Lu Mingyu's gaze remained fixed on Gu Lina Zha.
He watched her squatting on the ground, hugging her knees with her head buried in her arms, her slender shoulders trembling.
His eyes flickered slightly, but his face remained as cold and stern as ice.
A few seconds later, he withdrew his gaze, as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.
He turned to his team, his voice completely devoid of any emotion.
"Continue to arrange training."
"Everyone, five-kilometer cross-country run; you can only eat after finishing."
The order was given, allowing no room for dispute.
Zhou Chenguang was momentarily stunned, but his soldier's nature made him obey immediately.
"Yes!"
He responded loudly, then turned and picked up a megaphone from a nearby equipment box.
Zhou Chenguang held the cold megaphone and took a deep breath.
He looked at the female celebrities, their faces streaked with tears, and felt a mix of emotions.
But he was, after all, a soldier, and executing orders was his duty.
"Attention, everyone!"
The voice from the megaphone was cold and loud.
It made the female guests tremble, and their sobs paused for a moment.
"Lu Team's order: full armed five-kilometer cross-country run!"
"Immediately! Now! Execute!"
"You can only eat after finishing!"
These words were like bombs, exploding in the hearts of the female guests who had just experienced a terrifying moment.
What?
They still had to run five kilometers?
What a joke!
They had just almost been "blown to death"; their legs were still weak, let alone five kilometers, even standing up was difficult.
A tall instructor in camouflage training uniform walked over.
His name was Instructor Yu He Dong, and he was one of Lu Mingyu's assistant instructors.
Instructor Yu He Dong's expression was just like Lu Mingyu's, devoid of any warmth.
"Didn't you hear the order?"
"Get up, all of you!"
His voice was loud, carrying an undeniable authority.
Ju Jingyi helped Guan Xiaotong beside her.
She barely managed to stand up, her face as pale as paper.
She looked at Instructor Yu He Dong and bravely said,
"Instructor, we...we haven't eaten yet."
"We have no strength at all right now, how can we run five kilometers?"
Instructor Yu He Dong's gaze swept over her like a knife.
"Eat?"
"Do you think on the battlefield, the enemy will wait for you to eat your fill before shooting?"
"Put away your delicate manners!"
"This is a military camp, not your five-star hotel!"
"Either run, or get out!"
Instructor Yu He Dong's words were extremely harsh, showing no mercy.
Ju Jingyi's eyes reddened from the scolding, and tears of grievance welled up again, but she dared not say another word.
Under the instructor's urging, the female guests helped each other.
They swayed as they stood up, forming a crooked line.
The grueling training began.
After running just a few hundred meters, Ju Jingyi felt like her lungs were about to explode.
She was panting heavily, and her steps became heavier and heavier.
"I can't do it...I really can't run anymore..."
She complained to Zhang Zifeng beside her.
"Are they devils? Is this training or abuse?"
Zhang Zifeng was also breathing rapidly.
But she gritted her teeth and didn't stop.
"Don't talk, save your strength."
"Hurry and keep up."
Ju Jingyi ran and looked back, finding that most people, like her, were struggling to run.
But her gaze quickly fixed on a figure at the very front of the team.
It was Gu Lina Zha.
Gu Lina Zha was also panting, and sweat soaked the wisps of hair on her forehead.
But her steps were exceptionally firm, and she consistently maintained a relatively fast pace.
She had created a small distance between herself and those behind her.
Ju Jingyi felt a surge of emotion.
"My goodness, this show is too competitive, even running is so intense."
Just then, a military off-road vehicle slowly drove past them, maintaining the same speed as their running.
Zhou Chenguang was holding the megaphone, leaning his head out of the car window.
"Running like snails!"
"Did you not eat, or do you not have legs?"
His taunting voice, amplified by the megaphone, clearly reached everyone's ears.
"From now on, you have no names!"
"Your codename is Rookie!"
"Did you hear me!"
The female guests were both tired and angry, but no one dared to respond.
"I asked if you heard me!"
Zhou Chenguang's voice rang out again, with some impatience.
"Louder! Answer me!"
A few female guests responded sparsely.
"Heard...heard you..."
"Didn't eat? Louder!"
"Rookie!"
"Rookie!"
Under Zhou Chenguang's repeated coercion, the female guests humiliatingly shouted out the codename.
Yang Zi's face flushed with anger; she felt this was an absolute disgrace.
Yu Shuxin was even more aggrieved, shedding tears as she ran.
Only Gu Lina Zha, at the moment she shouted "Rookie," felt a strange sensation welling up inside her.
She recalled the realistic "welcome ceremony" from earlier.
She remembered Lu Mingyu's face, cold as ice.
She suddenly understood.
This was not mere bullying and mockery.
This was a form of training, a humiliating training.
The purpose was to crush their pride and self-esteem as celebrities.
To make them completely forget who they were, start from scratch, and become a "soldier."
Thinking of this, Gu Lina Zha suddenly felt a sense of tragic grandeur unique to soldiers.
To protect the country, to wear this military uniform, the price to pay was far more than she had imagined.
An hour later, the five-kilometer cross-country run finally ended.
All the female guests collapsed onto the grass at the finish line.
Like fish out of water, they gasped for air, not wanting to move a single finger.
Lu Mingyu appeared before them at some point, holding a stopwatch.
His expression remained unchanged, as if the hour of torment had nothing to do with him.
He scanned everyone with his gaze, his voice as cold as the steel on the training ground.
"Five-kilometer cross-country run, results as follows."
"First place, Gu Lina Zha, time twenty-eight minutes and thirty seconds."
Everyone's gaze focused on Gu Lina Zha.
Lu Mingyu looked at her and continued in his flat tone,
"As a reward, your breakfast will include two extra eggs."
Two eggs!
This phrase, to the hungry and exhausted female guests, was no less than a feast of delicacies.
Bai Lu gasped, pushing herself up halfway from the ground, and instinctively asked,
"Instructor, then what...what's our breakfast?"
No sooner had she spoken than Lu Mingyu's icy gaze shot towards her.
"Who permitted you to speak?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a powerful sense of oppression, as if the surrounding air had solidified.
"As a soldier, you only need to obey orders and execute missions."
"Whatever you're given, that's what you eat."
"Don't ask about what you shouldn't, not a single word."
"Understand?"
Bai Lu stiffened under his gaze, her face instantly turning red, from her cheeks all the way to her earlobes.
She felt everyone's eyes on her, filled with embarrassment.
"Und...understood..."
She lowered her head, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
The others were also scared into silence, not daring to say another word.