Chapter 44

Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade Brigade Commander's office.

"I say, aren't we going a bit overboard? Those little guys are probably going to cry tomorrow."

"It's alright, true gold isn't afraid of fire, good steel isn't afraid of hammer blows; these kids aren't exactly pushovers!"

"Originally we selected so many people for this training camp with the aim of, incidentally, cultivating a batch of high‑quality troops capable of going out and winning fights; this just happens to be a good opportunity to 'sharpen the blade'."

"I also think it's a bit sudden; I'm worried those kids might not be able to hold up, and crushing their spirit wouldn't be good, after all they're still in a growth stage."

"I actually think it's nothing; you haven't seen these kids—any one you pull out isn't a pushover. I advise you not to be careless tomorrow; if we capsize, it won't look good on our faces."

The speakers, in order, were Fan Tianlei, He Zhijun, Kang Lei, Gong Jian, the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade instructor nicknamed 'Zhangyu', and Chen Shanming.

Besides these six, there was also a Level 2 non‑commissioned officer.

Besides that, they had previously set up some large high‑tech equipment at the exercise site, clearly intending to really trip up these greenhorns. Laohei, watching Fan Tianlei excitedly pick up each piece of equipment on the table and introduce it to everyone, finally found a suitable moment to clear his throat and say:

In one, one look `none, one wrong version%!'

No wonder, a brigade commander and a regiment commander normally don't have time to train like the soldiers; but if someone doubts their ability… they'd really be blind.

Chen Shanming and Gong Jian are respectively the future group leader of the Red Blood Cell Group and a training instructor; their abilities are beyond reproach.

Just based on experience, they'd leave those greenhorns far behind! But that's not the most important thing. Because, in front of the seven people present on the coffee table, there's still a pile of equipment.

Finally, He Zhijun cleared his throat and said:

Sharpshooter Fourth Company Level 2 non‑commissioned officer—Laohei.

Among those present, only he, Gong Jian, and 'Zhangyu' remained silent.

Such as infrared thermometers, miniature silent remote‑controlled surveillance cameras, etc.

Soldiers are the same.

Setting aside their officer ranks, purely in terms of ability, they're still above those twenty‑four trainees.

"Cough… Brigade Commander, Chief of Staff, isn't this a bit too much…"

Only after being tempered will a blade open its edge and become ever sharper.

Without undergoing the tempering of blood and fire, no matter how good their training scores are, they're at most a blade that hasn't yet opened its edge.

Although only a few will ultimately enter the Red Blood Cell Group, the rest who aren't selected must likewise be elite troops! So we all must give our all tomorrow!

Speaking of which, they really are old acquaintances.

These kids were all carefully picked out by us after repeated scrutiny.

Xu Tianlong and Song Kaifei are already basically confirmed members of the Red Blood Cell Group, both holding the rank of lieutenant.

From the rank insignia on their shoulders, you can tell they've been in the unit for quite a while.

As the saying goes, jade uncarved is not a vessel;

As for the brigade commander He Zhijun and regiment commander Kang Lei, who don't also hold instructor posts, even the battalion and company commanders below might unconsciously overlook their individual combat ability.

Fan Tianlei himself is the sniper instructor of the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade, and in terms of ability he surpasses Chen Shanming. Together with these seven, plus Xu Tianlong and Song Kaifei who aren't here, they constitute all the Blue Force members for tomorrow's exercise.

If these are used in the exercise, they'd basically be cheat codes.

Actually, what He Zhijun said makes a lot of sense.

"This exercise is crucial for those soldiers; please everyone must cooperate seriously and exert all effort to draw out the potential of these kids."

Having said that, he seemed to suddenly remember something and added: "Right, tomorrow morning or even overnight, you must recheck the preparations we made beforehand."

The seven then discussed a few more points; although they had some differing opinions, the overall direction and line were completely unified.

He Zhijun, twenty years ago the military region grand martial arts champion, pentathlon record holder of the entire army, five‑time consecutive army combat champion, and representative who competed in the World Military Games on behalf of the nation, winning the 70 kg boxing title…

The term "honeysuckle flower" (greenhouse flower) appeared many years ago, but now it's been replaced by a term similar to "mama's boy".

These seem to have been washed away in the ironclad barracks by the constant turnover of troops, and even deliberately concealed by the individuals themselves.

Because, as the twenty‑four Red Force soldiers, they don't have—!

He Zhijun smiled: "Too what? Too unfair? Laohei, if you want to sharpen a blade, you must hammer it hard and temper it in great fire; otherwise, the impurities in this material will be hard to remove."

Although there are only nine of us, these nine versus those twenty‑four trainees still have at least a seventy percent chance of winning in the end.

Moreover, us nine versus them twenty‑four, isn't it normal for us to use some handy weapons?

"'Zhangyu' is even more mysterious; few people know his name, and he usually hardly speaks at all, but his ability is beyond question."

However, forming such a 'Blue Force' is indeed somewhat unfair to those twenty‑four soldiers who are still completely in the dark.

But this does not mean they lack that ability.

Otherwise, they'd forever be merely performers for show; once faced with a life‑or‑death mission, that 'life' character might well have nothing to do with them.

Needless to say about Laohei and 'Zhangyu'; Laohei, as a Level 2 NCO, although fundamentally still a soldier, in both seniority and ability surpasses Chen Shanming and Gong Jian.

The reason is simple: nobody has ever seen them in action, not even during training.

Kang Lei, in his second year of service joined the division military district marksmanship team; he once calibrated a rifle with a single bullet; he was a four‑time consecutive champion in the military district rifle all‑events competition, participated in three firearms improvement R&D projects, and holds the army records for pistol shooting at fifteen and twenty‑five meters…

Especially those large pieces of equipment—definitely need to camouflage them well!

The recruit named Liu Xiaotian specially applied for ten rounds of ammunition for the Type 10 sniper rifle for tomorrow's exercise—and that's no joke!

Besides that, these nine people present have all genuinely participated in missions multiple times.

"Yes!" Everyone replied in unison.

No one saw that in the barracks of the Sixth Company of the Iron Fist Group, Liu Xiaotian, already with the lights off and lying in bed half‑asleep about to drift off, suddenly twitched his legs and woke up.

He vaguely dreamed his feet stepped into empty air, and with a "hey" he woke up.

Although many people have had such dreams, even frequently, Liu Xiaotian still feels this seems like an omen, foretelling that tomorrow's exercise… won't go too smoothly…

(End of chapter)