The following day, the bell from the long tower on the east side of the camp rang out. The recruits gathered in the central plaza, and in the silence, Instructor Moya slowly ascended the makeshift platform. Behind him, a virtual map began to activate, with star-patterned elven runes floating in mid-air, forming a three-dimensional virtual city.
"Today, you will undertake your first simulated breakout mission," Moya announced, scanning the crowd with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, devoid of any softness. "The mission is simple: enter this besieged city, successfully rescue three hostage simulacra, and retreat to the southeastern pass. You will face simulated enemy forces adapted from orc tactical units. Their numbers are unknown, patrol routes are random, and they are equipped with heat-sensing and basic combat intelligence."
"This is not a game, nor a rehearsal," Moya's voice was low and slow, like a steel blade slicing through thick cloth. "Today, you will face one of the most common yet dangerous situations on the battlefield—being surrounded and needing to break through."
He pointed to the map. "This simulation is different from before. Every mistake, hesitation, or planning error will result in the 'hostage simulacra' being moved or 'executed.' Your actions will be fully recorded and analyzed, becoming one of the factors determining your eligibility for central recommendation advancement."
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
Tario muttered under his breath, "This isn't training; it's an exam..."
Moya glanced at him, "Exactly. On the real battlefield, there are no rehearsals."
As usual, Cain took on the role of commander, quickly assigning tasks: "Breach the east wall, Ze and Aina will infiltrate. Tario and I will create a diversion on the west side to draw enemy attention, while Rodi provides remote support."
Everyone nodded, and the operation commenced swiftly. But this time, something seemed off.
Cain's voice was slightly agitated, and when Tario entered cover, he accidentally knocked over a noise canister, prompting the enemy to patrol earlier than expected. Ze attempted to alter the infiltration route, but Cain ordered him over the radio to stick to the original plan, nearly leading them into a direct confrontation with an enemy patrol.
"This route will expose us!" Ze whispered urgently.
"Trust me, keep going!" Cain replied firmly.
However, the enemy arrived three minutes earlier than anticipated. Both the eastern and western routes were blocked; Aina was trapped between collapsed buildings, her leg injured, forcing Ze to drag her back. Meanwhile, Cain's side was forced to detonate obstacles early due to Tario's mistake, preventing them from reaching the central area.
One hostage simulacrum was taken by the simulated enemy forces, while two were deemed executed.
"We... have to retreat," Rodi's voice trembled urgently over the communication channel.
Cain, drenched in sweat, looked at the red warning lights flaring up amidst the ruins. "There's still one left; I can flank and save them!" Cain shouted.
"No! You'll get us all killed!" Ze's voice came from the other end, cold and decisive.
Cain gritted his teeth, punching the wall hard. In the end, he ordered a retreat.
As they crossed the southeastern exit, the timer displayed: Mission Failed.
Moya stood before the terminal, watching the data projection, his expression still stern. "Two hostages executed, one transferred and lost contact. The team made multiple operational errors, had decision-making conflicts, and issued chaotic commands. This mission—failed."
The group stood with heads bowed at the edge of the field, the atmosphere heavier than the night. Tario's face was pale, biting his knuckles incessantly. Aina sat quietly to the side, tending to her scraped knee. Rodi silently watched the replay on the screen, saying nothing.
Cain stood at the front, fists clenched, unable to utter a word.
"The responsibility is mine," he finally said quietly, "I mismanaged the command, made wrong judgments... I let the team down."
No one spoke.
"It's not entirely your fault," Ze said calmly, his tone lacking any comfort, "But this time... no one can claim innocence."
Cain turned to look at him, only to see Ze's eyes, calm as still water.
That night, no one in the squad initiated a fire. Only faint herbal smoke drifted at the edge of the tent area.
"It feels like... we finally understand what 'battlefield' really means," Tario said softly.
Aina did not respond, just leaned gently against a tent post, arms wrapped around her knees, staring into the distance.
Cain sat at the edge of the camp, gazing at the night moon of the simulated planet in the sky, his face lacking its usual determination. "I can't make a second mistake," he murmured to himself, "I... won't allow it."
At the forest's edge, Ze sat alone atop a high observation post, quietly overlooking the entire training area. He did not join the others, nor did he offer any commentary. It was as if he was separated from the world by a layer of mist, a mystery no one could unravel.
Sunlight spilled over the smoke and dust lingering from the previous night's exercise area, casting mottled and dim light on the ground. The sky above the camp remained a clear blue, with a gentle breeze rustling the fabric between the tents, carrying a faint scent of grass.
The squad members were summoned to the briefing room early in the morning, but the atmosphere was markedly different from usual. No one spoke, not even Tario, who was usually the loudest. Everyone was acutely aware that there were no excuses for the failure of the breakout mission.
Moya stood at the podium, his gaze like a blade sweeping over the group. "Last night's operation, each of you made mistakes."
He opened the record screen, pointing out each error one by one: "Tario, you failed to check for ground noise when entering cover."
"Cain, your command was overconfident, failing to adjust orders based on real-time feedback from your team."
"Aina, you lost focus during infiltration, leading to unintended noise."
"Ze... you were right to try and correct the route, but acting without explicit authorization posed too high a risk."
He paused, his tone turning stern: "This isn't academy training. On a real battlefield, one mistake could bury the entire team."
The room fell into an oppressive silence.
After the debriefing, the six-member squad sat on a wooden platform at the back of the training field, each holding a cooling nutritional meal, the atmosphere still heavy.
"What should we do?" Aina broke the silence, her voice full of remorse.
"We weren't as coordinated as usual," Rodi said quietly, adjusting his glasses. "The information exchange was too slow... and the communication—"
"I let you down," Tario suddenly stood up, speaking with agitation, "I was too careless, I—I shouldn't have joined the assault team..."
"It's not just your fault," Cain interrupted, his voice low but firm. "It was my allocation error, trusting the plan too much... failing to adjust in time."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Cain lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over each of them. "We're a team, not individuals. I can't rely solely on my judgment... nor can I ignore your input."
His tone slowed, as if making a vow: "Next time, I want every one of you to come back safely. Not just to complete the mission, but to do it—together."
Ze, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. "Sounds like you've learned a lesson."
His tone was flat, without sarcasm.
Cain gave a wry smile, "Almost didn't learn it."
Ze nodded, as if acknowledging the statement.
That afternoon, the squad gathered again, not for a mission, but because they voluntarily requested additional practice. They recreated the terrain of the simulated mission, this time without simulating enemies, focusing solely on rehearsing each segment for better coordination and contingency plans.
"Adjust the timing of the diversion by three seconds."
"Change the infiltration route to a dual-option plan, allowing for cross-support at any time."
"Use code names in communication to avoid repeated commands."
As the sunset painted the entire ground red, sweat dripped from each of their foreheads, yet no one complained.
Cain looked at his teammates and said, word by word: "We failed this time, but we won't let the same mistakes happen again. Next time, we will succeed."