Zhao Mu extended his hand without hesitation.
Across from him, Zhu Meng grinned broadly and clasped it firmly.
The two young men locked eyes for a moment, each recognizing strength in the other. Neither needed many words. Their handshake was enough to show mutual respect—and the birth of an alliance.
The surrounding trainees immediately reacted.
Until now, everyone had been hesitating, watching one another, calculating their options. But once Zhao Mu and Zhu Meng joined forces, many minds changed at once.
"Zhao Mu, can I join your team?"
"That's right! The other two groups are already forming. We should gather here and defeat them!"
"Count me in too!"
Voices rose one after another.
In truth, many of them did not have much choice. Since the recruits were being split into three teams of nearly equal size, everyone would eventually have to pick a side. But strength attracted confidence, and Zhao Mu had already proven himself.
Naturally, people wanted to stand with the strongest.
Just as Zhao Mu and Zhu Meng finished their handshake, a sweet and cheerful voice rang out from behind Zhu Meng.
"If that's the case… then I'll join your team too!"
The voice was bright and soft, like a cup of full-sugar milk tea on a hot afternoon.
Zhao Mu turned instinctively.
For a brief second, his gaze froze.
Standing there was a girl with long flowing hair, delicate features, and an irresistibly adorable smile. She looked at them with sparkling eyes, hands clasped behind her back, radiating warmth and friendliness.
It was Wang Jiaojiao.
Among this year's new recruits, one of the trainees had jokingly ranked the girls and selected the so-called "Four Heavenly Kings" of beauty.
They were:
Mo Guanguan
Shen Moran
Lin Meier
Wang Jiaojiao
Previously, Zhao Mu had not interacted with her much. But seeing her up close now, he noticed something different.
She possessed a softness that the others lacked.
Even Lin Meier, who looked gentle on the outside, carried steel within her. She had a determined temperament hidden beneath her graceful appearance.
Wang Jiaojiao was different.
She seemed soft from the inside out—gentle, warm, and sweet, like chilled fruit jelly in summer.
Zhao Mu also remembered that she had entered as a B-rank talent special recruit.
A capable teammate with strong qualifications was naturally welcome.
"With pleasure," Zhao Mu said, smiling.
Beside him, Zhu Meng looked genuinely surprised.
"I thought all the girls would join Mo Guanguan's side."
And honestly, that assumption was reasonable.
Most of the female trainees had already gathered near Shen Moran and Mo Guanguan. Their group looked lively, organized, and far more comfortable for girls.
Wang Jiaojiao waved a hand casually.
"Girls naturally prefer being around boys!"
Then she puffed out her cheeks playfully.
"I'm a perfectly normal girl, you know!"
Not far away, Meng Qiuqiu watched the scene and whispered to two nearby companions.
"She's so sweet it feels like I'm getting diabetes just looking at her."
The two beside him nearly burst out laughing.
Zhao Mu accepted anyone useful who wanted to join.
Surprisingly, no one challenged his authority as captain.
Everyone understood the situation well enough.
Being captain did not simply mean glory.
It also meant responsibility.
And more importantly…
Punishment.
They had all heard Instructor Zhang Biao's earlier announcement. In the coming three-team competition, if a team failed, the captain would bear the consequences first.
That alone was enough to silence most ambitions.
Soon, the remaining trainees made their final choices.
When the dust settled:
Zhao Mu's team had 53 members
Mo Guanguan's team had 54 members
Shao Han's team had 54 members
The recruits reorganized into three neat formations.
At the front of each stood a captain.
Zhao Mu.
Mo Guanguan.
Shao Han.
The training ground, once chaotic, now carried the feeling of a real military unit.
"Formation complete!" shouted one recruit.
"Awaiting instructor's orders!"
Zhang Biao strode forward with his hands behind his back.
He narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the three teams.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Good."
"Very good."
"Now all of you finally look like teams."
He stopped in the center and his expression turned stern.
"Remember this clearly."
"Teamwork is one of the greatest powers in this world."
"It can make cowards brave."
"It can make the weak strong."
"It can make ordinary people achieve extraordinary things."
He pointed toward them sharply.
"Cherish your team."
"And be willing to bear responsibility for your teammates."
His voice became heavier.
"One day, you may stand on a real battlefield."
"You may be surrounded by enemies, blood, fire, and death."
"At that time, your comrades may place their backs in your hands."
"Think carefully now…"
"When that day comes—will you be someone worthy of that trust?"
