At the break of dawn, just as Qin Fen and the others finished their pre-breakfast training and entered the dining hall, the massive troop transport ship suddenly shuddered violently before coming to an abrupt halt.

As the new recruits exchanged bewildered glances, the veteran's voice boomed over the loudspeakers: "Maggots! Your easy days are over! We’ve arrived in Australia! Within two minutes, report to the deck immediately!"

After several days of grueling training, the recruits had become accustomed to instantaneous deployment orders. They casually dropped their mess trays and sprinted toward the deck.

The vast ocean stretched out before them. The troop transport ship had completely stopped its forward momentum, floating silently a considerable distance from the harbor.

"Maggots, see that landmass ahead?"

"Report, Officer! We see it!" The roar of over two thousand men was still an undeniably shocking spectacle.

"Excellent! Now, I command you: use the ropes prepared along the ship's railing, jump into the sea, and swim to shore!"

Everyone, Qin Fen included, froze collectively. Swimming in the open ocean was an entirely different concept from swimming in a pool. You could swim a kilometer in a pool, but perhaps not five hundred meters in the sea. Who knew if there were sharks lurking in these waters?

"What? Any questions? If you're unwilling to use the ropes, I don't mind tossing you directly overboard..."

Before the officer could finish his threat, some men were already peeling away from the formation. They had learned obedience quickly during this time.

"Oh, right. The last hundred men to reach the shore get no dinner. The very last one to arrive means the entire squad gets no dinner. The first to arrive means the whole squad gets dinner. These are the rules of the recruit training camp!"

Upon hearing this, the new recruits surged toward the ten available ropes along the railing. The deck instantly erupted into chaos.

Qin Fen, positioned relatively far from the railing, quickly assessed the situation and immediately turned, sprinting toward the bow of the troop transport.

"Old Squad Leader, your man..." The drill sergeant, observing from the highest point of the vessel, pointed in surprise at Qin Fen, who was moving at high speed, "Is he going to..."

During the past few days of training, Qin Fen had gained a clear understanding of his squad mate, Jin Kui. Jin Kui always finished every training exercise last, constantly muttering afterward that he was only there to coast by, intending to use the discharge funds to become a merchant.

Qin Fen didn't mind Jin Kui going without dinner, but being penalized because of Jin Kui's last-place finish felt incredibly unfair!

Standing at the very front of the ship, Qin Fen glanced down at the water below, his heart giving a slight jolt. This wasn't a three-meter diving platform; this was a thirty-meter drop. The impact force of freefall, even his Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill might not withstand it entirely.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Fen suddenly heard the sound of high-speed footsteps approaching from behind. He turned his head slightly, a wry smile touching his lips. Du Peng, the competitive recruit who refused to be beaten at anything, was coming to jump into the sea with him.

With the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill pushed to its maximum, Qin Fen flipped and plunged toward the ocean. Du Peng, chasing close behind, reached the railing, saw the immense height, and gasped sharply.

Splash!

Qin Fen plunged deep into the water. Du Peng’s mouth twitched faintly, as if chastising himself for cowardice, before he too launched himself into the sea.

"Squad Leader Hao, your men certainly have guts."

Squad Leader Hao watched, utterly stunned. He had considered himself brave when he enlisted, yet faced with the choice between the rope or jumping, he would have chosen the rope over the jump.

Whoosh!

Qin Fen, having plunged into the deep, surfaced a dozen meters from the ship’s hull.

Back when he was working to earn money, Qin Fen had worked as a lifeguard by the sea. A lifeguard required excellent swimming technique, and for that substantial salary, Qin Fen had genuinely put significant effort into his swimming.

Once in the water, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill flowed through his entire body, propelling him forward like a high-speed torpedo, showing no intention of conserving any energy.

On the command deck, the squad leaders, platoon leaders, and company commanders once again displayed surprise. For new recruits, even distributing their stamina efficiently to cover five thousand meters using internal energy was difficult enough. To swim five thousand meters at the pace of a hundred-meter dash? It was like trying to sprint five thousand meters on land—impossible to complete!

"Old Squad Leader, your recruit is too arrogant. The shore is at least five thousand meters away, and he's using full speed right from the start? I bet you'll have to use a speedboat to fish him out halfway."

This was spoken by Squad Leader Huang Hao of First Squad, Third Platoon, Third Company, Second Battalion—the only one among all the squad leaders present who was serving as a squad leader for the first time.

"Is that so?" Squad Leader Hao curled his lip dismissively. "Interested in a bet? I bet this kid can maintain this speed all the way to the beach. One hundred dollars!"

"Deal!"

Huang Hao was not intimidated, confident that at Qin Fen's current speed in the water, even he, a squad leader with years of military training, could barely manage it. A relatively outstanding recruit certainly could not.

Du Peng surfaced, saw Qin Fen’s incredible speed, and a flash of hesitation crossed his brow, immediately replaced by a determined glare. He, too, began swimming rapidly, imitating Qin Fen.

As the last recruit entered the water, several lifeboats followed them at a measured pace, ready to rescue anyone suffering from cramps or those who had completely exhausted their strength.