Jiang Yan stepped forward quickly, and together with Hank, he lifted up Ai Luo, who was not fat at all except that his face was still a little round.
"Brother, what on earth have you done?" Jiang Yan looked Ai Ruo up and down, tears almost overflowing his eyes: "Did you live in poverty and find a black-hearted workshop to do liposuction and make soap? What a sin, look at you now
Look like this! I can’t even stand still..."
Ai Ruo had three black lines on his head and was helpless: "Jiang Shao, I didn't go for liposuction to make soap... Hank held me up because my ankle was sprained."
"Huh?" Jiang Yan weighed Ai Luo's arms and found that the muscles he had built up were indeed still there, and the skin on his waist didn't look like it had after liposuction, but was still tighter.
"...What on earth did you do? Is there any secret to losing weight so quickly?"
Ai Ruo smiled bitterly and said, "There are no secrets. I just spent my meal time on work."
Jiang Yan looked at Hank with confusion, "Translate, translate, what does it mean to use meal time for work?"
Hank adjusted his glasses and said: "Ai Ruo went to the front line of the war zone to work as a scout. He often had to go on missions during meal breaks. Occasionally, he encountered a security situation and was unable to return, so he had to squat outside the trenches for a day."
Good guy, this is the result of starvation and running. Jiang Yan looked at the two brothers who had changed greatly in front of him, and didn't know what to say for a moment. "... It seems that everyone is doing well, at least there are no missing arms or legs.
"
This rubbish was still a familiar style to everyone. The teammates of the seven teams looked at each other and smiled, but the point they wanted to complain about at this moment was not Jiang Yan - there was another person who appeared in their field of vision.
Hank looked forward, his eyes widened, "Oh my god... is that Connor?" The man who walked onto the stage was really Connor: he put on a suit and leather shoes, which was a bit difficult.
Adaptable - Everyone is more accepting of his other images, even if he is naked and exposes those muscles full of scars and bullet marks. Seeing him dressed so formally, the trainees in the venue stopped talking
, waiting for his speech.
"Ahem." It seemed that they were not the only ones who were uncomfortable. Connor himself also cleared his throat awkwardly. He looked around at these familiar faces and spoke slowly.
"Children - this should be the last time I call you this. Form the training team and we are about to begin."
"...very good, very neat." Looking at the neat queue, Connor sighed:
"I can't help but think back to the first time I met you two years ago - do you remember, this is the waiting room for your training interview. Although not everyone of you has met me at that time, but
I remember each of your faces. Some are nervous and fidgety, some have dark circles under their eyes for some reason, some have unkempt hair—even some are wearing prison uniforms. But now you have changed.
You have learned a lot, and I can tell just by looking at you: you have mastered good technology and can stand alone.
"...It seems that I am indeed old." Connor wiped the corners of his eyes and smiled, "Just talk less about memories. Now——
"Congratulations to you, you have completed or even exceeded all training goals. Immediately, you will be able to officially join Black Steel International and become an operator of the International Security Contracting Company. Before that, I have something to talk to you about.
"After repeated discussions by the board of directors, it has been determined that Black Steel will not have any more trainees after you. We will recruit more experienced people to hire directly instead of investing in training, even if it is very effective.
Therefore, you will be the last black steel trainees to successfully graduate.
"This is not a bad thing - on the contrary, it will allow more experienced people to engage in professional work, and they will be protected. At the same time, no one will join our dangerous ranks because of the pressure of life. I tell you
I want you to remember a few things with this news.
"First of all, you should be proud of yourselves. Under such special circumstances, you first passed the initial screening, then experienced cuts midway, and finally completed the training. Your ability will not be lost to anyone, as long as you are willing to spend time
Polish it and you will eventually leave your own story in this industry.
"Secondly," Connor's eyes dimmed, and there was melancholy in his voice. "You must understand clearly that we are not really good people."
He looked up at the ceiling and spoke as if recalling the long past, "You have experienced a real battlefield, which is not a place for people to stay. But we may join it in any form, maybe we are rescuers and guardians
, but maybe one day we will be forced to pick up the butcher's knife because of a contract and become shameful butchers. This is us. In essence, we are just a group of mercenaries, collecting money from people and eliminating disasters for them.
"So never think of yourself as righteous - because we are anything but righteous."
Everyone was silent - no one had the guts to violate the conscience in their hearts and say out loud such denial as "I am not". They had seen the real hell, and their hands had all been stained with the blood of others.
And in this silence, Connor spoke again. A smile appeared on his face - a smile like a bud growing on the withered earth.
"——Because of your kindness, please remember my last advice.
"Evil is evil after all, whether it is light, heavy, or somewhere in between, they are all the same. I am not accusing you of the crimes you have committed, because I have not only done good things in my life.
"Now, think about it: Should I abandon my soul and survive like a demon, or should I embrace my conscience and die like a human being? This is not a good ending, but if I am asked to choose the lesser of two evils——
"I'd rather not make a choice."
His gaze lingered on everyone's eyes, "You are warriors. I can see it: you train hard for a certain moment, but that is not all. You are even more warriors because you have chosen the most difficult path: embracing
Keep your conscience but dare to move forward like a devil - for the light in your heart."
"So, I implore you - be strong!
That beam of light called humanity will one day be able to pull you back from the abyss, transforming from a devil into a human for the moment you are really waiting for!
"You are still young, but you are destined to accomplish great things!
"We are not forced to fight! We must fight for a noble goal, even if our hands are full of dirt and blood! We step into the unknown fear again and again in order to fulfill the promise we made in the first place——
"Black Steel International provides security here. Don't worry, you are safe."
Connor took a long breath and said firmly:
"No matter how dark the road ahead is, nothing can stop us. You are welcome to join us, operators."