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"Mr. Long Zhan, you really gave me a big surprise."
Usually expressionless, Adam was actually smiling at this moment.
Long Zhan couldn't figure out what Adam was up to, so he simply went against the grain and said, "A surprise? Shouldn't it be outrage instead? Breaking a record that's stood for years—pretty embarrassing, don't you think?"
"Hahaha."
Instructor Adam laughed heartily. "You might be misunderstanding something. Records are meant to be broken. Green Team's mission is to select outstanding members.
The fact that you achieved something others couldn't proves you're better than the rest. For Green Team to have selected someone as exceptional as you—this is our honor. It's something to be happy about."
"Uh…"
Hearing this, Long Zhan gave an awkward smile.
He had never thought from the perspective of someone in a leadership position—his vision was still a bit lacking.
"Broke a record?"
The others in the dining hall heard Adam's words and were a bit confused, not quite understanding what was going on.
But then it clicked.
It was currently the Green Team SERE assessment period, and Long Zhan, a newcomer required to undergo the assessment, was inexplicably appearing in the HQ dining hall.
Instructor Adam had personally come over to praise him highly.
Considering Long Zhan's previous string of impressive feats and his flawless performance in two real-combat support missions…
Everyone in the dining hall was an elite among elites. Their ability to think and react far surpassed that of ordinary people. They quickly realized—Long Zhan must have pulled off *another big one*.
Their curiosity was piqued.
"Alright, time to get to the main point."
Adam was just as curious as everyone else present. Though he appeared calm on the surface, he was quite eager inside. The head instructor was still waiting for him to bring Long Zhan back and "solve the mystery."
"Mr. Long Zhan, on a personal note, allow me to congratulate you on passing the Green Team selection. You are now officially a Tier 1-level operator.
Secondly, if you've finished eating, I need you to come with me to see the head instructor and explain how you pulled it off."
The surveillance footage had been of no help at all—this had been part of Long Zhan's setup.
"Of course."
Long Zhan didn't let his success get to his head. He stood up and walked out of the dining hall shoulder-to-shoulder with Instructor Adam.
Big Bear watched them leave and said with interest, "Seems like we missed something interesting. I don't recall Adam ever being this happy—not in my memory, at least."
"That big guy—is he one of the new recruits? Looks like a pretty interesting fellow." Hades took a bite of his burger, his eyes showing a bit of expectation.
"Our team doesn't need any new recruits. This batch has nothing to do with us," said Buddha, taking a sip of his soup. He added impatiently, "I haven't seen my wife and kids in eleven months. I just want to go home and give them a hug."
"Still, bringing in one new guy might not be such a bad idea."
Watching Long Zhan step into the morning sunlight—his massive frame casting a tall and imposing figure—Big Bear voiced a different opinion.
…
Unbeknownst to Long Zhan, he had already caught Big Bear's eye with just that brief encounter, and thus began his storyline with *SEAL Team Six*.
Following Instructor Adam back to the assessment site, Head Instructor Malcolm had already been waiting for some time.
Malcolm's attitude toward Long Zhan mirrored Adam's—complete admiration, with no trace of anger over the Green Team record being broken.
He was genuinely pleased that DEVGRU had gained such a remarkable new member.
At the same time, his mind was filled with unanswered questions.
All surveillance cameras in the water cell had no footage between 12:00 and 12:05. How had Long Zhan pulled that off?
The hatch of the water cage was incredibly sturdy—how had he managed to open it?
During the handover between the duty sparring partners, how had he tricked the incoming one—poor Cooper—and managed to leave the basement undetected?
How had he deceived the guards at the exit and ultimately escaped the training compound?
Each of these problems was a major obstacle. Any single one of them would have been enough to stump other recruits—escaping quietly was out of the question.
And yet, Long Zhan had accomplished *all* of it.
Even with over 20 years of teaching experience, Malcolm could only piece together part of the puzzle. The rest was beyond his understanding.
Just the very first step—getting out of the metal barrel—Malcolm couldn't think of a single plausible method.
To get to the bottom of things, Head Instructor Malcolm, Instructor Adam, the Green Team cadre, and the sparring trainers—more than thirty in total—all turned their gaze toward Long Zhan.
Long Zhan, now full and rested, didn't immediately offer an explanation.
That's because most of what he had done could only be accomplished by him. Anyone else wouldn't have stood a chance.
Take, for example, the moment he instantly knocked out the 6'5" Charlie. Just saying it out loud wouldn't convince anyone.
Not to mention the even more unbelievable part—unlocking a heavy-duty padlock without any tools or external help, using only his body and a bit of technique.
Since explaining wouldn't convince them and would only waste time…
Long Zhan chose a more direct, more intuitive, and more convincing approach—
He would re-enact it.
Upon hearing this proposal, Malcolm immediately approved it.
There's no better answer than a live demonstration!
So under Malcolm's direction, ten new recruits including Clay and Brian were pulled out for a little "perk," and escorted back into the iron cages they had previously been held in.
The entire water cell facility was cleared out for Long Zhan to recreate everything that had happened the night before.
Malcolm and the others stood by as observers, preparing to watch the entire process of Long Zhan escaping the water cell.
Once everyone was in position and the massive Charlie had returned to his designated spot, Long Zhan was locked back inside the water cage.
"Begin!"
Head Instructor Malcolm gave the order, and the escape reenactment officially began.
All eyes were on the barrel, waiting for Long Zhan to begin his performance. However, the first action didn't come from inside the barrel…
It came from a report from the surveillance center…
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