Upon hearing the words "field training," most of the cadets erupted in cheers.
In their view, walking outdoors was better than being tormented by sandbags here.
However, some meticulous cadets sensed something amiss from Zhou Chenguang's ill-intentioned smile.
On the high grandstand, Gu Lina Zha watched the cheering cadets below.
She asked Lu Mingyu with some curiosity, "They seem very happy?"
Lu Mingyu's gaze was deep, fixed on the group of exhausted yet still excited young people.
"Don't rush."
"Observe carefully what a person's truest performance is like under extreme fatigue."
In the night, the cadets, dragging their heavy steps, followed Zhou Chenguang to an unfamiliar training area.
There were no sandbags, no equipment, only a muddy ground and the dark silhouettes of distant mountains.
"Report, Instructor, is this the entertainment activity you mentioned?"
A brave cadet asked.
His voice carried anticipation, along with some unconcealable fatigue.
Zhou Chenguang turned around, his face still bearing that unfathomable smile.
"That's right, it's a comprehensive physical challenge, also known as a regular armed cross-country run."
Upon hearing the words "cross-country run," many cadets breathed a sigh of relief.
They would rather run all night in the wilderness than touch that heavy sandbag again.
Running, though tiring, was at least free.
Unlike sparring with sandbags, which was a desperate torment of being confined in one place.
"Great! Finally, a change of pace!"
"Exactly, running is better than slamming sandbags!"
Suppressed discussions broke out in the team, and many people's faces showed expressions of relief.
However, Zhou Chenguang's next words were like a basin of ice water, extinguishing the small flame that had just ignited in their hearts.
"Don't rejoice too soon."
He turned sideways, and Li Xiaoniu walked up, holding a huge electronic tactical board.
On the tactical board was a detailed route map.
"This is your route for tonight."
Li Xiaoniu said, simultaneously lighting up the screen.
A crimson route appeared before everyone, winding and twisting.
It extended from the edge of the training ground deep into the distant mountains.
Next to the route map, there were also several lines of striking red bold characters.
A sharp-eyed cadet saw the annotations on it and subconsciously read them out loud.
"Total fifteen kilometers, carrying thirty kilograms, passing through…"
His voice got stuck here, and his face instantly turned pale.
"Passing through 'Rainstorm Mountain' and 'Mud Crawling Zone'."
Another cadet continued in a desperate tone.
As if to confirm the words on the route map, a lightning bolt suddenly streaked across the sky.
Immediately after, large raindrops fell without warning.
A torrential downpour instantly enveloped the entire training ground.
The mud mixed with rainwater quickly formed a muddy puddle under their feet.
The cadets who had just held out hope now had expressions worse than crying.
The cheers completely disappeared, replaced by a deathly silence.
On the high grandstand, Gu Lina Zha watched the cadets struggling in the muddy water below, her brows tightly furrowed.
The rain drenched the cadets' training uniforms, making their already exhausted bodies appear even more disheveled.
She could clearly see some people losing strength and swaying precariously.
"Mingyu, is this the 'true performance' you mentioned?"
Gu Lina Zha's voice carried worry.
"This is just the beginning."
Lu Mingyu's gaze did not leave the cadets below, his tone calm.
"Let them encounter harsh weather and complex terrain while in a state of extreme fatigue."
"Is this a skill special forces must learn?" Gu Lina Zha asked further.
Lu Mingyu nodded and replied:
"Yes, and it's a compulsory course."
"Top special forces units in countries around the world all have similar extreme environment field training subjects."
"Their goal is only one: to be in an environment closest to actual combat."
"To make soldiers overcome all objective obstacles such as weather and terrain, and always maintain the most basic combat physical fitness."
Gu Lina Zha still seemed a bit puzzled.
"Are there no more scientific and standardized physical training methods?"
"Why must it be done in such a nearly destructive way?"
Lu Mingyu turned his head and looked at her.
"Because the battlefield of special forces is never a standardized training ground."
"They need to operate in deep enemy territory most of the time."
"They might encounter heavy rain, severe cold, scorching heat, swamps, mountains, any extreme environment you can think of."
"In such situations, no matter how scientific the training data, it can't compare to a real downpour."
Lu Mingyu paused, then continued to explain.
"Actually, many grassroots units also have similar training."
"We just elevate the intensity and difficulty to another level, making it closer to actual combat scenarios."
Gu Lina Zha fell silent.
Her gaze once again turned to the figures swaying in the wind and rain below.
"With their current state, can they really complete it?"
She asked softly, her tone full of doubt.
"Whether they can complete it is precisely the result we want to filter for."
Lu Mingyu's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
"True special forces must be able to cross both physiological and psychological limits."
"When their body tells them they can't, their willpower must force them to continue; when the environment tells them to give up, their survival instinct must make them find a way out."
"This process is the screening."
After speaking, Lu Mingyu said nothing more.
He just quietly observed the subtle expressions and movements of every cadet below.
In the heavy rain, time seemed to pass especially slowly.
Every second was an agony for the cadets in the mud.
A few minutes later, Zhou Chenguang's voice rang out again, like a thunderclap exploding in the rain curtain.
"Qin He, you, depart first!"
The cadet Qin He, whose name was called, shuddered.
He looked at the muddy path leading to the dark mountain forest, and then at the heavy equipment on his body.
He took a deep breath and reported loudly:
"Report, Instructor! Request Instructor to demonstrate weighted marching techniques!"
Qin He knew that he could never finish this path with brute force alone.
His request was not cowardice, but a search for the most effective method in a desperate situation.
"Yes! Please, Instructor, demonstrate!"
"We want to know how to save more energy!"
Qin He's request immediately received agreement from the other cadets.
Everyone looked at Zhou Chenguang with expectant eyes.
Zhou Chenguang looked at them, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, seemingly pleased with this request.
"Alright."
He readily agreed.
He turned and picked up a simulated equipment backpack filled with counterweights from beside him, skillfully slinging it onto his back.
That backpack weighed a full sixty kilograms, twice as much as the cadets' load.
After Zhou Chenguang put on the equipment, his body only sank slightly.
Then he stood perfectly straight, as if the sixty kilograms did not exist.
He strode to the muddy mountain slope and began to climb upwards under everyone's gaze.
He did not rush with brute force, but moved sideways, taking small steps.
He constantly searched for relatively solid footholds on the ground.
Every step he took was extremely skillful, and his body's center of gravity remained very low.
His hands continuously utilized nearby rocks and tree trunks for leverage to alleviate the pressure on his back.
In the torrential rain, his movements were fluid and efficient, like a leopard moving through the mountains.