Chapter 137: Count on Me
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
Count on Me
Wang Tong heaved a sigh after knowing that none of them had prepared for this kind of situation.
"Here, I have five bentos and ten bottles of water. Take them and eat a little at a time."
Everyone regarded Wang Tong as if he was their savior.
"Gosh, do you always carry this much food while you are out?"
After Norton, Wang Tong always carried a few days of ration with him whenever he was on a long trip. However, he miscalculated and didn't bring enough this time.
Wang Tong should be able to sustain his own life in the sea for a dozen days with ease. However, he would not give up on his friends.
Every student got a bottle of water and a half box of bento. It was the cheapest lunch bento sold near the school, but by then, it had become more precious than gold.
"Captain, you are a not only a genius but handy to have around in any situation."
With water and food, the students seemed to have found hope once again.
"Ok, everybody, please watch how much you eat. We will rest for three minutes and set out again." Wang Tong knew that the longer they stayed here, the direr the situation would become.
To conserve their water and food was easier said than done. Only Wang Ben and Hu Yangxuan who had undergone self-discipline training were able to stop after only one sip of water. The rest students chuck the whole bottle down their throat to quench their thirst.
Wang Tong also took a sip and put his water bottle away; he knew that survival was more important than a few brief seconds of satisfaction.
After a brief respite, the students set out toward the island again. No one spoke a word; instead, they focused on conserving their energy, as well as their GN force.
They had swum for another hour, and to their dismay, the dark spec still looked the same size. It was either that they were not moving at all, or the island was moving away from them at the same speed.
Wang Tong had to stop again and let everyone to take a rest.
The thirst was more unbearable than the hunger. As Tita and Carl were about to chuck the remaining bottles of water, Wang Tong bawl out at them: "Stop! Only two bottles are left, what are we gonna do after that?"
Everyone stopped what they were doing, and suddenly the situation seemed to have taken a more dire turn.
Carl and Tita looked at the bottle of water, took a small sip to wet their parched lips. The other students followed their example, despite how unsatisfying that was.
"Wang Tong, something's not right. Where the hell is Paradise Island?"
"Did Principal mess up? Should we send a distress call?" Kyaero asked, hoping that they could get some assistance.
"It's no use, there's no reception here," Zhou Sisi replied helplessly.
"Xiaoru, do you have the coordinates of the island?" Wang Tong asked. His question made everyone look at Ma Xiaoru with anticipation for good news.
Ma Xiao shook her head wearily and said, "If I knew, I would have been there already."
As the group's last hope had shattered, they started to believe that Samantha had messed up the coordinates. The situation was so dire and real that it didn't seem to be a test.
"Everybody listen up! We have no choice but to move forward. But first, we need to conserve our fresh water. I will keep all the water close to Ma Xiaoru. We will take a break and drink some water every half hour from now on. When we do, girls should drink the water first, and then us," after finishing announcing his decision, Wang Tong gave his water bottle to Ma Xiaoru, and then everyone followed him. Ma Xiaoru noticed that only Wang Tong's bottle was still full while most of the bottles were already half empty.
Ma Xiaoru placed the bottles into her crystal one after another, she knew that she was in charge of the life source of the entire team.
They decided not to talk about their situation anymore as they knew that any talks would only affect the already low morale.
Five minutes later, they set out again.
The sun above baked them relentlessly with scorching heat. Around them the seawater looked alluring, tempting them with its fresh blueness.
Rumi had passed out again due to exhaustion; therefore, her friends carried her in turns. Despite her small frame and lightweight, fatigue had made the task extremely challenging.
As they slowed down, their break time started to drag out. Ma Xiaoru took out a half empty bottle and handed it over to Rumi. Everyone watched Rumi taking a sip of water and eagerly waited their turn. Rumi handed the bottle back to Ma Xiaoru who took a small sip and gave it to Zhou Sisi, who then passed around the boys. When the water bottle was finally in Wang Tong's hand, he only licked the bottle's opening and gave it back to Ma Xiaoru right away.
Suddenly, Wang Tong noticed that Rumi seemed to be hallucinating and was about to drink the sea water. Wang Tong caught her cheek right before she was able to do so.
"Don't do it!"
"Thirsty..." Rumi muttered. "Just... one sip?"
"Shut up! No means no! Sea water will only make you even more thirsty," Wang Tong bawl out at Rumi.
"Wang Tong is right! We can do it guys. We are the best of Ayrlarng!" Carl announced excitingly, although his voice had become husky and dry.
"Let her take just one sip, Rumi is not as strong as you. I am afraid she won't be able to make it." Ma Xiaoru pleaded as she regarded Rumi sympathetically.
Wang Tong finally nodded.
Tita and the others were afraid that they would lose their self-control and follow Rumi to drink the salty water, so they looked the other way while Rumi took a gulp of the water. Ma Xiaoru swallowed hard, closed the bottle cap and put it back to the space crystal.
Wang Tong gestured everyone to move on; the break was over. Ten black dots then filed toward the dark spec, Paradise Island, on the other side of the horizon.
It was noon eight hours later, the hottest part of the day. Water would evaporate at an increased rate even without much exertion, let alone the group of struggling students in the middle of an endless sea. The dark spec didn't get any larger, but thanks to this dot in the far distance, the students haven't yet given up the mission.
Ma Xiaoru opened her crystal and took out their last bottle of water, it was Wang Tong's, and it was still full.
Even Wang Tong had felt a slight fatigue, and his endurance was slowly slipping away.
It was worse to get stuck without water in the sea than in the desert, since, there was nothing more tempting than the dangerous seawater around.
A few times, some of Wang Tong's team members attempted to steal the water from Ma Xiaoru, and both Hu Yangxuan and Wang Ben had become so tired that they didn't even notice, but luckily, Wang Tong had remained vigilant and stopped them right away.
The sun had reached the zenith, hanging in the sky like an enormous eye that looked down on this groups of helpless students.
Under everyone's anticipating gaze, Ma Xiaoru finally cracked open the last bottle and moved next to the mouth of Rumi.
"Here you go, Rumi."
Rumi's kept his mouth closed and shook her head.
"It's fine Rumi, the rest of us are still fine. You need it."
"You guys go ahead, I don't move much so I don't need that much water."
Ma Xiaoru looked around and said, "I am still fine anyone?"
Zhou Sisi also shook her head.
"It's not the time to be a hero. You two, if you want to live, drink! Now!" Wang Tong announced. He knew that no one would drink that bottle of water if Rumi and Zhou Sisi had refused to drink it, and without drinking, they couldn't move any further.
"Wang Tong, you need to lead us, you should have some," Wang Ben said to him.
"I'm all right, you guys can go ahead," Wang Tong replied. Truth be told, Wang Tong felt that his throat was on fire, but he also knew that his classmates would need the water much more than he did.
"Captain, just drink it! We know that you didn't really have much water earlier," Kyaero said. He had noticed that every time it was Wang Tong's turn to take the water, he only wet his lips by slightly touching the bottle.
"Wang Tong, it's you who are trying to be a hero. These bottles of water are yours anyway," Hu Yangxuan said it with an ugly grin on his face.
"Wang Tong, go ahead... drink it... And just leave me here... I don't want to slow everyone down anymore..." Rumi struggled to let out a few words. She knew that she had been a burden to the team so far.
"Don't even think about it! We came here together, and I am not going to leave with anyone left behind. Now just drink, the more you talk, the more thirsty you will get."
"Wang Tong, you are the man! If we ever make it back alive, I will follow your orders," Carl said with a husky voice. He didn't realize how big of an "if" it was.
"We can never make it at this speed. I propose that Wang Tong takes this bottle of water and move ahead of us to find the island. Once he succeeds, he can then return with help," Zhou Sisi said.
Some students looked at each other not sure what to make of this proposal. "I agree, that seems like the only option we got." Wang Ben nodded in agreement.
"Let's vote!" Ma Xiaoru announced.
Zhou Sisi's motion was passed as everyone agreed to her proposal. Hu Yangxuan patted on the shoulder of Wang Tong and said, "I will be counting on you now. If you get me out of here, I can hook you up with any girl you want."
Wang Tong had finally conceded that this was the only option for his group. He accepted the bottle, gulp down a mouthful of water and then he returned the still mostly-full bottle to Ma Xiaoru.
"Wang Ben, Xiaoru, Hu Yangxuan, look after everyone! I will be back!"
Without saying any more words, Wang Tong cranked up his GN force and darted toward the dark spec in the distance.
Chapter 138: Undeniable Strength
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
Undeniable Strength
Wang Ben was not only surprised to find out how fast Wang Tong could swim, but also moved by Wang Tong for sharing his food and water with everyone while putting his own survival at stake.
Ma Xiaoru stared at the direction of Wang Tong. Her heart was touched by Wang Tong's altruistic act of saving the last bit of water for everyone else, despite the fact that he would need it more than anyone.
Rumi was on the verge of passing out again. Ma Xiaoru propped her head up and let the water touched her lips while other students remained where they were, trying to conserve their energy.
After Rumi had regained her consciousness, Ma Xiaoru passed the bottle around. After everyone had taken a sip from the bottle, they looked toward the direction where Wang Tong had gone.
Wang Tong knew then that he was the hope of the entire team. He was not sure if Samantha had given him the correct coordinates, but the situation had become so urgent that there was no time for him to think. He needed to act right away.
That large gulp of water he took should be able to sustain his body for a while since he had already sealed off his body using the Tactics of the Blade to minimize the loss of water.
