chapter714

Monica wore a smug grin. "One top student is worth ten slackers. Our team is

stacked with talent, got it?"

Patricia rolled her eyes. "We'll see how hard you crash and burn."

Monica fired right back. "We are not scared of you. Please, you're just a lightweight." Monica never took crap from anyone, and Patricia was an easy target.

Patricia was fuming, ready with a comeback, but Jay's voice sliced through the tension. "Quiet!"

Patricia stomped her foot and leaned in to whisper to Daisy, "Jay's totally biased. He's always siding with Lydia's group."

Daisy dug her nails into her palm, frustration boiling inside her. She'd thought Jay would be easy to handle, but who knew he'd suddenly act all cold and start sucking up to Lydia?

Not that it would matter for long. The upcoming training wasn't just up to Jay anyway.

The wilderness training program was a joint project with the military. The army brought in real expertise, laying out the training framework and calling the shots based on what the school wanted out of the camp.

And as luck would have it, Daisy's cousin was one of the officers this year. She couldn't wait to see Lydia get put in her place.

Everyone gets a map of the mission area, Jay announced as he handed them out. "Look it over tonight and get ready for tomorrow."

After that, the group was led to their temporary dorms on base. Soldiers were everywhere, standing guard and keeping watch. Even though the place was remote, having so many soldiers around made the nervous freshmen feel a little safer.

In the base's main control room, an entire wall was covered with screens showing live feeds from all over the base and tomorrow's mission area. Aid stations were marked on the maps, just in case anyone got hurt during the seven days ahead.

Once everyone was settled, the students gathered to hear the rules, safety guidelines, and how the challenges would work.

That afternoon, they got their supplies, learned how to pack and organize their gear, and sat through a crash course on using the equipment.

By the end of it, a lot of them were in tears.

This was supposed to be training? It felt more like being thrown onto a battlefield.

It was brutal and exhausting. No

wonder people always said that military training at Capital Med School, Capital College, and Oakwood College was like going to war. They weren't kidding.

To make things even more intense, there was official media on site broadcasting everything live. The pressure was unreal.

Back in the twelve-person dorm that night, two classmates were quietly sniffling.

"I don't want to do this anymore. We have to lug all this stuff and complete

challenges too. I can't even carry my own bag."

"Same here. Whoever made this plan is twisted."

Monica and Fiona were wiped out too. They'd been so fired up before arriving, but

after just one day, it was clear the rest of training would be no joke.

Lydia, Fiona, I'm suddenly freaking out. What do I do?" Monica whispered.

Fiona just looked miserable. "Me

too. The school set this up as a challenge course, not an elimination game. Unless you get seriously hurts you can't quit. We're stuck

It felt cruel, like they were being pushed to their absolute limits.

Lydia spoke up, her voice steady. "Don't stress about it. Just get some rest."

The next day, before sunrise, the shrill sound of a whistle jolted everyone awake.

A voice blasted from the

loudspeakers, sharp and impossible to ignore. "Attention, everyone. You have ten minutes to assemble if you're fate, your group loses a third of its supplies."

Suddenly, everyone who'd been clinging to their bedsheets bolted up, cursing and scrambling to get dressed.

"Are they serious? This is torture.

"I can't believe this."

Lydia felt a wave of irritation. Honestly, this whole training thing was just a giant

pain.