Chapter 1601
Chapter 1601: A Night of Falling Snow (6)
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"Comrades," Flossie Wright spoke word by word.
"Are you sure?"
"Alright then," Glenn Hutchinson tightly embraced her, leaving a cool kiss by her ear, his voice low and pleasant, "Remember to protect your comrades, and I will protect you."
The night deepened.
Brilliant fireworks displayed their last burst of splendor in the sky before vanishing without a trace.
What lingered in Flossie Wright’s ears was no longer the constant sound of fireworks, but his words that seemed like a vow.
The next day, 5 AM.
Flossie Wright woke up from her sleep.
The dormitory was as usual, but the usual sounds were absent.
Perhaps they were too exhausted from last night’s fun; no one made any movement.
Flossie was quite awake, and instead of sleeping in, she quietly got up from bed.
Getting dressed, putting on shoes, wearing a hat, washing up.
Then heading out.
As soon as the door opened, a cold wind hit her face.
Snow had fallen throughout the night, leaving a thick blanket around the dormitory building once more.
Just like when they first arrived at the Base.
Flossie exhaled, seeing puffs of mist in the dim corridor light.
She immediately pulled her hat lower.
Closing the door, she ran downstairs, heading straight to the Training Ground.
She thought she was early, but—
There were footprints in the snow, leading all the way to the Training Ground.
Upon arriving at the Training Ground, Flossie finally saw the figure on the 400-meter obstacle.
It was Sandy Cruz.
"Happy New Year."
Walking over, Flossie greeted him.
"Happy New Year."
Sandy Cruz jumped down from the high wall, then casually responded to Flossie.
After speaking, he crawled under the low-net obstacle.
Raising her eyebrows, Flossie matched his pace, walking past the low-net obstacle.
Once she finished the low-net, Sandy Cruz finally stopped.
"Aren’t you training?"
Sandy Cruz looked at her with displeasure.
Why is she following him without reason?
Flossie shrugged, casually said, "You’re pretty fast; just learning."
Sandy Cruz was too annoyed to respond to her.
Soon, he turned around past the marker flag and returned, crossing the low-net obstacle again.
Observing him thoughtfully, Flossie genuinely admired his persistence.
He was already skilled, but the effort he put in did not fall short of anyone; rather, it far exceeded the average level.
Rubbing her chin, Flossie glanced at the lights turning on around the Training Ground, then looked at the deep night sky.
Without delay, she continued to match Sandy Cruz’s pace.
Sandy Cruz crossed the 400-meter obstacle, and she did also; Sandy Cruz did five 500s, and Flossie did the same five 500s; Sandy Cruz did upward traction exercises, and she joined in on the upward traction exercises as well...
Sandy Cruz became increasingly irritated with her, yet her speed kept increasing.
She nearly drove Sandy Cruz to frustration.
Gradually, more and more people filled the Training Ground, but Flossie relentlessly followed Sandy Cruz until breakfast time at 7:30, when Sandy Cruz finally shook her off.
"Continuing in the morning?"
At the canteen with Sandy Cruz, Flossie asked him while grabbing breakfast.
Sandy Cruz replied decisively.
Seeing his sullen face, Flossie couldn’t help but laugh, then swiftly went to find Belinda Nichols, who was also having breakfast.
Perhaps initially, she just wanted to test how intense Sandy Cruz’s training was.
But after a few hours, Flossie realized that Sandy Cruz’s diligence wasn’t just a simple effort.
Each of his subjects was scheduled properly, slowing down after physical training to do some other exercises.
Every item was arranged quite reasonably.
Even training along with him resulted in benefits.
On New Year’s Day, the festive atmosphere was very strong.
The Base was festively decorated, and occasionally, glimpses of Veteran Soldiers full of smiles were seen.
All the joy excluded these trainees.
The food hadn’t improved, nor had the treatment.
Even that annoying Joshua Bailey, who used to parade in front of them, now left no trace.
If encountered on the road, he wouldn’t even spare a glance.
It was truly disheartening.
They were completely looked down upon, and even on such a joyful holiday, no good face was shown to them.
The entire day, the Training Ground, which was supposed to be quiet, inexplicably turned lively.
Most of the trainees chose to vent their anger on the Training Ground.
Wishing they could stomp, beat, and kick those irritating Veteran Soldiers underfoot!
Flossie and Belinda Nichols, however, were not as eager as the others, training as usual by routine.
So that night, only a few of the "lazy" ones truly got some sleep.
Just past midnight, an emergency assembly whistle sounded outside the dormitory building.
"Beep—Beep—Beep—"
"Beep—Beep—Beep—"
"Beep—Beep—Beep—"
The urgent, continuous whistle could only mean Joshua Bailey was behind it.
Some had just lain down, not yet asleep; some were still washing up before bed; some were even undressing to get into bed...
Hence, with the whistle, all trainees were startled and started scrambling to get ready.
In no time, a loud clamor ensued as a group rushed downstairs.
Fortunately, this batch had been selected, and after hurrying, they managed to gather within three minutes.
Ninety-nine trainees stood neatly in front of Joshua Bailey.
He was the only instructor.
"No need for much talk," twirling the whistle around his hand, Joshua Bailey held a megaphone and shouted at them, "From this moment on, starting February 1st at 12:04 AM, until February 8th at 12:04 AM, you—hey, turn around and look back."
At his words, all ninety-nine turned around to look behind them.
A small blackboard was hung by the staircase entrance at some unknown point.
It was covered with sheets of A4 paper.
Another whistle sounded, drawing attention back once more.
"Check the details later," Joshua Bailey said, lounging casually, "Within these seven days, you all must complete every subject listed on those papers. You can arrange the time, work together if you wish, and the only requirement is—complete the mission!"
— End of Chapter 1601 —