Chapter Six: The Absurd Reward

On the square of the Jinjiang Combat Team, this strange scene fortunately did not last long.

Jing Dong and Wu Mingjie could no longer afford to embarrass themselves in this state. Jing Dong spoke up, “Xu Yan, thank you. Please let us go!”

At this moment, neither of them could bear being dragged along while Ouyang Nan was right in front of them. The sensation of being pulled by Xu Yan was truly humiliating.

Jiyu’s eyes swiftly scanned the area—207 people had already fallen.

“Good!” With that simple word, Jiyu released their hands and withdrew his grip, then shifted Ouyang Nan from in front of him to his side, holding her with one hand as he ran.

Having just adjusted to Jiyu’s leg rhythm and being pulled by him, Ouyang Nan relied on her years of running training to barely keep pace, unlike Jing Dong and Wu Mingjie who were dragged along helplessly.

Moreover, since Jiyu was only carrying her, he was able to modulate his speed, slowing down and then speeding up, ensuring she did not fall.

“Stop the test,” a booming voice echoed across the square.

Jiyu, still moving by instinct, carried Ouyang Nan forward another dozen meters before finally coming to a halt.

Ouyang Nan sank to the ground with a thud, but Jiyu pulled her back up. “Don’t sit down yet. Run slowly for a bit.”

The gravitational pull on the square ceased immediately after the command “stop the test” rang out.

As a result, everyone who halted suddenly was thrown to the ground by the vanishing gravity, except for Jiyu and Ouyang Nan, who only swayed slightly.

If not for Jiyu’s timely arm wrapping around her waist, she too would have collapsed face-first without any dignity.

Despite her physical exhaustion, she stood again under his pull, and they jogged another hundred meters before slowing to a walk.

Jing Zhi Min’s face bore a very satisfied smile, though it was tinged with regret. “Two more didn’t fall. If only I had pushed the difficulty up a few levels.”

Zhang Xudong looked at this somewhat “extreme” squad leader and secretly clicked his tongue. If the levels were raised further, none of the assistant instructors present would escape the same fate as the soldiers on the square.

“Let them rest for five minutes. Call out the numbers according to the results. The top three hundred will assemble; the bottom two hundred will be dismissed from the Jinjiang Special Operations Team,” Jing Zhi Min said before turning to leave.

He had originally planned to give a speech, but with number 176—a freak of nature—he felt it necessary to report immediately to the special forces leadership.

He could tell that number 176 was not recruited from ordinary troops through pre-selection but was likely chosen from recent academy graduates.

Such team members, who possessed both knowledge and foundational skills, had to be treated differently from the outset.

If their thoughts could stay highly unified, they would certainly become part of the interstellar combat team in the future.

Five minutes on the square passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Xudong held a tablet and loudly began calling out the numbers of those who passed the test.

To everyone’s surprise, first place was not one of the two who were still jogging at the end.

Instead, it was a young man named Duan Peng, whose stature was neither tall nor muscular, even somewhat slender.

However, his fair face was flushed red, pores dilated, and his clothes soaked through.

“Xu Yan, isn’t that the person who stood in front of us complaining during assembly?” Ouyang Nan asked Xu Yan after her number was called.

Jiyu didn’t even look up. “He’s no ordinary guy. Don’t be fooled by his thin frame; I bet his body fat percentage is lower than all of yours.”

“Why was his name called first?” Ouyang Nan was puzzled.

Jiyu glanced at his wristband data and said, “His step frequency never changed, whereas I lowered mine when I went to help Jing Dong and the others.”

“Why is Xu Yan only fourth?” Wu Mingjie said, dissatisfied.

Ouyang Nan glanced at Xu Yan and said, “Sorry for lowering your rank.”

Jiyu didn’t mind at all. “The top ranks are all decent.”

Wu Mingjie nudged Jing Dong, signaling him to speak.

Jing Dong then said, “Xu Yan, thank you.”

Jiyu ignored him; after all, it wasn’t his idea to help those two but Xu Yan’s.

Calling out the list of three hundred took some time, and everyone had regained their breath.

In the end, Wu Mingjie and Jing Dong ranked 286th and 287th, respectively, securing their place among the three hundred.

Some were joyful, while others were downcast, with a few even breaking into tears.

Friends stepped forward to comfort them.

Some went up to the stage to appeal, arguing that those ranked 286th and 287th were only able to hold on because they had assistance, so their results didn’t reflect their true abilities.

Zhang Xudong cast a cold glare at the petitioners and said, “When the rules were announced, it was clear: no time limits, no method restrictions. Didn’t you understand?”

His words immediately deflated the challengers. “If I’d known, I’d have knocked a few down first.”

The one who spoke was number 301, with better build and stamina than Wu Mingjie and Jing Dong, but unfortunately lacking a good partner.

Originally, it was expected that the assistant instructors would reprimand him, but instead, Zhang Xudong said, “That’s because you didn’t try. Now it’s too late to regret.”

The atmosphere on the square grew even tenser after Zhang Xudong’s words.

Those who failed to qualify lowered their heads in thought or clenched their fists in frustration.

Duan Peng strode over, sneering, “If you actually believe that, you’re doomed for life.” Then, looking disdainfully at Zhang Xudong, he added, “Spreading false hope.”

Zhang Xudong smiled at Duan Peng, unfazed. “I like a temper! I hope you keep it up.”

Then, loudly addressing everyone on the square, he said, “Those eliminated have five minutes to leave the square. Exit through the main gate; vehicles are ready to take you away. All the garbage trucks you came in with have been crushed and sent to the scrap yard.”

This caused glee among those who remained. But then they realized: before the test even began, if they knew who would stay, the vehicles thrown into the scrap yard were probably not just those of the eliminated—they might have crushed everyone’s vehicles as trash.

Five minutes later, the three hundred remaining were instructed to line up in order of their call numbers, thirty per row, forming ten rows.

Zhang Xudong addressed them, “Your future training and evaluation goal is to seize the spot of the soldier in front of you. Because the top ten enjoy thirty minutes of free rest time daily. Even if you need to take a dump during training, you can. The rest don’t have that privilege; if they have to go, they’ll just soil their pants.”

This seemingly absurd reward was precious only to those who had truly served in the military.

Especially among these three hundred were over a dozen female soldiers.