156 Chapter 156 Three New Mountains
Dawn’s POV 1
The determination coursing through my veins wouldn’t let these bastards break me. I refused to give them that satisfaction. Years of preparation had led to this moment, and I wasn’t about to crumble now.
Corbin guided me toward an obstacle course that looked like something designed by sadistic engineers. Every element seemed calculated to push human endurance beyond reasonable limits.
“The record time for this course stands at the benchmark time. Your job is to shatter it,” Corbin announced, brandishing a stopwatch like a weapon.
“Understood,” I replied, studying the intimidating structure before me.
“We’re camping out here until you demolish that record. If it takes us until sunset, so be it.” His tone carried the weight of absolute certainty.
“The target time exactly?” I needed clarification.
“Precisely.” He confirmed. I gazed up at the towering obstacle, rolling my shoulders and stretching muscles that still screamed from yesterday’s punishment.
“Hold on. You need to complete the entire circuit there and back within the time limit,” Corbin added, as if the challenge wasn’t already impossible.
“Are you completely insane?” The words escaped before I could stop them.
His grin was pure evil. Then the stopwatch clicked, and my body launched
into motion.
I sprinted to the course entrance and scaled the vertical ladder, reaching for the rope suspended thirty feet above unforgiving concrete. Nothing but empty air and certain injury waited below. I wrapped my legs around the rough fibers and began the hand–over–hand journey across twenty feet of
156 Chapter 156 Three New Mountains
open space. The platform on the far side welcomed me with a bone–jarring landing.
Down the stairs I flew, muscles already burning as I attacked the rope ladder. Up and over the thick supporting beam, then down the opposite side without pause.
A brief sprint preceded the wooden wall climb. I hauled myself over and dropped to the other side, knowing the worst was yet to come.
The barbed wire section demanded I flatten myself against the dirt and crawl like a snake. Trip wires crisscrossed the ground, ready to snare the careless. Every movement required precision while my body screamed for rest.
Emerging from that torture, I faced the rope climb. Hand over hand, I ascended until I could ring the bell at the summit. The metallic clang echoed my small victory.
But there was no time to celebrate. The descent led directly to the water pit, a muddy crater filled with stagnant liquid that reeked of decomposition. I leaped for the first overhead post and began the monkey bar progression, my grip threatening to fail with each transfer.
The single log balance beam stretched ahead like a tightrope walker’s nightmare. One misstep meant a painful plunge into the muck below. Somehow, I maintained my footing across the massive trunk.
The final ascent loomed overhead. Rope to platform, then widely–spaced wooden posts that tested both balance and courage. Another rope ladder led to the highest platform, where a descent rope waited to return me to earth.
But the nightmare wasn’t over. Without a moment’s respite, I had to reverse the entire sequence, tackling every obstacle backward while my body begged for mercy.
When I finally stumbled back to Corbin’s position, sweat poured from every pore. My lungs burned like I’d been breathing fire, and I grabbed my water bottle with desperate hands.
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156 Chapter 156 Three New Mountains
That’s when I noticed we weren’t alone anymore.
Three massive figures stood beside Corbin, each one built like a human fortress. They towered over six feet four inches, their muscles straining against black uniforms that marked them as part of our unit. Where the hell did they find these specimens?
“Well over the target time,” Corbin announced, consulting his stopwatch.
“Give me a moment. I’m going again,” I panted between gulps of water.
“Meet your new bunkmates. Command just transferred them in, and I need to break up those two lovebirds who’ve been keeping everyone awake with their nocturnal activities,” Corbin explained.
“You actually know about that situation?” I asked, surprised.
“I know every move you people make,” he replied with casual authority.
The largest of the three stepped forward. “Good afternoon, ma’am. I’m Nico, and these are Koa and Asher.”
“It’s Dawn, not ma’am,” I corrected firmly.
“Congratulations. You now have three training partners for the obstacle course,” Corbin announced with obvious satisfaction.
“Look at the size of these mountains. You seriously expect me to outperform them?” I gestured at the trio of giants.
“Competition breeds excellence,” he said, that infuriating smirk returning to his face.
I shook my head and set down my water bottle. We all moved to the starting line, and I could feel the weight of their presence beside me.
This sadistic bastard was definitely trying to destroy me. Every fiber of my being knew it.
But if I was going down, it would be with guns blazing.
156 Chapter 156 Three New Mountains
The stopwatch gleamed in Corbin’s hand, ready to begin another round of torture. My muscles protested, my lungs still fought for normal rhythm, and now I had to compete against three specimens who looked like they’d been carved from granite.
I rolled my shoulders one final time and focused on the course ahead. Pain was temporary, but quitting was forever. These new arrivals might have size and strength, but I had something they didn’t know about yet.
I had the burning desire to prove that I belonged here, no matter what it cost
- me.
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