Several massive transport vessels lay anchored at the first helipad like steel behemoths. Gestalt led them to an open training area set up with simulated shelters and obstacles.
"Today, we will conduct the squad's first live-fire coordination training," Gestalt announced.
Gestalt's gaze swept over the three of them.
"Remember, the 'Pioneers' are a single unit."
"On the battlefield, losing control could lead to the annihilation of the entire squad."
"I don't care what sense of power you gained yesterday."
"From today onward, you must learn to think and fight as one."
The training exercise involved firing live ammunition at moving targets fifty meters away while on the move.
"Ryan Flame, you're first!"
Ryan perked up at the words. He strode forward, picked up an AR-18 assault rifle, and skillfully loaded an energy magazine. The "Red" core on his chest made his emotions and energy more intense than usual.
"Control your core," Gestalt reminded him matter-of-factly. "Don't let it affect your judgment!"
"Don't worry, boss!" Ryan grinned as he raised his gun to aim.
"Bang!" The first energy round whistled out and hit the bullseye precisely, erupting into a dazzling burst of sparks.
"Nice!" Ryan cheered, his confidence soaring as he began firing continuously. However, his excessive excitement gradually caused him to neglect precise control of his core energy. His arms trembled slightly from excitement, and his breathing became somewhat rapid.
Eager to prove himself during a simulated firefight, Ryan rushed out of cover prematurely, exposing his flank to a high-speed "fire" from a blind spot.
To Shen Kai, it was a red threat marker indicating a "lethal" target heading straight toward Ryan.
Almost instinctively, Shen Kai stepped sideways, using his body to shield Ryan while firing precise bursts from his rifle, detonating the threat target prematurely.
"Shen Kai! What are you doing?!" Gestalt said angrily. "Your task is to cover the right flank, not act as Ryan's babysitter!"
Ryan was also stunned, staring in disbelief at Shen Kai standing in front of him.
Without turning around, Shen Kai murmured,
"Tactical Manual, Article 7, Section 3: When a teammate makes a fatal mistake and cannot avoid it on their own, nearby units should prioritize providing support without affecting the overall tactical objectives."
His voice was calm and emotionless, as if he were merely reciting a clause unrelated to himself.
Gestalt gave Shen Kai a meaningful look, his eyes flashing with a complex expression, but said nothing more.
Ryan seemed shaken by his mistake and Shen Kai's intervention. He swung the gun barrel impatiently and pulled the trigger instinctively.
"Bang!"
The shot missed. Worse still, due to the excessive swing of the gun, the muzzle pointed in an extremely dangerous direction—the edge of the command console.
The uncontrollable energy beam grazed Gestalt's boots and narrowly pierced the metal wall behind him, leaving a charred bullet hole.
A wave of hot energy and burnt dust swept over them.
The entire training ground fell silent instantly.
Shen Kai clearly "saw" that the "lead-gray" aura around Gestalt, usually steady and heavy like molten lead, erupted suddenly like magnesium rods thrown into flames. It emitted a terrifying "color" intertwined with blinding crimson and icy blue, filled with extreme anger and ruthless killing intent!
The intensity of that "color" caused even him, an onlooker, to shiver from the depths of his soul.
Gestalt slowly raised his head, his gaze like two icy blades fixated on the red-haired youth, whose face had turned deathly pale and whose body had stiffened due to his foolish mistake.
There was no thunderous roar, as expected. Instead, Gestalt spoke in a calm, almost eerie tone, enunciating each word clearly.
"Ryan Flame."
"It seems that your newly awakened 'Red Core' has given you not only a false sense of power but also the foolishness to turn you into a 'walking time bomb' capable of harming your comrades at any moment."
"Yes, sir!" Ryan's legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to his knees. His heart, which had been racing due to the core's initial awakening, was suddenly doused with a bucket of ice water, leaving him with nothing but fear and shame.
"After training, carry a 30-kilogram load and run twenty laps around the outer defensive walls of Rocky City."
"If you don't finish before sunset, you'll be responsible for cleaning all the toilets in the new recruit training camp for the next week. Use your toothbrush."
Ryan's face turned as gray-green as 03 nutrient paste.
He knew the captain was serious this time—not about him as a person, but about his foolish actions that could have doomed the entire squad.
Shen Kai silently sensed the almost tangible, lead-gray anger emanating from Gestalt and the wildly fluctuating, orange-red panic aura emanating from Ryan, fueled by fear and shame.
The price new recruits must pay to grow in times of war is likely this: brutal, with no room for luck.