Chapter 538 Too Many Traps
"Nothing," Sam muttered, clamming up.
"Keep a day's worth of rations, hand over the rest," Benjamin's thin lips barely moved, but his words were ice-cold.
Dominic tried to protest, "But..."
Evan gave him a nudge.
Dominic shut his mouth.
Everyone reluctantly handed over their rations, clearly pissed off.
Seeing he got what he wanted, Benjamin told them to move out.
Efren looked at the sorry bunch and said, "Thought they'd all be goners. Surprised one made it, better than the last group."
"Should be two," Benjamin's eyes followed Daphne, who was already walking away.
Efren looked confused, "What do you mean?"
"Nothing," Benjamin didn't bother explaining. "Just make sure your guys keep an eye on them, don't let anything serious happen."
"It's all set," Efren assured him.
Benjamin took one last look at the group before heading back to the tent.
As they walked, Efren asked, "What if none of them took the bait?"
"Then we go to Plan B; I'll hand it to them myself," Benjamin replied.
This was all about teaching them to tell reality from deception.
Efren clicked his tongue.
Meanwhile, with Daphne's group, Sam started griping, "Benjamin and his crew are too slick. We barely had any food, and now they took some of it."
"There are too many traps here. I want to go back to Gedser," Zoey sighed.
Everyone sighed together.
Only Evan had more rations.
Remembering what Evan had said earlier, Dominic asked, "Evan, how did you know it was a trap?"
"Efren's words didn't add up," Evan said slowly, seeing through it all. "We've been in the organization for so long. When has Benjamin ever been tough on the outside but soft on the inside?"
Expecting Benjamin to be soft-hearted was a joke.
"If only we had listened to Daphne, we'd have more rations," Emma regretted, thinking about how to survive now.
Sam pressed, "What do you mean?"
"Daphne thought it was a trap, but Zoey and I didn't," Emma wished she could turn back time.
"Even if none of us had taken what Efren offered, Benjamin would have found another way to take some of our rations," Daphne speculated.
Evan nodded, "Exactly."
The rest were puzzled, "Why?"
"The point of this training is survival in the wild," Evan explained. "From the start, Benjamin probably only planned to give us a day's worth of rations and water. After that, we're on our own."
Hearing this, everyone felt frustrated!
Emma and Sam complained about Benjamin.
All their words and actions were being monitored by Efren and Benjamin in the tent.
Efren teased, "Daphne and Evan seem to get you pretty well."
"Too much understanding makes it hard to set traps," Benjamin's eyes were on the screen, already plotting new plans.
"Don't push them too hard," Efren, being the kinder one, tried to persuade Benjamin. "What if they break completely?"
Benjamin's thin lips curled slightly. "Break them a few more times, they'll get used to it."
Efren sighed, "Lucky I came in with you, or who knows how you'd have messed me up."
"You should feel it's a pity," Benjamin said in his usual lazy tone, "Better to be deceived by me than by someone else."
Efren wanted to argue, but he knew Benjamin had a point.
Benjamin's trainees were always sharper and more cunning than others. They set traps and outsmarted everyone during missions or competitions, making Benjamin's team the best.
Most importantly, as Benjamin said, getting deceived repeatedly in training made them mentally tougher than the rest.
If Benjamin had more time, the higher-ups would have him train everyone.
"Think it's a pity now?" Benjamin asked, noticing Efren's thoughtful look.
Efren, not realizing it was a trap, nodded. "A bit."
"Then join them in the field training," Benjamin said, looking all righteous in his combat uniform. "If you last a night, I'll give you one-on-one guidance."
"No way!" Efren immediately refused.
He wasn't a masochist. Competing with Benjamin in field training would be a nightmare.
Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "Scared to lose?"
Efren shot back, "Ridiculous, I'm not scared of you."
"Then compete with me," Benjamin challenged.
"No way, ask anyone in the organization, who wants to go one-on-one with you?" Efren replied.
"Mr. Castillo, does this count as Efren surrendering without a fight?" Benjamin suddenly asked.
Efren's eyes widened.
Before he could respond, a stern voice came from behind him, "After this week, you and Benjamin will train one-on-one."
"When did you get here?" Efren was puzzled.
Royce Castillo, the captain, and Benjamin both looked at him.
Royce was stern, Benjamin was teasing.
Efren's heart sank. Damn, how did he fall into this?
"Looks like you've been training a lot lately, Royce," Efren quickly changed his tone. "I didn't even hear you walk over."
"Next week, you two will compete. The loser eats vegetarian for a week," Royce announced, ignoring Efren's change of tone.
Efren coughed lightly, "How about a different punishment?"
Royce ignored him.
Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "How about you join? The three of us together."
"Right," Efren quickly agreed.
Royce coughed lightly, changing the subject, "I came to find Benjamin for something important. Not everyone is as idle as you."
Efren and Benjamin exchanged a look.
Royce ignored it and got to the point. "I heard your team caught the security department off guard at dawn?"
"Yes." Benjamin nodded.
Royce asked, "How about giving that person to me?"
"No," Benjamin refused.
Royce tried to persuade him, "I won't treat her badly. She'll have better conditions than here."
"She has her teammates here," Benjamin declined on behalf of Daphne, "She's someone who values her friends."
"Then give me the whole team," Royce said, genuinely wanting the talent. "You can pick anyone from my team."
Benjamin still refused.
Royce had to state his purpose, "At least lend her to me for a few days. A team is challenging us, and I need to protect our team's honor."
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