Chapter 273: Drill Begins (1)

At eight o'clock in the evening, He Zhijun's phone rang on schedule as he paced back and forth in a large, unlit room.

He was obviously waiting for this call, holding the phone in his hand, and he pressed the answer button before the ring even sounded.

"Chief, please speak........

You've confirmed there's no problem, right? Then that's good, thank you, Chief!........

Yes! I guarantee to complete the mission!"

After hanging up, He Zhijun let out a long breath, the expression on his face relaxed, and he muttered:

"At last, I can finally relax completely!"

The most crucial point is that, since the judging team appeared, Chi Hao's gaze has never once drifted toward where the Lone Wolf is.

In one, one look`no, one wrong version%!'

Liu Xiaotian isn't a gossip reporter, but he does have the heart of one.

There's a term called 'the gap'; everyone has it, but some people handle it well, while others magnify this gap, eventually turning it into jealousy, and even drive the whole person into madness.

He was indeed scolded because of Liu Xiaotian, but Liu Xiaotian has always been earnest in training, his performance in simulated drills is not bad either; it's just that whenever it comes to actual airborne jumps, he gets so scared he dares not open his eyes—this isn't a subjective reason, and as his instructor he can't blame Liu Xiaotian for it.

For example........ Xiao Zhuang and his Lone Wolf........

Early the next morning, the eight female soldiers who had finished breakfast gathered on time at the designated spot, lining up to await the imminent start of the opposing drill.

Anyway, none of those eight were wearing rank insignia, so walking posed no problem.

Anyway, the organizers He Zhijun and Fan Tianlei certainly never thought of it that way.

He has never been a hot‑tempered person, so naturally he wouldn't take out his anger on his subordinates after being scolded by a superior.

But who would have thought that this soldier, whose timidity had reached a certain degree, would in half a year become a dazzling new star—it's obvious without testing that Liu Xiaotian's strength now far surpasses that of his own instructor.

When their eyes met, Liu Xiaotian gave a friendly smile to the instructor Chi, who had previously been troubled by him, and his smile carried a hint of apology.

Compared to them, Xiao Zhuang's people were much more relaxed.

Why? Because the opponents are too weak!

They are similar in age and both are veteran members of Wolf Fang; theoretically, Chi Hao and the Lone Wolf's people should know each other, so why does he not even glance at them?

In their view, aside from Liu Xiaotian—the prodigy who graduated early from Warrior School and has served as an instructor for nearly two months—the other eight female soldiers are not even on their radar.

After all, because of him, Chi Hao hasn't escaped being scolded.

Being able to serve as an instructor in Wolf Fang, Chi Hao is certainly no ordinary person.

Liu Xiaotian is familiar with all of them; the one he knows best is Chi Hao, who jumped out of the plane with him when he first obtained the system.

Without even forming a line, the group of eight walked along the small path toward the Wolf Fang Brigade Headquarters as if they were taking a stroll.

Among the eight female soldiers of Fire Phoenix, aside from Shen Lan Ni and He Lu, the others likely couldn't even match the combat power of an ordinary soldier, let alone meet special forces standards.

In fact, for this drill, Xiao Zhuang and the rest of the Lone Wolf's people never gave it a thought. Although Liu Xiaotian, whose abilities are still unclear, serves as instructor, the training period is too short; even if he is a prodigy, it's impossible for them to reach a level where they could face the Lone Wolf head‑on in such a brief time—unless all eight trainees were prodigies like him.

At that moment, Liu Xiaotian clearly felt that something was off with his former instructor.

He was very interested in getting to the bottom of this matter.

But not now.

And his age happens to be similar to Xiao Zhuang's.

If anyone else thought that way, they surely had never heard the name 'Lone Wolf'.

Liu Xiaotian clearly knew that Chi Hao's quick avert of his gaze was certainly not due to jealousy over his growth speed and current achievements, but for some other reason.

Their true purpose has already been made clear: simply to temper the eight female soldiers of Fire Phoenix, and secondly to probe Liu Xiaotian's real strength.

The most 'standard' example is He Zhijun; every time Liu Xiaotian dared not jump and followed the plane back, the Brigade Commander He would summon Chi Hao and bombard him with loud, head‑to‑toe questioning:

"How exactly are you serving as an instructor? The trainees don't even dare to jump, so what's there to talk about regarding performance? Kid, give me a straight answer—are you fit to be this instructor or not?!"

According to the schedule, their leisurely walk over should still have been a few minutes early.

Everyone in the Lone Wolf has normal human reasoning; no one would believe that this newly formed female special‑operations team could gain any advantage in this drill.

Because, just as he was still pondering how to learn the 'truth,' Chief Referee He Zhijun had already begun announcing the events and rules of this drill.

As that classic line from a certain period drama goes: 'Brother, I hope you're doing well, I can't bear to see you doing poorly, but you absolutely must not be better off than me!'

"Comrades! This opposing drill has only two purposes: one is to test the training results of the two special‑operations squads, and the other is to learn from and improve each other during the drill!

Chi Hao gave Liu Xiaotian a slight, thoughtful nod, then turned his gaze elsewhere.

At eight thirty, the two special‑operations teams participating in the opposing drill finally awaited this drill's 'judging team'

Regarding Chi Hao's reaction of averting his gaze, Liu Xiaotian, who had once followed his stereotypical rich‑kid father and witnessed genuine human warmth and coldness, could completely understand.

Every time, Chi Hao was questioned so severely he didn't dare lift his head, yet afterward he could do nothing to Liu Xiaotian.

Could it be....... that there's some story behind this?

That's a bit hard to explain.

At the same time, to ensure this drill proceeds on a fair basis, and also considering that the Fire Phoenix special‑operations squad is entirely female and thus somewhat lacking in strength, the originally planned 8‑vs‑8 opposing drill was temporarily changed to 9‑vs‑8, with Fire Phoenix's acting instructor Liu Xiaotian added to the roster to participate in this drill!

Before He Zhijun's words had even finished falling, Xiao Zhuang's face, which usually bore a light smile, showed a hint of solemnity for the first time.

It is clear that this 'Siberian Wolf', although he has departed from Wolf Fang, still knows a great deal about Wolf Fang's affairs.

Especially regarding up‑and‑coming talents like Liu Xiaotian, as a senior he has always paid close attention.

But whether he harbors other thoughts, such as wanting to expand his 'wolf pack,' remains unknown........

(End of chapter)