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Instructor Long's doubts were well-founded, and Long Zhan countered with an equally sharp rebuttal.

"Sir, it seems you've forgotten one thing—Cooper's identity in this evaluation wasn't that of a Tier 1 operator, but a vicious, dangerous criminal.

People are never perfect, and those who turn to violence always have their motives. Turning an enemy agent is the best way to escape.

As long as I can figure out what he wants and offer him the right price, anything becomes possible.

By the way…

In my spare time, I picked up some psychology. Though I've only studied theoretical psychology so far, understanding a criminal's inner desires and playing to them? I don't think that's difficult at all."

Long Zhan wasn't trying to brag about being multitalented—he was simply stating a fact.

"You even understand psychology?"

Instructor Adam's voice rose in pitch from surprise. He recalled Long Zhan's personal file, which listed a seemingly endless string of specialized skills.

Left speechless yet impressed, he could only joke, "Mr. Long Zhan, you really are a man of many talents."

"Thanks for the compliment. I do my best," Long Zhan replied with a slight arch of his brow.

"Well done—perfect, impeccable."

Malcolm, normally stoic, applauded after hearing Long Zhan's sharp and precise explanation, openly admiring him.

Then he voiced his own question: "Given your actions, you must've coordinated the timing of your operation with the mole beforehand. I'm very curious—how did you manage to act precisely at midnight?

I'm quite certain your holding cell and your person had no devices to tell time."

"That's actually quite simple," Long Zhan said with a shrug and a relaxed tone. "From my two days of observation, I noticed that the sparring team operates on an 8-hour, three-shift rotation. Five minutes before each shift change, the on-duty personnel would enter the cells to check on the new recruits.

Last night at 9:55 p.m., a sparring member entered the wet cell. Using that as a reference point, I could easily count forward to midnight."

"You're saying... you mentally kept time for two straight hours and nailed the exact moment? Then launched your operation on the dot?"

Malcolm's eyes widened, as though he'd just heard a tale from Arabian Nights.

**"What??? What??"**

The rest of Green Team was equally stunned—mouths agape, unable to comprehend what they had just heard.

The SEALs' predecessor was the Underwater Demolition Team, where time control was critical, and timekeeping training was mandatory.

Normally, this was trained in two-minute intervals. Being off by less than two seconds was considered a passing score.

But someone like Long Zhan—keeping track by the hour, mentally—was unheard of. Even Malcolm, the head instructor, had never seen or heard anything like it.

In all his years, this was a first.

"Two hours isn't that much. My best training record was four hours, with only a five-second margin of error. Compared to that, two hours is a walk in the park." Long Zhan smiled and raised an eyebrow, clearly unfazed.

For someone who had once timed four hours with near-perfect accuracy, two hours truly wasn't anything remarkable.

Just a light warm-up!

But to the rest of Green Team, it was an invisible, overwhelming show of superiority.

The shock they felt was like a thunderclap on a clear day.

As much as they didn't want to believe it—wanted to dismiss it as Long Zhan showing off—the truth stood right before their eyes: he had indeed launched his escape operation precisely at midnight, with negligible margin of error.

Malcolm and Adam were left speechless, forced to admit: there's no such thing as absolute certainty.

Ironically, the time-conscious behavior of the guards—checking the cells punctually—had become Long Zhan's greatest ally in his escape.

Who could have predicted that?

"Dude, I might be your accomplice, but I've got to say it—you're a freak!" Cooper gave Long Zhan a thump on the chest, his expression a blend of awe and admiration.

By this point, both the head instructor and the SERE instructor were fully convinced.

Long Zhan's escape plan and execution were not only meticulous and flawless, but they also didn't violate any SERE evaluation rules.

Both instructors accepted the reality that Long Zhan had taken a unique, offensive approach to pass the test—and were genuinely pleased to have selected a candidate with such a rare combination of tactical acumen and combat prowess.

Head Instructor Malcolm walked up to Long Zhan and extended his hand in congratulations. "Mr. Long Zhan, congratulations on passing the final evaluation."

"Thank you very much, sir."

Hearing those words, Long Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief. His final decision had paid off, and he gratefully took Malcolm's hand, accepting the blessing of Green Team's top commander.

"Welcome aboard. Go get a shower and some rest, kid," Instructor Adam added, sending his own congratulations.

For a newcomer as outstanding as Long Zhan, the entire Green Team made no effort to hide their admiration.

Right after Instructor Adam, the team's instructors and sparring partners—who had trained alongside the rookies for nine months—came forward one by one to hug Long Zhan.

They all congratulated him on officially joining DEVGRU and becoming a part of the family.

Long Zhan, deeply grateful for the help these sparring partners had given him over the past nine months, sincerely expressed his thanks to every member of Green Team.

His dramatic leap in strength and skill during that time wouldn't have been possible without their support.

Now a full-fledged member of DEVGRU, the atmosphere around him completely changed. Gone was the old "rookie" dynamic—he was now a peer.

In the light-hearted banter that followed, Long Zhan finally learned the names of this group of "old-timers."

And in DEVGRU, giving someone your name meant you acknowledged them as one of your own.

That's a DEVGRU tradition.

Long Zhan believed that with this new bond, if he ever launched his own private military contracting firm in the future, he'd have the best startup team possible.

These veterans in their 30s and 40s, many approaching retirement from DEVGRU, would be invaluable assets.

And nothing mattered more to a private military firm than seasoned, battle-hardened professionals.

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