Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Quinton greeted the crowd as he said, “I’m the lecturer in charge of looking after our faculty’s students this time, and I’ll join you in the army. Everyone, please do your best in your training, obey your instructors’ commands, and tell me in time if something happens.”
The ladies were elated, and one of them asked, “Does that mean we’re going to see you every day, Mr. Clark?”
“Oh my god, I’m so happy!” said another.
However, before the ladies could get carried away with their infatuation, they were interrupted by Commander Ford, who snapped, “Silence!”
Everyone at the scene fell silent at once. Glancing frostily at everyone, Commander Ford said, “From now on, you’re my soldiers, and I’m your superior. Tell me, what is a soldier’s bound duty?”
Intimidated by their company commander’s imposing manner, the group of ladies didn’t dare to speak. Sophia was the only person who answered in a sonorous voice, “To obey orders, Sir!”
“That’s right—to obey orders!” said Commander Ford as he glanced in exasperation at the few ladies who stepped out of the ranks. “Right now, I’m ordering you to put down the sh*t on your head, put on your army caps, take off your heels, and remove your makeup! Put your Chanel, Dior, and Hermès away; these things aren’t needed in military camps!”
Some of the ladies tremblingly did as they were told and got back in line after that. However, the ladies with powerful backing rebelled.
A lady who had exquisite makeup and wore a pair of heels noticed that Quinton was still over there, and she sneaked glances around her for a moment. Then, she suddenly cried out, “Ah!”
After that, she collapsed in a graceful fashion.
“Someone fainted from a heatstroke!” cried the students.
“Hurry and send her to the infirmary!” said a shocked Quinton, who quickly dashed forward and bent down under the envious eye of the ladies. However, as he was about to carry the seemingly unconscious lady to the infirmary, Commander Ford suddenly snapped, “Step back!”
Quinton didn’t know why Commander Ford said so, but now that the military training had started, it was inappropriate for him to step in. Therefore, he could only step aside.
Commander Ford then called two big and burly soldiers over. He ordered coldly, “Drag her away.”
With that, the two soldiers pulled the lady’s feet, dragging her away as if they were dragging a dead dog. The lady wasn’t unconscious, of course; she faked a blackout to bluff herself out of the training and have Quinton carry her in his arms while she was at it. However, little did she expect Commander Ford to have her dragged away like a dead dog!
“Aaaaah! Get your hands off me!” screamed the lady in an ear-piercing voice as she was dragged away in a deeply embarrassing manner until her hair was in a mess. In an instant, she became the laughing stock of the entire field.
The air suddenly became tense; all that remained was the lady’s hysterical screams ringing in everyone’s ears. “Do you know who my Dad and Grandpa are? My Grandpa is…”
Commander Ford ordered, “Pull her heels out while you’re at it!”
The two soldiers obediently stripped the lady of her heels at Commander Ford’s command. Then, they continued dragging her away, ignoring not only her struggles and screeches but also the raised eyebrows of the entire regiment, battalion, and company.
Everyone got quite a scare, for the lady who had been dragged away just now seemed to have strong backing; even Commander Ford’s military rank of Second Lieutenant would pale in comparison with her family background.
The lady with a bun, who had stepped out of the ranks together with the other ladies, flushed angrily as she pointed her finger at Commander Ford in disbelief. “How dare you! You’re merely a Second Lieutenant, whereas her maternal grandfather is Major General Leicester! Who gave you the nerve and authority to touch her?”
Sophia shook her head as well. So she’s Major General Leicester’s granddaughter. It seems that this Second Lieutenant is finished, she thought to herself.
However, when she sneaked a glance at Quinton, she found that he seemed content with being an onlooker despite the kindliness that filled his eyes. Moreover, the faculty leaders seemed to be accustomed to such an incident; they also noticed what was happening here, but no one came to diffuse the situation.
Suddenly, a voice answered from the side, “I did.”
A figure dressed in a well-ironed olive-drab military uniform approached them from a distance. Looking enigmatic and mysterious, the man exuded an air of boundless menace and authority with his youthful and distant-looking yet elegant face. He took every step with firmness and solidity as if he wanted to leave deep footprints in the grass, and the military insignia on his shoulders indicated his identity—he was a Senior Colonel!
