96: Chapter 96: The Snake Has Arrived!

The female soldiers stood soaked in the muddy water, their faces still stained with blood and mud from their struggle with the crocodiles.

Hearing Su Han's words, their expressions shifted from shock to anger.

"Report, Chief Instructor!" Lin Yu couldn't help but shout, "We can't just lie there and wait for the crocodiles to eat us, can we?"

"Exactly!" Zhang Meng wiped the bloody water from her face. "Are we supposed to lose our lives for a concealment mission?"

Su Han didn't answer immediately; instead, he walked slowly to the side of the largest crocodile carcass.

He kicked its gaping, bloody maw with his combat boot.

"On a real battlefield," his voice was frighteningly calm, "things are sometimes even more cruel than being eaten by a crocodile."

He turned to the female soldiers, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "The purpose of concealment is to complete the mission! If you jump up the moment your life is in danger, have you considered that you'll be discovered by the enemy?"

The female soldiers fell silent.

"What are the consequences once you're discovered?" Su Han's voice rose sharply. "Not only will the mission fail, but your teammates concealed in other areas will also be dragged out by the enemy! When that happens, not only will everyone be sacrificed, but the mission will fail too! This is the cruelty of war!"

A dead silence hung over the swamp, broken only by the rustle of the night wind through the reeds.

Li Xue asked in a low voice, "Then... do we just deserve to be killed by crocodiles? To just die like that?"

The corners of Su Han's mouth curled up slightly. "That's not dying; that's a glorious sacrifice."

The female soldiers: "..."

"Of course," Su Han suddenly changed his tone, "these crocodiles tonight were arranged by us. Their mouths were tied shut; they wouldn't have actually hurt anyone."

He pointed to the bushes not far away. "There have been snipers on standby over there. If a crocodile truly threatened your lives, they would have shot it immediately."

Only then did the female soldiers notice the faint reflections in the distant treetops—the glint of sniper scopes.

"But!" Su Han's voice became stern again. "On a real battlefield, no one will be there to protect you! So—"

He checked his watch. "From now on, continue the concealment training! Time increased by three hours!"

"What?!" the female soldiers cried out in unison.

"Any objections?" Su Han raised an eyebrow. "Then quit."

The female soldiers gritted their teeth; no one spoke again.

"Very well," Su Han nodded. "Remember, no matter what happens this time, you are not allowed to move!"

With that, he turned and left, the War Eagle Squad following behind him.

Houzi even made a face at the female soldiers before leaving. "Good luck, beauties~"

The female soldiers: "..."

————

The muddy water soaked through their combat uniforms once again, the cold, slimy sensation making the female soldiers shiver.

"Damn it..." Zhang Meng cursed quietly, "This instructor is a total psycho..."

"Shh—" Su Qingcheng signaled her to be quiet. "Maybe it's another test."

Enduring the discomfort, the female soldiers lay back down in the mud.

This time, they still had wounds from their fight with the crocodiles; soaked in the muddy water, the injuries stung fiercely.

Minutes and seconds ticked by, and the swamp night grew increasingly cold and damp.

Lin Yu felt her limbs grow numb from the cold, with only her heart still beating stubbornly.

She glanced sideways at Su Qingcheng not far away and found her staring intently ahead, her gaze resolute.

"Chengzi..." Lin Yu asked softly, "Do you think... we can really become Special Forces Soldiers?"

Su Qingcheng didn't answer immediately. After a long while, she whispered, "We of the Su Family never give up halfway. So even if I have to die, I'll die here. If I'm not even afraid of death, I don't see how I could fail to become a Special Forces Soldier!"

"But this is just too..." Before Li Xue could finish, she suddenly froze. "Wait... listen..."

From the distance came that hair-raising "splash" sound again.

"No... way..." Zhang Meng's voice trembled. "Again?"

The female soldiers tensed up, staring fixedly in the direction of the sound.

Under the moonlight, several dark shadows were slowly swimming toward them...

"Water snakes..." Lin Yu swallowed hard. "These snakes won't bite, will they?"

Su Qingcheng narrowed her eyes. "I don't know... but we must hold on!"

Ripples spread across the murky swamp water as several dark green Water snakes slithered closer, their slender bodies glinting coldly in the moonlight.

"Don't move..." Su Qingcheng's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet it carried an irrepressible tremor. "They're just passing through..."

Lin Yu felt her heartbeat was so loud it was about to burst her eardrums.

A Water snake as thick as a wrist was swimming right in front of her, its flicking tongue almost touching the tip of her nose.

"Sss—"

The Water snake suddenly stopped, rearing up its upper body, its cold, vertical pupils staring straight at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu bit her lip hard, her very breath coming to a standstill.

She could clearly see the fine scales on the snake's head and its emotionless eyes.

"It's... looking at me..." Lin Yu said in a breathy whisper, tears welling up uncontrollably.

The Water snake slowly approached, its icy body pressing against Lin Yu's cheek.

The slimy sensation gave her goosebumps all over, and her stomach cramped.

"Mmm~~!"

A muffled groan of suppressed pain suddenly came from nearby.

On Li Xue's side, an even larger Water snake had already crawled onto her shoulder and was slithering into her collar!

"Don't move..." Fine beads of sweat broke out on Su Qingcheng's forehead as she whispered a reminder, "It's just... looking for a warm place..."

Li Xue trembled all over, tears falling silently.

She could feel the snake slithering across her back, its cold scales rubbing against her skin.

Even more terrifyingly, the snake suddenly stopped moving, as if considering whether to take a bite.

"Help... help me..." Li Xue mouthed a plea for help to Su Qingcheng.