Chapter 537 Tough on the Outside, Soft on the Inside
"Do you think the enemy's gonna give you a heads-up before a surprise attack?" Benjamin said, all casual-like.
The other side went quiet again. After a long pause, he finally spoke up, "We'll have a rematch next month. This time, we admit defeat."
"You admit defeat? You lost fair and square," Benjamin shot back, like always.
"Yeah, we lost," the guy admitted, but he wasn't happy about it. He quickly added, "We'll compete again next month."
The captain couldn't believe it. No way they were gonna lose that fast if given another chance.
"Next month? Nah, they'll be busy with other stuff," Benjamin said, speaking for Daphne. "Wait a couple of years till you get better, then we can take it slow."
Benjamin didn't bother chatting more and hung up.
Their phones could only make internal calls and send texts, nothing fancy. Just basic communication tools.
"Go get some rest. You gotta leave for field training in five hours," Benjamin checked the time, sounding concerned.
Daphne nodded and took off.
This whole thing caused a bit of a stir, reminding everyone in the organization just how sneaky Benjamin could be. The network security team got a serious talking-to.
But that had nothing to do with Daphne and her crew. At dawn, they headed out for special training.
At the field assembly point, Benjamin handed out supplies to everyone.
After making sure everyone got their share, he said, "This training's gonna last a week. The rations you have will last four days. You'll have to figure out the last three days on your own."
"Can we buy more?" Sam blurted out.
Benjamin gave him a look.
Sam immediately felt a chill.
"No one's allowed to bring anything other than what I just gave you," Benjamin laid down the law. "Got it?"
Everyone answered together, "Got it!"
"Rest here for twenty minutes," Benjamin instructed. "We'll officially start after that."
With that, he left with the other team members.
Daphne and the others found a spot to sit and started planning.
"Normally, this food would only last me two days," Zoey looked at the skimpy rations and asked, "How are we supposed to make it last seven days?"
Daphne pursed her lips, thinking back to their previous training. "Maybe we'll have to eat bugs."
Everyone went silent.
As they were stressing out, Efren came over. He had a bag of stuff and kept glancing towards the rest tent.
"Take these," he put the bag in front of them. "Share it equally."
Everyone looked at it. "Benjamin said no extra supplies."
"He might seem tough, but he's got a soft spot," Efren handed out the items. "You guys aren't permanent members yet. He won't let you starve. He just wants you to learn survival skills."
They exchanged looks.
Efren continued, "Take it. He specifically told me to give it to you."
"Really?" Sam was shocked.
"Yeah, he told me to give it to you on the down-low and not to mention it was his idea," Efren said as he split up the items and handed them out. "He's pretty stubborn."
Without a second thought, everyone stuffed the items into their backpacks.
With these, they had just enough for seven days!
"Don't let it slip later," Efren warned, "If he finds out, he'll make you hand it over."
"Got it," Dominic and the others replied in unison.
They figured Benjamin wanted to be nice but also had to keep up his tough-guy instructor act.
Efren smiled, patted their shoulders, and left.
Sam and the others were thrilled, their respect for Benjamin growing.
"Now we can relax," Emma said, looking at the extra food with relief. "If we ration it, it should last seven days."
Daphne frowned, deep in thought. She glanced at the items in her backpack, feeling uneasy.
Zoey noticed her expression. "What's up?"
"I feel like this is a setup," Daphne said hesitantly.
Emma asked, "What kind of setup?"
"Before we rested, Benjamin said no one was allowed to bring anything other than what he gave us," Daphne said, a bad feeling creeping in. "But this..."
According to the rules, what Efren gave them counted as extra supplies.
What if it was a trap?
"Don't worry, it's fine," Emma shrugged it off. "Efren said Benjamin is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. We're just temps. Benjamin won't be too strict."
"Right," Zoey agreed.
Meanwhile, Evan had the same concern.
When Sam and Dominic heard his worries, they said, "If you're that worried, give the stuff to us. Don't come crying when you're hungry later."
"Fine," Evan handed them over without hesitation.
Sam and Dominic thought he was being foolish.
They added, "Benjamin likes to set traps for us, but not in situations like this."
"Hopefully," Evan sighed.
As Sam took his items, he asked, "You sure you don't want them?"
"Yeah," Evan was firm.
"I think you're overthinking it," Dominic said while taking the items. "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean Benjamin is."
"Exactly," Sam agreed.
Evan glanced towards the rest tent, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
He hoped he was just overthinking.
Twenty minutes later, Benjamin returned with Efren by his side.
Benjamin signaled to a nearby team member, instructing, "Check if they have all their gear."
"Yes," The team member quickly checked.
Two minutes later, he reported to Benjamin, "Benjamin, except for Evan, everyone has extra rations and water in their bags!"
"Everyone except Evan, step forward," Benjamin's voice was icy.
Everyone complied.
Daphne's heart sank, realizing her earlier suspicion was right.
"Didn't I tell you, no one is allowed to bring anything other than what I gave you?" Benjamin's cunning was hard to predict.
"Efren gave it to us," Sam explained. "He said..."
He suddenly paused.
If he said it was Benjamin's idea, they'd be in big trouble.
Efren did say Benjamin was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.
Benjamin's dark eyes bore into him. "Said what?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