In addition to using the tactics, another important factor that could help him survive such condition was his will. Unlike his classmates who were practically still "children", Wang Tong had experienced much harsher conditions on Norton. Therefore, he could remain calm and focused like an adult.
Wang Tong swum at high speed for about an hour, to his dismay, the dark spec remained the same size. Wang Tong could no longer ignore his feeling that something just didn't add up, so he stopped to re-evaluate his next move.
He knew that he had been moving ten times faster than he did with his classmates. At this speed, there should have been some degree of change in the size of that dark speck. "Unless… that is not the island at all!" Wang Tong thought. Wang Tong was tempted to set off again toward the black speck to figure out what exactly that was. However, he calculated that he might not be able to do it with the little energy left in him, especially when he wasn't even sure if he could reach that dark speck in the first place.
It was then clear to Wang Tong as to what he should do next.
Regardless of what it was in front of him — either it was a mistake at Samantha's end, or a survival test — Wang Tong's first and foremost task was to find food and water.
Wang Tong turned around and started to swim back. After one hour, he had reached the area where he had separated with the group. To his surprise, his classmates were nowhere to be seen. Wang Tong searched around the area and still didn't find anyone. It was as if they had disappeared into thin air...
When Wang Ben gulped that large jug of water down his throat, he felt that he had never been so satisfied before.
Inside a submarine, Samantha watched at her students with her signature smirk. "Drink slowly."
Alongside with her students were those from Bernabeu, including Apache. They were also drinking large jugs of water as if they had been thirsty for days.
Martyrus regarded the group and said, "This was your first test. It was designed to test everyone's essential skills as a METAL fighter."
The students looked at each other in horror. They had never heard of such test, and they felt terrified at the thought of what would be involved in the real training.
"Mister Martyrus, why didn't you rescue Wang Tong."
"Yea, he had the least amount of water," the students from Ayrlarng agreed. They had already formed a bond with their leader, and it hurt them to think that Wang Tong was still out there suffering.
"You guys are so gullible. Do you really believe whatever Wang Tong says? Maybe he has more water and food in his space crystal," someone from Bernabeu sneered at the students from Ayrlarng.
Since it was a test, the students' actions were closely monitored by satellite surveillance cameras. After the desperate students from Bernabeu had been rescued, they had learned that Wang Tong had brought with him water and food which allowed the group from Ayrlarng to survive much longer. The thought of losing to Ayrlarng had made some of Bernabeu's students turn green and bitter.
"What's your problem?" Hu Yangxuan uttered a threat with an ugly grin.
"Hold your horses, both of you," Martyrus spoke out with a deep booming voice. The agitated students suddenly shriveled and backed away from each other.
In addition to Martyrus and Samantha, there were 19 students and a handful of workers inside the submarine. What had happened today was just a test, and Paradise Island was still many miles away. However, the two principals had learned a great deal about the students during this surprise test.
At first glance, Wang Tong had brought food and water and saved the day out of sheer luck; however, Martyrus knew that it had nothing to do with luck. Instead, Wang Tong had done so because he was always prepared and vigilant. To further observe Wang Tong, Martyrus ordered to leave him out there a bit longer.
So far, Martyrus could not find any fault in Wang Tong as he seemed to be the perfect student that he had been searching for ever since he had become a teacher.
He noticed that Wang Tong was not only a strong METAL fighter but also a natural leader. Like Wang Tong, Apache also had excellent combat and survival skills, but he was not good at motivating people and was not a good team player.
Wang Tong was born with the flare of a leader, but Martyrus knew that he had not yet seen the real potential of this young man and therefore, Martyrus had decided to uncover his real potential using the most effective method: despair.
Martyrus reckoned that friends had played a significant role in evoking Wang Tong's fighting spirit and boosting his morale; therefore, the old fox had separated Wang Tong with his friends, waiting for loneliness and despair to set in upon the young boy. Driven by curiosity, Martyrus decided to push Wang Tong to his limits.
The image of Wang Tong on the Tv screen quickly draw everyone's attention.
Wang Tong had then realized that his only option was to move forward. However, he also reckoned that he would need to find food and water first.
He still had the bento, so he had figured that finding food was less urgent than finding water. It seemed that the only way to find water was by hunting fish. However, while he was traveling back and forth, he didn't notice any fish around this area.
Wang Tong finally felt that his GN force started to become sluggish; therefore, he decided to stop for a while to practice a round of tactics to stabilize his GN force output.
In contrary to what Martyrus had calculated, Wang Tong didn't feel any negative emotions; instead, he was slightly excited by the challenge ahead. He remained confident that eventually, he would be able to find a way out.
After completing a few rounds of tactics, Wang Tong felt much better, and even the ruthless force of the sun seemed to be waning. Although he was still starving, his GN force had stabilized. He then charged up his body with soul power; as the soul power started to emanate out from his body, he allowed it to reach deep down into the ocean.
To his surprise, he felt a strong surge of power underneath the ocean, and it suddenly shot through Wang Tong's body. For a moment, Wang Tong felt that this energy had connected his sea of consciousness, and as he was going to "communicate" with this energy, their connection was suddenly lost.
Wang Tong had then realized that this energy was the soul energy of other marine creatures. Every kind of conscious creatures had its own soul power since the soul power was simply the energy from its consciousness. However, human's soul energy was the strongest among all.
Through the very weak connection of the soul energy, Wang Tong registered that this marine creature he had detected was descending into the depth. He heaved a sigh of disappointment. Wang Tong had wished to catch this creature, but now it had escaped.
"What's going on?" Samantha asked the worker who was manning the radar.
"It seems that there was a large marine creature that had just passed by him."
The creature's escape had taken a toll on Wang Tong's patience. However, he calmed himself quickly, realizing that the situation was only going to get worse if he suddenly lost his marbles.
A half hour had passed while everyone watched as Wang Tong rested in the water motionless. His audience had started to become more impatient than him.
Martyrus nodded in approval of Wang Tong's calmness. To be level-headed and make the right decision under even the worst circumstance was essential to a strong leader, and Wang Tong had done just that.
Quietly and slowly, Wang Tong dived down into the sea. In less than five minutes, he resurfaced again while holding a giant fish in both hands.
Wang Tong hacked the fish into pieces and sucked its blood. Despite the salty and fishy taste, the water in the fish's blood should be able to quench Wang Tong's thirst for now. Wang Tong then took out a kitchen knife and filleted the fish into slices of Sashimi.
"Umm… Better than Zerg meat!" Wang Tong mumbled as he ate, "Damn, I forgot to bring soy sauce!"
No one spoke in the submarine as they were trying to come to terms with what they just saw.
Wang Tong kept the remaining fish in the space crystal to keep it fresh.
Martyrus smiled at Samantha knowingly and said, "That's enough, let's fish him out of there."
Wang Tong had successfully found out the way to survive. Therefore, the test had become meaningless. Wang Tong was the most amazing student Martyrus had discovered in his 30 years as a teacher.
"Who said that our Captain Wang Tong had a secret stash of water?" Carl bawled out at students from Bernabeu.
The student named Shi Liang lowered his head and said quietly, "Sorry, my bad."
Chapter 139: Passed the First Test
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
Passed the First Test
When Wang Tong appeared inside the submarine, he was greeted by cheers and applause.
"Principal, what the heck!? Next time you should give me a heads up!" Wang Tong forced a smile on his face.
Samantha's face bloomed like a flower: "Good job! You have given me face in front of Martyrus, and I will give you your reward later. Go have your body checked first."
"Kiddo, congratulations! You have passed the first test. I wish you good luck with your next challenge... you will need it." Martyrus beamed from side to side. At the thought of gaining a secret weapon against Capth, he laughed so loudly that his mustache was trembling.
Although Wang Tong looked alright, Samantha had decided to give Wang Tong a check up just in case.
"Take your cloth off and lay down on the bed," Samantha said. There were no doctors in the medical room, only a principal, and her student. Wang Tong's mind raced, wondering if he was going to strike lucky.
"Why are you gawking at me? Haven't you heard that I graduated with an honor's degree from a Medical School?" Samantha registered the desire in Wang Tong's eyes and drew the boundaries.
Samantha had been the best student at Capth, no only she graduated with the best marks, her graduation thesis had also made a significant contribution to the advancement of human medical technology.
Samantha watched as he took off his shirt, revealing his tenacious body that left her in awe. Not only was Wang Tong's body in excellent condition, but his energy had also recovered significantly after a brief respite.
Samantha patted Wang Tong's shoulder and said, "All good, get up now." As her hand touched the firm and muscular shoulder, Samantha had to look the other ways as she found Wang Tong's body devastatingly attractive.
Wang Tong put on his cloth and sat on the bench without any intention of leaving. He cracked a smile and said, "What about my reward?"
"What do you want, you little brat? And talk quietly!" Samantha draw closer to Wang Tong, afraid of others hearing their conversation. All the while, she avoided Wang Tong's gaze.
Samantha had made a wrong move. She had underestimated her attractiveness and overestimated Wang Tong's self-constraint. Wang Tong had been tempted by her red and succulent lips, and by then he could no longer hold that burning desire. Samantha sensed Wang Tong's intention and was about to back away; however, it was too late. Suddenly she found herself inside of Wang Tong's firm embrace, and his mouth pressed tightly to hers.
Samantha struggled to break free, sort of, but Wang Tong's body was like a magnet that attracted her closer. Wang Tong sensed a slight hesitation on Samantha's lips, so he frenched her with ease. He had never heard of the term "French Kissing" until a few night ago when his buddy, Hu Yangxuan, described it to him. Just like Hu Yangxuan had promised, it indeed felt good.
