76: Chapter 76: It really is my great-granddaughter!

Su Han's voice echoed across the training ground. He wore an innocent smile, yet his gaze swept over the face of every female soldier.

The group of female soldiers instantly erupted.

"Report!" A female soldier in a high ponytail stepped forward abruptly, her chest heaving. "Chief Instructor, you are insulting us!"

Su Han widened his eyes in feigned surprise. "This comrade, how have I insulted you?"

"You said we couldn't handle the hardships of a Special Forces Soldier!" The female soldier's voice carried suppressed anger. "You haven't even tried us yet, so on what grounds do you judge that we can't do it?"

"Exactly!" A chorus of agreement immediately rang out from the ranks.

"We aren't here for a vacation!"

The female soldiers stood tall, their backs straight, flames of defiance burning in their eyes.

Su Han's words, seemingly caring but actually condescending, were like a spark falling into a haystack, instantly igniting their fighting spirit.

"Report!" A tall female soldier stepped out of the ranks, her voice firm and powerful. "Chief Instructor, we don't need special treatment! Whatever the male soldiers can do, we can do just the same!"

Su Han acted surprised and hurriedly waved his hands. "Oh dear, this comrade, that's not what I meant!"

He wore a "troubled" expression. "I just think that Special Forces Soldier training is truly very hard, there's no need for you all to push yourselves this much..."

"Report!" Another female soldier with short hair also stepped out. "Chief Instructor, we are here to be a Special Forces Soldier, not to enjoy a life of luxury!"

"Exactly!" A chorus of agreement immediately rang out from the ranks.

"Please train us according to the standards for male soldiers! No! We can do even better than the male soldiers, so the standards can be even higher than theirs!"

"Agreed!" "I agree too!" "We aren't afraid of hardship!" The female soldiers shouted one after another.

Su Han sighed and tried to persuade them earnestly. "Comrades, I can understand your feelings, but the training intensity is too high. What if you get injured?"

"Report!" Zhang Meng stepped forward directly, her voice loud and clear. "Chief Instructor, are you looking down on us female soldiers?"

Su Han hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no! I absolutely don't have that intention!"

"Then why can the male soldiers train, but we can't?" Zhang Meng persisted.

Su Han scratched his head, revealing an expression of being "forced into a helpless situation." "Alright, alright, since everyone is so insistent..."

He turned his head to look at Instructor Zhou. "Instructor Zhou, bring me the training plan."

Instructor Zhou paused for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening, running quickly to the command room to retrieve the training schedule that Su Han had flipped over earlier.

When Su Han took the schedule, Instructor Zhou couldn't help but lower his voice. "Su Han, were you acting just now?"

The corners of Su Han's mouth lifted imperceptibly. "What do you think?"

Instructor Zhou suddenly understood, and his gaze towards the female soldiers held a bit more sympathy—this group of girls had fallen completely into the psychological trap Su Han had carefully designed.

The four members of War Eagle Squad stood to the side, having witnessed the entire process.

"Damn," Monkey widened his eyes. "This guy Su Han, his acting skills are too good, right?"

Big Bear scratched his head. "I really thought he had suddenly changed his nature."

"This trick is too vicious," Wildcat shook his head. "The female soldiers are all acting like they've been injected with adrenaline right now; they're in for it later."

Instructor Zhou walked back and smiled bitterly. "We were all fooled by him. This guy had it planned from the very beginning."

The four looked at Su Han's back and shivered in unison—this seemingly harmless young man was impossible to guard against when it came to his schemes.

Su Han held the training schedule and faced the female soldiers again, saying, "In previous years, the male soldiers of War Eagle have all participated in the selection training according to this standard."

"If you truly want to become a Special Forces Soldier, you must complete all the training tasks in this schedule."

"Although I am the Chief Instructor, I only have the authority to supervise your training; I do not have the right to decide whether you stay or go."

"You can only rely on your results to convince the Military Region Chief, and only when the leaders see that your results have reached the standard can you officially become a Special Forces Soldier."

"This is also the reason why I said earlier that I don't suggest everyone persist."

"Because the standard is right here, and the difficulty is hell-level."

"Among you, perhaps not a single one will be able to hold on. Insisting on training is just asking for suffering!"

"Now, I will ask everyone one more time, do you still want to persist?"

"We want to persist! Please issue the training order, Chief Instructor!" "Requesting to start training!" "We female soldiers will never back down!"

Su Han sighed "helplessly." "Alright, since everyone is so insistent..."

