"What do you mean by that? You think I'm not good enough?"
A flicker of anger appeared on Cole's already wary face.
"You're saying I can't handle your techniques?"
"That isn't what I mean, Instructor Cole. I'm just worried I might not be able to hold back."
Adrian tried to explain.
But his improvised plan clearly had the opposite effect. Instead of defusing the situation, it had enraged Cole.
"Then come at me. If you accidentally kill me, it'll only mean I wasn't skilled enough."
Having said that much, Cole had clearly made up his mind to spar with Adrian.
Adrian had already made him look bad during the recruit assessment, and his teammates had laughed at him for it.
Now it was happening again.
"No, that's not what I meant."
Adrian panicked.
He could feel Cole's hostility toward him growing even stronger.
"Guess I'll be laid up for a few days after this."
There was no way around it. Things had gone this far, so Adrian could only grit his teeth and step up.
This time, Cole did not bother probing him. He charged straight at Adrian.
He was so fast that before Adrian could react, Cole was already less than half a meter away.
A straight punch shot toward Adrian's abdomen.
"I'm dead."
[Melee Execution.]
Just as that fist, as big as a sledgehammer, was about to slam into Adrian's stomach, the System's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Execution."
In Call of Duty, once you got close enough to an enemy, you could perform an execution.
And an execution was a guaranteed kill. The target had no chance to fight back.
Adrian felt his body retreating beyond his control.
Control of his body had been handed over to the System.
Cole's punch missed, making him stagger slightly off balance.
Seizing the opening, Adrian—controlled by the System—drove a low roundhouse kick into Cole's leading leg.
Already off balance, Cole pitched forward.
Using the momentum of his fall, Adrian raised his knee.
His knee smashed into Cole's chin.
Thud.
Cole blacked out instantly and collapsed facedown on the ground.
Blood began to seep across the ground beneath his face.
"Stop."
Adrian issued the command to halt.
Under normal circumstances, the execution would have continued with Adrian kicking the back of his opponent's neck.
That kick would have killed him outright.
But Adrian stopped it.
Even so, Cole had fallen unconscious.
"My God. He dropped him in seconds—and that was Cole."
"The guy's a combat expert. He can take on five or six people by himself."
"And Adrian knocked him out in a single exchange."
The seven instructors in the distance stared in shock.
"No way. Is he really a trainee who just graduated?"
Behind Adrian, the other seven recruits stood frozen as they watched the scene unfold.
"Just as I thought. Adrian is far from ordinary."
Selene Winter became even more convinced of her suspicions.
She could tell Adrian had held back just now.
If he had raised that knee a little higher and driven it into Cole's nose instead—
Cole would have been crippled.
But Adrian had angled it downward and struck his chin, merely knocking him unconscious.
"Medic!"
Only then did the instructors behind them snap out of it and call for the medics.
Medics had been standing by from the start for this kind of close-combat training.
Carrying a stretcher, they rushed over and lifted Cole onto it.
Cole was carried away, leaving a large pool of blood on the ground.
It looked frightening, but Adrian could tell that he had only knocked the man out.
The massive impact had given Cole a nosebleed, which was why it looked so horrific.
"All right, the rest of you continue training. Adrian, come with me."
Selene told the other seven to continue training and called Adrian away.
In the commander's office.
"Adrian, I didn't expect you to volunteer for the special forces."
Once they entered the office, Selene's expression visibly softened. She no longer looked as cold as she had outside.
There was even a trace of respect in her voice.
"Is that a problem, Commander Winter?"
Adrian remained standing at attention as he answered.
"Relax. Have a seat."
Selene sat behind her desk and gestured for Adrian to sit.
"Adrian, since you've chosen to become a special forces operator, you must want to serve the Federation."
Selene spoke first after Adrian took his seat.
"Of course."
"I also know you have an organization of your own behind you. I'll keep your affairs confidential. How about this? The Federation will contract your services."
"Your organization included."
After the operation at Ammunition Depot No. 4, Selene had reported the battle to her superiors.
However, she had concealed Adrian's true identity.
After receiving the report, senior leadership convened a meeting immediately.
They concluded that Adrian had a substantial force behind him, and that he was very likely its supreme commander.
There were many people like Adrian who commanded their own organizations.
Most existed in the form of mercenary groups.
Such organizations were generally formed voluntarily by highly capable Mercenaries.
These groups were also a significant force within the Federation, and the authorities had considered recruiting powerful Mercenaries into the special forces.
But they had never found the right opportunity.
Adrian's appearance brought that possibility back into the leadership's view.
And since Adrian had actually taken part in special forces selection, it was clear he wanted to serve the Federation.
So they had asked Selene to speak with Adrian and see whether she could bring him on board.
Adrian considered it.
On one hand, he had joined the special forces because he wanted to serve the Federation. From the news he had seen, its resources were steadily dwindling.
Defeats on the front lines had caused vast quantities of resources to fall into enemy hands.
But Mercenaries did not have authorization to participate in those battles. Only special forces had that opportunity.
Besides, Adrian's System required a large number of points, and he had been looking for an opportunity to reveal his circumstances to the Federation.
He had simply never expected that opportunity to arrive so soon.
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