Chapter 37: What Are We Missing

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: What Are We Missing

Surprisingly, Renee Morgan got first place this time and was the first to arrive at the assembly field.

Other than the instructor, there was only one PD staff member at the assembly field. Clearly, the production team had known there would be two emergency assemblies tonight—the first one was just to confuse everyone, and the last was the real purpose.

The instructor was a bit surprised to see Renee Morgan as the first to appear, but not that surprised—this girl had always been smart with exceptional alertness, she really had the makings of a soldier.

About two minutes later, the members of Team 2 finally came running in a panic to the assembly field.

"Hey, Morgan, thank God you called us, otherwise we really would’ve all been wiped out this time," Lynn Miller exclaimed loudly, completely out of breath.

"Yeah, who would’ve thought there’d be a second emergency assembly in the middle of the night? When Renee shouted, I was still dreaming and didn’t hear any whistle at all," Kyle Beckett wiped the sweat from his face, still not quite awake.

"Guys, look—Team 1... Not a single one of their team has arrived yet... They’re only coming now! We finally beat them for once, hahaha..." Gael Prescott, the Olympic Champion, his competitive spirit practically carved into his bones, was grinning from ear to ear, barely restraining himself from jumping for joy.

The others didn’t say anything, but the smiles on their faces couldn’t be hidden, their whole demeanor glowing.

The members of Team 1 came sprinting over from a distance, quickly adjusted their posture, and finished assembling.

The instructor looked at Gael Prescott, whose grin hadn’t quite faded yet. "Find something funny?"

Gael instantly put on a blank face: "..."

The instructor’s stare swept to the others. "Lynn was right about one thing: If it wasn’t for Renee Morgan, you guys..."

He pointed at everyone in Team 2, his eyes cold and sharp: "All would’ve been wiped out tonight. If airplanes and cannons showed up, you wouldn’t even know—if you don’t die, who does?"

Everyone: "..."

"What’s wrong, Wendy Aldridge, not convinced you’d be dead?" The instructor noticed some unrest and shot a fierce look her way.

Wendy Aldridge: "..." She wasn’t actually disputing the instructor, just felt frustrated. To make a good impression on camera, she’d stayed awake after writing her self-reflection, waiting for the emergency whistle. When it finally sounded, she was the first to run down too, but the instructor hadn’t praised her like this. Now Renee was first, and not only did she get praised, but also these exaggerated metaphors—was that really necessary?

"Well? Speak up!" The instructor looked at Wendy Aldridge’s silence, noticed her eyes getting red, and a hint of dark impatience flashed in his eyes.

Wendy knew she shouldn’t question the instructor. Even if she objected, it wouldn’t matter—she’d still have to obey. But she couldn’t suppress her frustration and spoke: "Reporting, sir, I was the first one down for the first emergency assembly."

She didn’t say the rest, but her tone made her dissatisfaction obvious.

Instructor: "Do you think your ’first’ and Renee Morgan’s ’first’ are the same?"

Wendy’s irritation grew. "May I ask, sir, what’s the difference?"

Instructor: "Let’s suppose the emergency assembly means an enemy attack. The first assembly might be a feint, a decoy, a fake attack. But after an hour, the second emergency assembly—that’s the real enemy coming. At that point, you’re completely off your guard, not expecting the enemy to double back. So, tell me—did the enemy’s trick succeed?"

Even a three-year-old could answer that.

"Yes, the enemy’s trick succeeded!" The instructor emphasized every word, glancing around at everyone’s changing expressions. "But tonight, the enemy would never have guessed someone on our side would spot their trick, and as soon as there was movement, immediately alert the whole team to respond. Tell me, could the enemy’s plan still succeed then?"

No. The seriousness on everyone’s faces showed they had new respect for how much was hidden in military-style training worth thinking about.

"Instructor, is it possible Renee Morgan already knew the enemy’s plan tonight?" Wendy shot a look at the camera facing them—it wasn’t the PD filming Renee specifically but another staffer. Still, she insisted: "Maybe a PD staff member told Renee in advance."

She suspected a PD staffer tipped Renee off, that’s why she knew there’d be two emergency assemblies tonight.

At Wendy’s accusation, the instructor didn’t get angry at all. He raised his eyebrows and said, still coldly, "The staff member was woken up by me on the spot—he didn’t know my plan ahead of time."

Wendy tried to reply but nearly choked—she dared doubt the production crew, but not the instructor.

The instructor finished scolding Team 2 as usual, then strolled over to Team 1, who looked back at him with sharp, intense gazes—even so, the instructor’s presence was even more overbearing.

Even the Team 2 members nearby felt the pressure, subconsciously straightening up, not daring to make a move.

"You guys have always performed great—excellent, outstanding. But tonight, your whole team was wiped out. You’re dead!" The instructor seemed to stab right into their hearts; that one sentence turned Team 1’s faces ashen.

Team 1 had always had the advantage, not only because their structure was more military, but in terms of action, they’d overwhelmingly crushed Team 2—yet tonight, they lost, plain and simple.

It wasn’t about ability. It was about the result.

The instructor stopped in front of the first team member, called his name, and asked, "Do you know why you lost?"

"Yes!" the guy replied with what sounded like high morale, though his Chinese was so broken that it was almost funny.

Instructor: "Tell me—why did you lose?"

The guy hadn’t expected follow-ups—his Chinese was really limited. Seeing the instructor’s face darken, he blurted out, "Because we don’t have a Renee Morgan."

Everyone: "..."

Instructor: "..."

Teammates: "..."

The instructor stared at the guy for a long moment, then finally recovered, his voice heavy: "From the moment you entered this base, you should have been on alert at all times. This is the army, military training—every minute, you’re on the battlefield."

Everyone straightened up, nerves tingling.

In the end, Team 2, as the victors, were allowed to go back and rest, while Team 1 had to stay and do a kilometer of frog jumps.

The Team 2 members, not being punished, grinned in relief. Once dismissed, they couldn’t help but whisper excitedly.

"Morgan, how did you know it was an emergency whistle?" Lynn Miller asked curiously.

There were all sorts of whistles at the base, plenty sounding off daily. Though the emergency assembly whistle was distinct, given that they’d already had one assembly, a normal person would assume there couldn’t possibly be a second in one night—they all relaxed and went to sleep.