Rebirth of a Mercenary: The Ace Mercenary Forced to Be the Beloved of the Group

At three in the morning, the silence of the military camp was shattered by three short and sharp whistles.

The sound was like a knife stabbing into the brain from the ear, splitting everyone's sleep in two.

"Emergency assembly! Everyone, emergency assembly! Pack your bags! Collect your equipment! Assemble on the playground!"

The words "Emergency Assembly" shot through the entire dormitory building like an electric current. Chaos erupted simultaneously upstairs and downstairs; footsteps, creaking beds, the thud of cabinet doors being flung open, and the clanging of washbasins being kicked over all mingled together. From some classroom in the hallway came a scream of "Where are my socks?!"

The moment Bai Ye opened her eyes, she rolled off the bed. As her feet touched the ground, her hands were already grabbing her training uniform, pulling the shirt open and slipping it on, zipping the zipper all the way up to the collar.

Xuan Xiao was two seconds slower than him, but almost the same. The ends of his gray hair still curled up in a sleepy arc, and his expression switched between half-asleep and fully awake in less than a second. The two looked at each other, said nothing, and neither stopped what they were doing.

Pack your backpack. Three horizontal lines and two vertical lines.

Bai Ye packed the backpack very quickly. His fingers moved rapidly between the blanket and the rope, and the backpack took shape so fast that the recruits next to him, who were still struggling with their blankets, were completely dumbfounded.

Xuanxiao had finished packing his backpack. His military background was on full display at this moment; he neatly and cleanly tucked the backpack straps in, making them as orderly as a textbook illustration.

The two slung their backpacks over their shoulders and headed for the door. Behind them, Zhao Xiaohu was shouting at the top of his lungs, "Who took my belt?" Qian Duoduo was squatting on the ground, fumbling for his shoes in the dark, a scene of utter chaos.

All the searchlights on the playground were turned on.

The stark white lights illuminated the entire drill ground as if it were daytime. The new recruits poured out of the three dormitory buildings, forming a restless stream of people, and ran towards their respective class assembly points.

Some people's backpacks were loosely packed, and their blankets became crooked after running a few steps. Some people forgot to wear their hats and were yelled at by the class monitor to go back and get them. The sounds of footsteps, panting, backpack straps rubbing together, and the class monitors' whistles created a chaotic mess on the playground.

The assembly point for Class One. Li Mo and Lu Xiao were already standing there.

The line in front of Li Mo was still frantically searching for their positions. His gaze swept across the faces of every new recruit who ran over, and he precisely spotted Bai Ye's location in the crowd.

When Bai Ye ran over, his backpack was neatly slung over his shoulder, and his training uniform was worn properly. Apart from his slightly sticking-out hair, there was nothing amiss.

Li Mo glanced at him, then looked away without saying anything.

Lu Xiao stood next to Li Mo, holding a stopwatch in his hand, his blond hair particularly eye-catching under the searchlight.

"Not bad, no one was late."

Zhao Xiaohu was the last to arrive. His backpack was bent like a crooked pumpkin, and one of the straps had come loose, swinging back and forth behind him. He rushed to the end of the line and stood there, sweat pouring down his round face as he gasped for breath.

Lu Xiao glanced down at the stopwatch and a slight smile played on his lips. "A little over three minutes, barely passing."

Zhao Xiaohu breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Lu Xiao added, "Of course, tonight has only just begun."

He breathed back in after letting out a sigh of relief.

Li Mo took a step forward. His voice wasn't loud, but in the silence of the early morning, it was clear enough for everyone to hear.

"Tonight is a field training exercise. Someone will lead the route, and equipment can be collected at the supply depot using the receipt."

A hushed murmur arose in the ranks. Field training. Those two words carried more weight than being woken up in the middle of the night.

"A few reminders before we set off." Li Mo's voice drew everyone's attention back. "First, fill your water bottle. There are no water stations along the training route. Second, check your backpack straps. If you get separated halfway, no one will wait for you. Third, stay with the group in front and don't fall behind."

Lu Xiao added, "Each person will receive a supply requisition slip. With the slip, you can collect a bottle of water, a bag of compressed biscuits, and a map. Once you've collected everything, we'll set off. Remember, this is a full-scale march. Anyone who falls behind, whose backpack falls apart, or who doesn't reach the finish line on time—you'll be responsible for that."

Zhao Xiaohu was already starting to understand the situation.

Each squad proceeded to the supply point in turn. The supply point was located at the entrance of the equipment room on the east side of the parade ground. A long table was stacked with water bottles and compressed biscuits, and two logistics soldiers sat behind the table with a stack of registration forms in front of them. The new recruits lined up to receive their supplies based on their slips. Bai Ye was at the front of the first squad's line, received a water bottle, biscuits, and a map, hung the water bottle on the side of his backpack, and stuffed the biscuits into a compartment of his backpack.

After collecting the supplies, Xuanxiao walked over to Bai Ye's side. While hanging a water bottle on the side of his backpack, he glanced down at Bai Ye's backpack—the knots were impeccably neat, the rope ends were tucked in cleanly. Looking at his own, although it was also neat, it felt like something was missing. He stared for a couple of seconds, then tightened his backpack straps.

The training team began to assemble.

Each class monitor stood at the front of their class's line for a final check. Li Mo walked from the front to the back of Class One's line, pausing as he passed Bai Ye and reaching out to tug at the backpack strap on Bai Ye's shoulder. The taut strap snapped back, strong and firmly secured.

"Can."

Just those two words. Then he walked up to the next recruit and pointed out without hesitation that the other's backpack strap was loose, and made him re-stitch it.

Lu Xiao stood at the front of the line, hands behind his back, waiting for each class to finish their inspection before speaking. Gone was his usual playful demeanor; his tone was curt: "Keep up. Don't fall behind. If you do, no one will care; figure it out yourself."

The early morning wind swept across the parade ground, and the searchlights illuminated the faces of every new recruit, making them appear pale. Some nervously swallowed, some were already yawning, and some stared into the darkness ahead, lost in thought.

Li Mo stood at the front of the first squad, with his back to all the new recruits, and said his last words.

"You all must live to the end."

Lu Xiao chuckled beside him, "Old Li, you're taking this too seriously. It's not like we're going to war—"

Li Mo glanced at him, and Lu Xiao swallowed the rest of his words.

The whistle blew to signal departure. Each squad began to move in order, their footsteps forming a muffled river in the silence of the early morning, flowing towards the camp gate.

Bai Ye walked in the queue, the weight of his backpack pressing down on his shoulders. He took a deep breath of the cold, dry air of the early morning, the cold air stinging his lungs, and he was completely awake.

Xuanxiao walked beside him, their shoulders almost touching. The ends of his gray hair fluttered in the wind. He turned his head and whispered something.

"What did you say?"

"I said," Xuanxiao's voice was low amidst the footsteps and breathing, "if you can't walk anymore, I can help you."

Mind your own business.

Xuan Xiao chuckled. The sound was carried away by the wind, but a slight curve remained at the corner of his mouth.

The convoy passed through the camp gate; the road ahead was illuminated by the vehicle headlights for a short distance, before plunging into complete darkness.