Lu Mingyu glanced at the military watch on his wrist; it was perfectly on time.
"Begin."
He uttered two words faintly, his voice not loud, but carrying an unquestionable command.
The next second, a piercing alarm tore through the quiet night sky, sharp enough to rip eardrums.
Almost at the same time, Zhou Chenguang kicked open the dormitory building's door.
"Emergency assembly!"
He roared with all his might, his voice echoing in the empty hallway.
The veteran members split into several groups, holding high-pressure water guns, and roughly rushed into each dormitory.
Icy cold water streams, like angry water dragons, mercilessly drenched the Rookies still in their dreams.
"Ah!"
"What the hell! What's going on!"
"Is it an earthquake?"
The warm blankets instantly turned into an ice cellar.
The Rookies woke up amidst screams and curses, scrambling out of bed in a disheveled state.
They were soaked, shivering from the cold, their minds blank, completely unaware of the situation.
"Everyone, within two minutes, get dressed and assemble at the training ground downstairs!"
"Listen carefully, only two minutes!"
"Anyone who exceeds the time will be directly eliminated!"
Lu Mingyu's voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, spread throughout the entire dormitory building, cold and devoid of emotion.
Only then did the Rookies realize this was not an exercise, nor a joke.
They fumbled frantically in the dark for their clothes and shoes, and the dormitory instantly became a chaotic mess.
Some couldn't find their pants, some put on the wrong shoes, and some bumped into each other in their panic.
The cold water continued to pour, intensifying everyone's panic and disarray.
Time passed minute by minute, the atmosphere growing extremely tense.
One by one, Rookies rushed out of the dormitory building, disheveled, stumbling towards the training ground.
Just then, a well-built Rookie stepped out from the crowd.
He didn't panic like the others, but instead shouted loudly at Lu Mingyu: "Report!"
Lu Mingyu's gaze fell on him, his eyes sharp.
"Speak."
"Reporting, Commander, I am Wei Ke, a medic from the Second Army Group of the Army."
The Rookie's voice was loud and steady; even though he was soaked, he maintained a soldier's posture.
"In this low-temperature environment, forcibly waking us with cold water is extremely prone to causing colds, fevers, and even pneumonia, severely affecting subsequent training and physical health."
He presented his opinion from the perspective of a professional medic.
The surrounding Rookies cast admiring glances, not expecting someone to dare to openly contradict the captain at such a moment.
Lu Mingyu looked at him expressionlessly, as if he hadn't heard his words.
He merely asked calmly: "Wei Ke?"
"Yes!"
"Second Army Group of the Army?"
"Yes!"
"Participated in peacekeeping operations?"
Wei Ke was stunned for a moment, not knowing why the other party would know this.
"Yes!"
Lu Mingyu nodded, then raised his wrist and glanced at his watch.
"You have one minute left."
His voice remained cold.
"After one minute, if you are not in the assembly line, pack your things and withdraw from the selection."
Wei Ke's face showed some bewilderment; he had expected his professional advice to be taken seriously.
He hadn't expected such a result in return.
He looked at Lu Mingyu's calm, unwavering eyes and instantly understood.
Here, rules were the only truth.
He said no more, immediately turned, quickly tidied his attire, and rushed into the assembly line.
Two minutes were up.
The alarm sound ceased abruptly, and the world seemed to return to silence.
On the training ground, over a hundred people stood sparsely, each shivering with purple lips from the cold.
Behind them, the dormitory building was still brightly lit, with figures moving about.
Clearly, many people had not managed to come out in time.
Lu Mingyu's gaze swept over the Rookies scrambling on the field, his eyes devoid of any sympathy.
Zhou Chenguang walked up to him and reported in a low voice:
"Captain, according to statistics, fifty people have not assembled on time."
He paused and asked: "Should they all be eliminated?"
"Eliminate."
Lu Mingyu's answer was crisp and decisive, without any hesitation.
"Yes!"
Zhou Chenguang immediately turned to face the Rookies who were still lingering at the dormitory building entrance or had just run out.
"Time's up!"
His voice was like the cold wind of winter.
