Induction Ceremony

Hill and Lu Yu were somewhat surprised by the sudden turn of events.

Just as Hill was about to take effective action, Song Zhi tightened the rope in her hands and threatened, "Hey! Don't make any sudden moves! I've got the second lieutenant."

Song Zhi kicked Kelante in the back of the knee. "Ouch!" He didn't budge, and she sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

The corners of Kelante's mouth lifted slightly, and he chuckled softly. What a temper. All right, all right, I'll play along... He did as Song Zhi wanted and dropped to one knee.

"Lieutenant, come out! Your act fell apart! I saw through it!" Song Zhi shouted at the surrounding area.

"Clever. Good girl." Kelante lowered his voice and praised her in a tone only the two of them could hear.

Heavy footsteps came from a narrow alley nearby, and a tall man in camouflage combat gear walked out. A cigarette was held between his fingers as he leaned casually against the wall. It was Lai'en.

Wilk suddenly appeared behind Song Zhi, holding a submachine gun.

"Lieutenant, the act's already fallen apart, so let's lay everything out in the open."

Song Zhi looked at Lai'en fearlessly, though it was actually because she was furious. She knew the Group A squad was notorious for being devious and cunning, but she hadn't expected them to be this underhanded!

Several of them had teamed up to fool her!

Ha! A bunch of scheming bastards!

"You reacted quickly. You spotted the flaw sooner than I expected." Lai'en tossed away his cigarette and walked over, his black tactical boots stepping on the cigarette butt.

His gaze swept back and forth between Song Zhi and Kelante, as though assessing something. Then he slowly continued, "Very clever. You knew to take the highest-ranking officer you could see hostage."

Kelante remained on one knee, his expression unchanged, as if he weren't the one being threatened. He spoke softly to Song Zhi. "You should ask about the important part, like the lieutenant's plan..."

But before Song Zhi could ask, Lai'en suddenly laughed and answered first. "The Group A Task Force welcome ceremony. Do you like it?"

It was the first time Song Zhi had seen Lai'en smile. The blue-eyed German man was quite charming when he smiled, but now wasn't the time to appreciate it.

Welcome ceremony? What the hell!

A full-scale, live-ammunition game of hide-and-seek?

They sure knew how to play!

Song Zhi frowned, quickly weighing the pros and cons. She glanced at the people around her.

"You have five minutes to choose," Lai'en added.

Lu Yu was the first to step forward and volunteer. "Fellow countrywoman, pick me. A Chinese person wouldn't lie to another Chinese person!"

Yeah, right! Song Zhi rolled her eyes.

Hill took a step forward. He said nothing, but kept looking at Song Zhi, a hint of longing hidden in his eyes.

Still on one knee, Kelante smiled and said, "I'm showing the most sincerity right now. In Italy, when a man kneels on one knee, it means lifelong loyalty and devotion!"

Song Zhi looked at Lai'en next. Choosing him would clearly give her a better chance of winning, but he was also the biggest wild card. He only had Group A's interests at heart, and he might well sell her out.

In the end, her gaze settled on Wilk. "I choose Wilk." Her voice was calm and firm.

Wilk was visibly taken aback when he heard his name, but he quickly regained his composure. He nodded, saying he was honored. "Dear, you made the right choice."

"Very well." The corners of Lai'en's mouth rose slightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Zhi let go of Kelante.

He slowly stood and dusted off his knees, giving Song Zhi a meaningful look. He seemed to be reminding her not to let her guard down, yet also seemed disappointed that she hadn't chosen him.

Lai'en, Kelante, Hill, and Lu Yu stood shoulder to shoulder. They pulled their black face coverings into place, and their six-lens night-vision goggles glowed red in the fading daylight. Their imposing presence was frightening, and four pairs of cold eyes fell on Song Zhi at once.

"Then the game starts now," Lai'en ordered coldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Hill raised his gun and fired a burst into the sky. The gunshots were deafening, and the four masked soldiers looked just like vicious rogue soldiers and ruthless bandits.

