"Tengfei, they are looking at you," Shangguan Yunmeng chuckled at Shangguan Tengfei, who was nearby.

Hearing this, Shangguan Tengfei turned his head, nodded toward Yang Yi with a smile, and made no further gestures. Gongsun Ce, standing by, merely glanced at Yang Yi with a flicker of surprise before turning his gaze back to Shangguan Tengfei. He smiled and said, "It seems this past month has indeed been quite spectacular."

"No, absolutely spectacular. Didn't you see the way those three were looking?" Shangguan Tengfei continued, "Even that girl from the Xuanyuan family threw herself at him; isn't that quite something?"

Consequently, Shangguan Yunmeng and Gongsun Ce exchanged a look, avoiding the gaze of Nangong San and his two companions. They both offered a slight smile and let it pass. Neither of them was foolish; one need only state the fact for others to start watching. Moreover, they, too, were surprised by Xuanyuan Bing’s actions.

However, Nangong San and his two men stood there expressionless, not speaking a single word or looking at anyone else. It was clear these fellows had no desire to give the impression of deliberately drawing attention to themselves. In truth, it wasn't that they didn't want to speak; it was purely because Nangong San’s expression had changed drastically upon seeing Xuanyuan Bing constantly trailing behind Yang Yi.

"Report!"

"Enter."

"General, the new recruits who require training have all arrived. Please inspect them, Sir." The commanding officer addressed a young general.

"Very well, no need to be so formal. Inspection is unnecessary; you go ahead and make the arrangements. Remember to be fair and meticulous—not a single mistake allowed."

"Yes!" The commander acknowledged, turned, and hurried out.

Just then, an aide walked in. "Report."

"Ah, you're here. How are the preparations coming along?" the young general inquired.

"Largely ready, Sir. They will be escorted here by two members of the Dragon Group precisely at four this afternoon," the aide reported.

"Good. Increase the guard detail. We have a busy month ahead of us. How many days does the Minister of Foreign Affairs need to stay in the barracks?"

"Uh, General," the aide looked a bit worried. "It seems he needs to remain in the barracks for several weeks."

"Several weeks is still time. Assign more men to watch closely and prevent anyone from infiltrating our area. This will be an uphill battle." The young general’s demeanor was composed, suggesting he had matured considerably.

"Yes." The aide certainly understood the gravity of the situation. He bowed and departed.

"Sigh, it seems only they are suitable for this. But why would the higher-ups arrange things this way? Could there be a hidden strategy?" The young general frowned, staring at the doorway, musing to himself.

His expression revealed that this matter was growing increasingly complex. Setting aside the true purpose of this military training, the arrangements made by the command were puzzling. Initially, the young general had assumed that if the command ordered military training, they would simply use the soldiers already stationed in the military district, which would be much more stable. Why insist on specifically selecting recruits from Fudan University? This detail was highly suspicious.

When the commander returned to the training ground where thirty students were assembled, he swept them with a cold gaze. It was as if his face had fundamentally changed during his absence, or perhaps more accurately, had shifted off its established course.

"Alright, I will now introduce you to the overall facilities of our A6 Military District. The building covered by the awning on the right is the mess hall; the large building on the left is the dormitory. Behind the dormitories are the bathhouses for men and women, naturally segregated. Furthermore, someone will arrange for you to collect daily necessities shortly. You must remove all outside belongings; they will be temporarily held by the military."

Clatter. A ripple of murmurs went through the students—this military environment was truly strict. The commander's words clearly implied that all students, save for their underwear and undershirts, would have to strip down.

"Quiet down, please. Next, roll call." As soon as the commander finished speaking, a soldier handed him the roster, stating, "Thirty individuals, thirteen of whom are female."

"Yes, go call those two instructors over," the commander nodded, staring at the roster while addressing the soldier.

"Yes!"

The commander closed the roster and addressed the students. "You will soon have new instructors who will take full charge of your training. Regardless of whether you were disciples from prominent families or privileged sons and daughters, here in the A6 Military District, you must shed those weak veneers. I sincerely wish you well and hope you cherish this opportunity, as it is rare."

"......" The students remained silent, staring blankly at the commander.

"Did you hear me?" the commander suddenly boomed.

"We heard you."

"Didn't you eat breakfast? Your voices are quieter than mosquitoes? Hmm?"

"We heard you!" The students yelled, clutching their stomachs. Although their shouts lacked the force of a bursting dam, they were yelling with all their might.

In the military, regardless of the circumstances, these instructors and commanders invariably favored remarks like, "Didn't you eat breakfast?" or perhaps, "Didn't you eat lunch?" or "I didn't hear you; are you related to mosquitoes?" and similar various means of challenging and dominating language would frequently arise.

"Good, next, roll call." The commander waved his hand, reopening the roster, and began calling names.

