Evolution - Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Gu Changge and the others soon heard the news that Ji Changqing was going to participate in the special forces selection.

As a man with the ability to jinx things, he was soundly beaten up by his three companions.

The reverse jinx had worked after all!

Gu Changge and the others had heard of the mysterious special forces unit belonging to a certain department and had even dreamed about it. Their dream went something like this: it was cool and glamorous, and aside from having nothing to do with them, it was perfect.

Regarding Ji Changqing's participation in the selection, Gu Changge, Eve, and Du Zhong all thought: Wow, that's amazing.

And that was about it.

Not everyone could handle the thrill of walking on a knife's edge.

Only Tao Jun, who always used to wear a "you foolish mortals" expression, was hit hard.

Ever since entering the Fourth Military, his pride had been in an endless cycle of being shattered and rebuilt, shattered and rebuilt, ever since he met Ji Changqing, the older student from his year.

From then on, he had melodramatically and unilaterally declared Ji Changqing his fated rival, his lifelong enemy.

At first, he had indeed been devastated and bitter, wanting only to defeat her. But later, deep down, he was actually quite happy. Having someone always ahead of him had pulled him out of the illusory world created by the flattery of those around him. He might still be excellent, just not as excellent as he had imagined.

When Ji Changqing was framed and imprisoned back then, he was utterly dejected and fell into a slump. It was from that moment he realized that his family was his family, and he was himself.

His family's power had ensured that he saw only applause and flowers on his path of growth.

But when he wanted to do something for this lifelong enemy, his family warned him. What followed were polite rejections from the very people who had once greeted him with smiles and said, "Just say the word if you need anything."

He had walked down from the clouds, step by step, and landed on the ground, experiencing a different world.

Then he became the Tao Jun that Gu Changge and the others described as "not so annoying anymore." He even gradually became their friend, and upon graduation, they all applied to the Sixth Fleet together, becoming comrades-in-arms.

They all remembered that person who had been as fleeting as a shooting star. After leaving an indelible mark on their military academy careers, she had fallen just as quickly.

It was truly lamentable.

Who could have imagined she would rise again, dazzling their mortal eyes?

A year ago, Ji Changqing's name was cleared, and she immediately appeared in the Sixth Fleet with a rank two levels higher than his!

The rising star, Ji Changqing, had rekindled his determination to surpass her!

But now, this person was going to the special forces selection, leaving them further and further behind, step by step.

What happened to being fated rivals and lifelong enemies? He felt incredibly wronged, but he didn't say a word.

Ji Changqing had no idea she had been dubbed a "fated rival and lifelong enemy." She continued her training and daily missions methodically. A few days later, Gu Changge and the others had a mission, so the group had a small get-together as a farewell for one another.

It was just that Tao Jun's gaze—like he was looking at a scumbag who'd loved and left him, his eyes filled with a strange, mournful resentment—gave her the creeps.

She quietly asked Gu Changge, "What's wrong with him?"

Gu Changge shot Tao Jun a weary look, the kind one gives to a simpleton, and said with worldly wisdom, "The kid's probably just growing up and can't accept that he's not the center of the universe."

Eve, who was listening nearby, heard this clearly and burst out laughing with a "pfft."

Furious, Tao Jun slammed the table and shot to his feet, glaring at Gu Changge. He wasn't that melodramatic!

Du Zhong, the burliest of the group, quickly held him down to prevent his next move from being flipping the table and throwing a punch. With great camaraderie, he placed a piece of meat in Tao Jun's bowl and gently encouraged him, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Think about it, by the time we're sixty, we'll at least be starting as field officers. Stay steady, we can win!"

This time, even Tao Jun couldn't keep a straight face and started to laugh. That's right, what was he rushing for? He was still young, with plenty of possibilities. He didn't need to push himself as hard as Ji Changqing and could still seize the last vestiges of his youth.

He remembered how he used to be so proud of his family background, thinking Ji Changqing wasn't worthy of being his friend. The reality check that followed had truly hurt.

But things weren't so bad now, were they? He could make real friends, people he could tease, joke with, and roughhouse with without putting on airs. They could also comfort and encourage each other with brutal honesty.

Ji Changqing was completely bewildered. They were never going to let this "sixty years old" joke die, were they?

Regardless of what everyone was feeling, the day for them to embark on their separate journeys arrived quickly.

While Gu Changge and the others were still away on their mission, the "older youth" everyone was so concerned about arrived on Muyun Planet with her luggage, at the training base for the mysterious special forces unit.

She would be spending six months here. If she passed, she would be promoted across ranks in half a year. The rank of Major would be securely in her grasp, and the thought of it was a little exciting.

With the recommendation letter from the Sixth Fleet, she completed the procedures and walked inside, looking around with curiosity.

There weren't many people at the training base. Most of those she encountered had a touch of pride on their faces and eyes full of aspiration; they were clearly here for the selection too. After all, each starfield military region had at most three slots. With fewer than a thousand participants this time, simply qualifying for the selection was a testament to one's excellence.

The entire training base looked similar to the training grounds of the Sixth Fleet, but because it belonged to the special forces of a mysterious department, it seemed to have a divine buff, making everything feel sacred.

