BXBX NOVEL Chapter 160: Hell Puppies!!
#5 was just as nervous about this mission as the others were. He could still remember the faces of his parents and the cries of his little sister before he left.
His father was a government official, and his System Authority was Lv.7, he knew stuff that most wouldn't so when his son told him that they would be sent to the frontlines for a short mission and that they were mandated to do so, he was filled with fear.
That said, his father already knew this was coming. The best thing he could do was to set his son's expectations to increase his chance of returning intact and alive.
#5 won't lie, he felt terror when his father mentioned what was out there. It was hard to accept since he grew up in this reality, only to learn that it was nothing but a mere illusion - a veil to keep a pretense that everything was fine.
His mother didn't want him to go, saying that it isn't so bad to live in a false utopia and let the big men deal with the horrors outside. He couldn't blame her since she was a mother, she just wanted her babies safe.
However, #5 has his own convictions too. One of the many good traits that he inherited and learned from his father was the art of being responsible.
He knew that he couldn't run away from this. As terrified as he was, he decided to walk on this path and was informed of the dangers he might encounter. Still, he willingly signed his name and accepted it because he had made a decision and he was sticking with it.
What his father told him softened the impact of the reality he saw on the other side of the Great Wall. It still terrified him greatly but he wasn't paralyzed by it.
The first time he wore the army uniform and was given their codenames, #5 was already to face hell. He knew that their time here wouldn't be easy. He took small victories where he could though, at least he was on the same team as #1, if there was anybody here whom he could trust his back to, he felt like it'd be him.
When they arrived at the apartment complex, he would admit that he was stumped for a bit. He personally saw the horrid state of the place and wondered if people really lived there.
But #1 pulled came through. He took his job seriously as the Interim Leader of this squad and hatched out orders right away. He asked him to clean while he fixed their electricity problems. This is where they discovered that #1 was actually a Master Scribe.
He didn't stop there, he also helped them with their respective rooms, turning them into a proper living space.
#5 still don't know how much trouble he had saved them from until now but you won't hear him complaining. It sucks that they're stuck with rations for now but honestly, it can be worse. From what he heard from his father, this could get much worse, he should be thankful that they even had something to eat.
Then, #1 was summoned by the Knight Captain.
He could still remember the trepidation he shared with the rest of his squadmates when they saw him leave to receive orders. They knew from that moment that hell was about to begin but they refused to discuss it. Either because they really didn't want to think about it for now or they're plainly terrified. Still, there's no stopping this.
All things considered though, their 2nd night here ended on a rather peaceful note. #5 slept soundly in his room, sighing in comfort as he felt the cold breeze caressing his body and lulling him to sleep.
But then...
Weng! Weng! Weng!
#5 flinched awakened, blinking blearily at every corner of the room in search of danger. He even summoned his spear and aimed it forward due to the sheer panic he felt.
He then saw a rune on the wall that was releasing a soft brilliance and the sound that woke him, and everyone else, up.
Frowning and feeling irritated about having his sleep interrupted, he stood up intending to stab the rune with his spear, but before he could do so, he heard #1's voice through the rune.
"This is #1 speaking. I know that all of you are awoken by the sound. That's good because I need everyone to be up right now. We will start today's training. We've got a lot to learn. Don't bother eating anything because you're just going to vomit them out."
"Get dressed, and meet me outside, I'll give you 15 minutes to do so. You all know what will happen if you're late."
#5, and he assumed the rest of the squad as well, shivered at the implications of his last sentence.
That's like a bucket of cold water drenching him from head to toe, forcing him to be completely awake.
With his knees wobbling a bit, he forced himself to go to the comfort room to deal with his morning rituals first. They've got fifteen minutes so they have some time.
He didn't even think about taking a bath or brushing his teeth. He just splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up. He then changed into his uniform, which was starting to smell weird now, and walked out of his room to go downstairs.
As soon as he got out, he saw and heard all manner of chaos going on in the other rooms. Everyone was scrambling to move. To his surprise, he already saw the girls coming out of their respective rooms at the same time he got out.
They nodded to each other and went outside to meet #1 who, to their abject horror, was already playing fetch with the flesh-eating hounds.
Yes, he was playing with them. And god would this scene fool anybody who hasn't seen what those hounds could do, because right now, they're acting like playful dogs with him.
How did he even do this? Why did they already call him here in the first place? And where did he get the guts to play with them like they're pet dogs?
#5 had way too many questions in his mind that he'd like to get answers to but was terrified to ask. So, he could only do what he thinks is best. They stood there frozen like statues and stayed silent until everyone was there.
Glancing at the girls who arrived with him, he could tell that they were doing the same. If anything, he thinks that they're more afraid than he was.
The prospect of receiving a punishment served as a great motivator for everybody, especially those who were punished yesterday. Some of them were still a little bit slow but at least they arrived before the time was up.
Once all 20 of them were here, Cedric ordered the hounds to behave and faced them.
"Nobody's left. That's good." He took a deep breath glanced at the dark skies above and continued: "It's five in the morning now, though that won't be obvious considering where we are. This is when I usually start my day, and since I'm appointed as your Interim Squad Leader, you will also start your day at this time until the end of our stay here."
He swept his gaze at them and said: "Spread out and do your stretches. Warm your body up because you will need it for what you're about to do next. Move!"
#5 hauled his ass to a nearby unoccupied spot, dropped down and began stretching. He's not a stranger when it comes to warm-up exercises, he just doesn't usually start this early.
As they stretched, they heard Cedric's voice echoing in their ears:
"My senses could cover the entirety of the apartment complex and its territory. Nothing you do or say will escape my senses so forget any thoughts about cheating, that would just make me upset and I might just send one of these cute puppies to you."
#5 could've sworn that all of them collectively shivered at his thinly-veiled threat. He knew that Cedric most likely saw this but even if he did, he didn't say anything about it.
He gave them a total of 30 minutes to finish their warm-up. All of them saw that Cedric was also doing the same as them. Once they were done, his voice echoed in their ears again.
"There's a running track at the edge of the territory. Go there and begin running. I will send the hounds after you."
That brought a wave of terror to everyone's hearts.
"You can fight back. Just so you know, the weakest of these puppies was at least Tier 5 and they were raised to dish out and receive a beating. You all need your fighting skills sharpened anyway."
"And if all of you think this is unfair..."
They all then heard Cedric whistling a long tune. And to their abject horror, a giant monstrosity with three heads appeared right in front of the field, snorting at Cedric.
"...I'll be playing with this one. So you all better start running...now!!"