"Everyone who failed to assemble within the Regulation time, you are eliminated!"
"Now, turn right, run off the training ground, and go pack your personal belongings!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the fifty-plus eliminated Rookies immediately erupted.
"Why! We just got here, and you're eliminating us already?"
"We didn't not come, we were just a little slow!"
"This isn't fair! You're abusing us!"
They protested loudly, their faces filled with unwillingness and anger.
Zhou Chenguang, however, remained unmoved.
The veteran members behind him stepped forward, their cold gazes silencing all protesting voices.
"Here, there is no fairness."
Zhou Chenguang said coldly, "Only obedience and elimination."
"Now, get out!"
Although the eliminated Rookies were unwilling,
In the face of absolute authority, they could only turn and leave dejectedly.
The remaining Rookies watched their companions leave, feeling lingering fear.
At the same time, they understood the cruelty of this selection.
However, Lu Mingyu did not give them any time to breathe or think.
"Attention, all!"
His voice rang out again.
"Thirty kilograms weighted cross-country run, starting now!"
The veteran members immediately threw the already prepared weighted backpacks in front of them.
The Rookies had no choice.
They could only grit their teeth, shoulder the heavy packs, and begin their first training exercise since arriving here, under the cover of night.
Three hours later.
In the Megakaryocyte Special Operations Group's command center, Lu Mingyu stood before a massive monitoring screen.
The screen was divided into dozens of small grids, clearly showing each Rookie's strenuous trek through the mountains.
Many of them were already exhausted, their steps faltering, relying entirely on willpower to persevere.
Li Xiaoniu walked up to Lu Mingyu, a worried expression on his face.
"Captain, it's been three hours, their physical exertion is immense, should we let them rest?"
Lu Mingyu's gaze did not leave the screen; he observed everyone's state.
"Let everyone rest in place for half an hour."
He ordered.
"Distribute drinking water and high-energy compressed dry rations."
Li Xiaoniu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the captain was finally showing mercy.
But Lu Mingyu's next words made his heart tighten.
"After half an hour, add another thirty kilometers."
Lu Mingyu's tone was as calm as if he were speaking of a trivial matter.
"Only after thirty kilometers can they return to the camp."
"Captain, this..."
Li Xiaoniu said with some concern.
"Thirty kilometers of weighted cross-country."
"Adding another thirty kilometers is too much; I'm afraid some of them won't be able to hold on."
Lu Mingyu finally turned his head and looked at Li Xiaoniu.
His eyes were deep and resolute.
"If they can't hold on, let them get out."
"What I want is not a group of ordinary soldiers."
Lu Mingyu's voice carried a chilling power.
"What I want to build is a special forces unit that will strike fear into the hearts of all enemies."
"Every person who walks out of here must be the elite of elites, the sharpest of blades."
Li Xiaoniu looked at the cold glint in Lu Mingyu's eyes, and his slight worry instantly vanished.
He straightened his body and answered loudly.
"Understood, Captain!"
The sky was already faintly lit.
On another training ground, dust flew, and shouts of killing echoed through the air.
Although this was hell for the Rookies, it was the daily training ground for the Megakaryocyte Special Operations Group.
Zhou Chenguang, Li Xiaoniu, Wang Yanbing, and Wu Tianlong stood like four iron towers in the center of the training ground.
They wore heavy combat uniforms, their faces painted with camouflage, and their eyes were as sharp as eagles'.
In front of them were hundreds of soldiers from regular units, undergoing high-intensity combat training.
"Move faster! Haven't you eaten!"
Zhou Chenguang's voice, like a great bell, reverberated above the training ground.
"Punch powerfully!"
"Hit the enemy like an iron hammer!"
Li Xiaoniu demonstrated while shouting loudly.
Wang Yanbing, on the other hand, was taciturn.
But his gaze was more intimidating than any words.
He would walk up to soldiers with incorrect movements and directly correct their mistakes through action.
Wu Tianlong was responsible for patrolling the entire field; his steps were steady, and his gaze was like a torch.
Any small attempt to slack off could not escape his eyes.