The Training Begins

The person who came in last would be eliminated!

Wasn't it as good as set in stone that she, Xiao Jing, would be sent back to where she'd come from?

At the same moment that Shen Chengfeng made that proclamation, a few pairs of eyes landed on Xiao Jing, as if it had already been determined that she would be eliminated.

Shen Chengfeng looked at her again and repeated himself, "There will be no exceptions!"

Xiao Jing raised her eyebrows imperceptibly as resentment sparked inside her heart. It went without saying that there would be no exceptions! Why the hell did he have to direct that statement at her? It wasn't as if she could beg him to give her any special treatment!

"Here are your supplies. You have three days. Anyone who hasn't reached the finishing point in three days will be disqualified and eliminated from the selection process." Mu Xichi instructed the army guard to hand out the fully-equipped field packs to each of them.

Xiao Jing swung the field pack onto her shoulders, and it weighed down heavily on her thin and frail frame.

Back in Regiment 525, the bags that they had been given during their cross-country training on a typical day had weighed between three to five kilograms. This backpack weighed at least 20 kilograms!

"Set off!" A gunshot sounded, and the overseeing officers got into the military jeep leisurely.

With a gun in her hand, Xiao Jing followed closely behind several others. However, within a short amount of time, she soon lagged far behind. One by one, they quickly disappeared into the forest.

The forest in summer hid too many uncertain dangers. There were venomous snakes and insects in addition to the wild beasts that roamed the area. The sprawling woods were isolated on all sides, and no one dared to act rashly.

"Would you like to team up with me?" Lin Qi was sitting on a boulder. When he saw the small figure suddenly appear in his line of sight, he leaped off the stone and landed on the ground.

Xiao Jing quietly sized him up. Although she didn't know what his intentions were, she did need some help.

Lin Qi opened the map, and his slender fingertips trailed over a few points marked in red. He said, "My instructor told me before that the training in the Special Command Unit is never as simple as it seems. These few spots that I've marked have an excellent environment that is suitable for hiding."

"You mean to say that there are other people in the woods in addition to us?" Xiao Jing asked in response.

Lin Qi closed the map. "An ordinary armed 10-klick cross-country training is a common activity in every camp. It poses no challenge or threat to elite forces like us."

"Well, I think it's a huge threat to me," Xiao Jing muttered to herself with a bitter smile.

"Before we find out what traps the trainers have laid out for us, we'll have to move as a team. Otherwise, the whole group will likely be wiped out," Lin Qi analyzed.

"Aren't you worried that I'll drag you down?"

"No one who's entered the Special Command Unit has ever been useless," Lin Qi swung his field pack back over his shoulder and took out a short knife to cut his way through the vegetation. "Follow behind me, and be careful."

Xiao Jing gripped her gun tightly, and surveyed her surroundings for any movement, guarding against any unexpected attacks.

When night fell, the whole forest was bathed in moonlight and leaves rustled in the distance.

Lin Qi started a fire and sat to the side to eat a bun.

Xiao Jing sat opposite him, sipping her water. For some reason, she couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was staring at her intently.

Lin Qin hurriedly averted his eyes and cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment. He said, "I often heard that Regiment 525 is the one unit that no one can afford to offend and that it's made up of all the sons of the rich and influential families. I never expected myself to one day be comrades with someone from such a unit."

Xiao Jing choked on a mouthful of water. She covered her mouth as she continued coughing violently before replying, "Lieutenant Colonel Lin, are you making fun of me? Given my ability, I'm not qualified—"

"That's where you're wrong, Lieutenant Xiao. A person's background has never mattered in the recruitment for the Special Command Unit. You should believe in your ability. I have confidence in you."

Xiao Jing put her water tumbler down and took out her sleeping bag. With a smile, she said, "When I first heard that I was going to be posted to the Special Command Unit, I initially refused. But now, I've changed my mind. It's exactly as you said—there's no one useless here. I, too, believe that I'm not useless."

Lin Qi lit a fire with a pile of wood and replied with a chuckle, "It's getting late. Go to sleep first. We'll swap shifts in four hours."

Xiao Jing snuggled inside her sleeping bag and proceeded to forget everything Lin Qi had mentioned about the four-hour shift.

The early morning light streamed through the cracks in the foliage and fell like stars on the ground.

Xiao Jing jerked awake, and her mind was blank for a moment. In a daze, she looked at the man arranging his field pack and blinked. Had she forgotten something?

"You're awake," Lin Qi remarked as he slung the field pack over his shoulder. His eyes were bloodshot.

Xiao Jing scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Why didn't you wake me up last night?"

"It's fine. I could tell that you hadn't gotten any proper rest lately."

Xiao Jing got up hurriedly and rolled her sleeping bag up. Following one step behind Lin Qi, she asked, "Which way should we go now?"

"Hide." Lin Qi suddenly stopped and waved Xiao Jing behind him.

Xiao Jing watched as he dove into a bush without any hesitation and quickly followed suit.

The sound of boots crunching on dried leaves traveled through the still air. Although the person had deliberately lightened their footsteps, the noise was amplified in the silent forest.

Xiao Jing saw a figure pass before her eyes. The very next moment, the woods regained its silence.

Lin Qi nodded at Xiao Jing and motioned for her to hide well.

Xiao Jing gripped her pistol in her hand. She surmised that a trap had been laid out in the area. The moment they emerged, they would die.

It was summer, and a heatwave rolled through the forest.

Xiao Jing felt her clothing drenched in layers upon layers of sweat. She turned to look at Lin Qi with fire in her eyes, and said, "We can't just sit here and wait forever."

"There's a sniper at your three o'clock position, and another at my seven o'clock. They should be from the Special Forces. If we want to break out successfully, we'll have to act at the same time. Are you confident about it?" Lin Qi asked.

Xiao Jing's body stiffened. Was she confident about it? When it came to firearms, this was her greatest weakness. She doubted that her reaction speed could be faster than trained soldiers from the Special Forces.

"Believe in yourself," Lin Qi said as a droplet of sweat dripped from his forehead.

Xiao Jing nodded solemnly.

A smoke bomb suddenly rolled out from the bushes, and with a loud bang, a bullet penetrated it. Smoke instantly swirled around the entire area.