"The last spot, the twenty-first officer candidate, Tang Xiaohua."
Tang Xiaohua stepped out and saluted.
Lu Ziqing threw the list to Qi Yong beside him, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked at the array of faces with varying expressions on the training ground—most of them were dejected, but a few were filled with an inability to accept.
Among them stood Shen Lingxi, above all the most affected.
"I first want to congratulate the twenty-one students whose names were just called. You are the inaugural officer candidates of Xilin Military Academy."
No sooner had Lu Ziqing finished his congratulations than Shen Lingxi could no longer hold herself back. She stepped out from the ranks, glaring at him with her eyes wide open,
"I have something to say."
"From the beginning, you said that the selection of officer candidates would be based on the principles of fairness and justice. I have no objections to the process of the selection. However, I don’t understand, if the criteria for evaluation are based on the completion of tasks, why are those who ranked higher not selected, why were some selected even though they didn’t finish the course, and why did the number of spots increase from twenty to twenty-one!?"
Anyone could hear that this daughter of Commander Shen was truly angry!
"Student Shen, you are not raising questions; you’re challenging my judgment."
"I just hope that Commander Lu can disclose the detailed criteria of your judgment so that the students who weren’t selected can be truly convinced!"
"Fine, I will directly answer each and every one of your questions."
Lu Ziqing spoke and indeed descended from the stage, walking among the new cadets,
"Seventy-two hours to test your endurance, climbing three mountains to judge your mobility, physical strength, working in pairs to assess your ability to collaborate, the ambush exercise on Luoheng Mountain to test your crisis judgment, decision-making, and intelligence-gathering capabilities!"
"I can say that throughout the process, most of you performed quite well. Even those who were captured never gave up, constantly seeking possibilities. Song Yangling is a prime example."
"After being captured, he never gave up for even a second. Using all the resources and environmental conditions around him, at the seventieth hour, he diverted the enemy’s attention and escaped from his predicament, continuing to complete the course even after seventy-two hours had passed."
"There were many who were captured, many who couldn’t finish the task and gave up halfway, but it was only Song Yangling who persevered to the end."
As Lu Ziqing explained the reason Song Yangling was selected, many suddenly fell silent.
For they were indeed ashamed...
They had never thought of such a possibility.
As the deadline drew nearer, everyone’s mindset worsened; Song Yangling’s escape at the seventieth hour showed his extraordinary tenacity and an admirable state of mind.
"Even if Song Yangling is an exception, what about those who successfully completed the entire course and fulfilled their tasks?"
Shen Lingxi continued to ask.
"Who allowed you to interrupt while a superior is speaking?"
Lu Ziqing’s eyes narrowed as he cast a glance at Shen Lingxi, "I am not your father."
Shen Lingxi pursed her lips tightly, feeling as if everyone’s gaze was upon her, watching her make a fool of herself, watching her lose face...
Lu Ziqing took a deep breath and got back to the point,
"Another key design of this selection was the initial sharing of one backpack between two people."