?Chapter 1550:


    After saying, “Gather again in ten minutes. Dismissed,” Harlee walked directly to her tent, no longer giving any thought to the reactions of the recruits. Everyone had seen Lionel’s performance the day before. He had earned first ce without a doubt, so she didn’t feel the need to exin why.


    As Harlee departed, apuse filled the yard, with admiring yet ambitious eyes on Lionel, each person resolved to outdo him next time.


    Over the ensuing ten days, Harlee revolutionized their shooting practice. Though known for their prowess, these recruits still found her methods unorthodoxpared to their regr military training.


    Harlee divided the forty soldiers into groups for practice, with ten managing the moving targets while their counterparts held the targets. In the end, she even made them practice with moving targets.


    This meant those holding the targets had to perform their exercises while carrying them, and those shooting had toplete their shots under intense pressure.


    When the recruits first heard of this method, they resisted, with some even daring to speak disrespectfully, risking being sent away. However, when Harlee and Thiago demonstrated it themselves, everyone fell silent.


    Harlee executed wless shots at double the intended range, while Thiago maneuvered unpredictably.


    The demonstration quelled the recruits’ objections, and they fell silent, recognizing their need for rigorous practice.


    At first, many of the target holders were so terrified that they wet themselves, and those doing the shooting were shaking with fear as well.


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    Yet, despite the pressure, every recruit managed to hit their marks.


    This was why Harlee felt confident enough to use such a challenging training method on this group of recruits. She had handpicked these people herself, having carefully analyzed their capabilities in great detail.


    Half a month had flown by like a gust of wind.


    When the thirty-seven soldiers took aim at their targets, they no longer needed to assume the textbook shooting stance. Their movements were as seamless as a flowing river—draw, load, aim, fire. The entire sequence unfolded with the kind of precision that could only be born from relentless practice. And the results? Perfect, without exception.


    Even the simplest tasks, like packing up their gear, had be second nature. The recruits could now organize their equipment while sprinting to their designated spots, a feat that had once seemed impossible.


    It was fair to say they had shed their old skins and emerged as something entirely new. Even the weakest among them would now shine like a polished gem back in their original units.


    Today marked a pivotal moment—the announcement of the first round of eliminations. The recruits sat in the courtyard, their silence as heavy as a storm cloud before it bursts. No one wanted to be the first to go.


    In the corner, Harlee perched on a stone block, her eyes cast downward. Despite a month of grueling training, her face remained untouched by fatigue.


    She idly toyed with her phone, her deep gaze betraying a battle within—a tug-of-war between her duties and the thought of returning to Baythorn to see Felix. This was the longest she had been apart from Felix since the day he was born. Even though they spent over three hours video-calling every day, the ache of missing him refused to fade. The courtyard felt like a vacuum of sound, its oppressive silence making every breath heavy. Faces around Harlee bore the same look—reluctance to the prospect of being weeded out.


    Suddenly, Rickey let out a dry chuckle.


    “You know, maybe it’s the intense training talking, but this ce is starting to feel like home,” he said, his voice tinged with a strange mix of humor and despair.


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