"I...I did it to reduce casualties!" the boy argued through gritted teeth.
"That's hilarious!" Mu Liangchao laughed in anger. "Abandoning your teammates to save yourself is now considered minimizing casualties? Your ability to twist the truth is so amazing that even Gongsun Longzi would have to become your apprentice!"
"Name!" Mu Liangchao shouted.
"Shuai Xian".
Mu Liangchao coldly said, "Fine, Shuai Xian, you can leave now."
"Why! I'm not having it!" Shuai Xian struggled and shouted, "The day before yesterday, she broke away from the group and rushed ahead. She said the same thing, and you only punished her physically! Why should I be kicked out when it's my turn? Is it just because she's a girl, young, and close to you instructors?"
A barrage of questions fell silent. All the trainees were terrified, staring at the reckless Shuai Xian.
"On what grounds?" Mu Liangchao sneered. "On the grounds that Chang Le has indeed achieved good results for the group many times. You all think she is competitive and loves to show off, but has anyone thought carefully about how many results she has won for her teammates and how much loss she has reduced? This is an undeniable fact!"
"But she did make a mistake! Even if she could sometimes get away with it, leaving the team and acting recklessly violates the principle of teamwork. She might get away with it a few times, but every mistake she makes will harm both herself and others! That's wrong! So I punished her!"
"The reason for the corporal punishment is that she never disregarded the safety of her teammates when she acted on her own!"
In the stealth combat exercise, she did exceed the time limit. But I was aware that the stealth time for this group was shortened to accommodate a teammate who wasn't a strong swimmer!
The plan wasn't optimal, but the team captain, in order to cater to the core principle of cooperation in that competition, abandoned the best plan to favor team members who weren't good at swimming. In doing so, they overlooked the fact that true cooperation lies in each member leveraging their individual strengths and complementing each other!
"She may seem reckless and impulsive on many occasions, but she is able to keenly seize opportunities and exploit loopholes in plans, and never puts her team members in danger during operations!"
"And you, Shuai Xian! Just because you harbor resentment, you dare to disregard your companion's life! I, Mu Liangchao, cannot accept someone like that!"
Shuai Xian collapsed to the ground, his face pale.
Chang Le stared blankly at Mu Liangchao.
He didn't look at her, but instead looked at all the teenagers with different expressions, and said coldly, "And you guys! Don't think I don't know about your forming cliques and excluding your classmates. You've been training for a month, and Chang Le has only been here for a week, but his individual evaluation score is already in the top five!"
"Don't tell me that no matter how good she is, it's useless if she doesn't have teamwork skills. Bullshit!"
"You guys are quite something, ostracizing and refusing to accept her while complaining that she doesn't cooperate with you! You've said both the good and the bad!"
Instead of focusing on self-improvement and surpassing each other, they're all gossiping like long-tongued women behind each other's backs. How dare they dream of achieving anything in the future? What a pipe dream!
The people who were being verbally abused dared not utter a sound.
Some who were called out shrank back, while others who had their mistakes pointed out were filled with shame.
"And you! Were you trying to hold back a laugh?" Mu Liangchao suddenly turned his head. "Did I think I was praising you?"
Chang Le, expressionless: ...
Who laughed?
But knowing that Mu Liangchao would "treat everyone equally" and that no one could escape being scolded, they remained silent.
"They're ostracizing you, and you just stay silent like a gourd with its mouth cut off. Why don't you try to squeeze in yourself? With your abilities, if you had just explained a thing or two, would you have ended up like this? Did you grow a mouth just to have a spare nose? Did you grow a brain but not a language system?"
Chang Le silently memorized these words.
That's a great insult; I've learned something from it.
Seeing her serious expression, Mu Liangchao assumed she had taken his words to heart, and his expression softened slightly: "Chang Le! From now on, open your mouth, say what you need to say, and say back what you need to say!"
Chang Le nodded.
"Say it!"
"yes."
"Speak louder!"
"..."
"Are you mute?"
Chang Le stared at his face, feeling the gazes around her, and a surge of energy welled up inside her. She let out a loud shout:
"Got it—↗↘"
...The little girl's voice cracked.
Chang Le stood frozen in place.
A suppressed laugh came from the crowd. Mu Liangchao looked at Chang Le's annoyed face and said with a smirk, "Alright, let's continue training!"
"As for you..." He looked at Shuai Xian, then at Chang Le, "What do you think should be done?"
Shuai Xian rolled over and lay on the ground, begging Chang Le to spare him and not send him away.
The people of District Nine mostly live a life of constant danger. Orphans like Shuai Xian, without any support, would find it difficult to survive peacefully without being attached to some powerful force. Working for the Dragon Sect would ensure a worry-free future. Now, Shuai Xian finally realized the consequences his momentary selfishness had almost caused.
Chang Le said calmly, "Corporal punishment, solitary confinement, cleaning toilets. Then, challenge me to ten matches. If you lose, you have to acknowledge me as your elder brother."
Shuai Xian was stunned. Mu Liangchao narrowed his eyes: "No forming cliques."
Chang Le changed his mind: "Then we'll talk about it after we lose."
Shuai Xian burst into tears of joy; not having to be driven away was the best outcome.
"Why did you let him go?" Mu Liangchao asked as he escorted Chang Le back up the mountain after training ended in the afternoon.
Chang Le said, "Letting them go is more dangerous than keeping them by your side."
She simply didn't want to explain herself to others, but she had been thinking about it quite a bit. Shuai Xian was arrogant and truly competitive, with above-average talent and a very hardworking attitude. If such a person were allowed to grow up outside, he would definitely seek revenge in the future, which would be a problem. It was better to give him a way out and let him stay. As for whether Shuai Xian would be grateful for it, she didn't care.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com