Beneath his mask, the instructor’s face twitched.
Isn’t this the student who dropped me with a snap shot from a hundred meters away?
The instructor grumbled inwardly.
Kid, if you’re signing up for special-operator selection, you’re in my hands now.
He was secretly delighted, though his face revealed nothing.
"I want to register for special-operator selection," Adrian said.
"All right. Anyone else?"
"Me. I’m registering too."
Garrett, Class One’s monitor, called out from the front of the formation.
"Not bad. Two applicants in this class."
Those willing to undergo special-operator selection were few and far between.
Even one or two applicants a year from a single school was considered a lot.
That was one reason the Federation had suffered repeated setbacks on the front lines.
The higher-ups had considered bringing mercenaries into the fighting as well, but concerns over their loyalty had left the front-line situation deadlocked.
After another round of questioning, no one else volunteered.
Adrian and Garrett were taken away, while the other students who had qualified as soldiers were assigned by the school.
"Principal, I have other duties to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now."
Major Frost saluted, said her goodbyes, and departed.
Adrian and Garrett were led to an SUV.
The two sat in the back. The masked soldier in the driver’s seat made no move to leave after they got in, as though he were waiting for someone.
A moment later—
"Back to base."
Major Frost emerged from the school gates and climbed into the same vehicle as Adrian and Garrett.
Only then did Adrian take a proper look at the major sitting before him.
Short hair. Cold, sharp eyes.
"Wait. Why does she look so familiar?"
The female major seemed strangely familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.
"Drive."
The major ignored Adrian and gestured for the soldier beside them to get moving.
The SUV surged forward, and Adrian lost his balance, slammed hard against the back seat.
"Have we met before, Major?"
In the end, Adrian could not suppress his curiosity and asked.
The major merely turned her head slightly and gave him a sidelong glance without answering.
"No way. Isn’t that Frost?"
That look made Adrian recognize her at once, as though she had done it deliberately.
I need to find a chance to ask her in private.
No one spoke for the rest of the trip. Near dusk, they arrived at a military base.
Compared to the mercenaries’ camp, the base was far more formal.
A concrete perimeter wall encircled it, and two steel anti-vehicle barricades stood at the entrance.
When the guards saw the SUV approaching, they moved the barricades aside.
"Out."
As students, Adrian and Garrett had never had the chance to visit a military base. Everything around them filled them with curiosity.
It was not until the major reminded them that they snapped back to attention.
Garrett hurriedly got out, while Adrian remained much calmer.
Once outside, the two stood ramrod straight, not daring to look around.
"Let me introduce myself. I’m Selene Winter, commander of the Special Forces Group. Your quarters are behind you, and the assessment will last three days."
"Follow this corporal and collect your equipment."
With that, Selene Winter turned and left.
"Follow me."
The corporal assigned to Adrian and Garrett was the same man who had driven them there.
"Yes, Corporal."
They answered in unison and followed him.
"This is your equipment. You’ll need it for the next three days of testing."
At a warehouse, the corporal identified himself, and the quartermaster handed Adrian and Garrett two large rucksacks.
The corporal motioned for them to inspect the contents.
Each was a tactical pack with a capacity of roughly thirty liters.
When Adrian unzipped his, the first thing inside was a set of camouflage fatigues.
Under that was a poncho.
At the bottom were a canteen and a medical kit.
An entrenching tool was strapped to the outside of the pack.
"The assessment began the moment you received this equipment. Go back to your quarters and rest tonight."
The sergeant then led them back to their room.
The quarters were spacious, a standard two-man room, somewhat like the dormitory Adrian had lived in during his previous life.
"At 0600 tomorrow, have all your gear on and form up outside the dormitory."
After leaving those instructions, the sergeant turned and departed.
"Whew. I never expected someone from Class Six to enter special-operator selection."
The moment the sergeant left, Garrett lay down on his bed and let out a long breath.
Although Garrett was Class One’s monitor, he was easygoing and approachable.
"Becoming a special operator has always been my dream," Adrian replied.
"I hope you make it. Special-operator selection isn’t going to be easy."
"Get some sleep."
Garrett took off his clothes and prepared to turn in.
Adrian intended to sleep as well. After a full day of assessments, exhaustion was washing over him.
But then he remembered something.
Back when he had gone through recruit training, instructors sometimes called emergency formations in the middle of the night.
Remembering that, Adrian opened his pack again and put on the camouflage fatigues.
"Adrian, what are you doing? That eager to get started?"
Garrett, who had already lain down, saw Adrian changing and teased him.
"I want a little more sleep tomorrow, so I’m putting my uniform on early."
After changing into the fatigues, Adrian lay down on his bed.
3:00 a.m.
Ring-ring-ring-ring!
A piercing alarm erupted.
"Emergency formation!"
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