Shi Lang and the rest of the class stood in the training ground of the Elton Military Academy, the ruckus outside did not affect the tournament. The statement issued by the young general was good enough to appease everyone. The designation he held was the testimony of power and responsibility. It was also known to the people that Shi Lang had introduced some significant changes in the system for betterment.
The crowd surrounding them in the training ground was surprised and amazed by his presence in the training ground, standing behind his students as any ordinary teacher would. He seemed to have nothing to do with the massacre, and while the people were scared of him, they also admired him for being sorted in such a messy situation and restoring the integrity of the military.
A stage was set in front of the students. Each class had thirty people and there were eight teams. The youth competition was unlike the adult competitions, the students were not only tested in terms of their current strength but also the potential they all held and to see what they would evolve into in the future.
On the stage, the event host stood wearing his military uniform, at first when they all received the news that Shi Lang was present among them, they wanted him to come to the stage and inaugurate the final ceremony, however, when they thought over it seriously, they could not say have such a high ranking official come over for such a small thing.
The official on the stage said, “There is only one rule in the competition and that is to do your best. You are not here to beat the people around you but to beat your former self and show yourself that you are better than yesterday.
In the competition, you are not allowed to kill your comrades. The spirit of the military is to excel through competition and not to kill each other. Push the limits, go to the end of your wits, reach out and grab that glory.”
The official stated the purpose of this competition and at the same time, he also motivated the people at the same time. Theseus said in a low tone, “Take deep breathes, regulate your blood circulation, if we got excited, the stamina and state of mind will be disrupted.”
The class nodded and calmed down, the Terran cultivation method was based on blood circulation and excitement could prove harmful in such an early stage of the competition, hyper blood flow meant more explosive strength.
pan,d a-n0vel …
Shi Lang looked at his students and nodded slightly. He was also wearing his military uniform with the left of his chest inlaid with medals. The rest of the teachers around him failed in comparison. The aura of superiority he had was something too overwhelming for the rest of them. It almost suffocated the people but they stood there silently.
After all, keeping up a facade was important to save their reputations. The official was finished with the speech and said, “Today, we have the honor to host the highest official of the federal military. The organization committee hopes for General Shi Lang, to come upon the stage and say a few words to the younger generation and motivate them.”
Shi Lang sighed and nodded, he walked up from behind his class and all the students locked their gazes at his back. This person was their idol, they were looking forward to what he will say to them. The young general appeared on top of the stage quickly and said, “I will wait for you to come and join me in the colors. No matter who is your opponent, do not hold back, give it your best.”
The people were shocked, but this simple sentence told them that the general they all idolized was looking forward to graduating and becoming a proper soldier and this was enough for them all to put their lives on the line. They all replied in unison, “Sir, Yes, Sir.”
Shi Lang nodded and after shaking hands with the officials he went back to stand at his position as the teacher behind his class. The classes were then taken to separate choppers and then transported to a forest area. This area will be the test field, all the teams had dedicated camera drones following them and the progress of the entire test will be telecasted to the invigilators.
This was to make sure that none of the people makes any sneaky moves and disrupt the fairness of the competition. The classes were deployed and they were all put in a random position on the map. Shi Lang stood in the observation pavilion for the teachers and mumbled, “The only part of earth left untouched is the amazon. Interesting choice.”
Aztec was standing behind Shi Lang and asked, “Sir, why do you think this is an interesting choice? What is so special about amazon?”
Shi Lang smiled and said, “We, as seasoned soldiers might not see this place as a special spot, but these young ones are all first years and they have yet to get out of their nests. Think of them as fresh chicks and this competition as their first flight.
Amazon does not only house dense forests, but also a wide range of flora and fauna, do not forget that not only Humans have evolved in the past, but even insects have evolved, and with the infusion of spiritual energy, these changes will surface in this test.”
Aztec was surprised by this, as he had never thought about such things in great detail. He was older than Shi Lang but this young man had a better perception than him and took account of all the things in such a short time, this was flabergasting.
Not only Aztec, but other teachers also heard this and became surprised. Shi Lang shared his knowledge and thoughts without holding back anything. This made the rest feel gratified, they were able to gain such things with a casual conversation with Shi Lang.
…
Theseus and the rest landed in the midst of the dense forest, and as the team leader, he said, “Climb high on the trees and be mindful of bugs and other insects. This place is no paradise. Cover the eight directions and tell me if you spot a clearing on your scanners.”
Eight people climbed the trees and they all scanned every inch of the directions they were in charge of, in the meantime the entire class had set up a parameter with their guns and eyes trained on the surroundings. They did not want to allow any predator to get close to them.
The people came down and they reported their findings. They had discovered two clearings, one of them lay two clicks southwest, and the other was even further, located three clicks north, there lay a big swamp between them and the clearing.
Theseus asked, “Any idea where the other teams might be?”
Vanessa replied, “Looking for clearings to organize their attack plans?”
Theseus nodded and the rest of them agreed with the two leaders. Theseus was in command and Vanessa was second in command. The latter said, “We all know that throughout the history of this competition our seniors have been targetted and they all falter when they face the onslaught of the other seven schools.”
The rest of the people nodded and Chou asked, “What shall we do?”
Theseus said, “I suggest we take the initiative to attack.”
The class was surprised but they did not say anything else, they all had a brain and their own thoughts so they understood what it would be like if they attacked. It will increase their chances of success in the battle.
Vanessa said, “But the chances are not too high, you know that very well, Theseus. An all-out assault is akin to seeking treasure and trouble at the same time, what if we commit to the cause and it becomes too late to retreat?”
Theseus nodded and said, “What you said is correct, we cannot be too overconfident, however, if we form the main assault team and a support team this possibility can be negated. Even if we are too late to retreat when attacking the enemy, then the support team can step in to cover the assault team.
See, the clearing in the southwest will be eyed by at least one team and we can take down one opponent in the early stage to lessen our burden in the further stage. What do you think?”
The class began to discuss and after two minutes they all nodded Vanessa said, “Well then let’s go ahead with this idea, we also do not have anything to lose, at this moment we have already surpassed our seniors, by entering the top eight. So this is the time when we take some risks. After all, the teacher said, the fortune rewards the bold.”
…
Everything the teams did were being heard and seen by the invigilators and the teachers. While Shi Lang smiled, the rest of the people also looked forward to the intense competition.