Chapter 539 Deep Schemes
"Which team?" Benjamin asked.
"Who else?" Royce plopped down next to him, chatting like it was no big deal. "Stephen and his crew."
"I'll talk to her after training," Benjamin said, his deep voice sounding pretty chill. "You set the time for the competition."
"How about the day after your training wraps up?" Royce was itching to settle this. "You wouldn't believe how cocky Stephen's gotten. He stole our people and still rubs it in our faces."
"Well, they're his people now." Benjamin shrugged. "If he can poach them, that's on you."
Royce cleared his throat and asked, "What if he tries to poach someone from you this time?"
"Ever seen anyone succeed in poaching from me?" Benjamin shot back.
Royce went quiet, knowing that trying to poach from Benjamin could backfire big time.
"This time, let's up the stakes," Benjamin's eyes gleamed, but his voice stayed casual. "Make them put something real on the line."
"You trust your team that much?" Royce hadn't seen Daphne's full potential yet, and the competition with the security department was a curveball. "What if she loses? Won't we be the ones at a loss?"
Benjamin's eyes twinkled with a faint smile. "She won't lose."
Royce exchanged a surprised look with Efren.
"If you're that confident, I'll go talk to them," Royce said, trusting Benjamin. "I'll try to make up for our past losses."
Benjamin nodded.
"So, can we cancel my competition with Benjamin?" Efren piped up, looking hopeful.
Royce stood up, patted his shoulder with a grin, and said, "You're dreaming."
Efren felt a bit crushed.
After Royce left, Efren sidled up to Benjamin and tried to negotiate, "You wouldn't really make me go vegetarian for a week, would you?"
"Why not?" Benjamin replied.
"We've been friends forever. Doesn't that count for more than a win or loss?" Efren sat next to him and nudged his shoulder. "How about you let me win, and we call it even?"
Benjamin saw right through him. "You think I don't know what you're up to?"
"What do you mean?" Efren played dumb.
"You're just hoping I'll agree and then set a trap for me," Benjamin said, still in that lazy, indifferent tone. "Your tricks won't work on me."
Efren's cool facade cracked, and he tried to cover up his embarrassment. "You misunderstood me. I was just testing your competitive spirit."
Caught red-handed, Efren was not happy!
"Really?" Benjamin's ability to provoke was top-notch. "I was going to say, if you really wanted a draw, I could try to cooperate."
"Really?" Efren was no match in this kind of thing.
Benjamin glanced at the screen in front of him, a slight smile on his lips. "Nope."
Efren was annoyed. "I hope you stay single forever."
Benjamin replied, "No worries, you'll be there with me."
"Get lost," Efren fumed.
Couldn't Benjamin say something nice for once?
"Aren't you worried you won't find a girlfriend in the future?" Efren got curious.
"It's not something worrying would solve," Benjamin said, his eyes fixed on someone on the screen, his voice low and steady. "If it's meant to be, it will be. If not, I can't force it."
Efren started reflecting on life. He used to have a girlfriend too, but they broke up.
"Have your people start moving around two or three in the morning," Benjamin switched to business.
"Is that really necessary?" Efren felt bad for Daphne and the others. "Making them stay up all night?"
Benjamin didn't bother explaining. He used to think thorough training was enough. But one day, his team came to him, demanding real field training, urging him not to go easy on them.
As their captain, he couldn't ignore such a request.
For the next week, Daphne and the others were on high alert from morning till late at night, relying on each other to get through it. Their mental state was completely different from when they first started.
On the last day, they dragged themselves out, exhausted. Seeing Benjamin waiting, they all collapsed on the ground, not caring about their image.
They had only one thought, 'It's good to be alive.'
Benjamin handed out water and food. After they finished eating, he asked, "How do you feel?"
"Tired," they all answered in unison, clearly not wanting to say another word.
"From today, you have three days off," Benjamin said, looking at each of them. "After three days, training resumes until you go back."
"Benjamin," Daphne spoke up.
Benjamin looked at her.
"When can we start taking on missions?" Daphne asked, a question on everyone's mind.
Benjamin didn't sugarcoat it. "When you can go in and come out the same way, then you can start taking on missions."
They exchanged glances, each making a decision in their hearts.
Actions spoke louder than words, and this was no lie. Just one field training made them realize their shortcomings.
"Rest well when you get back," Benjamin advised, showing a rare bit of concern.
They all stood up and responded affirmatively.
On the way back, Benjamin walked beside Daphne and chatted, "Get ready to work hard again tomorrow."
Everyone's spirits tensed up. Weren't they supposed to rest?
"What for?" Daphne asked, pursing her lips.
"The other team sent a challenge when they heard you're good at network technology," Benjamin told her, his tone lazy but pleasant. "It's scheduled for tomorrow. If you can't recover in time, I'll reschedule it."
Daphne sighed in relief. "It's fine, I can handle it."
As long as it wasn't high-intensity training, it was no big deal.
"Those two on the other team are better than our entire security department. They were poached from us," Benjamin gave her some info about the opponents. "Is there anything you need?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