The Senior Colonel stood still while looking coldly at the farce before his eyes. Despite his expressionless face, he had a murderous look in his eyes.
Upon seeing the man, the girl with ‘the piece of sh*t on her head’ who had been speaking harshly just a moment ago suddenly turned as white as a sheet. She held her tongue in fright, and her widened
almond-shaped eyes were filled with immense fear.
Seizing the opportunity, Sophia stood on tiptoe to take a peek at the man. Since there was only one Senior Colonel among the military training commanders, he must have been the Chief Commander of this military training!
He was a Senior Colonel, whereas the maternal grandfather of the lady just now held the higher military rank of Major General. However, it was apparent that this Senior Colonel was even more powerful than the Major General. He was Joel Fletcher, a member of the Fletcher Family!
The Fletcher Family was the number one military family not only in Bayside City but also throughout Cethos. One should never mess with a Fletcher if he or she came across one in the army!
As the youngest Senior Colonel in Cethos, Joel Fletcher, the son of the head of the Fletcher Family of Bayside City, was only a step away from becoming a Major General. Only an event like Bayside University’s military training was major enough to be graced with the presence of such an important character like him.
Even the fiercest and most unreasonable lot of the prestigious families didn’t dare to make a sound in his presence. Therefore, Major General Leicester’s granddaughter—who had been screaming like a tortured hen just now—held her tongue as well.
Joel Fletcher looked frostily at everyone before withdrawing his gaze. Then, he gave Commander Ford a slight nod of approval and left.
For some reason, Sophia had a feeling that Joel Fletcher had just taken a glance in her direction. Was Michael actually related to the Fletcher Family of Bayside City? Also, did Joel know her in person?
She had dug for information about the Fletcher Family before, but there was pathetically little information about them on the Internet. All she could find were names, and there weren’t even photos of them
available. According to the information Hale had obtained, there really wasn’t a person named Michael in the Fletcher Family, and nor was Nathan’s name listed among the Fletchers.
The lady with a bun trembled all over with fright. Commander Ford stared coldly at the several defiant ladies from rich families as he said, “I’m giving you two choices right now: either get out of my troops or do as I say!”
Expulsion from the troops would mean that they failed to complete their military training. Not only would their academic results over the next four years at university be affected directly, but they might even be unable to obtain their degrees.
The lady with a bun glanced at Major General Leicester’s granddaughter, who was being dragged away. Then, with great reluctance, she untied her bun while shedding tears of grievance.
Commander Ford didn’t take pity on her at all though. He ordered, “Get back in line in a minute!”
The lady wore her untied hair in a ponytail with a pout before putting on her military training cap and getting back in the line. Soon after that, the lady who had been dragged away was released back into the ranks while sobbing. With that, the bunch of rich ladies was finally silenced; they did as they should since they didn’t dare to stir up troubles again.
The students numbered off before they were repositioned according to their heights. Since Sophia was taller among the ladies, she was positioned at the head of the row. Nathan, on the other hand, was positioned at the end. NôvelDrama.Org owns all content.
Commander Ford pointed at Sophia, saying, “You—the one who brought a kid with you—fall out. You’ll be the pacesetter from now, and you’ll be in charge of gathering the troops on time for training every day.”
“Yes, Commander!” Sophia was very pleased; little did she expect that she would become the pacesetter on the first day of her training.
After the troops were put in order, everyone lined up and boarded the bus one after another to head to the military camp. Nathan kept dozing off as he sat next to Sophia, who kept her eyes open to stare at the scenery outside the bus window since she actually looked forward to the military training.
The buses passed through Bayside City’s main street in a grandeur akin to the procession of a royal princess making an inspection tour as somebody even cleared the way for them. After about three hours, they finally reached the suburbs. Sophia, who was feeling sleepy, was startled as soon as she opened her eyes. Is there still such a desolate place in the suburbs of Bayside City?
All she could see outside the bus window was a continuous stretch of barren mountains and untamed rivers. Not a sign of human habitation was in sight, and there weren’t any modern things available other than the asphalt road under their feet.
The students on the bus were stunned. They felt as if they were trafficked deep into the mountains, for it wasn’t quite possible for them to sneak out of this place!