Silence fell across the recruits.
Even the more carefree trainees straightened unconsciously.
Zhang Biao's words struck deeply.
Then, just as the atmosphere grew serious, the instructor suddenly grinned.
"Alright!"
"Enough preaching."
"Since your teams are formed…"
"Let the game begin!"
The recruits blinked.
Game?
Zhang Biao clapped his hands.
"First, we'll test your team coordination."
An assistant instructor walked over carrying a stack of scrolls and hung them on a nearby wooden frame.
"The first game," Zhang Biao announced dramatically, "is one you all know well."
He paused for suspense.
"It is called…"
"You Guess, I Gesture!"
For several seconds, no one reacted.
Then confused murmurs spread everywhere.
"You Guess, I Gesture?"
"That children's party game?"
"Is he serious?"
No one dared speak too loudly, but the disbelief was obvious.
A military training competition…
Using a children's guessing game?
Surely there had to be more to it.
Zhang Biao folded his arms smugly.
"The rules are simple."
"All members except the first person turn around."
"The first person looks at the picture."
"No speaking."
"No writing."
"No hand signs."
"No secret codes."
"You may only use body movements to express the picture."
"Each person gets thirty seconds."
"The next person guesses what you mean, then passes it to the next."
"This continues until the final person."
He smiled wickedly.
"The final person gives the answer."
"If the answer is correct…"
"I may reward you with a little entertainment."
The recruits remained cautious.
Then Zhang Biao walked directly to Zhao Mu and slapped a hand on his shoulder.
"But if the answer is wrong…"
"The captain alone will be punished!"
Zhao Mu's eyebrow twitched instantly.
The entire field erupted.
"What?!"
"Only the captain?"
"That's too cruel!"
"No, wait… that means we're safe!"
Some trainees looked sympathetic.
Others looked relieved.
A few even looked amused.
Zhao Mu narrowed his eyes.
At first glance, it seemed like a simple game.
But in reality, it was extremely difficult.
Over fifty people.
No speaking.
No signs.
Only body language.
And each person had only thirty seconds.
Even if the first message was clear, after passing through ten people it would become distorted.
After twenty people, it would be nonsense.
After fifty?
Impossible.
There was another hidden trap.
Most trainees barely knew one another.
There was no established rhythm.
No teamwork.
No mutual understanding.
This was not just a game.
It was a test of whether strangers could become comrades under pressure.
And if they failed—
The captain suffered.
Clever.
Very clever.
"Everyone except the captains," Zhang Biao shouted.
"Turn around!"
The trainees immediately obeyed.
Only Zhao Mu, Mo Guanguan, and Shao Han remained facing forward.
Zhang Biao stepped toward the first scroll and yanked it open.
The image was simple.
A small chick pecking rice from the ground.
Zhao Mu memorized it instantly.
Thirty seconds.
The assistant instructor raised a hand.
"Begin!"
Zhao Mu turned to the first teammate and immediately started acting.
He crouched low.
Bent both elbows like wings.
Pecked downward repeatedly with his head.
Then mimed scattering grains onto the floor.
The movements were crude, but understandable.
The first teammate blinked twice—then nodded.
Good.
The message moved to the second person.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Zhao Mu, however, was no longer focused on the image itself.
He was thinking ahead.
How do we solve this?
Luck alone would never be enough.
Even if this round somehow succeeded, future rounds would be harder.
There had to be a method.
A pattern.
A strategy that stayed within the rules.
Beside him, Mo Guanguan stood with arms crossed, eyes sharp.
She was clearly analyzing as well.
On the other side, Shao Han stared intensely at his own team's transmission chain, trying to identify the breakdown point.
All three captains understood.
This was not a guessing game.
It was a battlefield problem.
The message continued down Zhao Mu's line.
Person five.
Person six.
Person seven.
At first, traces of "bird eating food" remained visible.
But by the eighth person, the movements became strange.
By the ninth, someone was hopping in circles while slapping their stomach.
By the tenth…
Zhao Mu could no longer tell what the trainee was trying to express.
Was it a chicken?
A rabbit?
A starving monkey?
His expression darkened.
"This is bad…"
If it had already become nonsense by the tenth person—
Then what would the fifty-third person say?
The answer might become:
A dragon doing laundry.
Zhao Mu slowly inhaled.
This would not be easy.
But somewhere inside the chaos…
There had to be a path to victory.
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