He unfolded the training schedule and announced loudly, "The first test—a 20-kilometer, 50-kilogram extreme weighted cross-country run!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of many female soldiers changed slightly, but hindered by their bold words from earlier, no one dared to raise an objection.

"The rules are very simple," Su Han continued. "Each person must carry 50 kilograms of equipment and complete the 20-kilometer mountain cross-country run within 3 hours. Those who fail to complete it will be directly eliminated."

He paused and emphasized again, "I will reiterate: if anyone cannot hold on during the process, shout 'Report' immediately! This is not something to be ashamed of. Special Forces Soldier selection is inherently brutal; those who make it to the end are the elite of the elite!"

"Now, is there anyone who wants to quit?"

The training ground was silent.

"Alright then." Su Han said helplessly. "Since you want to persist, then start preparing. In a moment, the instructors will take you to collect your equipment. We depart in ten minutes!"

The female soldiers dispersed quickly, heading to the equipment area to collect their weighted backpacks. Su Han stood in place, watching their busy figures, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

In the equipment area, the female soldiers were collecting their weighted backpacks.

"50 kilograms..." Li Xue tried lifting the backpack, her face turning pale. "This is heavier than my own body weight."

Lin Yu gritted her teeth and shouldered the backpack. "Stop complaining. We were the ones who requested to increase the intensity just now."

"Hmph, what is this little bit of weight!" Zhang Meng swung the backpack around easily. "In the Engineer Corps, I often carried cement bags even heavier than this!"

Su Qingcheng silently checked her equipment, though her mind was not on the training. Every so often, she looked up at Su Han in the distance, attempting to find more familiar traits on him.

"Qingcheng, what's wrong with you?" Lin Yu noticed her abnormality. "You've been absent-minded since just now."

"It's nothing," Su Qingcheng shook her head. "I'm just wondering... this Chief Instructor looks a bit familiar."

"Familiar?" Lin Yu said in surprise. "Do you know him?"

"I'm not sure," Su Qingcheng said in a low voice. "Maybe he just looks like someone else." She didn't dare to voice her guess—if this young man was truly her "Great-grandfather" from the clan, then things would be too incredible.

Ten minutes later, all the female soldiers were ready to go. Su Han stood at the starting point, holding a stopwatch. "Remember the route markers. There will be instructors supervising along the way; taking shortcuts is strictly prohibited. Now—" He raised his arm high, then swung it down sharply. "Go!"

One hundred and fifty female soldiers, like arrows released from a bow, rushed out of the training ground. On the mountain path, one hundred and fifty female soldiers trudged forward with difficulty, burdened by heavy equipment.

In the Yuezhou mountains in early spring, the air was filled with a damp atmosphere. The soil underfoot was soft and sticky, making every step more strenuous than on flat ground.

"Hoo—hoo—" Lin Yu gasped for air, sweat constantly dripping from her forehead. She looked up at the winding mountain road ahead, then turned back to look at the ranks behind her, secretly calculating the distance in her heart.

"We've run less than five kilometers..." She gritted her teeth, adjusted her backpack straps, and continued forward.

Within the ranks, the states of the female soldiers varied. Zhang Meng walked in the lead with long strides; the 50-kilogram weight seemed like nothing to her. Every so often, she turned back to urge her comrades behind: "Hurry up! Don't fall behind!"

Li Xue lagged in the middle of the pack, her glasses already fogged with moisture. She had to take them off to wipe them from time to time, making her already difficult journey even more arduous.

Su Qingcheng maintained a steady pace, neither rushing forward nor falling behind.

At the edge of the training ground, Su Han, Instructor Zhou, and the others stood before the surveillance screens, observing the state of the female soldiers through cameras placed along the route.

"More than a dozen people have already fallen behind." Instructor Zhou pointed to several red dots on the screen. "At this speed, the possibility of completing it within three hours is very low."

Big Bear shook his head. "The physical fitness of the female soldiers is still a bit lacking; this standard is too high for them."

"I don't necessarily think so." Monkey pointed to several green dots on the screen. "Look at these ones; their speed is holding up well, especially this Zhang Meng, she's practically like an ox."

Wildcat added, "And this Su Qingcheng, her pace is very steady, and her breathing rhythm is controlled very well. You can tell at a glance she's had training."

Upon hearing the name "Su Qingcheng," Su Han's expression changed slightly. No way? Is it really her?

He pulled up the female soldier's file, and when he saw the content in the family section of her file, his brow furrowed involuntarily. "It really is her..."

Thank you all for the name suggestions; the author will seriously consider and refer to them!