Chapter 404

Chapter 404: YOU! OUT!

“…Number 60, Zhang Cheng.”

Without any surprises, the Major General smoothly finished reading from the list in his hand, then looked up and surveyed the candidates before him. He said, “Everyone must remember your code names. We will now begin forming groups. From number one to number six, each of you come to me to receive a piece of white paper and a pen. I need you to form six small groups. For one week, you will serve as temporary group leaders. After a week, if your team members recognize you, you will become the official group leader. Let me remind you, do not assume that being a group leader guarantees you a spot in the end. This is simply for your internal self-management, it holds no weight for your evaluation, and it won’t add points to your score. However, if you do not fulfill your responsibilities, you will be replaced by others. I trust you do not consider yourselves incapable, right?”

With the control of the Fifth Aerospace Training Center, the competition officially began. Sixty astronaut candidates were divided into six groups.

The Major General only set up the six temporary group leaders. Building their teams depended entirely on their abilities and character.

“Boss?” With some freedom to move, Meng Yinan quickly dashed toward Lin Mo.

“Hmm, Tabby Cat, nice to see you,” Lin Mo smiled and nodded, recognizing the familiar voice of Meng Yinan from the radio channel.

“Ha ha, the boss is the boss, strong and unbeatable! Count me in! If it’s not with the boss, who will I join?” Meng Yinan’s doll-like face beamed so much that her eyes were nearly closed with joy as she fearlessly became the first member under Lin Mo.

Written on the paper was group E, which was Lin Mo’s assigned group, completely shuffled in distribution.

“A group is recruiting! A group is recruiting! I, Wang Xuejun, am dedicated to building the best team, recruiting the elites among the elites. I promise our A group will have the highest success rate, and A group will always fight for first place!” Wang Xuejun called out energetically, seemingly finding some psychological comfort in the letter of his group number. He even shot a provocative glance at Lin Mo.

Wang Xuejun’s eloquence likely developed by listening to his commanding father, carrying an air of calm authority. His words were quite persuasive; after all, good wine needs no bush. Immediately, several candidates approached him to join his group.

Those good at showing off and socializing benefited greatly at this moment.

This world is like that; relying solely on confidence and sincerity is not enough. Many people tend to focus first on appearances and actual performance.

At this point, being humble might even cost them their underpants.

The other temporary group leaders quickly regained focus, hurrying to imitate Wang Xuejun’s approach to attract members since their methods were largely similar.

Hmph! Compared to me, you’re still far behind, Wang Xuejun thought to himself as he watched the other group leaders vigorously recruiting members, using phrases he had “authored.” A confident smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“E group is recruiting!”

Lin Mo found himself ill-suited for engaging in chatter. He had no business acumen whatsoever; only a few candidates who did not like Wang Xuejun approached him, but they were also somewhat hopeful about Lin Mo.

Unfortunately, “Tabby Cat” Meng Yinan was not cut out for recruitment either. She was still very young and lacking in experience, blushing with anxiety and unable to provide much help.

Wang Xuejun’s initial appearance captured attention, attracting quite a few members. People are naturally drawn to higher places, while water flows lower; his background and qualifications were indeed convincing.

At that time, Wang Xuejun’s A group had gathered no fewer than twenty people, nearly a third of the candidate list.

The B and C groups clearly suffered, each with only six members, while the F group led by number four, Wei Yuni, a naturally beautiful woman, unexpectedly managed to gather twelve members.

Lin Mo’s E group only recruited seven.

The D group experienced the worst fate, with only a single recruit. Eventually, seeing so many members in other groups, that lone recruit left and joined the F group as well, leaving group D’s leader, number six, Jin Hongbao, as the only member left alone.

The thin, dark-skinned man from Guizhou, sporting thick eyebrows and large eyes, felt completely at a loss, wanting to cry without tears. How could these people be so shortsighted, solely fixating on handsome and rich individuals, ignoring the hard-working common folks like himself?

The Major General, observing coldly, seemed to have anticipated such an outcome—filled with capable but starving individuals. His expression remained unchanged as he waited for everyone to find their group leaders and stand in their six designated areas.

With a snap of his fingers, the Major General spoke, unhurriedly, “Good, it seems you have all found your most trusted group leaders. But don’t be too pleased; a soldier is only as strong as their group, and everything must stand the test of time.”