Wang Tong's tongue had caught Samantha off guard as her already-thinning defense crumbled.
They held each other for a while before they let go.
"It was sweet!" Wang Tong said as he noticed Samantha's face was flushed red.
Samantha finally broke free and attempted to recover her composure but failed. She conceded that Wang Tong was not a typical student who she could pin under her thumb. She regretted that she didn't realize earlier that underneath his seemingly meek appearance was a shameless rascal, and she regretted not kicking him out of Ayrlarng when she still had the chance.
"Look away!" Samantha hid from him as she gathered herself and tidied up her clothes.
"Attractive principal and her student!" Samantha had already found the headline for the next day's newspaper should this scandal was leaked to the public. Her face reddened. She would not let this happen. Any scandal would be detrimental to her dream: Ayrlarng's rise, so she realized that she had to lock up her desire and feelings.
"Get out now, don't let the others wait."
"What about you?"
"I need a bit of time. Seal your lips out there!" Samantha threatened Wang Tong.
Wang Tong could not register any condescension in Samantha's tone — like he would expect from a principal — instead, he felt that Samantha spoke like those girlfriends on Tv shows.
There was nothing wrong with the two flirting with each other if the society could turn a blind eye to their relationship in a more formal setting.
Samantha watched Wang Tong as he left the medical room. She struggled to calm herself but failed again. "Gosh, what the heck has happened to me! No, I can't give up my dream because of this… idiot!" However, she could not bring herself to deny the satisfaction she had felt while she was in Wang Tong's embrace.
"What did the doctor say?" Wang Tong's friends surrounded him as soon as he appeared in the meeting room.
"Everything is fine, and I am already fully recovered. Rumi, how are you doing, you're not going to take more rest?" Wang said with a smile.
"Glad to see you here and safe. Thank you, Captain."
"Don't thank me, thank the team."
The submarine had surfaced while the students were talking. They noticed a hatch door propped open on the ceiling.
"We are almost there. Come up here now, it's stuffy down there."
The students filed out of the submarine through the hatch door to the deck above them.
They quickly noticed a large island looming in front of them. This was the FFC Paradise Island. It was Ma Xiaoru's first time arriving on this island, and she already had a feeling that the time she spent here would be memorable.
Before Martyrus's sudden test, Ma Xiaoru was still on the fence, hesitating to solidify her relationship with Wang Tong. However, Wang Tong's valor had deeply moved her and made her decide to work their relationship toward the next level.
She was born from a prominent family that had very strict family disciplines regarding the way she carried herself. Therefore, although Ma Xiaoru was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she was not spoiled and had learned through family disciplines always to be level-headed and understating. However, she felt that Wang Tong's charm came mainly from how different he was; he was reckless and even selfish most of the time, but during a crisis, he would turn into a trustworthy and selfless leader. Ma Xiaoru conceded that if it was she who had brought food and water with her, she might not share them with the group as Wang Tong had done. When everyone had given up fighting for survival, only Wang Tong had given them hope and encouragement.
Ma Xiaoru had never met a man who had such a sense of responsibility and valor.
As the heir of the House Ma and the FFC, Ma Xiaoru had grown up listening to tales of her ancestor and General Li Feng. Her favorite story about General Li Feng was the story about Princess Tang Ling of the GDA falling in love with General Li Feng while they were both students. Even after the family had openly opposed her marriage, she still stood with her lover and supported him wholeheartedly. In the end, General Li Feng's rise to power had proven to her family that her choice was right.
Ever since Ma Xiaoru had heard of that story, she had always dreamed that one day, she would be able to find and date someone like General Li Feng, and she felt that she had found what she was looking for in Wang Tong after the events in the sea. When Wang Tong had given her the last bottle of water and swum away by himself, Ma Xiaoru had tried really hard not to follow him, to care for him.
Wang Tong walked onto the deck and stretched his body. He had already let go of all the stress and felt relaxed under the sun.
"Ha! Xiaoru, your family business is everywhere! If I can't find a job, would you let me work for you?" Wang Tong laughed, and everyone laughed with him. Ma Xiaoru nodded trying not to reveal her happiness at the thought of having Wang Tong with her every day even after graduation. Even the students of Bernabeu felt lighthearted and joined in the prattle. The training had just started, so they figured that there were ample opportunities to earn some face for Bernabeu, and there was no need for them to dwell on their recent loss.
Martyrus and Samantha also walked out to the deck. "Mister Martyrus, have they also arrived? "
Martyrus nodded. "Yes, they arrived early. Our kids are enjoying themselves while they still can."
"We shouldn't underestimate our students. You have seen their performance today, and I doubt the hotshots from Capth could do any better."
"Therefore, I can't wait for tomorrow's show!"
The students were airlifted toward the island. From their vantage point, the students realized how huge the island was as its shoreline stretched out endlessly.
They were dropped off at the center of a large structure, while the workers were bustling with their business without paying any attention to the visitors.
All the student first underwent a physical check. The FFC had dedicated a significant amount of employee to their training since it was a work-order that came directly from their stakeholder.
The two principals watched the workers casually without interfering with them as they went on with analyzing the test results.
An hour later, the test was finally done. Martyrus gathered everyone around him.
"I'd like everyone to go around the table to introduce themselves."
Ayrlarng:
Battle Commander: Wang Tong, Ma Xiaoru, Wang Ben, Hu Yangxuan, Zhou Sisi, Carl.
METAL Fighter: Kyaero.
Information Warfare: Rumi.
Heavy METAL: Tita.
Fleet Management: Chen Chung.
Bernabeu:
Battle Commander: Shi Liang, Luo Manman, Deng Jia.
METAL Fighter: Apache, Cao Yi.
Information Warfare: Zhang Kui, Zhang Yan.
Heavy METAL: Scarlet.
Fleet Management: Stia, Xie Chengxun(Best).
"Excellent, now everyone knows each other, let's start the first training."
Although everyone was still tired, no one complained.
"This is officer Massa, and he will be in charge of your physical training."
Officer Massa stepped forward. He was wearing a military uniform, and his solemn face was blemished with countless small scars making it look like a bitter squash.
Chapter 140: Nightmare Came True
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
A Nightmare Coming True
"I will leave them to you now," Martyrus smiled as he spoke to Massa.
"I will make sure that they are well trained after my session."
Martyrus and Samantha sauntered off after they handed over the responsibility to Massa. Seeing that the principals had left, the students heaved a sigh of relief and thought that they finally would have a chance for a brief respite.
"Greetings everyone. My name is Massa, I will be your training officer for the time of your stay. I wish to have a good relationship with you at the end of my session, so please heed and follow my instructions. I understand that you guys are all exhausted after drifting in the ocean for so long. Therefore, I have decided to give you guys a day off and start your training program first thing tomorrow.
"Where we are standing right now is District B, where most of your training activities will take place. Your dorms are to the left, and you will find your names on the doors," although Massa's face remained stoic, his voice was soft and caring, unlike the stereotypical foot drill officers.
"Sir, does that mean we are done for the day?"
"Correct. That's it for today. We will start first thing tomorrow! I sincerely hope that you will carefully follow my instructions tomorrow. The two principals have already decided that whoever fails the physical training will be sent away immediately." Massa turned around and stomped away.
Feeling relieved, the students sauntered off to their rooms. They were surprised to find out that they wouldn't need to share their space with anyone since all of them were assigned to an individual dorm. They started to doubt if the training conditions were as bad as the rumors had it.
Some students drifted off as they lay on the comfortable bed, and some, like Carl, who rolled around in his bed without feeling any weariness. To his surprise, he realized that his dorm even came with a Tv. "Hooray! This is much better than I had thought!"
Carl wasn't the only one to think that, and most students were still excited by the new environment. They visited each other and discussed the dramatic turn of events that had occurred earlier that day, when they were still soaked in the seawater in the morning, wondering if they were going to die of thirst. However, now they were dressed in their pajamas, enjoying the clean and comfortable beds.
"Bro, look what I got!" Carl took out a deck of poker.
The boys, including Hu Yangxuan, rushed toward the cards. The events from earlier had been very stressful, and a round of poker was much needed to let go of that stress. The training wouldn't start until the next day anyway.
None of the girls were interested in playing poker, as they had more important things to do, such as bubble bath, face mask, and so on... and tried to rejuvenate their skin after being exposed to the sun for so long.
Ma Xiaoru had packed over a dozen different type of creams and shampoos, and she was sitting with Rumi and Zhou Sisi, explaining the functions of every one of them.
Girls loved their beauty products, and no one could change that. The three chatted excitingly, sharing their experiences of using different kinds of products.
Wang Ben and Wang Tong didn't join the fun; instead, they went straight to their rooms. Wang Ben was never interested in any form of entertainment other than practicing his tactics. Wang Tong, on the other hand, knew that he needed to rest well for tomorrow. He thought of reminding his friend of the gruesome training ahead, but after seeing the happy smiles on his friends' faces, he decided to drop the matter.
To Wang Tong, there was nothing better than cultivating his tactics to kill time; therefore, Wang Tong didn't go to bed right away. Instead, he started to practice the Tactics of the Blade.
Remaining patient while in solitude was crucial to cultivation. Although Hu Yangxuan had the same talent and capacity as Wang Ben, but unlike Wang Ben, he lacked the patience and could not stay focused for an extended period of time, and therefore, his overall power also fell short.
The students from Bernabeu heard the excitements of their neighbors and found out that they were playing poker. Poker was one of the most common means of entertainment; however, it was the only game on this island. Therefore, Bernabeu's students also decided to join in. The boys quickly formed two teams, team Ayrlarng vs. team Bernabeu. Since the official training hadn't started yet, the pugnacious boys, fueled by their testosterone, had decided to move their competition to the table top.