"We should go!" Wilk pulled out a dagger, cut the rope binding Song Zhi's hands, and took her hand as he ran quickly into the maze of alleys.

Song Zhi quickly picked up the equipment and weapons from the ground and followed Wilk.

Only when the two had disappeared into the alleys without a trace did Lu Yu speak, his tone full of teasing. "When did your acting become so natural, Second Lieutenant? With your looks and acting skills, it's a shame you didn't become an actor."

Hill glanced at Kelante and snorted coldly. That Italian man really knows how to put on an act.

Kelante said unconcernedly, "Wilk really got lucky. I'm curious why she didn't choose the lieutenant. She would have had a very good chance of winning with him. Didn't the lieutenant build trust with her during the tactics class?"

He seemed to be complaining, but he was actually diverting attention.

"She was afraid I'd sell her out halfway through." Lai'en kept his cold, somber gaze fixed on the direction where Song Zhi and Wilk had disappeared. Then he gave an order. "We move out in ten minutes."

Song Zhi's choice of Wilk as her teammate had been completely unexpected to Lai'en. But he had to admit she was smart. Wilk was the fittest of the five of them, and he was an assault specialist with strong solo combat skills.

Most importantly, there was Wilk's character. He was mild-tempered, meticulous and thorough in his work, and never glib. He was a good partner, worthy of the greatest trust-someone you could entrust your back to on the battlefield.

Lai'en snorted. He had thought he was merely bringing a bad-tempered little white rabbit into the group on a whim, but he hadn't expected her to be a little fox playing the pig to eat the tiger.

Interesting!

As soon as the ten minutes were up, four figures quickly spread out in an encirclement, then checked and cleared designated spots.

Lu Yu found the best sniping position and concealed himself, searching for Song Zhi and Wilk through his scope, one coordinate at a time.

Kelante was responsible for the right flank. He entered the combat zone and moved swiftly through the alleys, checking them one by one.

Lai'en was responsible for the area directly ahead. Cold and methodical, he left no corner where someone might hide unchecked.

Hill was responsible for the left flank. He didn't search quickly. Instead, he crouched on one knee beneath a wall and opened his tactical tablet, his gloved fingers moving swiftly over it. He was attacking Song Zhi and Wilk's radio firewall, trying to tap into their communication channel.

An extremely well-hidden signal was detected. He then tore through the firewall and tapped straight into the channel. He sneered. "Kitty, you haven't been good. Heh heh... Remember to hide well. Don't let me find you. You shouldn't have chosen Wilk. I'm much better than he is!"

Hill's chilling voice sounded in her earpiece, startling Song Zhi, who was hiding in a low house. She looked up at Wilk and saw him shake his head and gesture for silence.

Song Zhi nodded and stayed quiet.

Her silence only heightened Hill's desire to hunt. His low chuckle was like a devil's whisper. "Babe. I'll find you soon."

Only when no more sound came through the earpiece did she cut the radio connection. She and Wilk could no longer use any radio devices. Hill could listen in on their conversations at any time, and he could also use the frequency to deduce where they were hiding.

"I don't think we can stay hidden for seventy-two hours." Song Zhi pouted, speaking dejectedly.

"No, we don't hide. We eliminate them. Only when the enemy is dead can you and I be safe. Trust me, you didn't choose wrong." Wilk leaned down and kissed Song Zhi gently on the forehead, comforting her.

"You've always been the person I trust most. It's been that way since the rainforest..." Song Zhi took Wilk's hand and gently pressed it against her face, showing her dependence on and trust in him without reserve.

Wilk hadn't expected Song Zhi to reveal her feelings so directly and frankly. Her green eyes were like emeralds immersed in spring water, clear and bright.

"Honey, I'll protect you. Get some sleep first. I'll keep watch. They won't find this place anytime soon." Wilk quickly prepared a clean, concealed corner and laid out a sleeping bag.

"Okay. Wake me later, and I'll take over." Song Zhi climbed into the insulated sleeping bag.