“Sir, can I form a group alone?” The lone leader, Jin Hongbao, awkwardly reddened, standing isolated as if everyone had rejected him. Many looked at him with pity.

He was only holding a piece of white paper, stammering incoherently.

The candidates from all over were unfamiliar with one another, while Lin Mo and Meng Yinan were merely coincidental exceptions. Once this survival of the fittest grouping began, the outcome could be quite disheartening.

“Uh, number six! This is quite surprising,” the Major General said, feigning surprise as he looked at the lone Jin Hongbao, his voice growing firm, “I’m sorry, you’re out.”

“Ah!” Lin Mo was not the only one surprised; everyone simultaneously gasped in shock.

“Out? What do you mean out, sir? I just didn’t recruit any members; how can that count as being out?” Jin Hongbao suddenly realized something, and his face turned pale as he struggled to piece his words together, unable to muster the courage to join another group.

“‘Out’ means you can turn around, return to your room, and bring your belongings back to your original unit. Do I need to explain further?”

The Major General’s biting tone shattered Jin Hongbao’s hopes like a hammer. His upper body wobbled slightly.

Casting a cold gaze over everyone once more, the Major General said with no trace of emotion, “From the moment you stepped into this room, the elimination process began. I’ve already warned you to stay alert and give your all in this selection. Astronauts are never lone wolves; cooperation is essential. If you cannot even organize a team, how can you talk about coordinating with others? Do you think you can operate a space station or aerospace vehicle all by yourself?”

Though the room temperature remained pleasant, everyone couldn’t help but shiver, gasping in shock. They were mentally prepared for the harshness of astronaut selection standards but never imagined it could be this severe.

Everyone jolted in realization: the elimination had indeed begun.

The candidate who defected from the D group to the F group felt deeply guilty but couldn’t raise his head, already embarrassed. His moment of indecision led to his comrade being eliminated even before training began.

“Yes, sir!” Jin Hongbao lowered his head slowly, seemingly emptied of all spirit, and turned silently to walk toward the sports hall’s exit.

What a shame it was to be eliminated on the first day after registration. Jin Hongbao’s mind blanked as he exited; he didn’t even know how he controlled his legs. The carpet felt soft, but it was like walking on clouds, offering no resistance, and his steps became somewhat unsteady.

The Major General gestured to a military officer waiting at the sports hall’s entrance. The officer nodded and approached Jin Hongbao. It seemed he said something comforting, as Jin Hongbao’s expression brightened slightly as he walked away with the officer.

Even while pushing candidates to perform better through the pressure of elimination, the training center did not intend to demoralize the nation’s elites. Though they had been eliminated, they made sure to provide psychological support and relief, allowing the other unaffected candidates to appear less shaken.

“Establish authority!”

“Kill the chicken to warn the monkey!”

Lin Mo and Wang Xuejun simultaneously muttered their assessments.

“You’ve all seen it; elimination is everywhere. Although it’s comfortable and well-treated here, nothing comes without a price. Everything here is funded by the blood and sweat of the common people. Your daily meal standard could support an ordinary working family for an entire month. This is the hard-earned wealth of the people! In order to justify the precious resources squeezed from the common folks, you must all give your all. If you can’t bear the pressure, you can leave now, find a place to dig a hole, and bury yourself. Don’t disgrace the soldiers.”

The Major General’s sharp words stirred everyone’s hearts; the strict selection began quietly, leaving each person uncertain of who would be left standing in the end.

Wang Xuejun bit his lip, remaining silent like everyone else, though the pressure made him clench his jaw.

“I’ll announce the assessment rules here, so don’t blame me for not reminding you in advance.” The Major General began to walk among the candidates’ small groups, explaining, “The evaluation uses a point deduction system, starting with a basic score of 100 points. Your performance will determine your scores; perfect performance will not incur any deductions. There are opportunities for positive scoring, but they are rare, so don’t set your expectations too high. Every week, the scoring rankings will be announced, and ten candidates will be eliminated. After five weeks, only those ranked in the top ten will have the right to remain.”

This five-week elimination period had a scientific basis tied to the human metabolism cycle, as immune cells and proteins renew every seven days and hemoglobin every five days. By using weekly units, it would be possible to effectively gather the best physiological data on these candidates over the five weeks.