The room was soon filled with raucous laughter and shouts. To Hu Yangxuan's surprise, Best was not only good at spaceship simulation, but he was also a seasoned poker player.
Like Wang Tong and Wang Ben from Ayrlarng, Cao Yi didn't join the poker fever; instead, he was carefully writing down the details of the events that had occurred today. He quickly noticed that they had made many unnecessary mistakes while they were stranded in the ocean. They might have been able to last much longer if they had calmed down and thought about their situation.
He also analyzed the team composition of both Ayrlarng and Bernabeu. Bernabeu's team was stronger overall; however, they lacked a competent leader. Although Apache was a capable and well-rounded fighter, he resented leading, considering it a waste of time.
Cao Yi figured that the reason behind Apache's preference for operating alone was his experience in the Special Unit. Due to the high risk, the members of the special unit were trained to be independent, and no one wanted to become the burden of the team, and therefore, no one had ever asked for help, nor had ever offered any help.
Apache had thought about playing the role of the leader; however, he had realized that none of his team members was worth his effort, except for Cao Yi.
Apache laid on his bed, reflecting today's event in his mind. He never liked the look of Massa, and his overly kind gesture had raised Apache's alarm. He believed that there must be more than what just met the eyes.
Apache didn't warn anyone since he thought that the best way to learn for these rookies were from their mistakes.
Life had taught him that failure was always more useful than success, providing that one was willing to learn from their mistakes.
Apache finished his dinner, practiced one round of his tactics, and went off to the bed. He didn't even bother to say goodnight to his classmates.
Cao Yi wanted to discuss his findings with Apache; however, he saw that Apache's door was shut and figured that he was already in bed.
In the meeting hall, raucous laughter and shouts came wave after wave. Rumi had been exhausted and could not stay up, so she went to bed soon after Wang Tong had left. Inside of Ma Xiaoru and Zhou Sisi's dorm, the two girls chatted happily without realizing the passage of time.
Despite the commotions the students were making, no one had come to stop them. They felt that the rules on this island were even less strict than at school. It was as if the boot camp had turned into a tourist camp.
Wang Tong had fallen asleep; he needed to rest. It had been a long day and more intense training was still ahead of him. Although he had superb endurance, he figured that there was no need to waste any of his energy on games either.
Suddenly, the siren in District B went off. The noise from the siren was insistent and earsplitting.
"Attention. Please gather in the hall in five minutes!" a synthetic voice announced through the speaker.
Wang Tong heard the siren, rushed to the meeting hall and saw that Apache and Wang Ben had already arrived. The three of them stood in the hall without saying a word to each other.
Two minutes later, Cao Yi also arrived, followed by Ma Xiaoru. Four minutes later, Officer Massa appeared.
"Pfff... Only five?"
He then looked at his watch and started to count down,"Ten, nine, eight, seven… two, one!"
Wang Tong heard a series of wails coming from the other students' dorms. Carl screamed as he felt an electric current shot through his body. In a blink of an eye, he was already out of his bed and did not intend to return to it.
When everyone arrived the meeting hall, they were separated into three groups.
"Sir. I think it's too early!"
"It has just passed midnight, and I told you yesterday that we will start training today!"
Everyone was shocked as they didn't expect Massa to have taken the meaning of "First thing tomorrow" so literally.
"Students from Battle Command, METAL fights, and Heavy METAL, run two kilometers with 20-kilogram weight bags. The others do it with 10-kilogram bags. Whoever was late for the assembly, double it for yourself. You won't have breakfast before you finish it. Go, NOW!"
The ones who had been playing poker dropped to the floor after hearing Massa's commands. They had just been electrocuted out of their bed — some of them hadn't even fallen asleep yet — now they had to undergo intense training.
There was a large field outside of the main structure of district B. Their weight bags were already prepared for them there.
"Sir! Can I use GN force?" Shi Liang asked.
Massa threw him a stern glance which made Shi Liang's hair stood on ends.
"No," Massa said stoically.
"Start Running, NOW!" Massa turned around and urged the students to start running.
The students unwillingly picked up their weight bags and started their training. The bright flood lights hanging high up illuminated the field as if it were day time, and somehow, it made the students feel even more tired.
Massa stood in the middle of the field, holding an electric taser, making sure that whoever had fallen behind would get stunned. "It is not a punishment," Massa thought to himself, "it is just to help them wake up."
By then, everyone had realized how naive they were in thinking that the training would be easy, yet, this was only the beginning.
The basic training not only aimed to improve their physical condition but also to mold the students into ever-vigilant soldiers with iron wills.
Although Massa was pleasantly surprised that there were five of them that had arrived on time, he felt that the overall quality of the students was sub par.
The students quickly split into three groups. The first group consisted of only six students: Wang Tong, Ma Xiaoru, Wang Ben, Cao Yi, Hu Yangxuan, and Apache. The second group was the largest, and the third group consisted of only two girls: Rumi and Stia. Both of the girls were sick after a tumultuous day and had not recovered yet. As the two frail girls struggled to catch up with the second group, they lamented over the cruel joke that life had played on them.
The students of the first group carried out the training without any difficulty. Not only were they well rested, but jogging early in the morning was also their long-term habits. Therefore they felt that the training was just a stroll in the park and finished it very quickly without any difficulty. They returned to Massa after they were done.
"Stand at ease!"
Massa turned his attention to the profiles of the students who had already finished. He quickly found out that a couple of them needed additional strengthening in certain areas.
Chapter 141: Special Training
Translator: Double_L Editor: Tehrn
"Alright boys and girls, time for your next warm-up exercise!" Massa ordered, followed by the emergence of a one-meter wide running track surrounding the field as he snapped his fingers; a strange glow seemed to have illuminated both sides along the running track.
"Breakfast will be served after all of you have completed the twenty laps jog." Massa grinned.
Wang Tong and the other students obeyed silently. As they walked onto the running track, all of them were startled by a sudden increase of the pressure, their backpacks got heavier, and their movements were constrained by a greater gravity force.
"Go!"
Everyone thought that it was going to be easy at the beginning, but Massa would never give anyone a chance to slack off. He had given everyone the same harsh training regardless of their strength and stamina, and obviously, there would be punishment for those who performed badly or made mistakes in the training. The running track was actually a magnetic runway that was capable of generating a gravity twice stronger. However, Massa would be holding back on them today as this was only their first day of training.
Everyone was stressed out by the "warm-up exercise" due to the fact that they were prohibited from utilizing their GN Force; not to mention that all of them had just finished their first set of training a moment ago. No one said a word as they jogged; however, most of them were pretty exhausted due to the series of physical activities.
One of them being Hu Yangxuan who took more time than the others during the first set of training because of the punishment for being late. Apparently, he had overslept because of spending the whole night playing poker. Anyhow, he would also have to join the others for the second set of training. Hu Yangxuan had been slacking off ever since he had left the Court of the Templar, and the handsome youngster had gotten used to the freedom of doing things that he liked and the comfort of Ayrlarng. However, his days of slacking were over since he was given the same harsh training as Wang Tong and the others, and it was time for him to get rid of his sluggish attitude.
Instead of correcting their problems and horrible habits in one shot, Massa decided to take it slow as he preferred doing things step by step.
No one dared to pull any tricks with their GN Force because Massa was able to detect even the tiniest scent of it and he would tase the cheater with his taser. Aside from being strict, somehow he was also quite cruel.
Wang Tong was the lead runner; honestly, he enjoyed training like this since his previous training in the academy wasn't as helpful, and he wasn't able to do much by himself because he was not a professional trainer.
Even though his knowledge had increased dramatically, yet somehow, Wang Tong felt that his physical fitness had decreased ever since he had left Norton, and he had been craving for more practices in order to ensure his best performance, which also explained why he was so excited about this training.
As for Wang Ben, he was running right behind Wang Tong. Apache, on the other hand, looked rather relaxed since he was very good with his speed, and the training here was similar to the ones he had at the Spatial Anti-Smuggling Bureau. However, Ma Xiaoru seemed to be gradually slowing down; no doubt her stamina was better than most of the ordinary people there since she had been practicing the Tactics of the Enchantress, but she wasn't able to unleash its best performance due to the prohibition of utilizing her GN Force, which caused her to become exhausted in no time.
Meanwhile, Massa was standing there with a straight face as he closely monitored their individual performances. Those who ran in the leading positions were obviously the stronger ones, and they would be doing fine in the military, but some of them were extremely weak; generally, the overall performance of this team was uneven, and there was a huge gap in terms of strength and stamina amongst all of them.
Rumi felt like she was going to faint at any time, yet she was still holding out. Even if her body was in a good shape, her stamina was still drained by the heaviness of her backpack, not to mention that she had used most of her strength during the previous part of the training; within minutes, she was seen sweating abnormally.
The other teammates began to worry about Rumi's condition as her face was as pale as a ghost. However, Massa didn't give a damn about it, he would still tase her with his taser if her speed dropped to a certain level.
In the beginning, everyone was only unhappy with his strictness, but Massa's cruelty began to piss everyone off when he did that to Rumi, thinking that he had gone too far and it might kill her.
Bzzzt…
Rumi screamed and fell as she was struck by the taser, this time Carl was fed up and yelled, "Are you crazy? You could've killed her!"
Massa went forward and scolded him with a scornful expression: "What do you think you're doing, young man?"
