Sleeping with You (4)
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6 min read
Many had always perceived Flossie Wright as unapproachable, cold-hearted, and often chillingly ruthless, but once they truly got to know her, they would find a strange realization — Flossie Wright’s temper was incredibly good.
Take the current situation for example — when she is fatigued and unable to fall asleep due to disturbances, if it were her, she would have surely kicked Belinda Nichols off. Yet, while Flossie, with a stern face, hadn’t awoken Belinda.
This woman was impulsively shocking, impatient yet patient, heartless yet soft-hearted, indifferent yet gentle.
Unpredictable and unattached, warming people’s heart when least expected.
Mysteriously, she had a certain appeal, a magical charm.
The wake-up call rang on time.
The peaceful Base was disrupted by the newly assembled recruits.
Compared to yesterday, each training item had been slightly increased. Despite the small scale, cumulatively, enduring a morning workout was tough for them.
They had a hunch that the intensity of the training would progressively increase, and it wouldn’t get easier until the results were out.
They were exhausting their bodies to the utmost extent, running desperately in extreme fatigue, as if squeezing out the last bit of energy.
"You can quit now. There’s no need to endure this torment if you quit. All you have to do is stop, you can lie down, you can rest..."
Nathan Foster lifted the loudspeaker, his resounding voice ringing in everyone’s ears.
Discouraging words continuously poured into their ears when they were completely exhausted, it could push one to the brink of collapse in no time. Each of them gritted their teeth to persist, striving to banish Nathan Foster’s words to the back of their minds, concentrating on running forward or even just moving forward.
Nothing had changed.
They were tired, their bodies pushed to the extreme.
They suffered, their minds tormented to the limit.
Their bodies and minds seemed to have been forcefully separated, with the mind and body enduring the torture in different spaces.
Cross-country, diving, long-distance assaults, armed swimming, 400-meter obstacles, loaded maneuvering...
Each training seemed endless.
Every day presented new challenges, every day brought about new growth.
They were almost numbed.
If there was any change at all, it would be that Belinda Nichols began sticking to Flossie Wright and Calvin Ramos would occasionally beckon Becca Reyes to join him.
To enhance the cohesion of each group, they had all started consciously or unconsciously working together in every project, gradually helping each other, letting go of the relentless pursuit of taking the lead, learning to slow down and wait for comrades who were a few steps behind.
Therefore, the cohesion between Flossie Wright and Belinda Nichols gradually rose from zero to passing grade, forty, due to Belinda’s constant "sticking around".
Of them all, Calvin Ramos and Becca Reyes were the pair whose cohesion had increased the most — from twenty to seventy three, they were leading all the other groups.
Half a month later.
The time was nearing the end and the day of the final results was imminent.
The sense of urgency within the Base heightened, as if the air was filled with a stifling pressure.
Dawn, three o’clock.
"Beep——beep——beep——"
Austin Shepherd and Nathan Foster stood on the playground, with Austin blowing fiercely on the whistle, its sound echoing far into the night sky.
A night-time emergency assembly.
Without any dalliance, all the new recruits stood in front of them just four minutes past the call.
With barely open eyes, Austin took a serious look at every face.
After enduring half a month of grinding and torment, these recruits hadn’t been broken by the training, but instead displayed an increasing sense of alertness. Though they all appeared weary, the determination and tenacity in their eyes was undoubtedly the greatest outcome of their effort these days.
At the very least, they were tougher mentally.
With some bewilderment, Austin’s eyes shone, suddenly recalling when he first enlisted — he too was tormented to a point beyond recognition.
Those days were like a nightmare.
However, they were not without their charm.
"This time we’re not going for a five-kilometer run," Austin coughed and his usual jovial grin didn’t diminish, "Let’s talk about something."
Everyone stayed silent, no one responded.
Actually, it was always like this before Austin spoke. Regardless of whether it was good or bad news, whenever he opened his mouth, it was to "talk about something". No matter what it was, it would always result in more brutal training. The recruits were long used to it, and it made no difference to them.
"While it is still dark, let’s play a game." After a pause, Austin Shepherd added with a cheery grin, "Of course, the game will also count towards your scores."
At the mention of "scores", everyone braced themselves.
"First of all, anyone wants to quit?"
Austin casually asked.
No one responded.
Naturally, having endured this much, no one was willing to quit halfway.
"The situation is like this," Austin Shepherd played with the whistle, and explained in detail, "You guys know the Office Building, right? Our Instructor Nathan Foster was wandering around there with a buddy at night, and they were spotted clumsily. Nathan managed to escape, but his buddy was captured and held hostage. Your mission is to rescue the hostage."
As soon as the words fell, his mate Nathan shot him a sharp look from the side.
Such a simple "hostage rescue" mission was assigned with a bunch of nonsense...
Damn, those with a discerning ear would know that Austin was subtly mocking him. Unbeknownst ones may think that the lad was flaunting his ability to spin tales.
"Let’s go over the requirements.
First, no firing of guns. If a shot is fired, the mission fails.
Second, no messing with the office property. If any office occupant finds anything amiss during the day, we will retrieve the footage from the camera and deduct points.
Third, no group action. Keep in mind, your own groups are in competition — everyone is an enemy when the mission begins.
Fourth, let me add, even though you’re enemies, you cannot harm each other.
That’s the situation at this point, we will give you a five-minute adjustment period."
— End of Chapter 678 —