"I'm the head instructor for this training, codename Xingchen." When the head instructor stood nonchalantly at the front of the stage, everyone's rose-tinted glasses began to wobble. "Here, what I say goes."

There were no cliché speeches or inspiring lectures. After an introduction that couldn't have been simpler, he gave a lazy wave of his hand and said half-heartedly, "You're all elites from your respective fleets. I don't need to teach you how to obey orders and complete missions, do I? Let's begin!"

He had brought a ten-person team to serve as instructors. The moment he said to begin, the ten instructors immediately stepped forward and loudly announced the training regulations and the day's tasks.

The training began, and all the trainees present felt a sense of absurdity, as if waking from a grand dream.

These instructors didn't follow the script at all.

In other military units, training always emphasized positive messages like "unity is strength" and "perseverance is victory" to boost morale. Here, it was all about deflating you and setting you back, filled to the brim with negative energy.

Especially the head instructor, who had an endless supply of snarky remarks.

"Feeling tired? Uncomfortable? Well, everything is hard at the beginning. It'll only get harder later!"

"Keep it up, hang in there. Sometimes, if you don't give it your all, you'll never know what true despair is!"

"There's nothing difficult in this world, as long as you're willing to give up!"

A week later, he said to the trainees, "If you already have to grit your teeth to get through this child's play, don't suffer for nothing. You'll be eliminated in a month anyway, so why torture yourself for another three weeks, right?"

A month later, there were fewer than eight hundred trainees left.

He seemed quite pleased. "The most important thing for a person is to know themselves and understand trade-offs. How do you know your perseverance is the right choice, huh?"

Two months later, there were fewer than five hundred.

He earnestly tried to persuade the numb-faced crowd, "It's not necessary, really. Working hard doesn't guarantee success, but not working hard is definitely easy."

In the final month, he spoke to the three hundred or so remaining people with a pained expression, "If you can't do it, you can't do it. Why force it? Forcing yourself to do something you can't will not only harm you, but it will also drag others down!"

Amidst the ever-escalating training and under the barrage of his endless snarky remarks, the six-month training, which spanned autumn and winter, came to a successful conclusion. Everyone had been elevated in every way, from body to spirit. They displayed an outstanding quality of remaining unfazed even if the sky were falling, so calm it was as if a single breath could make them ascend to immortality.

Facing the 272 survivors, he finally became serious for once. Everyone thought he was acting normal, but the moment he opened his mouth, he said, "Honestly, I really don't understand you people. Out there, you're the elite of the elite in your fleets. If you just follow the standard path, you'll have a great future without taking too many risks. Why suffer to join this special forces unit, putting your lives on the line every day, worrying if you'll even see tomorrow's sun?"

He straightened his back, shedding his lazy, flippant demeanor. His aura changed instantly, becoming like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, its edge exposed.

"This special forces unit of ours has never been at full strength since its founding." His expression was solemn, unexpectedly serious. "Every year, we select new members from all the fleets. Have you ever wondered where they all went? Some sacrificed their lives, others retired due to injury. The number of people selected each year isn't even enough to fill the gaps left by our losses."

He didn't say why they never lowered their standards despite never being at full strength, but everyone understood. If the losses were this great even with the current standards, lowering them would just be sending more people to their deaths.

"So, when we kept telling you to give up, we were being sincere." At this, he broke into a smile. "Of course, our welcome to you is also sincere."

Finally, he said they still had a chance to quit. The commissioning ceremony was at nine the next morning, and they could choose to withdraw anytime before then.

Everyone turned a deaf ear to this.

Which of these people, who had excellently completed their training under a dual assault on their spirit and body, was not strong-willed? They weren't the type to be easily swayed by a few words.

Which soldier hadn't prepared to sacrifice their life at any moment? If they were the type to just coast through the military for a career, looking forward to retirement from the day they enlisted, they never would have stood out in their fleets to earn a spot in this selection.

All those who had dropped out during the training had been eliminated, leaving in tears. Not a single one had quit voluntarily.

As long as they could still endure, they would grit their teeth and press forward.

At nine the next morning, all 272 people who had passed the assessment were present.

They stood in neat formation, their military bearing impeccable, their spirits high.

Everyone had already changed into the specially prepared uniforms that matched the ranks they were about to be awarded.

Ji Changqing stood tall and straight in the formation, wearing the uniform of a Major.

The six months of training had not been any harder to endure than her previous "training course" in prison. The only thing she found hard to get used to was the lack of contact with the outside world. But that was only at the beginning when she still had energy to spare after the training tasks. Later, as the tasks piled up, all she wanted to do after training was collapse into bed. Who had the time to think about anything else?

Now, the training was successfully completed, and she had a one-month family leave before reporting for duty. Since last night, her heart had been ready to fly to Yu Zhiyao's side.

As the stirring military music began to play, she quickly focused her mind. Following the others, she stepped forward in turn and solemnly received her brand-new Major's insignia from the instructor.

The team members pinned the new ranks on one another and exchanged salutes.

From this day forward, honor is bestowed upon me, and responsibility is borne on my shoulders.

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