Many people want to spar with Henry Brooks, because Henry Brooks is easy to bully. However, most of those who have fought him do not wish to face him as an opponent again; taking a punch or a kick from him is simply not worth it. Even Instructor Hack, after landing over ninety punches on Henry Brooks in a row, was struck back once by Henry Brooks, and the strong Instructor Hack turned red in the face on the spot, barely managing not to cry out in pain. After that, however, Instructor Hack never again mentioned teaching Henry Brooks a lesson during combat training.

Driving armored vehicles, the training base had no real vehicles for these recruits to practice with; everything was done in virtual classrooms with virtual vehicles. Yet, even with virtual devices, the simulation of various terrains and the sensations of being inside the vehicle—the feeling of acceleration and deceleration—were all completely realistic. Modern technology is far beyond what those old gaming machines could offer.

In this area, the clumsy Henry Brooks was not so proud. His reflexes were always a beat too slow, making it impossible for him to respond appropriately to sudden situations. If in hand-to-hand combat Henry Brooks could achieve a one-hit knockout, then in the vehicle training, his performance could only be described as a complete disaster.

Just as Henry Brooks was anxiously expecting Instructor Hack to come up with some strange punishment for him, Instructor Hack seemed to have completely forgotten about his clumsiness, acting as if he had never noticed it at all. The usually strict Instructor Hack behaving this way made Henry Brooks feel both relieved and somewhat lost—was he really no longer worth Instructor Hack's attention?

Henry Brooks might not notice it himself, but Instructor Hack had already keenly observed that in recent days, Henry Brooks's reactions had become even slower. However, after several military doctors secretly examined him in turn, none could find any physical problem with Henry Brooks. Still, whenever a situation required a quick response, Henry Brooks was always unable to meet the requirements.

Even when running, Henry Brooks always maintained a steady pace. Neither fast nor slow, not reaching the excellent standard, but still above the bare minimum. However, Henry Brooks had one abnormal trait: whether carrying a load or in light gear, with gravity adjusted between one and two times normal, Henry Brooks's speed hardly changed at all.

Instructor Hack once tried to get Henry Brooks to speed up when in light gear, but quickly realized it was simply impossible. It seemed that whenever speed was involved, Henry Brooks could never meet higher demands. However, his astonishing endurance was the only thing Instructor Hack was satisfied with: fully armed, carrying a load for twenty kilometers under double gravity, Henry Brooks could complete the whole course without rest and still keep up with the squad's regular training.

In this respect, he truly lived up to his nickname, "the camel." The only time, Instructor Hack looked at the guy who gave Henry Brooks that nickname with newfound respect—it was just too fitting.

Chapter Six: Targeted Training (Part 2)

It seemed that the only suitable arrangement for Henry Brooks was the logistics and supply soldier position the quartermaster had mentioned. In this ultra-democratic era, where joining the military is voluntary, the army cannot dismiss soldiers who haven't completed their service term without special reasons. Being a soldier has become a profession much like any other, only with a different level of risk. This job is similar to those who serve as pioneers on new colony planets—both are high-risk occupations.

Since Henry Brooks's role had already been decided, Instructor Hack no longer wished to spend more energy on him. As a result, even the mistakes and absent-minded habits Henry Brooks displayed in some drills were increasingly overlooked by Instructor Hack. This left the other squad members puzzled—had the always-strict Instructor Hack changed his ways?

All sorts of rumors began to circulate in the third squad. The most common was that the "crazy camel" was simply too tough and unafraid of punishment, so Instructor Hack had run out of ways to deal with him and had to let things slide. Of course, there was also the theory that the "crazy camel" had connections and someone had already spoken to Instructor Hack, which was why he was being treated so leniently.

Soon, these squadmates painfully discovered that, with Instructor Hack paying less attention to the camel, most of his energy was now focused on them. The subsequent training became not only extremely strict but also even more grueling. Except for the lucky guy, the camel, not a single one escaped Instructor Hack's relentless torment.

In fact, Instructor Hack was not deliberately targeting these new recruits. It was just that, during training, he discovered several very promising candidates who could be excellent additions to some of the best combat units.

Take Brian Carter, for example. The ever-increasing training tasks only made him stronger, with no sign of exhaustion or decline. He was already the top pick for space trooper, and several talent scouts from the various permanent units at the training base had begun to pay close attention to his performance.

To secure a spot in the space forces is a rare honor—usually, only one or two people from an entire battalion in a regular training camp make it. Accordingly, Instructor Hack paid even more attention to Brian Carter, watching him closely.

Then there was William Brooks, lively and sociable, very skilled at networking and gathering information—these are the most basic qualities needed in the intelligence department. With a bit of training, he could be recommended for that path.