After a round of calling names, the students on the field realized that nearly half of the thirty selected individuals were female, showing that the ladies were quite formidable; it was no small feat just to complete the entire testing phase.

Simultaneously, just as the roll call concluded, a man and a woman, both clad in dark blue military uniforms with matching caps, arrived. They were clearly the instructors responsible for training these thirty individuals over the course of the month.

"Report."

"Yes, I am turning them over to you," the commander said.

"Yes!" The two snapped to attention, saluted the commander, took the roster, and stood there, sweeping their gazes over the thirty students for a long moment.

The male instructor squinted, his cold stare suggesting he would be merciless. "Students, from this day forward, we two will be your instructors, and indeed, your nightmares. You may call me Instructor Li, and this is Instructor Chen."

"Greetings, Instructor Li! Greetings, Instructor Chen!" A chorus of shouts rose from the students.

"Good. Before we get down to business, I have some bad news for you first," Instructor Li announced with a chilling smile. "From this moment on, you will have no names; you will only have codenames."

"Codenames?" A sense of dread settled over the students, bringing to mind codenames from spy thrillers: 007? Or maybe 008? Seemed like there was a '009' recently?

"Silence," Instructor Li waved his hand and continued, "Your codenames will be assigned sequentially, starting from AGQ. Those whose names are called next, come here to collect your assigned gear. You must take good care of this equipment; only those with a complete set after one month will fully graduate. Alright, let's begin."

"Li Huilan." Instructor Chen’s female voice was exquisite, sounding exactly like the female soldiers they heard on television.

"Present!"........

Soon, after another round of calling names and assigning codenames, all the students headed toward their dormitories, which were organized according to the sequence of their assignments. Overall, the thirty individuals were divided into six teams.

Lin Pangzi, Ye Xiaohou, Gongsun Ce, and two women formed one team. Their codenames started from AGQ427.

Shangguan Tengfei, Nangong San, Ximen Ling, Tang Shen, plus one female student made up another pair. Their codenames started from AGQ432.

Yang Yi, looking thoroughly miserable, was grouped with Xuanyuan Bing, Shangguan Yunmeng, plus one male and one female student. Their codenames were particularly bizarre. Since Xuanyuan Bing was AGQ437, Yang Yi was AGQ438, and Shangguan Yunmeng was AGQ439, with the rest following sequentially.

"438... 438, damn it, when did this young master become a 'dead-three-eights'?" Yang Yi inwardly chuckled bitterly. Xuanyuan Bing, standing right behind him, let a nearly imperceptible smile touch her lips.

"A bit interesting," Shangguan Yunmeng, following behind Xuanyuan Bing, moved her lips slightly, muttering to herself.

Indeed, the current arrangement was quite amusing, grouping together people who seemed unrelated, while those connected—or perhaps even rivals—were placed side-by-side. The meticulousness of this arrangement was truly remarkable.

Finally, they located the dormitory for AGQ047 through AGQ052. The room featured a large central hall with a sizable table, and bed frames lined the two sides. Near the bed frames were two doors, clearly leading to the private bathrooms. Although it was co-ed accommodation, the facilities were separated. If they weren't, the situation would be unimaginable!

So, when the roommates of AGQ047 finally arrived:

Yang Yi, Xuanyuan Bing, and Shangguan Yunmeng remained silent, whereas the other man and woman were noticeably more enthusiastic.

"Hello, everyone. For the next month, we are partners who will advance or retreat together. My name is Lin Wen."

"I'm Fang Yunyun."

"I am Shangguan Yunmeng."

"I am Xuanyuan Bing."

"Uh! My name is Yang Yi." Yang Yi felt a momentary pang of surprise at their warmth and offered a smile.

"Good, now we need to select a leader to manage us. Any recommendations?" Lin Wen asked politely with a smile.

"I think there's no need; Lin Wen, you take the lead," the girl named Fang Yunyun suggested.

Yang Yi secretly chuckled; it was obvious to anyone that the girl had feelings for Lin Wen. He waved his hands in agreement: "I have no objection."

"I have no objection either," Xuanyuan Bing echoed Yang Yi's sentiment.

"Since no one objects, I certainly have no objection either," Shangguan Yunmeng said, giving Yang Yi a meaningful look before addressing Lin Wen and the others.

"Very well, I appreciate your trust, everyone. Then, starting now, I, Lin Wen, will lead everyone in striving hard this month. Let's change clothes immediately and assemble on the training ground in fifteen minutes," Lin Wen stated, glancing at the large clock hanging on the wall.

Hmph. He certainly looked the part, and Lin Wen could not be described as someone who disliked showing off. Yang Yi didn't quibble over it, nor did anyone else, because they all understood that the military training had truly begun, and what would happen next was difficult to predict.