Chapter 44: Behind the Warrior, There Is No Retreat

Over the next half-hour or so, Qi Tian and the others experienced a rapid depletion of physical strength.

Finally, right at the very last moment, they completed the set of five hundred sit-ups.

Because this was their first time performing weighted log sit-ups, the muscles in their abdomens had never before endured such high-intensity torture.

Therefore, once the training concluded, it took all five of them a full half-minute to recover before they could force themselves to crawl out of the muddy pit, stumbling onto the bank to gasp heavily for air and adjust themselves.

Meanwhile, the other veteran soldiers participating in the selection process began to murmur among themselves, discussing Qi Tian and the others who had been temporarily added to their ranks.

"From what I saw just now, it looks like one corporal and four privates."

"What? Privates? So this bunch is just a bunch of rookies who haven't even been in the service for two years! What qualification do they have to join elites like us in this selection?"

"The Vanguard Regiment has always operated without regard for conventional rules. We'd better not stir up trouble, lest we draw the ire of those instructors. In the middle of the night like this, this is pure torture!"

"No way, I refuse to accept this! They might play by their own rules, but they have no right to ignore our hard work!"

A bespectacled veteran muttered a few words to the comrade beside him before standing up directly to challenge Fu Wei:

"Battalion Commander Fu, why on earth are those five rookies allowed to join us in the selection? They aren't even non-commissioned officers! I believe they lack the qualifications entirely!"

"I have heard your opinion. Indeed, I am not particularly fond of them either, nor do I appreciate queue-jumping."

Hearing this, Fu Wei looked down at the veteran, who was half a head taller than him. His tone suddenly shifted as he roared angrily:

"Yet these five rookies whom you look down upon completed the exact same training as you in just thirty-six minutes and twenty-three seconds.

And you, a veteran second lieutenant, took a full fifty-nine minutes. Now tell me, which of you is less qualified to participate in this selection?"

"You!"

The veteran was left speechless by Fu Wei's two-sentence retort.

After stammering and sputtering for a moment, completely at a loss for how to answer Fu Wei's challenge, he simply swallowed his anger, sat back down, and began to rest and recover.

Fu Wei and the other major-rank battalion commanders only allowed the men a three-minute break.

The moment the time was up, several officers immediately blew their whistles and shouted at the top of their lungs: "All units, assemble! Prepare to move out to the next training location!"

Qi Tian and his companions had no idea what the next training location or subject would be.

For now, they could only drop their packs and run at full speed toward the southeast along with the main body of troops.

The further they ran, the more intensely they felt the surrounding temperature rise.

Song Wei reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead and asked in bewilderment, "What's going on? It's already mid-September, why is it still this hot?"

"Don't waste your breath. Conserve your energy. Look at the expressions of those veterans ahead—this next hurdle probably won't be easy to get through!"

Running alongside, Qi Tian gestured for Song Wei to silence himself.

As soon as these words left his mouth, the other four men also realized that something felt off.

Just as Qi Tian had said, the expressions of the veterans up front were far too strange.

Furthermore, quite a few of them had already begun actively falling back, even retreating behind the group of five!

Harboring lingering doubts in their hearts, Qi Tian and the others rounded a corner and finally laid eyes on the content of the next training exercise.

It was a narrow balance beam about thirty meters long, tightly encircled by dozens of blazing fire rings, with violent flames leaping and roaring into the air!

Merely approaching these fire rings made the men feel wave after wave of scorching heat rushing head-on toward them.

It burned their skin with pain, creating a sensation of indescribable agony.

The sudden spike in temperature Song Wei had mentioned earlier was undoubtedly tied directly to the fire rings completely surrounding the balance beam.

"I have already given you two days for psychological preparation, and today is the final day.

If anyone still lacks the courage to run across this balance beam, then early tomorrow morning, he can pack his bags and report back to his original unit.

As for the five good-for-nothings added tonight, you will receive no time for psychological preparation.

Come on, let me see who will be the first to brave the unknown tonight!"

Standing at the starting point of the balance beam, Fu Wei bellowed at the top of his lungs, shouting to the more than three hundred veterans participating in the selection!

This was likewise a courage-training exercise, but unlike the tank drill, all the difficulty of this particular trial converged upon the individual participant.

In the tank training, one only needed to lie prone in place and remain motionless, while the burden of operation fell entirely upon the tank driver.

This, however, was completely different!

The intimidating presence of those roaring flames stretching nearly thirty meters was simply overwhelming!

Coupled with the fact that one would be roasted by extreme heat the entire way, the slightest lapse in concentration resulting in a fall from the balance beam would inevitably lead to severe burns from the surrounding fire rings.

If delicate areas such as the eyes or throat were burned, there was even a risk of permanent disability or death!

In terms of sheer difficulty, this training was the most dangerous, stringent, and courage-testing challenge Qi Tian's group—and the more three hundred veterans standing beside them—had faced since enlisting in the military!

Beside Qi Tian, Lin Mang's scalp instantly went numb, and even his breathing began to grow increasingly rapid.

Without a doubt, among the five of them, his courage was the smallest.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a grave mistake when facing the tank training earlier.

At this moment, confronted with a courage drill far more dangerous than the tank exercise, Lin Mang felt his heart shrinking out of pure fear.

"Gulp... Brother Tian, these people from the Vanguard Regiment are trying to force us to risk our lives!"

"What is there to be afraid of? Isn't it just running across a balance beam inside a ring of fire? Little Lin, don't forget what we said on the road: at worst, we die, but we will not act like cowards!"

Jiang Chong's gaze was resolute as he stared at the roaring flames, showing not a trace of timidity.

The exact same expression appeared on the faces of the other three.

Especially Qi Tian. On the way here, he had already prepared himself to stake everything simply to earn a spot in the Vanguard Amphibious Unit.

The Iron Fist Regiment had poured all its resources into backing him.

If he were to show cowardice today, the Iron Fist Regiment would undoubtedly become a laughingstock within the Vanguard Amphibious Unit from that day forward.

Qi Tian would never allow such a thing to happen!

"I'll go first!"

A loud shout rang out from near the rear of the selection formation.

Hearing this commotion, all the participating veterans instinctively stepped aside to both sides, clearing a path.

Yet when they saw clearly that the person stepping out from the ranks was none other than the corporal who had been temporarily added that evening, the expressions of those veterans inevitably turned ugly all at once.

Especially the veteran who had questioned Qi Tian and the others during the rest period.

At this moment, his current position was even further back than Qi Tian's group.

The words he had spoken earlier felt like a returning boomerang, striking him squarely in his own face.

"Kid, you really do have some spine. Come on, let's see what you're made of!"

Fu Wei smiled coldly, nodded toward Qi Tian, then stepped away from the starting area and signaled with his eyes:

"Falling is acceptable—you can simply return to the starting point and try again. But you must not step backward. The moment you retreat even half a step, your eligibility for selection will be revoked immediately!"

"Understood. Lin Mang!"

Qi Tian gave a slight nod in acknowledgment to Fu Wei.

Then, turning his head back toward Lin Mang—who had looked up to him as an idol for the past month—he shouted in a solemn voice:

"Brother! Remember this well:

Behind a warrior, there is no retreat.

Before a coward, there are only cliffs!

I believe in you, and I believe in the others. We will definitely make it across.

Let these veterans who look down on us see who the hell the real cowards are!!"