Encouraged by his teammates, Keen climbed the tall iron ladder. Thompson and Gatsby quickly passed him.

Keen felt worry and anxiety. He was always slower than others. In this intense training, he couldn’t keep up. Each shout from Instructor Hoffman made his heart race. Keen wanted to meet the instructor’s expectations, but he couldn’t.

Li Feng and Xiao Yi passed him too. They moved easily. Keen felt pressure. He didn’t want to fall too far behind. He grabbed the ladder tightly. His legs were shaking as he looked for the next step.

At about 15 meters high, Keen felt dizzy. He looked down and felt like he might fall.

Suddenly, Hoffman shouted, “You’re climbing like a snail, Keen! Do you understand that?”

Keen’s fear of Hoffman made him forget his fear of falling. His face turned pale as he climbed another step.

Bohr, who was ahead, complained, “You’re too slow! Hurry up!” He and Nangong Yi reached the top easily.

Keen silently encouraged himself. I can’t let others look down on me. I need to keep going. He found his last bit of strength and climbed to the top, joining Bohr and Nangong Yi. Hoffman, sitting at the top, gave him a nod.

Bohr noticed Keen’s worried look. He was about to mock him, but Hoffman cut him off. “Private Slim Monkey, stop talking. Get down now!”

Hoffman’s orders were final. Bohr and Nangong Yi didn’t dare stop.

When Hoffman saw that Keen hadn’t moved, he shouted, “What are you waiting for? Climb over, Keen!”

Keen looked at Hoffman. He was terrified. The height overwhelmed him. He couldn’t move.

Hoffman’s sharp gaze fixed on him. “Are you quitting?” he asked loudly.

Keen didn’t answer. Sweat ran down his face. He felt lost.

Hoffman pushed him further. “Answer me! Are you quitting?”

Keen ignored Hoffman’s question. He started climbing down. He had given up.

Hoffman exploded with anger. “Then go ahead and quit! You useless fatso! Get away from my obstacle, don’t dirty it! Now!” Hoffman’s words were harsh. “I’ll throw your head into the Death Desert!”

Keen failed the ladder training.

As Jackson and Laryff reached the top, they heard Hoffman shouting, “I’ll keep pushing you, Private Keen, no matter how hard it gets.”

Although Hoffman was tough on the recruits, he did his job well. Jackson saw this. Under Hoffman’s strict guidance, Jackson’s physical strength, reflexes, endurance, and courage improved quickly.

The 996 New Recruit Training Camp was in a place where the Dark Forest, Death Desert, and Atlantis Sea met. This location had different types of terrain for training.

In the Dark Forest, a 100-kilometer gravel road was built for long-distance cross-country training.

The 60-kilometer run was very hard. It tested the recruits’ endurance and strength. Without enough endurance, they couldn’t finish. Without enough strength, they would fall behind.

The 7th Company recruits were tired. They panted heavily, their steps were uneven. They didn’t look like soldiers. Each step drained their strength. They couldn’t stop. They had to keep going to finish.

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“You maggots! If anyone falls behind, we start over!” Hoffman yelled. His voice scared the birds in the Dark Forest.

Jackson thought, Is Hoffman really a devil? He’s running the full 60 kilometers with us and still has the energy to shout. The rumors about him being a legendary soldier seemed true. Jackson began to respect Hoffman.

Hoffman stayed close to Jackson, watching him and scolding Keen. If Jackson hadn’t helped Keen, he would have fallen on the gravel road.

Keen was overweight, and Jackson was already tired. He struggled to keep going. His throat was dry, and his legs felt heavy. Each step was harder than the last.

Jackson thought about leaving Keen behind and catching up with the others. They had fallen behind, and Hoffman was right behind them. He kept shouting but didn’t offer help.

At first, when Keen stopped to catch his breath, Jackson helped him. Later, Jackson thought, I’ve been kind enough. I can’t carry him anymore.

Then, Hoffman fell back and walked with them. He didn’t criticize Jackson for helping Keen. But when Keen seemed ready to quit, Hoffman yelled at him.

Jackson thought about the situation. The army was about teamwork. Helping Keen was the right thing to do. With Hoffman watching, Jackson knew it was important to stay strong. Abandoning Keen would be a mistake.

Hoffman’s words carried weight. A single comment from him had promoted Bohr to acting squad leader. Jackson wanted to impress Hoffman. He believed that helping Keen could earn him recognition.

Jackson pushed himself harder. I can’t give up. I have to keep going.

Now, Jackson was carrying Keen, trying to make progress.

“Hurry up, Keen! Put your feet down and run! This is what you’re supposed to do. If we keep going at this pace, the enemy will have already run away by the time we reach the battlefield!” Hoffman yelled.

Hearing Hoffman’s voice, Keen managed to increase his pace slightly.

Jackson helped him along, making more progress.

But Keen soon ran out of energy. He collapsed into the grass.

Jackson quickly helped him again. He couldn’t let Keen fall. He had to finish the course.

Hoffman saw Keen’s weakness and shouted, “Are you going to die now? Get moving! You useless fatso!”

Jackson was exhausted, but he helped Keen cross the finish line. He collapsed in relief.

“Ugh!” Jackson was kicked awake by Hoffman.

“Private Clown, get ready for the last challenge—the 5-kilometer swamp crossing,” Hoffman said calmly.

Jackson felt some strength return, but he knew he had to push through. He couldn’t risk being eliminated. He understood that the army was his best chance to find a way back to Earth.

Jackson slapped himself to stay alert. His cheeks burned from the effort.

“Thanks for helping me finish the cross-country,” Keen said, his voice full of gratitude.

Jackson didn’t answer. He needed to save his strength for the swamp crossing.

After a short rest, the 7th Company soldiers lined up for the final challenge. Many of them noticed Jackson’s red cheeks but didn’t mock him. Instead, they respected him. His help with Keen earned him their admiration.

Thompson, in second place, shouted, “Well done, bro.”

Gatsby, in 27th place, joked, “Clown, after today, you’ll be even stronger. Your starship pilot girlfriend will like you more.”

“Haha.”

“Gatsby, you really think of everything!”

“Haha, I need to get stronger too, so the ladies like me!”

When they started talking about women, the recruits became excited, and their morale improved.

Bohr, the acting squad leader, looked annoyed. He felt Jackson had stolen his spotlight. He had always been recognized as the strongest in the 7th Company, but now everyone was praising Jackson. To Bohr, Keen was just a fool who should have been eliminated.

“Alright, let’s go,” Hoffman shouted.

The swamp was difficult to cross. The mud reached nearly up to their knees, making every step a challenge. The mud seemed to weigh their legs down.

Luckily, there were no dangerous creatures in the swamp. The support troops had already cleared the area of any threats.

The final challenge was meant to test the recruits’ physical limits, not their combat skills.

As they neared the end of the swamp, Keen, who had been walking beside Jackson, suddenly collapsed.

Jackson thought, I wasn’t planning on helping him, but now I have no choice. He helped Keen up again.

Keen’s muddy face was almost funny, but Jackson couldn’t laugh. He had no strength left.

“Let’s help Keen together,” Xiao Yi said, coming over.

Jackson nodded gratefully. He knew he couldn’t get Keen out of the swamp by himself.

The three instructors following behind smiled. They seemed pleased with what they were seeing.

Hoffman yelled, “Move faster! Use your elbows! Run!”

As they neared the edge of the swamp, the recruits gave their last bit of strength. They stumbled toward the finish line, shouting in their effort.

Jackson, covered in mud, collapsed by the swamp and said to Xiao Yi, “We finally made it!”