"I'm remonstrating against your method of training! We're guys so we might be able to take it; however, Rumi is weaker than most of us!"
Bzzt…
Unable to negate Massa's taser, Carl fell onto the ground after being tased three times. Everyone gathered around him immediately as he fell down, and apparently, all of them were mad at this ruthless coach for treating them like a bunch of slaves.
Massa stared at the bunch of angry trainees and scolded them again with an intimidating expression: "Back on the track now! All of you!"
"With all due respect Sir, there should be a borderline for harsh training like this, this is too much for us!" everyone began to voice out their opinions. Apparently, most of them were quite pampered at home despite being students of military academies, and they didn't like the way they were treated. They were able to accept waking up before dawn for special training; however, they were not able to tolerate Massa's cruelty and his torturing methods.
Massa stared coldly at the group of kids; as their coach, he was only paid to conduct their physical training, but other than that, it was none of his business. Hence instead of wasting his time arguing with them, he shouted, "There are only two options: One, hop on the next flight and get the hell outta my face. Two, you do what I tell you to do!"
Everyone kept quiet instantly even though they were angry, instead of behaving like crybabies, they knew that they had no choice but to follow his orders in order to become stronger before challenging Capth.
Although Wang Tong agreed with Massa's methods and was capable of sustaining this level of physical stress, he knew that most of them were not as tough as him, especially Rumi who was known to be exceptionally weak; he felt bad seeing his teammates suffer.
In the middle of that, Rumi got up and carried her backpack, then she said in a trembling voice as she struggled to jog, "It's okay guys, thanks for worrying, but I'll definitely finish this training!"
"What are you all looking at? Carry on! Ten more laps for each of you!" Massa ordered in a domineering tone.
That made Carl and the others even angrier, yet they chose to bear with it even though they hated Massa's guts; since Rumi too was not giving up, of course, all of them would also stick to the very end.
"If I ever see anyone of you trying to avoid your training by using your teammates as an excuse again, then you can get lost!" Massa glared at Carl as he scolded them mercilessly.
In fact, they were also trying to stop Massa from torturing them aside from standing up for Rumi.
Massa became stricter than he was a while ago. He even sneered as he monitored their performances as if he was trying to seek vengeance for what had happened previously. He began tasing anyone who slowed down a little and was yelling about continuously. Somehow, that previous retaliation from his students had forced him to reveal his true cruelty.
"Faster! Faster! Faster, you pigs! Are you trying to challenge Capth with this level of strength? Not a chance!"
Carl kept his head down and grumbled. He swore to avenge the humiliation from Massa. Tita and the rest were also infuriated, yet all they could do was to release their anger through jogging.
Everyone knew that they would fail directly if they gave up on their training, they were here to outrace each other and to be selected as one of the final candidates against Capth. Since all of them were able to have each other's back during yesterday's critical moment, of course now, they would also choose to stick together.
Everyone began cheering for Rumi as they ran past her, Wang Tong noticed that Rumi needed motivation very much as he saw her struggling, and he knew he had to do something.
All of a sudden, Wang Tong, who had been jogging in a constant speed, began to accelerate, and Wang Ben and Apache followed instantly. After two laps, both Ma Xiaoru and Cao Yi were completely left behind; however, Wang Tong was still gradually accelerating lap after lap; soon, Wang Ben and Apache began to sweat due to the two times gravity, yet Wang Tong's speed was getting faster and faster. The two of them looked at each other and wondered if Wang Tong was actually a machine; nevertheless, they were still able to keep up with his speed.
The trio formed into a weird formation, as Massa focused his eyes on Wang Tong who was leading in front, the first thing that came to his mind was the three of them were just being childish and tried to show off. As soon as Massa pressed one of the buttons, immediately the three of them felt an increase of the pressure, and their backpacks became heavier.
Massa decided to teach the three of them a lesson by altering their pressure to four times gravity force. Instantly, Wang Ben and Apache were held back by the sudden increase of the pressure and were no longer able to accelerate. However, Wang Tong only staggered a little and continued his acceleration; apparently, he wasn't affected at all.
Immediately, the other students knew that their crazy-a*s coach had increased the weight of the trio's backpacks when they saw the blue light on their backpacks flashing and reacting to the running track. Yet Wang Tong was unaffected and maintained his acceleration, which somehow turned into a silent motivation to the others.
"Keep it up, fellas!" Carl shouted.
He loved screaming and shouting, and he was also a unique existence amongst all of them, he might be simple minded and impulsive from time to time, yet he was a very bright kid.
Wang Tong purposely retaliated in another way in order to boost their spirit. The way he ran generally became a motivation to the other teammates, which also indirectly increased their energy and reduced their level of fatigue; everyone seemed to be able to feel some sort of spiritual cheer whenever Wang Tong jogged past them at an incredible speed.
As for Rumi, the heartwarming cheer was even able to help her regaining consciousness whenever she felt like fainting.
On the other hand, Massa was still standing there looking solemn as he observed Wang Tong in silence. In fact, Massa was totally surprised by Wang Tong's performance as he had never heard of anyone like this in Ayrlarng and Bernabeu. In the beginning, he had assumed that Wang Ben was the one with the best stamina, yet he didn't expect that this kid was even stronger than the son of General Hu Ben.
Nevertheless, Massa still assumed that Wang Tong was just being childish and tried to show off his anger by running fast, and he expected that Wang Tong would slow down after three or five laps due to the physical stress. To him, Wang Tong was just an amateur who knew nothing about endurance.
Massa ignored Wang Tong and continued to focus on tasing those who slowed down — especially the troublemakers like Carl — of course, the pain was extensive, and it would make their legs going numb, yet the unpleasant sensation was able to keep them conscious.
Carl had no choice but to bear with it, at that moment, he had totally forgotten about restoring the glory of Ayrlarng. All he wanted was to complete the training; after all, Carl wasn't some irresponsible punk who would use the others as an excuse to run away from challenges. Sometimes, anger was also able to turn into motivation.
To Massa's surprise, Wang Tong was showing no sign of slowing down after five laps, he had never expected to see such an extraordinary student amongst these kids from the academies. Generally, having strong fighting abilities didn't mean that the person would also have good stamina, and only a few would pay attention to the training of their physical strength in this era that only focused on the utilization of the GN Force.
In the end, Wang Tong was the first to complete the training.
Chapter 142: A Baron in Space
Translator: Double_L Editor: Tehrn
"Sir, I've completed my training!"
Massa remained emotionless, "Good, you may have your breakfast now!"
"Sir, permission to stay?"
"Hmph, whatever, but don't say I didn't warn you about missing out your break time though!" Massa said impolitely.
Nevertheless, it sounded like a warning as if he would increase the difficulty of his training since he had so well-performed previously. However, Wang Tong didn't care much as he returned to the field and began cheering for the others, especially the weakest Rumi, who was almost at her limit. Wang Ben hoped that his act of support and cheers would help her to remain conscious.
Somehow, Massa ridiculous actions had united the spirit of the whole team, and with the support from Wang Tong, Rumi was able to grab hold of herself.
"Sisi, adjust your breathing, take deep breaths and maintain your paces. Yup, yup, keep it up!" Wang Tong said.
Zhou Sisi waved her hands. "Your face… too big… blocking my view..."
Wang Tong touched his own face and then realized that Zhou Sisi was just joking with him.
Everyone was going full force and brought out their best performances to break the limit!
As soon as Wang Ben and Apache had finished their laps, both of them also decided to stay and cheer for the others even though they were not good with words.
"Somehow I feel bad for Massa, yet I believe that he is the only one who has what it takes to build up their fighting spirits." Samantha smiled as she recalled how many hardships she had overcame in order to hire this extraordinary guy as their coach; nevertheless, it seemed to be worth it.
"I think that Wang Ben is the reason he has agreed to help since this would be his chance to repay General Hu Ben's kindness. Otherwise, I don't think that he would have been interested in a bunch of random kids."
"Haha, I doubt that," Samantha said as she looked at all of them through her monitor.
Martyrus knew what Samantha meant; apparently, aside from Wang Ben and Apache, Massa seemed to be interested in Wang Tong as well.
An intense and sadistic coach like Massa would never be interested in training ordinary students, he would only be able to exercise his expertise when it came to training the ones with potential. Nevertheless, the outcome was great regardless of the methods he used, and Martyrus had expected that everyone would give up in the middle of it, yet their pride and spirit were ignited under Massa's stimulation, and they managed to bear with it until the end.
Everyone except Rumi had completed the training, yet all of them chose to stay and cheer for her; finally, she managed to finish after the sunrise, but she immediately passed out as she reached the finish line. Somehow, Massa knew that it would happen, but he remained emotionless as he watched two paramedics carrying Rumi to the infirmary.
Massa looked at his watch and said, "You guys are too slow, breakfast time was already over before you all could finish jogging. The next morning sessions will begin after a thirty minutes break!" Then he left.
Noticing that it was already morning, everyone sat on the ground and enjoyed the sea breeze. Yet deep down they were actually complaining about this horrible place, as well as their insane coach and his terrible training methods.
"Everybody, get up! Up! Don't sit! Stop lying down Tita, or else you'll be even more exhausted! Hurry up and initialize your tactics!" Wang Tong said all of a sudden, Wang Ben and Apache were also saying the same thing as the three of them pulled up those who were lying on the ground. If they chose to rest, their bodies would ache and later, none of them would be able to move a muscle. Instead of lying down, all of them had to bear with the tiredness and initialize their tactics, only then would they be able to remove the large amount of nucleic acid remaining in their bodies caused by anaerobic exercises.
