“Look closely!”
“In complex terrain, the rational distribution of physical strength will always be more important than your pathetic brute force!”
Zhou Chenguang’s booming voice pierced through the rain, clearly reaching every cadet’s ears.
“Use your eyes to observe, use your brain to think!”
“Finding the most effortless route and method, that’s what you need to learn!”
Watching Zhou Chenguang’s seemingly effortless movements, all the cadets were dumbfounded.
They finally realized that this training exercise tested not only physical endurance but also intelligence and skill.
They also finally understood that to pass the selection, they had to break through their past perceptions and limits.
A fierce, unyielding spirit rose from the depths of the cadets' hearts.
Qin He glanced at Zhou Chenguang’s disappearing back at the top of the slope, then looked back at his comrades behind him, whose eyes were equally fervent.
He no longer hesitated.
“Follow me!”
Qin He roared, taking the first step.
He heavily stepped onto the muddy slope, mixed with rain and soil.
The cold mud instantly swallowed his ankles.
A powerful suction came from beneath his feet, as if trying to drag his entire body into the ground.
He did not panic; instead, he immediately lowered his center of gravity.
Learning from Zhou Chenguang, he moved sideways, using the outside of his foot to find relatively solid footholds.
Several cadets behind him also rushed in closely.
“Ah!”
One cadet, in his eagerness, took too big a step.
His foot slipped, and he fell face-first into the mud.
Cold mud poured into his mouth and nose, making him cough violently.
But he didn’t stop for a moment; he propped himself up with both hands in the mud.
He sharply raised his head, spat out the mud, wiped his face haphazardly, and struggled to get up, continuing upwards.
There was no discouragement in his eyes, only a more frantic persistence.
More and more people embarked on this path of challenge.
The entire muddy hillside was instantly covered with struggling figures climbing upwards.
They had no communication with each other, not even extra eye contact.
In each person’s world, there was only the muddy path ahead and their own heavy breathing.
Raindrops heavily pounded on their helmets and backpacks, making dull thuds.
The wind howled in their ears, like a devil’s mockery.
But no one gave up.
They remembered Zhou Chenguang’s words: use their eyes to observe, use their brains to think.
They were no longer blindly rushing around like headless flies but began to look for the most efficient routes.
Some used protruding rocks as leverage points.
Others grabbed the roots of shrubs by the roadside to relieve the pressure on their shoulders.
One hour passed.
Two hours passed.
On the observation platform in the distance, Gu Lina Zha’s hand, holding the binoculars, trembled slightly.
She clearly saw that those mud-covered figures were approaching the finish line at the top of the slope at an extremely slow but incredibly determined pace.
Their camouflage uniforms had long lost their original color, completely covered in yellowish-brown mud.
Each person’s face was mixed with rain, sweat, and mud.
Only their eyes, in the dim rain, shone astonishingly bright.
Finally, the first figure appeared at the top of the slope.
It was Qin He.
His last step was almost a crawl.
The moment his feet touched flat ground, his body swayed, and he almost fell.
But he forced himself to stand straight, turned around, and looked at his comrades still struggling below.
Then, the second, the third…
One after another, cadets, dragging their exhausted bodies, reached the finish line.
No one cheered, and they didn’t even have the strength to speak.
Everyone just stood silently, letting the cold rainwater wash over their bodies, breathing heavily.
For many, their combat uniforms at the knees and calves were already worn through by sharp stones.
Blood and mud mixed together, looking shocking.
But they seemed to feel no pain, just standing there like mud statues.
Until the last cadet also climbed to the top of the slope, the team of over two hundred people had not lost a single one.
Gu Lina Zha lowered her binoculars, her face full of disbelief.
She turned to look at Lu Mingyu, who had remained silent beside her, her voice trembling slightly.
“They… they all completed it?”
“This is simply… too crazy.”
“Captain Lu, what exactly supported them to accomplish all this?”
“Is it a… obsession?”
She couldn’t think of any other word to describe the shocking scene before her.
Besides obsession, what else could make a group of flesh-and-blood people burst forth with such powerful energy?
Lu Mingyu’s gaze remained on the mud-covered cadets, his eyes deep.
“No, this is not obsession.”
His voice was as cold as ever, but with a hint of imperceptible warmth.
“Obsession is for one’s own selfish desires.”
“And they are for becoming the sharp knife that protects others.”
“They want to become the nation’s top warriors, to become the group of people who can step forward and defend the country in times of crisis.”
“When a person’s goal is no longer themselves but the entire nation and its people.”
“How could mere heavy rain and mud possibly stop their steps?”
Lu Mingyu’s words were very plain.
But every word was like a heavy hammer, striking Gu Lina Zha’s heart.
She looked at the group of cadets again, her eyes completely changed.
The previous sympathy and reluctance had now transformed into heartfelt admiration.
Lu Mingyu’s heart, at this moment, was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.
He was very satisfied that all the cadets were able to complete this challenge.
According to his previous plan, this extreme training exercise would have directly eliminated at least a dozen people due to physical exhaustion.
This was the most brutal test of pure physical endurance and willpower in the entire selection process.
The purpose was to filter out those whose bodies had reached their limits or whose willpower was not firm enough.
Unexpectedly, all two hundred-plus people gritted their teeth and persevered.
This completely exceeded his expectations.
Lu Mingyu’s lips curved slightly upwards.
It seems that the overall quality of this batch of cadets is even higher than expected.
The number of people who will eventually remain will probably be much higher than anticipated.
Except for those who must be eliminated due to objective reasons like hidden physical injuries.
From the perspective of willpower quality alone, this group of people is excellent.
This is undoubtedly a gratifying good news for the Megakaryocyte Special Operations Group, which is eager to expand its strength.
Lu Mingyu’s gaze swept across the training ground, as if seeing further away.
He hoped that all two hundred-plus people participating in this selection could ultimately break through their limits and complete their transformation.
He hoped they could all become qualified special forces soldiers, forming more and stronger special forces units.
Because only someone like him, who is in a front-line command position, knows best how urgent the nation’s demand for top-tier special forces is.
The missions that special forces units must carry out often involve rescue in extreme environments that ordinary units cannot handle, high-risk infiltration deep behind enemy lines, and counter-terrorism operations related to national security.
Every mission directly concerns the safety of people’s lives and property and the fundamental interests of the nation.
Even in those unknown border corners, on those treacherous covert battlefields.
They must always maintain the strongest physical condition and peak state to cope with all possible challenges.
