At 8 AM, the following day.
The S&T course assessment, which determined elimination spots and the prized foreign aid spot, officially began. The 27 remaining trainees, brimming with enthusiasm, gathered in the Killing House.
To ensure fairness, the order was decided by drawing lots
"Hey, guys, I got incredibly lucky! I drew number 12, right in the middle of the pack, a perfect spot for the assessment."
Brian, who was the last to draw, said excitedly as he walked over to Clay and Long Zhan, "what numbers did you two get?"
"Hey, you don't stand a chance at the foreign aid spot, because I'm number 2. Once I complete the assessment, Bravo Team will be amazed by my performance and give me the foreign aid spot in advance."
Close Quarters Battle (CQB) was Clay's strong suit. Much like Long Zhan's physical prowess and Brian's marksmanship, he had absolute confidence in himself when it came to CQB.
Even though the S&T course was the most challenging of the CQB classes, he remained fully confident in himself."Clay, I admire your confidence, but S&T is the course with the highest risk of accidents. You'd better be careful not to get overconfident before the assessment" Brian warned with genuine concern in his voice. Turning to Long Zhan with a smile, he added, "As the only trainee in our training class who's ever knocked out an instructor during practice, I'm even more excited to see what you can do."
Clay felt a sudden twinge of unease at Brian's words.
Long Zhan's greatest strength was his physical fitness, however that didn't mean that his CQB tactics were bad, they were just slightly inferior to his own.
During the month-long S&T training, Long Zhan had numerous bizarre "accidents," becoming a rare case among the trainees, and no one dared to question his prowess in this area.Though Clay's competitive streak kept him from admitting it out loud, deep down, he still saw Long Zhan as his number one rival.
"I'm pretty lucky too, I get to go last.”Under the watchful eyes of Brian and Clay, Long Zhan unfolded his Velcro number patch, revealing a big 27.
"Lucky you, closing the show. Maybe you should head back for a nap first and come back later, haha," Brian quipped with a sarcastic chuckle.
The atmosphere in Green Team was cutthroat, everyone was vying for first place, so being the last to perform was generally considered to be a disadvantage.On top of that, there were physical and mental tolls, akin to the adage from "Cao Gui's Discourse on War": "Strike with full vigor on the first hit, wane on the second, and exhaust on the third."
Under the immense pressure of the assessment itself, the trainees had to stay at their peak at all times. The longer they had to wait, the more it drained their energy, and performing last would inevitably take a heavy toll on their state.
Clay, who had been feeling the pressure, cracked a smile and joked, "Old pal, this might drag on quite a bit, make sure you don't fall asleep while you're waiting."
"Good things always come last. I've secured the foreign aid spot this time, and you don't stand a chance, haha."
Long Zhan seemed used to their bickering. Although the competition between them was fierce, the vibe was always good.
They pushed each other to improve and grew together.
"Hey, guys, here comes the main event. I bet those are the Tier 1 operators from Bravo Team."
Brian, a sniper specialist, possessed a sharp awareness of his surroundings, letting him spot any new changes before anyone else.
Long Zhan and Clay stopped bickering and followed Brian's gaze.
Two middle-aged sergeants entered the room. On the left was a burly white man over 6 feet tall, who held the rank of E-9 (Master Chief Petty Officer).Adam, Green Team's special training instructor, was also an E-9, putting this man on equal footing with him.
Beside him was a lean, muscular black man over 5'7", with an equally imposing rank, E-8 (Senior Chief Petty Officer).
A sergeant of this rank would be a battalion-level executive officer in a lower-level unit.Even in a standard SEAL team, no matter which of the eight squadrons, they'd at least be senior company-level sergeants.
Yet in DEVGRU, or “SEAL Team 6”, they might only lead a small squad of a few men, or even serve as regular troops.
And those troops were all veterans with over ten years of service…
It was easy to see just how elite DEVGRU truly was.
Brian and Clay didn't recognize the two "big guys," but their impressive ranks, combined with what Instructor Adam had said the day before, suggested they were from Bravo Team.
Thanks to his foreknowledge, Long Zhan identified them immediately.
The burly white E-9 was Jason, captain and command sergeant of the elite Bravo Team, codename B1.
The star of the show, quite literally.
The lean black E-8 was Ray, Bravo Team’s deputy captain and intelligence sergeant, tactically positioned as a sniper, codename B2.
He was one of the core supporting characters in “SEAL Team," Jason's best friend and closest partner.When Long Zhan had watched the TV series back then, he could feel the intensity of their characters even through the screen.Now, witnessing it in real life, that pressure was even stronger.
Especially as they passed by the trainees, the sharp glint in their eyes as they scanned the group created an indescribable sense of intimidation.
Long Zhan knew that this kind of gaze couldn't be trained, it could only be gradually forged through bloodshed on the battlefield.Their aura and commanding presence was so overwhelming, one could only imagine how many vicious terrorists they had to have vanquished to reach their current level.
Having personally experienced the pressure of the elite, Long Zhan's anticipation for the world of elite special forces soldiers grew even stronger."One day, I, Long Zhan, will become as strong as you, no, I'll surpass you, reaching heights you could never reach."As Long Zhan watched Jason and Ray walk toward the elevated walkway, his desire to become stronger only intensified.As the saying goes, "Those near vermilion turn red; those near ink turn black."
Spending time with the mediocre, smug about being better than them and never aiming higher, would eventually turn you into one of them.
Only by surrounding yourself with the strong can you become stronger yourself.
And Long Zhan was always chasing greater strength....With the arrival of Bravo Team’s two key members, the long-awaited S&T course assessment began.All trainees affixed their Velcro number tags to their sleeves, and first in was Number One.
To prevent any sharing of assessment details among the trainees, the assessment was isolated, with those who finished being sent to a separate area to rest.
Long Zhan and the others had no idea how Number One had performed.
This uncertainty about the previous results added a layer of mystery to the whole thing, ramping up the psychological pressure on the trainees even more.
About 5 minutes passed.The instructor in charge of calling numbers appeared in the waiting area, indicating that the test of trainee No. 1 was over, and it was Number Two’s turn, Clay’s turn."Good luck!"Long Zhan stood up and high-fived Clay, giving him his blessing, even though Clay was his biggest obstacle to entering Bravo Team."Buddy, you've always been a lone wolf at heart. This course is tailor-made for you, go get 'em." Brian gave Clay a hug, a brother's encouragement.
"Although I hope there could be three foreign aid spots so that we can all go together, unfortunately, there is only one foreign aid spot. I’m sorry guys.”Clay was as fiercely competitive as ever. With that, he turned and headed toward the door of the training room.
0 Comments