46: Chapter 46 Luo'er's Strength

“Sister, if I don’t apply, can I go to the city with my brother?” Luoer ignored him and turned to ask the Young woman next to her.

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid not.” The Young woman looked apologetic.

“Then what if I secretly follow?” Luoer continued to ask.

“If you do that, not only will you not receive any compensation, but we will also be implicated. Perhaps you are unaware, but the people we recruit need to be registered with the Command HQ. If an accident occurs, we also bear joint responsibility. So, if you insist on going, either apply, or we won’t dare to use either of you.” The Young woman explained.

“Did you hear that, big brother? You don’t want to leave me alone in the Settlement, do you?” Luoer asked with a smile.

“This… alright, then you can try. Don’t force yourself if it doesn’t work; at worst, we just won’t go.” Shen Wengang reminded her.

Luoer nodded lightly and placed the long, strip-shaped object from her back against the wall.

She flexed her wrists.

Her intuition told her she could lift this barbell.

However, to be safe, she still lifted it lightly first, just like Shen Wengang, to gauge its weight.

“Oh!” This action astonished the onlookers.

Even the Young woman beside her was shocked.

“Is this… really an eighteen or nineteen-year-old Xiao Nu Hai? How can she be so strong? You know, several men before her couldn’t even lift it.”

Several men in the crowd wished they could find a hole to crawl into; it was so embarrassing!

Luoer put down the barbell, looked at her brother, and nodded.

The implication was that she could do it.

Shen Wengang also nodded, indicating his agreement.

Seeing her brother agree, Luoer lowered her head again, took a deep breath, and focused her mind.

She gripped the bar with both hands, exerted force, and lifted!

“It’s up! She… she really… lifted it!” Everyone exclaimed in admiration.

After about seven or eight seconds, Luoer put down the barbell, her face flushed from holding her breath.

“Brother, look, I lifted it!” Luoer said happily.

Shen Wengang gave her a thumbs-up.

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

Soon, the first assessment was completely finished.

Out of dozens of people, only eight passed the assessment.

The rest were eliminated and left sheepishly.

“Alright, next we will proceed with the second assessment: shooting.” The Young woman said to the remaining eight applicants.

The shooting mentioned here did not involve guns, but rather crossbows. Because firearms were prohibited among civilians, everyone could only use crossbows as offensive weapons.

“Hello, can my Sister and I not participate in this round? Because we have our own weapons and don't need these crossbow bolts.” Shen Wengang asked.

The Young woman looked at Mei Wenhua, who was sitting on the steps, seeking his opinion.

Mei Wenhua nodded lightly, indicating his agreement.

“Alright then, the two of you can directly skip the second round of assessment.” The Young woman said.

The others had no objections; after all, they weren't competitors, so it didn't matter.

The requirement for the second round was not difficult: each person had 5 arrows, and as long as one arrow hit the bullseye, it was considered passing.

In the end, only 1 person was eliminated.

There was no further assessment in the third round; instead, a document was produced.

The Young woman distributed the document to everyone and then said:

“This is the final assessment. What you have in your hands is a letter of commitment. Here, I need to remind everyone: once the letter of commitment is signed, it means that you fully understand the risks of this mission and are participating voluntarily. Of course, you can choose to sign or not sign; that is your right. You have 10 minutes to consider.”

Shen Wengang carefully reviewed the content of the commitment letter, which was nothing more than clauses exempting them from liability in various unexpected situations. In essence, they didn't want to bear responsibility.

After reading it, Shen Wengang picked up a pen and signed his name: Tiangang.

Luoer also imitated her brother and signed her name: Qian Luo.

The Young woman took the document and glanced at it, not looking closely.

Perhaps in her eyes, whether these people had names or not had nothing to do with her. If they truly died outside, who would care, who would investigate?

Among the seven people, two refused to sign such an unfair clause and left in anger.

Ultimately, only 5 people would carry out the mission.

Early the next morning.

The 5 people, seated in two jeeps, arrived at the outskirts of Mos City.

The weather was bad today, with a light drizzle falling.

The temperature in December was already very low, and walking on the leaf-strewn road felt very damp and cold.

Shen Wengang and Luoer were fine; they had the protection of their Combat Suits and moved naturally.

The other three, however, were not doing so well, their teeth chattering from the cold as they carefully moved forward.

Luoer glanced at the three of them but said nothing.

Before they departed, the Young woman provided each person with a map of Mos and marked the possible locations of the four targets. She also promised that if the people were not found in any of the marked locations, the mission would still be considered complete, and they could return.

“Hey, brother, where should we go first?” A man asked Shen Wengang.

“Let’s go in order, make a loop, and then return here.” Shen Wengang took out the map and said.

“Isn’t that too slow?” The man questioned.