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

After the training route extended from the camp gate, the asphalt road only lasted for less than 500 meters before ending. The road surface changed from smooth asphalt to gravel and dirt road, and then from gravel and dirt road to a winding wild path leading into the mountains.

At four in the morning, it was still dark. Two vehicle-mounted searchlights led the way at the front of the column, and the new recruits behind could only rely on the footsteps of those in front and the fluorescent strips attached to their backpacks to determine their direction.

The path beneath our feet was a mixture of gravel and yellow soil, making each step a struggle, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow. Branches from the bushes snaking against the sleeves of our training uniforms made a rustling sound. Someone was slapped in the face by a low branch, letting out a muffled groan as they quickly caught up. The air was thick with the scent of dew and earth, growing stronger with each step.

Bai Ye walked in the middle of the line, maintaining a steady pace and calm breathing.

In his past life, he had traversed paths a hundred times more arduous than this—deserts, swamps, rainforests, snow-capped mountains—each etched into his muscle memory. A rocky mountain path was nothing to him. But after walking for more than half an hour, he felt the friction from the soles of his feet becoming increasingly pronounced. The skin on the inside of his left forefoot and the heel of his right foot was engaged in an increasingly intense friction with the soles of his shoes.

This body is not the same as the calloused feet from my previous life.

Bai Ye's skin is naturally thin and delicate. It turns red when exposed to the sun on the training ground, and it gets rough when she sharpens her gun. After walking on such a mountain road for nearly an hour, her feet could no longer take it.

After walking for about twenty more minutes, the mountain path ahead was blocked by a dry riverbed. The group stopped. The commands from the squad leaders came from ahead: "Rest for fifteen minutes."

The new recruits collapsed onto the gravel by the roadside, as if their bones had been removed.

Zhao Xiaohu sat on the ground, his legs stretched out straight, his round face streaked with black and gray sweat, panting heavily: "I'm going to die. I'm really going to die."

Qian Duoduo slumped beside him, bracing herself against the loose stones behind her, and looked up at the sky: "How far have we gone? A third of the way?"

"Don't ask anymore, the answer is despair."

Bai Ye sat down on a rock by the roadside, took off his backpack and placed it at his feet. He unscrewed the cap on his water bottle, took a small sip to moisten his lips and throat, and then screwed the cap back on.

The pain in my feet became especially clear after I stopped. The blister on the ball of my left foot had fully formed, and I could feel the discomfort of the skin being stretched even through my sock.

He didn't take off his shoes. Taking off his shoes would mean facing the wound, facing the wound would mean treating it, and treating it would take time. Fifteen minutes wasn't enough for him to finish treating it and put his shoes back on. Besides, he didn't want anyone to see his feet. Especially not Li Mo.

If Li Mo knew he had blisters on his feet, given her protective nature, she'd probably just carry him to the supply truck. Then the entire recruit company would remember that scene. Absolutely not.

So he just sat quietly, took a sip of water, and looked at the dark forest on the opposite bank of the dry riverbed.

Xuanxiao swaggered over from the back of the line.

He looked much stronger than most people; his breathing had returned to steady, the backpack straps were neatly strapped to his shoulders, and his gray hair, damp with sweat, clung to the side of his forehead. He walked over to Bai Ye, but instead of sitting down, he stood in front of Bai Ye and looked down at him.

"Bai Ye, are you alright?"

"Um."

Are you sure?

"Um."

Xuanxiao suddenly reached out a hand and pinched Baiye's cheek.

Bai Ye's skin was softer than he had imagined. His cheeks, damp with sweat, felt slightly cool, and his fingertips could feel the absence of excess fat beneath her skin. The clean, sharp lines of her jawline extended directly to his fingertips. Xuan Xiao pinched her, but before he could think further, his wrist was slapped away.

"Don't touch me like that." Bai Ye frowned. A small frown line appeared between his brows, and his lips were slightly pursed.

Xuan Xiao withdrew his hand, looked down at the reddened back of his hand, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Fortunately, he still had the strength to hit someone.

Just as he was about to say something, a voice rang out from the front of the line, calm yet chilling.

"Set off."

Li Mo stood on the slope on the opposite bank of the river, a stopwatch in one hand and the other behind his back. Moonlight shone from behind him, casting a silent silhouette around him. No one knew when he had gotten there, but everyone felt that he had been standing on that slope for a long time.

The recruits, who had collapsed on the ground, groaned as they got up. Some had just taken off their shoes and hadn't even had a chance to rub their feet when Lu Xiao walked over with a smile and gently kicked them with his toe. "Stop rubbing, finish walking first. If you don't get up, I'll have Lao Li come and wake you up."

These words were more effective than any whistle, and everyone instantly sped up their movements.

When Bai Ye stood up, there was an extremely slight hesitation in the landing of his left foot, almost negligible. But Xuan Xiao noticed it. He stared at Bai Ye's left foot for a moment, said nothing, but when Bai Ye slung his backpack over his shoulder, he reached out and supported the bottom of the backpack, helping to distribute the weight for a second.

Bai Ye turned around and glanced at him.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to stand steadily." Xuan Xiao withdrew his hand.

Bai Ye ignored him and walked towards the front of the line with his backpack. The blister on his left foot let out a silent scream as it put weight on it again, but he didn't stop.

Li Mo stood at the top of the slope, counting the soldiers who passed by him one by one. When Bai Ye passed by, he glanced down at Bai Ye's rubber shoes. There was a small patch on the left shoe that was darker than the rest of the shoe—it wasn't a water stain, but a trace of blood seeping from the seam of the shoe tongue.

Li Mo's fingers tightened on the stopwatch, his knuckles turning white. He took a half-step toward Bai Ye's left foot, the sole of his shoe scraping against the gravel with a soft sound. Bai Ye didn't notice and continued walking forward, passing by Li Mo with even steps and a straight back.

Lu Xiao appeared behind Li Mo without her noticing, placing a hand on Li Mo's wrist and silently pressing down the hand holding the stopwatch. Li Mo turned his head, meeting Lu Xiao's gaze. Lu Xiao didn't speak, only gently shaking his head. Li Mo's jawline tightened like a blade, but his feet remained rooted to the spot.

Bai Ye's figure gradually disappeared into the distance in the ranks, his black hair standing out among the crew with buzz cuts. Li Mo stood on the slope watching that figure until the last recruit walked past him.

Then he took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket, pressed the button, and lowered the volume to the level where only the microphone could be heard.

"Drive slower."

The person in the supply truck replied, "Received."

Lu Xiao heard this from the side but didn't say anything. He just patted Li Mo on the shoulder after Li Mo put away the walkie-talkie.

"Stop looking, let's go."

Li Mo hung the stopwatch back around his neck and followed the group. His gaze never left the back of the head of the person walking forward step by step, whose left foot was slightly off-center.