Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen novel Chapter 388

Jane's training had been going on for three days straight.

By the third day, something unfortunate happened.

The first round of eliminations was announced.

From written tests, physical fitness, adaptability, technical skills, and various other aspects, the bottom twenty candidates in each department were cut from the program.

Luckily, everyone from room 309 just managed to scrape by.

Still, Una and her friends were worried, "I feel like we’re bound to be on the next list."

Nana added, "I was only two spots away from being eliminated."

Olivia looked downcast, "I really don’t want to be cut."

Olivia was kind of quirky, but she was a genuinely nice girl and quite endearing.

Una, recalling Olivia's test scores, said, "Well, if you don't make it here, there are other military schools. It’s not like the Army Command Academy is the only option, right?"

Olivia shook her head, "My parents only let me apply here once. If I don’t make it, they’ll send me to the school they picked for me. Then, it's off to inherit the family business."

Una and Nana exchanged glances, "Wait, what? A rich girl in our midst?"

Una, excited, asked, "Olivia, what does your family do?"

Eileen, who also liked Olivia, turned to her with interest. If Olivia's family business was anywhere near Nathan Finance, there might be future business opportunities.

Looking even more despondent, Olivia admitted, "My family runs a chain of funeral homes."

Una and Nana were speechless.

Eileen was equally stunned.

Olivia continued, head hung low, "And it’s a franchise."

The three girls couldn't find words.

Olivia grimaced, "If I don't become a soldier, I'll have to start burning bodies."

The girls were silent.

That explained a lot. Whether or not Olivia was actually into the supernatural, her quirky nature was probably influenced by her family's business. Maybe her whole family believed in that stuff!

After the first round of eliminations, the candidates' mood noticeably shifted from relaxed to tense.

Two days later, they faced their first comprehensive exam.

The exam's results would determine the second round of eliminations.

Suddenly, everyone was on high alert.

This comprehensive exam involved all 350 remaining students in a joint exercise.

The exam wasn’t held at the school but at the nearby Field Command.

Early in the morning, the students were bused to the sprawling field area.

The entire area was vast, with rolling hills and rivers, covering about 150 square kilometers. It was one of the best terrains around the Capital.

Since it was a field area, Army Base personnel often trained there, so the dormitories at the base of the hills were already set up.

The students were settled into these dorms.

Then came the leadership speeches, followed by team assignments.

The content of the comprehensive exam wasn’t set by the school but by the Army Base, using their field exercise model.

The 350 students were split into red and blue teams, each team taking a hilltop as their base. Over three days, the team that controlled the largest area and "defeated" the most enemies would win.

Eileen was on the red team. Their commander was a guy from the command department named Tom.

Before the exams began, Tom gathered all 174 students to rally their spirits.

After some motivational chanting, Tom started sorting everyone into groups.

He said, "Each group will have 25 people. I'll lead one group, and the deputy will lead another..."

He must have planned this beforehand because he sorted everyone quickly.

Once the groups were set, Una suddenly raised her hand and shouted, "Report!"

Tom glanced at her, hands behind his back, "Go ahead."

Nana rolled her eyes, thinking he was acting all high and mighty.

Una asked, "There are seven team leaders, but what about Eileen?"

Tom frowned, glanced at Eileen standing in the corner, and replied, "The team leaders are all from the command department. Is she from the command department?"

Una quickly responded, "She’s top in all her classes and a star in the defense department. She’d be great leading an assault group..."

"Attention!" Tom suddenly shouted.

Una was startled but stood at attention.

Major Morris said nothing in response.

Commander Dirk, standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. "Having a bias against female soldiers is a problem in itself, isn't it? On the battlefield, it’s about ability, not gender."

Tom's instructor was taken aback and fell silent.

Major Morris, though not part of the Military Leadership Academy, didn't want tensions to escalate, so he interjected, "Let’s keep watching."

The twenty or so leaders in the monitoring room turned their attention back to the screen.

Tom was ambitious. He personally led his team to seize the armory, hoping to secure explosives and catch the Blue Team off guard.

But what Tom could think of, the Blue Team's commander had thought of too.

An hour later, Tom returned with his team, looking utterly defeated. They were as confident when they left as they were disheveled upon their return.

Tom was in a foul mood, snapping at his team the entire way back.

The leader of Team Five rushed to meet them, concerned. "What happened?"

Tom, with a grim expression, replied, "They ambushed us on the way to the armory. They had twice our numbers. We got wiped out, came back empty-handed..."

The Team Five leader was at a loss for words.

The soldiers at the base were equally stunned.

Losing so early in the exercise?

Their performance would determine who gets eliminated!

Tom realized his strategic misstep and hung his head, dejectedly asking, "Are you all disappointed in me?"

Seeing him so remorseful, no one could bring themselves to scold him.

Eileen then spoke up, "Commander Tom, you're our leader. You can't say you've got nothing left."

Tom was taken aback, looking over at Eileen. Was she encouraging him?

Eileen gave him a gentle smile and said kindly, "You’re not left with nothing. At least you’ve still got your face to show."

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Author’s Note:

Sweet dreams, everyone! 😊