Arthur shook his head and crossed his arms. "Threaten me? That's not something I want to do."
Hedy angrily punched him. Arthur didn't dodge, the punch landed squarely on his muscular chest. He didn't even flinch, but Hedy gasped in pain.
"Does your hand hurt?" Arthur asked calmly.
Hedy gritted her teeth and glared at him. "No, it doesn't!"
"Brave."Arthur smirked to himself, then asked, "So, what are you doing out here?"
Hedy rolled her eyes and raised her chin. "I'm here to hunt."
"Hunt?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. He had been in the military for years, and not once had he heard of someone daring to hunt in the middle of the night.
Seeing his disbelief, Hedy waved at him. "Come with me."
The two of them walked deeper into the forest. After a while, Hedy suddenly raised her hand and threw a stone, her aim was perfect, and the prey dropped to the ground instantly. It had taken just a little effort, yet she had caught plenty.
Arthur could barely believe his eyes. She was actually hunting in the dark using only the sound of movement to locate her targets! No wonder some scouts had exposed their positions earlier. It wasn't luck at all "this woman had mistaken them for prey and hit them!"
Even elite veterans in the reconnaissance battalion might not be able to do something like that.
Eventually, they found a dry, open spot. Hedy lit a small campfire with ease, and Arthur helped her clean the wild birds and snakes without being asked.
"Where did you learn all this?" he asked.
Hedy turned her head. Seeing how skilled he was at handling wild animals, she figured he had gone through survival training too. She had endured all kinds of brutal training herself 'not to learn skills, but to survive".
"If you want to live in the mountains, it's nothing," Hedy said lightly.
Arthur heard the weight in her words. Did she grow up in the mountains? He didn't press further but silently decided to investigate later.
Soon, the wild birds and snakes were roasting over the fire. Hedy held out a few skewers of sizzling meat and asked, "Want some?"
Arthur nodded. "It's the unwritten rule, if you see it, you get a share. And besides, I helped."
Hedy stared at him. "Don't talk to me about rules. I caught it. I cooked it. It's all mine! If you want to eat, fine but if you eat my food today, you're not allowed to betray me in the future. Got it? You know what happened tonight."
"Alright." Arthur agreed quickly and took the grilled snake meat from her, chewing contentedly.
After finishing her share, Hedy stood up and dashed off.
Arthur watched her silhouette fade into the night, wiped the grease from his mouth, extinguished the campfire, and stood up. Pressing the switch on the miniature walkie-talkie in his ear, he said, "I'm heading back. Time to check on the recruit company's cross-country training."
With that, he vanished into the darkness.
Hedy had no trouble finding her way out of the forest. But the moment she emerged, she heard voices people calling her name.
"Hedy?"
The closest voice came from just a few meters away. She turned to see Susan storming toward her.
Susan grabbed Hedy by the collar and growled through gritted teeth, "Don't come back! Why do you always hurt us? What did we ever do to you? You coward! You're nothing but trouble!"
Stunned, Hedy forcefully pushed her hand away.
Just then, someone else came running, yelling, "I found her! I found her! She's here!"
It was Chloe's voice. Moments later, the third squad leader and the rest of the squad arrived.
Hedy looked confused. "Did you all run back? That's fast."
Chloe stomped her foot in frustration. "Run back? We realized halfway that you were missing! We turned around to look for you and we've been searching this whole time!"
Hedy was baffled. "Why come back for me? Can't you keep running?"
Her words sparked instant outrage.
The third squad leader's veins bulged with anger, but he still spoke calmly. "At first, I was so focused on competing with other classes that I neglected those with weaker endurance. That was my failure as a squad leader. But you, you shouldn't give up on yourself! Our squad is a team. No one gets left behind!"
Hedy suddenly understood. So the mountain cross-country training required the 'entire squad' to reach the finish line together? That's why Susan and the others blamed her, she hadn't known the rule.
Just then, an off-road vehicle came speeding up the road and stopped abruptly near the group. The Captain jumped out, slammed the door shut, and stormed over.
"Where were you?" he demanded furiously.
Hedy glanced at the mud-covered vehicle. Clearly, the Captain had driven all over the mountain looking for her.
"I got lost in the mountains," she lied. If she told the truth that she'd gone hunting and had a barbecue, he'd lose his mind.
She guessed right.
When the third squad leader realized Hedy was missing, he'd immediately reported it to the Captain. The Captain, worried sick, had driven up and down the mountain road searching for her. No one else knew, but the entire recruit company had suspended training just to find her!
"You got lost? On the only road up and down the mountain?" the Captain shouted. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to pull! You were probably hiding nearby, waiting to rejoin the group and pretend you were with them the whole time, weren't you?!"
Hedy snorted disdainfully. That kind of petty trick? Please. She wouldn't bother with something so stupid.
Her reaction only enraged the Captain further. He lost all control.
"Hedy! If you don't want to run, fine! Then don't! Come back with me and file for discharge, I don't want a soldier like you! Get in the car!"
That finally struck a nerve. Hedy's eyes turned cold.
"Captain," she said sharply, "if you want to discharge me, fine. But at least tell me what rule did I break? Why are you kicking me out?"
"Because of your lazy, negative attitude!" he snapped. "You're always finding ways to slack off!"
"Do you have proof, Captain?" Hedy asked coolly.