Apparently, Massa had successfully strengthened everyone's stamina limits through his previous training.
Soon, everyone got up on their feet and began initializing their tactics under the supervision of Wang Tong and the others. It was an unpleasant sensation indeed, but they had to do it for their own good. Soon, Wang Tong, who was also very exhausted, also joined the crowd and began initializing his tactics. In fact, Massa purposely gave them thirty minutes to do so, or else they would be doomed in the next session.
After half an hour, they were told to get up and gather up within five minutes unless they were interested to be given a "relaxing" electric massage.
"Attention! At ease, stand up straight! What's wrong with you, born with a pair of crooked eyes?"
"No Sir, the head of the person in front of me was too big, it blocked my line of sight!" Carl was being mischievous again. Of course, Tita's head was bigger since the overall size of his body was larger.
Everyone was tickled by Carl's joke while some of the girls almost burst into laughter, but soon they began to worry if he would be punished by Massa again.
"Oh, really? Why don't you come with me to the base, and I'll show you how not to get distracted by someone else's head?" Massa replied.
Of course, Carl was not afraid of his threats.
Wang Tong didn't stop Carl because he knew that the only way for Carl to improve was by learning it through the hard way since he was the weakest overall amongst all of them. Rumi might be weak in terms of physical strength, but she was very good in Intel Programming Battle which had low requirements for stamina. However, being one of the Command Force's student, Carl basically had no expertise other than his optimistic attitude, only God knew what else he was good at.
Yet Carl was not a fool, he loved this team, and he enjoyed spending time with everyone; hence he would work harder through his own methods and try his best not to get disqualified.
In fact, everyone else too was trying their best to become one of the final candidates.
Massa led Wang Tong and the whole team back to the base, but instead of more physical training, the next session was theoretical lessons. Even though it was quite awkward to sit down and watch Massa giving lessons, still it was better than training nonstop.
"I'm going to teach you all about muscle training for each part of your body. This lesson is mainly for the students of Heavy Arm Class, METAL Combat Class, and Command Force, but those from the other classes also need to pay attention as each and every one of you will be participating in the next practice after this."
Massa's lesson was a new experience for all of them, instead of talking about GN Force, Massa's lesson tended to focus on the energy circulation of the human bodies through their acupuncture points, which somehow had a few similarities with the GN Force. Generally, stamina was also a kind of energy force, even though it seemed to have some kind of connection with the GN Force, yet no one was still able to prove it.
The military had always been emphasizing on physical fitness, while a number of Houses and Clans also advocated physical training; but unfortunately, they were not able to prove their theory of the importance of stamina since no one in these Houses and Clans had ever made any great achievements.
Most of them got drowsy in the middle of the lesson; even though Massa knew they would get tired and sleepy, yet he had tricks up his sleeves to "help" them stay awake... Basically, it was impossible for someone to fall asleep in his lessons!
However, Wang Tong didn't show any sign of tiredness, and he was completely drawn to Massa's lesson. For some reason, he believed that what Massa said would be very useful, and it seemed to have something to do with his Tactics of the Blade; it could even be one of the hidden arcanes of the Tactics of the Blade.
Although Wang Tong had put all of his effort in the practice of the Tactics of the Blade, there were still many aspects that he didn't understand. In short, he only knew how to utilize it, but he didn't know anything about its principles and also the deeper elements of the Tactics of the Blade.
Basically, the energy force was believed to be generated from a person's Dantian (the Cinnabar field), which was also known to be mankind's focal point of Qi (Aura) since ages ago. However, this ancient belief was immediately replaced by the theory of the GN Force as soon as it was published; nevertheless, the theory of Qi had its scientific value as well.
Even though Massa was talking about physical fitness and stamina, yet Wang Tong decided to input the same theory into the Tactics of the Blade because some of its principles seemed to be able to prove his hypothesis about the Tactics of the Blade being a "Dual Core" tactic.
The EMF had always been known as the source of the energy force; however, Wang Tong began to suspect something else as he was paying attention to Massa's lecture. He began to think about the connection between the energy force, the Dantian, the Soul Energy, and the GN Force.
He doubted that the EMF was the source of the energy force, and since he had been practicing the Tactics of the Blade, Wang Tong clearly understood that the GN Force was actually much greater than the energy force, and the Soul Energy was one of the "tools" to enhance the GN Force. In conclusion, he believed that the sixteen nodes Tactics of the Blade only served as the main foundation of his abilities, yet it was also the key that would lead him to its true strength and the arcane hidden within.
"Although the physical strength can no longer compete with the potency of the GN Force, someday you'll realize that having something your opponent doesn't is more than enough to alter the outcome, especially in a dead heat situation," Massa's voice remained ponderous. He didn't care if they were listening or not, all he wanted to do was to say everything he wanted to say. Massa would never beg them to listen as they should treasure the chance of learning something new by themselves. Furthermore, these kids were the elites of two A-Ranked academies, so they were obviously old enough not to be spoon-fed anymore.
The students should know that they were not participating in this special training for the sake of their academies, their principals, or anyone else but for themselves! They shouldn't even be here if their mindset wasn't right at the first place.
Nevertheless, most of them were trying their best to stay awake and listen. Normal fighters might not have to worry about stamina and physical fitness, but physical training was compulsory for them as they were elites, and they aimed to become the best.
However, Wang Tong was deeply interested in this topic, somehow to him, the theory of the EMF and the theory of the Dantian sounded like the theoretical basis of his Tactics of the Blade, and Wang Tong would be able to make partial explanations about the Tactics of the Blade by changing a few of Massa's words. Wang Tong was very excited to learn something new, Massa's lesson would be able to provide him with a stronger pertinence and also improve his mastery in his practice of the Tactics of the Blade.
"Sir, I have a question."
No one was thinking of asking any question as they were all trying their best not to fall asleep, yet Wang Tong's question got them to pay attention immediately as they knew he would be asking something important, even the students from Bernabeu too were paying attention to it.
"Sir, I'm very impressed by this novel theory, I'd like to ask if there is any tactic that doesn't base on one's Soul Energy, or is there any tactics that could use something else as its core foundation?"
Massa shook his head and answered, "Firstly, this wasn't a novel theory at all. Human bodies have been the most important factor in determining victory or defeat during the era of the Power Armor, which was many years before the theory that 'Soul Energy invigorates the GN Force' was introduced to the public. During that time, mankind was known to train themselves and raise their fighting abilities through learning some of the ancient tactics; however, no one was able to become the almighty fighter as the human body itself is not as strong as it looks. No matter how great the mastery is, the human body still won't be able to completely defend itself from weapon attacks. The reason I'm saying this is because I want all of you to understand that physical training is also one of the crucial co-factors of becoming strong."
Wang Tong sat down and didn't ask any further question. Judging from Massa's words, most of the tactics were using the Soul Energy as the core foundation, yet he wondered if the Five Great Tactics were also the same.
For some reason, he began to believe that his tactics was really the same tactics used by the Blade Warrior, and he was quite motivated by this idea.
However, Wang Tong had never dreamed of repeating the myth of the Blade Warrior, nor he wanted to create a legend of his own. Wang Tong's dream was to become a fleet captain, a well-respected person with a number of people under his command, someone with countless benefits, but most importantly, he wanted to live an enjoyable life with low risks and dangers.
In a nutshell, he wanted to become a baron in space.
Chapter 143: Comprehension
Translator: Double_L Editor: Tehrn
However, Wang Tong's dream of becoming a fleet captain might be difficult to achieve as he had no family background and most importantly, he had no backstage supporters. In fact, this wasn't something that could be achieved by having strong fighting abilities, if he failed to become a fleet captain, Wang Tong would have to become a foot soldier, which he hated.
Anyhow, Wang Tong didn't bother to think too much at the moment; other than being inspired by Massa's overall theory, somehow nothing else that was said later by Massa mattered anymore.
Massa finished his lecture with the same boring expression: "I'm giving each of you ten minutes to discuss among yourselves and revise what I said a while ago, after that, there's gonna be a series of training for everyone."
However, the students were too exhausted to have any discussion. While most of them were taking the ten minutes to get some rest, Wang Tong was excitedly applying the theory to his own tactics even though it wasn't enough time for him to perform a complete routine. Nevertheless, he had made up his mind to examine the utilization of the Tactics of the Blade with a different perspective. Wang Tong might not know anything about the Five Greatest Tactics, but he did believe that there was nothing as mystical as his Tactics of the Blade. It was able to initialize on its own even if Wang Tong was unconscious, which also explained why Wang Tong's Soul Energy was getting stronger and stronger.
Wang Ben was a hardworking person, and so was Cao Yi; apparently, both of them were also using the ten minutes to practice on their own. In fact, they would do it whenever they were spare time. Generally, there would be one hundred different outcomes even if one hundred people with the same potential were practicing the same tactics; in the end, it all depended on their own efforts.
The rest of the morning was fully occupied by all sorts of training; however this time, they were in different groups. For instance, Rumi and those from Intel Programming Class were scheduled for the training of their hands and fingers reflexes and also visual discernment practices; the level of difficulty was much harder than the ones they had at their respective academies.
Meanwhile, Wang Tong and the rest of the team were scheduled for something special.
"Basically, the students of the Command Force, METAL Combat Class, and Heavy Arm Force are most likely the ones who will engage directly with the enemy's troops. The capability of doing so requires a strong body and an indomitable willpower, and you will need to challenge the limits of your body in order to improve your willpower. So, without further delay, everybody, drop down and gimme two hundred push-ups."
