"Very good." Hearing the trainees' resounding response, Krauser reined in his deliberately displayed anger and ordered, "Leon, fall in."
"Yes, sir."
As the blond trainee returned to formation, all the trainees lined up neatly and waited for further instructions.
Krauser turned and headed straight out of the training hall.
"Everyone, follow me."
"Yes, sir!"
Leaving the training hall through the front doors, which seemed to glow beneath the noon sun, the trainees could not help squinting. After taking a moment to adjust to the brightness outside, they followed Krauser onward.
No one spoke along the way.
Although the trainees were not part of Atlas's "regular" forces, they still had to obey orders strictly and remain silent until their superior gave permission to speak.
Because of founder Sui Yang's military service before his crossing, discipline and obedience were the two qualities Atlas valued most in its military units. After that came understanding exactly what they were fighting for.
Within Atlas at present, aside from the desire to give their families a better life, there was also an indescribable drive—especially among employees and soldiers with the clearance to know that their boss was an Immortal and that the Space Gate existed.
Even though Sui Yang had never formally preached anything, at most issuing simple, straightforward internal notices, they still could not help feeling that what they did was just, that they were fighting for the future.
Furthermore, after the Space Gate opened, Sui Yang often used terms such as "Xenomorphs" and "scum" in internal company notices and meetings. Over time, Atlas employees and soldiers were influenced by this as well, and the idea of "fighting for humanity" gradually became clear in their subconscious.
Besides, the overwhelming majority of employees and soldiers had passed the company's screening.
For example, their treatment of friends and family, their past spending habits, and their work and service records were used to judge whether they possessed a strong sense of responsibility and whether they had the spirit to sacrifice themselves for their comrades.
A small number of personnel, meanwhile, not only wished to repay their boss for the aid and support he had given them in life, but also harbored intense hatred and hostility toward Vought and superhumans.
That was precisely why Atlas maintained such a harmonious atmosphere, with everyone actively and enthusiastically working to accomplish every objective.
However, Second Lieutenant Jack Krauser, a former United States Army officer, initially did not understand why the company had specifically recruited Leon and assigned him to train under him.
Since June 5, 1993, when Krauser and his subordinates had been "sold" to Atlas by their superiors, he had served as the chief instructor for Investigators at Atlas, right up until July 12, 1994—today.
After spending more than a year at his new unit, Krauser had instead come to enjoy this new job. He no longer had to worry about getting inexplicably dragged into the intrigues and political struggles of his United States Army superiors.
Moreover, as he had said while reprimanding them earlier, an Investigator's primary duty was to assist Atlas in infiltrating and penetrating unknown areas, conducting investigations, and obtaining detailed data and intelligence.
The Investigators Sui Yang had dispatched to London and Belgium on Earth-01, for instance, had brought the company records of Earth-01's past.
Those Investigators later relied on their individual abilities to successfully secure positions within the United Defense Force (UDF) and arms factories, obtaining a great deal of technology and physical items for the company. Their work was similar in nature to that of spies and agents.
Therefore, an Investigator's individual combat capabilities needed to be assured, at the very least meeting the standards of ARS First Company.
Krauser had belonged to the United States Army Special Forces. He possessed extensive combat experience and excelled at independent intelligence gathering, counterterrorism, infiltration, assassination, and training, so serving as an instructor was unquestionably right in his wheelhouse, as it was for his subordinates.
In the past, Atlas had selected soldiers with the potential to serve as Investigators from every ARS company, or had appointed orphans personally taught and raised by Sui Yang as Investigators.
Now that Krauser and his people had joined, the recruitment, training, and assignment of internship missions for Investigators had truly gotten on track.
Still, Krauser was puzzled that the company had made an exception by allowing a nineteen-year-old student who had not even graduated from the police academy to enter a six-month training program.
While reviewing the files, Krauser found that Leon faced no pressure in life, and his attitude toward superhumans was fairly neutral. There seemed to be no reason to recruit him at all, especially when he was still just some "snot-nosed kid."
However, as the training progressed, Krauser discovered that Leon truly possessed considerable potential and aptitude, along with remarkably good luck.
Whenever they were thrown deep into rainforests or into the heart of deserts for wilderness survival training, Leon happened to find water, food, or a way out of danger far more often than the trainees of his cohort.
Combined with Leon's powerful sense of justice and his refusal to ever abandon a teammate...
Although trainees paired with Leon were either eliminated or had points deducted, no matter what, Krauser's impression of Leon had become positive.
The only thing that annoyed Krauser was Leon's frequent unconscious habit of making flashy, stylish-looking attack moves.
What even this instructor did not know was that Leon had been assigned to Investigator training "simply" because his full name was—
Leon Scott Kennedy.
To the people of the Main Universe, it was merely an utterly ordinary name. But to Sui Yang, that was an S-Rank Agent.
The blond parted hair, the height of around 1.8 meters, the handsome features, the bizarre luck, and the trait of "jinxing" teammates all indicated that, like Krauser, Leon was a character from Resident Evil.
The difference was that Leon of the Main Universe did not have a butt chin, and his appearance leaned more toward the original version.
Raccoon City in Resident Evil was located in Colorado, a city in the American Midwest.
Although the Main Universe had no Raccoon City, with Atlas's influence in the American Midwest, it had been easy to investigate every Kennedy household living near Colorado and thereby uncover Leon's whereabouts.
Then they dispatched an experienced HR manager to approach Leon, who was still attending the police academy.
Using lines such as "There is darkness in this world" and "We need young people like you to save the world," they successfully "talked" the young man into coming to Kenya.
As for Leon...
He had not considered anything else at all. He only wanted to "uphold justice," while wondering where his superior was taking them.
At that moment.
The scorching heat and vicious sunlight quickly left Leon and the other trainees, walking through the base's streets, drenched in sweat. Fortunately, they had long since adapted to Africa's climate.
Before long, Krauser led everyone indoors.
More precisely, into a tiered conference room large enough to hold three hundred people, where several equipment crates bearing the red "Λ" insignia had been placed.
"Recruits, next, I'll introduce the standard equipment currently issued to Investigators."
(End of Chapter)
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