Inside the cafeteria.
The female guests, dragging their exhausted bodies, lined up for food.
When the meal trays were placed in front of them, everyone was stunned.
The breakfast was shockingly simple.
A bowl of plain, watery white congee, and a hard, white steamed bun.
There was also a small handful of boiled cabbage that was unidentifiable in color.
This was the food they had risked their lives to run five kilometers for.
When it was Gu Lina Zha's turn, in addition to giving her the same meal, the cook serving the food.
Sure enough, in her meal tray, there were two extra round, hard-boiled eggs.
Those two eggs looked particularly enticing against the backdrop of the clear congee and white cabbage.
Gu Lina Zha carried her meal tray and found a seat.
She looked at the eggs in her meal tray.
Then she looked at the congee of Yang Zi and Guan Xiaotong next to her, which was almost reflective, and felt very uneasy.
She picked up an egg, hesitated for a moment, and wanted to share it with her friends beside her.
But just as she reached out her hand.
Lu Mingyu’s cold face and his scolding of Bai Lu instantly appeared in her mind.
“You eat whatever you are given.”
“Do not ask a single word about what you shouldn’t.”
Her outstretched hand slowly retracted.
She suddenly understood completely.
Here, every word the instructor said was an order, and every character was a rule.
Reward was reward, punishment was punishment.
The boundaries were clear and unchangeable.
He said she could get two extra eggs, and she really did get two extra.
Not one more, not one less.
Rules absolutely could not be broken.
Gu Lina Zha sat at the dining table, holding the warm hard-boiled egg in her hand.
She gently tapped it against the corner of the table, and a fine crack immediately appeared on the eggshell.
She carefully peeled off the eggshell, revealing the smooth, round egg white inside, like a perfect work of art.
The air in the cafeteria was filled with the bland smell of white congee and steamed buns.
But this egg emitted its unique, enticing aroma.
She took a small bite of the egg white, and the springy texture and faint eggy taste instantly filled her entire mouth.
Then, she took another bite, touching the yolk inside.
The golden, sandy yolk, with its rich aroma, melted on her tongue.
For someone who had just completed a five-kilometer extreme cross-country run and was famished.
This was simply the most delicious food in the world.
Every cell in her body was cheering for the energy from this egg.
She ate very slowly, cherishing every bite, as if savoring a peerless delicacy.
After finishing the first one, she picked up the second one.
Just then, a thought unexpectedly popped into her mind.
Why did Lu Mingyu use eggs as a reward?
He could have used other things, such as an extra steamed bun, or an extra bowl of congee.
But he chose eggs.
Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods, and one of the quickest ways to replenish energy.
After running five kilometers just now, everyone was in a state of extreme exhaustion.
At this time, the nutritional value of two eggs far exceeded that of steamed buns and white congee.
She came in first, so she received this most valuable reward.
Was this really a coincidence?
Or was it that the instructor, who seemed cold and unfeeling.
Was actually caring for their bodies in his own way, subtly?
He used the most stringent rules to select the people who most needed nutritional supplements, and then gave the best things to her.
As this thought emerged, Gu Lina Zha’s heart skipped a beat.
She recalled Lu Mingyu’s expressionless face and those icy eyes that could freeze a person.
Cold on the outside, warm on the inside.
This phrase suddenly appeared in her mind.
Perhaps, this was his true self.
Enveloping the most meticulous care with the hardest shell.
Thinking of this, a strange warmth surged in Gu Lina Zha’s heart.
Dispelling the fatigue and soreness in her body.
She felt as if she had discovered an incredible secret.
It turned out that the stern-faced instructor was not truly heartless.
She looked down at the half-bowl of congee and cabbage remaining in her meal tray.
Suddenly, she felt that this meal was not so difficult to swallow after all.
Outside the cafeteria, in a corner of the training ground.
Lu Mingyu stood beneath a white poplar tree, his posture as straight as a pine.
Another instructor, wearing the same combat uniform, walked over; his name was Zhou Chenguang, and he was Lu Mingyu’s deputy.
“Captain.”
Zhou Chenguang stood at attention, his voice clear and loud.
Lu Mingyu nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the distance.
“Have all their luggage been inspected?”
His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.
“Reporting, Captain, all inspections are complete, no contraband or extra snacks or cosmetics.”
Zhou Chenguang answered crisply.
“Are the dormitories arranged?”
“They have been arranged, in Barracks Area No. 3, temporary simple rooms, with normal water and electricity.”
Lu Mingyu hummed in acknowledgment.
“Take them there after they finish eating.”
“Yes.”
Lu Mingyu was silent for a moment, then added.
“Tell them that at 8 PM, there will be an entry assessment test.”
Zhou Chenguang was momentarily stunned but reacted immediately.
“Understood.”
“There’s one more thing.”
Zhou Chenguang continued to report.
“Just received notice from the production team and security department.”
“To ensure the safety of the military base and the controllability of the program.”
“The live broadcast footage will be delayed by one hour.”
“All broadcast content will first be reviewed by our security department.”
This meant that their every move here would not be broadcast in real-time.
This gave them more operational space and confidentiality.
Lu Mingyu seemed unsurprised by this, merely replying blandly.
“Understood.”
After he finished giving all instructions, he turned and left, not saying another word.
In the cafeteria, the female guests were listlessly drinking the white congee in their bowls.
Bai Lu’s eyes were still somewhat red and swollen, clearly not having recovered from the scolding she had just received.
She mechanically put the congee into her mouth, but could not taste anything.
Everyone else was also dejected, and the atmosphere in the entire cafeteria was extremely oppressive.
Just then, Zhou Chenguang strode in.
He stood in the center of the cafeteria, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
“Attention, everyone.”
His voice was a bit hoarser than Lu Mingyu’s, but equally full of undeniable authority.
The female guests startled, looking up at him.
“You have five minutes to finish your breakfast.”
“In five minutes, everyone gather at the cafeteria entrance.”
“If anyone doesn’t finish, or is late, you won’t have dinner tonight.”
Zhou Chenguang finished speaking and glanced at his watch.
“Now, time starts.”
Five minutes?
No dinner?
These words exploded like bombs in the female guests’ ears.
They looked at the almost untouched food on their trays, their faces filled with disbelief.
“Eat quickly! Hurry up and eat!”
Yang Zi was the first to react; she picked up her bowl, disregarding the heat, and gulped down the congee in large mouthfuls.
The others also seemed to awaken from a dream and followed suit.
For a moment, the cafeteria was filled only with the slurping sounds of drinking congee and the chewing sounds of steamed buns.
The food that had been so hard to swallow just moments ago now became a task that had to be completed within five minutes.