"I can't figure out what I did wrong" Clay looked up at Malcolm, his face a mixture of stubbornness and defiance.“You think you're right? You don’t see the woman pointing a gun at you as a threat?" Malcolm asked, leaning on the railing with both hands.
“I believe prioritizing the threat from the male soldier is absolutely correct. Maybe I should’ve considered that the woman could be his accomplice, but even then, I don’t think I should’ve targeted the woman first and then subdued the male, but…”
He paused briefly before sarcastically adding, "I think even if I changed my approach, you'd still find fault with me, wouldn't you?"Faced with Clay's pointed question, Malcolm smiled instead of getting angry.It was clear that Clay's overly competitive nature had unexpectedly led him to the correct answer, earning the approval of Chief Instructor Malcolm."Well done, Mr. Spencer. Congratulations on completing this assessment with flying colors. I wish you a wonderful weekend.""Isn't there still a third scenario?"Malcolm did a complete U-turn, leaving the stubborn, bullish Clay bewildered."You've already completed the third round, and you did quite well. The best among the trainees so far. Even though you're number two, you're a bit better than number one." Chief Instructor Malcolm offered a rare moment of humor.“Uh…”
Clay was stunned at first and didn’t catch on, but he quickly pieced it together.
Thinking of the fact that he had earned the Chief Instructor's approval and a perfect score in this assessment as well, he was almost sure that Bravo Team’s foreign aid spot was his. Clay could no longer contain his excitement and strode out of the assessment room.It's not Clay's fault for being a bit slow to react, this seamless integration of the second and third rounds, aimed at catching the trainees off guard, was truly ingenious and unexpected.To break it down, the second scenario had actually ended the moment the woman aimed her gun at Clay.
The reason Malcolm had rambled on so much after the second scenario wrapped up was that his dialogue marked the start of the third one.
Thanks to his fiercely competitive nature, Clay had unwittingly steered himself in the right direction.
Clay's performance in the third test revealed its primary purpose, to test the trainees' courage to stand up to those of higher status and authority, and their ability to think independently when faced with significant interference and questioning.DEVGRU is a highly elitist organization, requiring each member to possess independent thinking, making any one capable of leading the charge.They shouldn't be "war machines" devoid of their own ideas, simply following orders.This is the biggest difference between DEVGRU first-tier operators and ordinary soldiers.Given this focus, in the second scenario, whether a trainee prioritized controlling the female hostage or the unarmed black man, it had no impact on their grading.
Passing the third test boiled down to that final “verbal showdown.”
Just as Clay had pointed out, the assessment was designed without a clear-cut answer, meaning that no matter what you did, problems would be found.
If a trainee can spot this issue and boldly point it out, then they’ll pass the assessment.Otherwise, they'll be deemed a failure!Undoubtedly, Clay had nailed it.
Sure, it wasn’t from genuine insight but just his bullish stubbornness at work, akin to a blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse.
But the process and thinking behind it didn’t matter, as long as the result was right, it counted.
As the second trainee to appear, Clay flawlessly passed all three assessments, earning high scores in each one. This effectively set the benchmark for the following trainees.Unless someone surpassed him by a significantly wide margin, first impressions would work well in Clay’s favor, giving him a great edge when it came to the foreign aid spot.And in the end, that’s exactly how it played out in the TV show.Of the 20 or so trainees who subsequently took the assessment, none surpassed Clay's performance.Even though standout trainees like Brian, Sarkisian, and McAdams, regulars in the top five voting, completed all three assessments with flying colors.Clay had the advantage of going before them, that, coupled with his father’s relationship with Ray… Barring any unforeseen accidents, the spot was Clay’s to lose.Clay stood out from all the trainees and secured this precious spot as a foreign aid for Bravo Team. Everything went as Clay had imagined it would.It was a done deal, a sure thing.Unfortunately…
It was a tad premature to celebrate, since there was still one trainee that had the lowest number, who’d waited so long he was practically dozing off, yet to take the assessment.
"Number 27, it's your turn."Hearing the call from the doorway, Long Zhan, who’d been resting, genuinely on the verge of nodding off, opened his eyes and surveyed the waiting area.
It had emptied out, leaving him as the last one remaining.
"Ah, it's finally my turn."Long Zhan stood, stretched with a lazy yawn, shifted his butt that had almost gone numb from sitting, and headed out of the waiting area and toward the training room.
With over 20 people each taking a few minutes in total to finish all their assessments, it all added up to nearly two hours.
That was a significant amount of time!The instructor who called in the trainees saw that Long Zhan showed no signs of stress at all. He even looked bleary-eyed, suggesting that he had actually taken a nap in the waiting area.He was speechless, unable to comprehend Long Zhan's train of thought. He could only enviously mock himself, saying, "You're worthy of being the only freak among this year's trainees. Unlike myself back then, I was so nervous that I didn't even dare to go to the bathroom."Every trainee faced the same challenges, and the assessment field had reset to the first scenario.
Long Zhan stepped in, eyed the empty space, and instantly guessed what was coming. With confidence, he looked up at the elevated walkway overhead.
Facing the gazes from above, he smiled and raised his right index finger.It was his signature gesture. It gave him a wild vibe, but it also displayed a supreme amount of self-confidence.
Jason, Ray, Malcolm, Adam, and the others on the walkway knew exactly what it meant and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Back in their primes, they were the strongest among the trainees, looking down on the others in their class. But unfortunately, father time defeated even the strongest of men.
They have become old-timers, fathers of teenagers, and retired instructors.Long Zhan's high-profile appearance reminded these old men of their younger selves. Back then, they were full of vigor and ambition, just as impetuous as Long Zhan himself was now.This reminder sparked a special affinity for Long Zhan in them.
As the familiar black hood descended from the sky, covering Long Zhan as he took his place, the leaders on the elevated walkway could no longer contain themselves and began to discuss.Long Zhan's incredibly wild appearance, his incredible physical prowess during Phase 1 of training, his jaw-dropping handling of the S&T course, his unwavering confidence and composure...Every bit of intelligence on Long Zhan fueled their chatter.Amidst this hushed discussion, the leaders grew increasingly excited about Long Zhan's performance in the assessment.Some were filled with anticipation, others with apprehension.
Behind a side door in the assessment field, a certain black man waiting to make his entrance peeked through the slit at Long Zhan, and began to feel a surge of inner torment.
His face contorted into a grimace!
If Long Zhan could see him, he’d spot this old acquaintance in a heartbeat and smilingly say, “Hey hey, buddy, we meet again.”
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