"Are you sure you want to share?" Matthew walked over.The group was stunned, not replying to him.Matthew scanned their faces one by one and instructed Linus, "Divide your plate into six portions and give each of them one.""No need!" Alex was the first to refuse."We were just joking earlier. We weren't serious," Riley said, uneasy about the bugs.The rest nodded in agreement.Linus grumbled under his breath, cursing his less-than-loyal friends. Eventually, he accepted the task.In the end, Linus bore the burden himself. Unable to stomach the insects, he had not eaten much at lunch. When he left the cafeteria, he was starving."Want me to go with you to the convenience store to buy some snacks? The afternoon training is going to be tough, and you won't make it on an empty stomach," Alex whispered to him."Whose fault is it?" Linus glared at him."Mine," Alex admitted readily. He looked around, could not spot Matthew, and urged, "Come on, my treat."Linus hesitated for a mo
Matthew handed the bottle of water to Alex and said, "Take a sip and catch your breath.""Yes, Captain!" Alex eagerly responded. He took the water and drank it sip by sip, instantly feeling refreshed and less tired.After finishing the water, Matthew led him to sit down nearby, and they chatted for a while. During their conversation, Alex suddenly felt guilty for not living up to such a good captain.Determined to make amends, he resolved to train harder in the future.Seeing that Alex had rested enough, Matthew cleared his throat and asked, "Feeling better?""Yes," Alex nodded."Good, now let's continue the punishment. You have 45 minutes to complete a 10-kilometer weighted cross-country run. If you're not back by two thirty, tomorrow's training will be doubled," Matthew said, checking his watch.Alex's eyes widened in shock. They had just been casually chatting, and now he was suddenly tasked with another grueling run."You have 44 minutes and 50 seconds left," Matthew remind
Mitchell, who had also never seen Linus work so hard, calmly commented, "We'll find out when he takes a break later.""Where's Alex?" Riley scanned the area, slightly puzzled.The others on the training ground were also looking around, unable to spot Alex.It was not until more than half an hour later that they finally saw Alex approaching, looking utterly dejected."What happened? You were gone for so long," Riley, who had just finished a round of training, asked as he walked over. "Captain had me do a heavy-weight run," Alex replied, his breath still uneven. He had resolved never to trust Matthew so easily again.Riley was puzzled but refrained from further questioning, continuing the afternoon's training tasks.Throughout the entire afternoon, the group trained diligently without supervision, unaware that Matthew had been observing them from a distance.During a break, David approached Matthew and, observing the group's serious training, engaged in a casual conversation. "A
In the jungle, there were no desktop computers, and they would not have spare time either during the training."There is a computer in the Captain's office," Cynthia said. Her need for a computer was just a ruse. "After training tomorrow, I'll just let Captain know, and I can borrow it in the middle of the night.""Ahem!" Alex cleared his throat.Linus did not look quite right either.All eyes turned toward them. "What's going on with you two?""According to the organization's rules, you're not supposed to wander around after lights-out," Linus chimed in, lightly coughing. He was concerned about Cynthia getting punished. "If you sneak into the Captain's office for a surprise attack in the middle of the night, won't you get in trouble?""I'll just report it in advance," Cynthia shrugged. She was not too concerned. If she got punished, so be it. All those training exercises were pretty much the same—exhausting to the point where you could not even lift a finger.The two exchanged
"Would the enemy notify you before launching an attack?" Matthew asked casually.Once again, silence fell on the other end of the line. It persisted for quite a while before they spoke, "Let's do it again next month. We'll consider this round in your favor.""What do you mean, 'consider'? You lost," Matthew quipped."Yeah, we lost," the other side admitted grudgingly. Then, he added, "We'll try again next month."Matthew was not buying it. He could not believe they would lose this easily next time. "They won't be available next month; they have other commitments. Besides, give it a couple of years for your skills to improve, and then we can have another go," Matthew replied, ending the conversation.The head of the Cybersecurity Department was left speechless.Matthew did not linger on the call. After hanging up, he glanced at the time and advised, "Get some rest; we have a five-hour journey to our outdoor training site, and we'll be departing soon.""Okay," Cynthia replied an
"Understood!" they replied in unison. They understood well that Matthew had to balance between treating them well and maintaining his seriousness and ruthlessness as their instructor. David smiled, patted their shoulders, and encouraged them to train properly before leaving.Alex and the others had joy on their faces, and their appreciation for Matthew continued to rise."Now we can relax a bit. We just need to eat a bit conservatively, and we should be fine for seven days," Riley said, looking at their ample food supplies. Cynthia, however, appeared deep in thought as she glanced at the items in her backpack.Gaby noticed her unease. "What's wrong?""I just have a feeling this might be a trap," Cynthia hesitated. Riley asked, "A trap for what?""Before we rested, Captain said that apart from what he just gave us, no one was allowed to carry anything else. But this..." Cynthia said, a sense of unease creeping over her.According to the rules, what David gave them could
"Nothing," Alex quickly responded."Keep one day's worth of rations and hand over the rest," Matthew ordered them coldly.Linus attempted to argue, "But..."Mitchell nudged him, and Linus immediately fell silent. Soon, everyone obediently surrendered their rations, on the brink of breaking down. Once the desired effect was achieved, they departed. David watched the pitiful young recruits and clicked his tongue. "I thought they all fell for it, but one didn't. They're stronger than the previous batch.""There should be two." Matthew's gaze lingered on Cynthia, who had already left.David was perplexed. "What do you mean?"Matthew did not explain further and instructed him, "Nothing. Have your people keep an eye on them quietly, just in case something goes wrong.""It's already arranged." David remained dependable.Matthew glanced at the departing group again before returning to the resting tent.David asked him as he walked, "What if none of them falls for it? What's your pla
"You should consider it a pity. Being tricked by me is still better than being tricked by an outsider," Matthew, who had an extremely close relationship with David, replied.David hesitated, wanting to retort. However, he found that Matthew's words were actually quite on point. The recruits Matthew had brought in were significantly different from those brought in by others, just as cunning and always setting traps during missions or competitions. This led to his team always coming out on top. Moreover, as Matthew had pointed out, the frequent experience of being tricked during training had toughened their mental fortitude far beyond that of the other recruits. If it were not for Matthew's limited energy, their superiors would want him to train everyone personally."Regretting it?" Matthew, noticing David's thoughtful expression, casually askedFailing to realize this was a trap, David nodded in agreement. "A little." "In that case, join them for wilderness training. If you ca