The body is the foundation of everything.
To become one of the world's most elite special forces operators and to tackle missions beyond the capabilities of ordinary troops, exceptional physical fitness was needed.
Green Team's placement of the grueling PLT testing system at the forefront of all training is not a random decision, but rather a calculated one, as it does what they need it to do.
It allows for those that don’t even meet the minimum requirements to be weeded out as quickly as possible.
Furthermore, through high-pressure, high-intensity training, it successfully identifies the most promising and mentally resilient recruits among the trainees.
These individuals can then be focused on in subsequent training, allowing them to develop at a rapid pace.
Outstanding individuals enjoy greater resources, and this wasn’t just limited to Green Team, it was true all across the globe.
Over the course of the first eight weeks of training, the individual who most frequently appeared on Instructor Adam's top five list was the physically imposing giant, Long Zhan.
As the highest-ranking recruit, Long Zhan's emergence truly amazed Adam.
After being pushed to the brink of collapse the previous day, squeezing every last ounce of potential from his body, a normal person's physical condition would undoubtedly be worse the next day.
However, Long Zhan was an exception.
No matter how brutally he'd been trained the day before, he'd be full of energy again the next day.
It was as if the previous day’s exhaustion, trembling legs, lost appetite and lack of sleep, had never happened.
In nearly a decade as an instructor in Green Team, Adam had seen many talented trainees, but never one with such an ability to excrete lactic acid and recover overnight.
It was astonishing, leaving him almost awestruck.Word spread over mealtime chats, and soon DEVGRU's veteran SEALs knew that this rookie class had a freak with monstrous stamina. The nickname “physical monster,” quickly spread.Because of his impressive physical attributes, Long Zhan was undeniably a T0-level rookie, a position nobody in this rookie class could even challenge.
Among those that have managed to last until now, a solid crop of T1-level standouts emerged.
For eight consecutive weeks, Long Zhan's new friends, Brian and Clay, have consistently made it into the top five, becoming prominent members in this rookie class.
Unlike Long Zhan, whose insanely durable physique enabled him to stand out as far superior to everyone else,
Brian shone because of his exceptional teamwork and willingness to go out of his way to help other trainees whenever possible, earning him immense popularity within Green Team.
Teamwork is the core of special operations, and Brian perfectly exemplified this.
Clay’s rise to prominence differed from both of them.
His father, a former Navy SEAL, published a book after his retirement without the consent of the Navy SEALs, revealing numerous internal secrets. Because of this, Clay had been facing ridicule ever since he became a SEAL.In order to get out of his father’s shadow, Clay has consistently strived to prove himself and forge a legacy of his own.
He took part in Green Team's training program and tried to join DEVGRU with the sole purpose of surpassing his father.
Fueled by this obsession, Clay's competitive drive was unmatched by anyone, constantly seeking opportunities to demonstrate his abilities.
Long Zhan, the most outstanding trainee in this class, naturally became his target.
Surpassing Long Zhan would be his way of proving himself.
To achieve this goal, Clay gritted his teeth and stared intently at Long Zhan during every training session, refusing to give up even when he couldn't catch up. Whenever Brian asked him to help lead the others, he pretended not to hear, his focus solely on surpassing Long Zhan.
After two months of training, Clay had never bested Long Zhan once, the physical gap between the two proving to be insurmountable.Despite this, his unwavering determination to challenge the strongest perfectly resonated with the SEALs' unwavering tenacity.
The Green Team needed to identify exceptional talent through training, and Clay's fierce competitive spirit fit the bill.
Instructor Adam began to pay more attention to the three of them.
Because the voting process for the top five rankings was anonymous and not disclosed to the trainees, nobody besides the instructors knew who made it into the top 5 every week.
Only the bottom five and those weekly eliminated trainees were printed on A4 sheets of paper and posted around the camp.
Long Zhan, Brian, and Clay were unaware that they had become regulars in the top five, and remained relentless in their training.
Everyone was trying to stay in top form for the next round of training.
With the completion of the eight-week PLT testing system, Phase 1 training concluded.
Long Zhan and the remaining 30 Green Team trainees, after a 2 day break over the weekend, began Phase 2 training on the first day of Week 9.
Starting with Phase 2, many aspects of training began to change.Physical training would progressively scale back until it no longer took up any of their time, freeing up time slots for training other skills.
For example, Phase 2’s physical training would no longer consist of the unique PLT testing system, but would revert to regular PT training.
This was welcome news for the trainees who had grown tired of PLT training.
With this newfound time, Green Team trainees have begun a new course, one that requires a sharp mind to successfully pass, the S&T course!The S&T course, short for “Simulation and Tactics Training,” was shorter, lasting only one month.However, due to its unique open-ended nature, it matched or even exceeded Phase 1’s difficulty.
In some ways, it was even more difficult than the PLT training.This was because the former only tested your physical strength, meaning that If your physical condition was good enough, you would have a high chance of passing, there weren’t too many variables involved.
But this course was just the opposite. The physical requirements for passing weren’t high, it was almost entirely dependent on your reflexes and your IQ.
Humans could easily control their limbs, but when it came to the mind, the task became far more difficult.
How well does your mind work? Will it enable you to make the right decisions at the right time, or will you freeze up at crucial moments?These things were hard to figure out.
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