Everyone was stunned, especially Ma Xiaoru, Zhou Sisi, and Luo Manman from Bernabeu. The three of them might be the students of Command Force, but in the future, they would be working in the fleets for sure, and the chances of them getting the position of a foot soldier were basically zero, so it was unnecessary for them to ramp up their stamina. Nevertheless, an order was an order, and they were not in the position to object Massa's arrangement.
Massa then turned toward Wang Tong. "You, forward!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Thump… Massa threw a heavy backpack to Wang Tong.
"I'm giving you a prize since you were the first to complete this morning's training, from now onwards, you're required to carry this in all of our training! Is that clear?"
Everyone sensed the menacing aura in Massa's words, more than enough to send chills down their spines.
"Roger that, Sir!" Wang Tong carried the backpack without complaining.
All of a sudden, Wang Ben stepped forward and said, "Sir, I'd also like to have one of that!"
Massa grunted, "Hmph, Wang Ben I see, the son of General Hu Ben. Very well, since I heard that many from Capth are waiting to teach you a lesson, it's time for you to train harder in order not to disgrace your old man." Massa then threw a backpack to Wang Ben.
Apache stepped forward as well. "Sir, me too!"
Massa glanced at Apache and threw him a backpack, after that he turned to the rest and said, "Anyone else? Feel free to step forward."
Cao Yi stepped forward while scratching his head, Massa said nothing and handed him a backpack as well. Unwilling to get left behind, Hu Yangxuan sighed then stepped forward and requested one. Somehow Wang Tong's great performance had pushed all of them closer to the edge of the cliff.
As for the others, it was not that they didn't want to make an effort, but everyone had their own limits. If they were to carry one of those, the weight would crush them to death for sure.
"MOVE IT!"
Everyone dropped down and began doing push-ups immediately; however, this time none of them chose to go fast, they conserved their energy and tried their best to maintain their breathings and body conditions instead. Apparently, they were afraid that there might be some other difficult training later waiting for them.
"Lift your *ss! What's wrong with your hips!" Massa then swung his baton onto Carl's butt without any hesitation.
Carl had no choice but to bear with it. His arms were aching, but he wasn't going to admit defeat since Wang Tong and the rest of them who were carrying the backpack didn't show any complaint. After all, those who were less talented would have to contribute more effort than the others.
On the other hand, the other batch had also been busy, especially the students of Battlecraft Combat Force. Best was looking proud while training, he wasn't troubled at all by these basic training since his super operating maneuvers were achieved through all of his previous training on reflexes. Nonetheless, Massa knew that Best was stronger than most of them, so he also had specially prepared a lot of difficult tasks for Best.
Within minutes, Carl was already experiencing cramps on his extremities; meanwhile, Rumi was also having a hard time on her Intel Programming Training, the different waves of discernment training had caused her eyes and brain to go dizzy, not to mention that the condition of her body wasn't quite well at the moment.
"Remember, your enemies will never strike during the day you are at your best, so you'll also need to prepare yourself to face your strongest enemy at your weakest condition, only then will you be able to become a real unrivaled one!"
"Hurry up and straighten your postures, and don't you even think about pulling any tricks as doing so will only mean that you're lying to yourself!" Massa said as he walked around them with the baton in his hands, getting ready to punish anyone who tried to cheat.
Finally, lunch was served after a bundle of hellish training in the morning. Aside from Wang Tong and Wang Ben, usually most of them would be a little picky when it was about food and would complain about the lunch provided by their academies from time to time; yet today's lunch was totally a feast! Everyone went crazy when they saw the large portions of good food that were served. Even Rumi, who used to eat slowly and politely, was seen gobbling up her food, it was an unbelievable scene indeed.
Clearly, the only way to handle over-pampered babies was to have them going through hardships; same goes to soldiers, officers or trainers in the military would always have tricks up their sleeves when it came to handling troublemakers. Furthermore, mankind had been depending on its own adaptabilities to strive for success since the beginning of time; hence the human body was not as fragile as it looked like.
"Is there any more food?"
"Yup, here you go!" the cafeteria staff said as he laid down another dish on the table. He was amazed by their appetite, and apparently, all of them were enjoying the dishes even though nothing special was served.
"Fellas, remember to control your appetite! Don't overeat, or else you'll get sick later in the afternoon," Wang Tong reminded everyone. So as he said that, some of them, who were trying to go frenzy, stopped eating immediately. They knew Wang Tong was right about self-control, and it was important to stop when one's tummy was full. Since they expected to have physical activities later in the afternoon, it would be better for them to feast on during dinner.
Ma Xiaoru had never been through any hardship even though she was born and raised in a strict family, and this special training was definitely one of the toughest challenges she had ever faced; however, she didn't even grumble once about the privation.
Most of them from Ayrlarng and Bernabeu were expecting that the little princess of the FFC would request special privileges since she had no reason to be like the others. Unlike the others who needed to squeeze every bit of their effort in order to make miracles, Ma Xiaoru was able to achieve anything without going through all the troubles; she could easily become a fleet captain if she wanted to, yet she insisted not to take any shortcut. Most of the team had been complaining since day one, yet Ma Xiaoru didn't make a single fuss about it.
Honestly, most of them were deeply impressed by Ma Xiaoru's personality; usually, people from rich families would act friendly and amiable all the time, especially girls who actually thought they were real princesses. However, Ma Xiaoru was nothing like those.
Everyone gathered and lined up immediately as soon as the bell rang, this time they managed to gather up before Massa could say a word, fearing that he might be giving out more "add-ons" to their training sessions.
"Hmph, that's more like it, but still far away from becoming a soldier. I think you will all be enjoying this afternoon's training! We're heading to the beach..."
Everyone hopped into the chopper and got to the beach. The moment their feet hit the sand, the students were completely mesmerized by the blazing sun, the panoramic view of the ocean, the beautiful sand, the lofty coconut trees, and the rippling waves. How the boys wished they could remove Massa from the view and pitch a few camps, maybe even have a couple of juices while enjoying their poker game and watching the beautiful girls having fun by the sea. What a paradise.
Nevertheless, their dreams were crushed by the wave as they saw Massa's boring face.
"This afternoon's session is gonna be endurance training, and y'all will be doing this IN the sea." Massa then gave everyone a pair of anklets and ordered them to put it on.
Everyone's expression went pale the moment they put on the pair of anklets, they were very heavy.
"Very well, now, attention! March ten steps to the front!" Everyone managed to march like soldiers since they were the students of military academies. All of them began to wonder what Massa was thinking as they stood in the sea while waiting for the next order.
"The task is going to be sightseeing around the island, as simple as that. This is the starting point of your round-island tour, only those who can make it back before eighteen hundred hours will be served dinner, only if you can… haha… now get moving!"
Everyone's expression turned solemn as they heard the word "dinner", it took a while for the helicopter to reach here; judging from that, the island was definitely much bigger than they had imagined.
Some began to grumble as their sadistic coach ordered them to start moving.
Soon, they tended to discover that their anklets were actually more than a pair of conventional ankle weights; Apparently, they were also able to standardize their routes; the hindrance might be lesser if they travel closer to the shore, but it would set off the warning siren if they exceeded the preset perimeter, meaning that the anklets could not leave the designated depth of the seawater.
Carl and the rest were unable to bear with it anymore and began to curse Massa for his sadistic tortures.
Although they didn't like it, still they had to keep jogging; nevertheless, their situation was better compared to Wang Tong and the other few. The hindrance from the seawater was an immense stress on both legs, and it would even cause them to lose their balance.
The sea water by the shore had lesser buoyancy, but still, it was able to cause a loss of balance, and now Wang Tong and the others finally realized the benefit of this training. As a matter of fact, Massa's training methods might be too much for normal students and ordinary soldiers, but these tasks were definitely necessary for the training of elites and special forces.
They were here to be trained into elites, it would be impossible for someone to succeed while having all of the leisures and pleasure, as one would never make bricks without straws.
Somehow, Wang Tong and the other few managed to realize one thing: even if they were having the same training and showing the same effort and persistence, the outcome would vary if they were not being serious about it.
As the saying goes: "You reap what you sow." A hundred percent of effort meant that the outcome would also be a hundred percent. Yet if one chose not to take it seriously, the result would never be as effective.
In fact, it was also the same when it came to the practice and initialization of the tactics. Although there was no vivid difference between a casual round of initialization and a serious round of initialization within a period of time; however, it didn't mean that there was no difference at all.
Chapter 144: A Special Reward
Translator: Double_L Editor: Tehrn
A sudden change would take place once the effort had reached a certain level, and usually, people would call this achievement "comprehension". However, the comprehension would never occur out of the blue; the accumulation of hard work and effort were the key factors for this to happen.
Wang Tong had been training in a serious attitude, he was actually very happy for this kind of training because he would be able to initialize his Tactics of the Blade while training his physical fitness. Wang Tong was glad that he didn't have to worry about getting disturbed and was able to be fully concentrated on his training; moreover, he didn't have to worry about meals and rentals. Everywhere could be Wang Tong's paradise... as long as he didn't have to worry about money.
Everyone began to adjust their pace gradually in order to adapt to the hindrance of the seawater, and they had also adjusted the strength of their movements in order to stabilize their center of gravity.
A lot of things could be learned as long as they settled down their attitudes, it was always better to calm down and do as they were ordered instead of wasting their time and emotion on grumbling and complaining about it. After all, their own fate would be up to them to decide.
They might be young, but they were not a bunch of fools. They knew that they had to look for their own ways of learning as soon as possible. Rumi, for instance, who was only fourteen years old, might be the youngest amongst the team, yet she had been able to learn a lot of new things in her own way. Nevertheless, Rumi was still the slowest amongst the team, luckily she had Ma Xiaoru and Zhou Sisi accompanying her, or else she would not have been able to hold out for sure.
Teamwork and support were not about taking someone else's place during the training, but to share the joy and pain with each other.
However, speed was still the crucial factor in this training, as they might lose their chance of having dinner if they couldn't complete before the designated time.
As most of them in the leading position had begun to slow down, Wang Tong was still running while maintaining his speed as if he were some kind of monster that would never get tired. It might be normal if he were utilizing his GN Force, but that was impossible since Massa prohibited the utilization of GN Force. The rest of the team would probably be stunned if they found out that Wang Tong was actually initializing his tactics at the same time.
Wang Tong discovered something weird while he was exercising and practicing the Tactics of the Blade at the same time, he noticed that the overall circulation of the sixteen nodes tactics had become slower, but the fluency of the delicate processes controlled by his Dantian (the Cinnabar field) had improved instead. Wang Tong felt a sense of warm current circulating within his body and continuously eliminated his fatigue.
In the end, Wang Tong became the only one who was running happily. While the others were trying their best to keep up; some of the strong-willed ones were seen silently competing against each other during the training.
Of course, Wang Tong was the first who completed the training, luckily his anklets detected no signs of GN Force, or else Massa would definitely suspect him of cheating. In fact, Massa had been keeping an eye on Wang Tong since the beginning of this training because Wang Tong's physical fitness and stamina were incredibly amazing, and Massa needed to be sure if there was any foul play, yet he was surprised to find nothing suspicious at all. Massa couldn't help staring at Wang Tong, wondering if he was really a human for not being out of breath after such a hectic task.
"You may head back for dinner," Massa said emotionlessly, he didn't praise Wang Tong at all.
As Wang Tong was trying to put down his backpack and remove his anklets, Massa stopped him and said, "No, don't remove them, put these on as well."
Massa threw him a pair of magnetic wrist weights and said, "Wear these on your wrists 24/7 from now onwards and do not remove them unless I say so. Understand?"
"Yes, Sir!" Wang Tong saluted.
Massa nodded emotionlessly, and as soon as he pressed a button, Wang Tong's arms and legs were immediately bounded by the magnetic force.
"Since normal weights have no effect on you, I'm giving you this special reward, take your time to get used to it," Masa was clearly sending Wang Tong a message not to mess with him.
Apparently, that was the real function of these weights, and Wang Tong would have no choice but to adapt to the immense magnetic force.
"And don't even think about using your GN Force!" Massa commanded and went off to see how the others were doing, somehow Wang Tong didn't notice the faint smile on Massa's face as he left.
Barely able to move a muscle, Wang Tong stood on the beach like an idiot. He had no idea what Massa did to the anklets and wrist weights, all Wang Tong knew was that he had to break out from this huge magnetic force as soon as possible!
Wang Tong tried his best to adapt to the magnetic force; however, it was way more difficult than he had expected.
Obviously, Massa had basically understood the capabilities of his body through the previous training, which was why Massa decided to skip the basics and let Wang Tong took on the toughest difficulty. The definition of training was to discover, stimulate, and create a breakthrough in one's hidden potential. Nevertheless, Massa was also trying to seize the opportunity to show Wang Tong that he was the boss.
In fact, Massa had already been planning to let Wang Tong try out something different the moment he finished the round-island jog since the level of Wang Tong's potential was much higher than most of his teammates. Massa would have to train him to the standard of the special forces in the military.
Both Wang Ben and Apache arrived at the finish line ten minutes later, they were surprised to see that Wang Tong was still standing on the beach like a wooden pillar; a wooden sign with the words "Do Not Disturb" written on it was placed right beside him as well.
Wang Ben and Apache wanted to know what had happened to Wang Tong, but they were too hungry to do anything else. In the end, they decided to hop on the chopper and head back to the cafeteria first.
Apparently, the two of them were the only ones who were qualified for dinner, supposedly Cao Yi and Hu Yangxuan could also make it, but the extra weights had slowed them down drastically and caused them to miss dinner.
The rest of the team were even slower, but at least they could have some rest later. It has been a tiring and unforgettable day indeed.
As night falls, the students were seen running toward the finish line one after another; everyone was terribly exhausted, especially the two big fellas from Heavy Arm Force. Nevertheless, all of them came back in one piece.
The chopper had been traveling back and forth, sending students back to their base one by one; it seemed like they would have to starve tonight as there were no restaurant or cafeteria here since it was only a small island right next to Paradise Island.
However, Wang Tong, who was the earliest to arrive, was still standing at the same spot, he shut his eyes and was looking serious while trying his best to expand his arms and legs. No one dared to walk toward him as they saw the wooden sign, wondering if he had done something which angered the "Mold-face" Massa.
"Mold-face" was apparently Massa's new nickname.
It was already very late when Ma Xiaoru, Zhou Sisi, and Rumi arrived. They were obviously the last batch to complete the training. Rumi was extremely drained and looked like she was about to collapse anytime, today's training was way over her body's limit. Even though she was weak, her willpower had proven that she was a strong fighter.
"Alright, you three are the last ones, get to the chopper."
"Sir, what about Wang Tong?"
Massa looked across toward Wang Tong who was standing still on the beach, then he sneered and said, "That's his reward, don't bother."
The helicopter took off as Massa shut the door close, Wang Tong was the only one that was left behind, still standing at the same spot like a sculpture.
Rumi was immediately put on the drip by the doctor, and lucky for her, the fatigue could be handled easily by the latest medical technology. Moreover, the medical facility in Paradise Island was second to none, which was why both principals were not worried at all.
Meanwhile, in the chopper, the two ladies were very worried about Wang Tong, "Sir, if we leave him there, how would he be joining us for tomorrow's training?"
"Training? Haha, don't worry, he won't be able to move for at least ten days since he is prohibited from utilizing his GN Force," Massa said.
Those magnetic weights were specially designed for the training purposes of the special forces in the military. Actually, the users were required to generate a little amount of GN Force in order to maintain their movements, and it would also consume a lot of stamina. Massa didn't tell Wang Tong because he wanted to reduce Wang Tong's arrogance; the youngsters should never be arrogant as this attitude would hinder their improvements.
Ma Xiaoru and Zhou Sisi felt bad for Wang Tong, both of them wished to plead for him but decided not to do so as they saw Massa's stone-cold expression; knowing that their pleas would only worsen the situation.
Wang Tong stared helplessly at the chopper, with the last batch of students gone, he was the only person on this deserted island in the middle of the vast ocean. The sunset was long gone, and he was still maintaining the same position at the same spot.
No dinner was served to those who arrived late, but fortunately, Apache and Wang Ben who went back first managed to smuggle some food for the others. Somehow, those two guys, who were bad at making conversations, managed to persuade the kitchen staff for that. After all, both of them knew that the rest of them would be toasted tomorrow if they didn't eat anything.
Everyone finished their food without leaving a trace, at the beginning they were afraid that "Mold-face" Massa would barge into their dorm any minute, but luckily for them, he didn't show up after the last training and probably went off for dinner.
None of them dared to sleep immediately, as they had to initialize at least two rounds of their tactics in order to replenish their stamina, or else they wouldn't be able to move a muscle tomorrow. Sleep itself would never be enough for one to recover from this level of physical stress.
Rumi's situation was worse than the others as her tactics was weak and the condition of her body was barely holding up. Fortunately, Ma Xiaoru helped her to initialize her tactics for two rounds, and she was able to get better after that. The Tactics of the Enchantress was basically the only one from the Five Greatest Tactics that could help others to initialize their tactics.
"Thank you very much, Xiaoru. I'll try my very best!" Rumi was able to regain her strength after initializing two rounds of her tactics.
"Keep it up, we'll be here for you." Ma Xiaoru smiled, apparently she also didn't expect the special training would be this hard; nevertheless, she understood that this sort of training was necessary for them in order to vanquish Capth. No pain, no gain.
However…
"What's wrong, Xiaoru? Where's Wang Tong by the way? I thought he was the first one to finish the training, where did he go?" Rumi asked, clearly Wang Tong had already become a well-respected figure in her heart.
Ma Xiaoru then explained Wang Tong's situation to Rumi.
"That's definitely an extra training from our coach, but how could he left him alone in the deserted island, not to mention without any food, water, and shelter." Rumi seemed to be quite worried.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Wang Tong will be able to survive. You should probably go get some rest, tomorrow is going to be another rough day."
None of them were interested in a game of poker this time, not even if the god of gamble were to arrive tonight; they were too exhausted to open their eyes after initializing their tactics and fell asleep almost immediately. It was definitely a day to be remembered.
Two memorable days to be exact.
Within minutes, the whole room was filled with yawns and snores.
While everyone was asleep, Wang Tong was still standing alone on the beach, he didn't move at all because he wanted to get used to the force. This position was the best he could maintain, and the force would tighten the gaps again if he tried to move a muscle, which was why it would be impossible for him to walk as he would instantly fell on the ground for sure.
For some reason, a blissful feeling emerged within Martyrus' heart as he saw Wang Tong. It was probably the sense of pride as a teacher. Martyrus was feeling proud to witness one of his students growing and improving little by little.
"Principal Martyrus, I'll leave the rest to your care. It's time for me to prepare what's coming next."
"Rest assure, Principal Samantha. I have faith in all of them." Martyrus nodded.
Apparently, Martyrus had already foreseen a couple of possible improvements the moment Samantha brought him this plan, yet somehow he still had underestimated the potential of the students.