**Chapter
“Violet, you’re not at the office?” Peyton asked over the phone as she exited the building.
“No, I’m out scouting locations and coordinating with contractors. Willy’s setting up for his environmental project, so I’m handling site contracts and construction. Did you finish your onboarding?”
“Yeah, I went up to your floor looking for you, but you weren’t there.”
“Looking for me? Please, Peyton, I think we both know you were hoping to run into someone else. I know where your thoughts are!”
“What? You know nothing! Bye!” Peyton snapped, quickly hanging up, her face heating with both excitement and anxiety.
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**At the Morgen Residence**
“Eleanor, could you contact a jewelry craftsman for me? I’d like them to create something with my materials and design.”
“What sort of piece, young master? Made o
“Alright, I’ll go home tonight and talk to my parents, then I’ll confirm with you. Is that okay?”“Willy, this can’t be discussed with anyone. For this month, you’ll need to stay at the Special Forces camp.” Giant reminded him.“Living there? Strict rules, huh?”“Of course, this is no joke! But we really hope you’ll agree to train them. Also, I’ve been curious: who taught you your skills?”Willy shot a grin at Rose. “Oh, Rose, don’t look at me like that! I’m taken, you know. Let’s eat!”The group laughed, clinking glasses and enjoying lunch together. They’d get back to business later.After lunch, Black Wolf went back to relay Willy’s response to their leader. With a nod, the leader approved. “Willy, as long as you’re not breaking any laws or compromising NVMD, your request shouldn’t be an issue.&rdq
Back in his office, Violet quickly approached Willy. “Did you… what happened to her?”“I told her to get lost. Want to see her? She’s probably not far, you can chase her down.”“Oh, please! Why would I want to see your ex?”“Violet, promise me this: don’t bring her up again. She’s my biggest regret, and you’re the only one I want in my life—always have been, and always will be.” Willy’s sudden sincerity caught Violet off guard.Logan, sensing the moment, shook his head and slipped out of the office.“Oh no! Logan saw that! How am I supposed to face him now?”“Easy—just look him in the eyes!” Willy laughed. “Now, Violet, come here; there’s something important we need to discuss.” He led her over to the couch, taking her hand.“Violet, the day after tomorrow, I need to leave for a month. It&rsq
As the car continued down the road, the training grounds for regular soldiers came into view on both sides.“Willy, those are just the standard squads. The special ops teams are stationed further in,” Rose explained.“Oh, so for this training, how do you decide which soldiers join your teams? And how many are you planning to recruit?” Willy asked.“Good question. By the end of the training, we’ll each select the two most capable individuals from our 60-member squads, totaling ten recruits. Then, we’ll shuffle these ten into two-person teams, and each of us will handle one team’s assessment.”“What will their assessment involve?”“It’s pretty straightforward. We give them a mission, observe their skills, composure, marksmanship, and how they handle high-stress situations. If they pass, they’ll officially join the elite ranks. The new recruits will shado
“Willy, how much strength did you actually use?” Rose quietly asked with a smirk.“I barely used any strength. If I had, do you think Jaybird would still be standing? We’re teammates, after all; I couldn’t exactly go full force.”Rose clicked her tongue, exchanging a look with Giant and Jaybird as they all took in a new perspective on Willy.Hearing Willy’s words, Jaybird’s dark skin reddened with embarrassment. In front of the trainees, he felt like he’d lost big time.“Did everyone see the fight just now?” Black Wolf called out to the trainees.The group stayed silent, as the fight had happened so fast. They’d seen Jaybird make the first move, but then suddenly he was back in his original spot. Then both men just
The speed memory drill was tough. Many trainees pushed through, but some were ready to give up. Willy kept a close eye on everyone, ensuring they stayed focused.At dinner, Willy joined Rose, Big Mountain, and the others.“So, what’s on the training agenda today, Willy?” Rose asked, curious.“We started with resilience and memory work today. Both are foundational, but it seems I underestimated some of these guys,” Willy replied with a smirk. “Some of them already wanted to quit after just a morning run.”“Resilience, huh? I would’ve thought you’d start with physical conditioning,” Big Mountain said, intrigued.“That’s coming, but if they can’t overcome obstacles mentally, there’s no point in having physical strength,” Willy replied. “The group already got a taste of it; I had them run barefoot on the beach. By the third lap, some were already ready
The five trainees sprinted with all their might, each step fueled by the literal fire under their feet. Finally reaching the lake, they threw themselves into the water, extinguishing the flames that had started to creep up their pant legs and boots."Excellent!" Willy exclaimed as they emerged from the water, catching their breath. "Now, what was your previous best time for the hundred meters?""Reporting, sir," the first trainee responded. "My previous time was 11.7 seconds.""And just now, you ran it in 10.8. The others, too, shaved nearly a second off their records," Willy noted, reading the times aloud.Hearing Willy's new timing, Naomi couldn't hide her surprise. She’d just bested her personal record by a full second. The experience was intense, but the result was incredible.After Willy read out everyone's times, the trainees realized the truth: only when forced to their absolute limits could they achieve their true potential. Wil
“Seriously?! You’re here to steal my techniques again?” Willy scowled in mock outrage.“Don’t be so stingy! Willy, where did you even get these training props?” Rose asked, her curiosity piqued.“Not telling! I’ll let you all stay in the dark until you crack from frustration!” Willy teased.“Damn, you’re so petty!” Rose retorted, rolling her eyes.“So, what’s your approach this time, Willy? Are you training them for combat?” Black Wolf asked, glancing at the computer screen where he could see real-time data and rankings.“Nope, this round is different. I plan to cut down the numbers significantly. If they’re unlucky, about half could be eliminated.”“Eliminate? What’s your plan for that?” Rose questioned, intrigued.“I have three rounds in mind for elimination. By the end of them, only two participants wi
Within just two minutes from the start, Willy saw participants quickly succeeding; some emerged victorious within seconds, carrying their subdued opponents out of the room. Shortly after, loud sounds of intense fighting echoed from inside the dorm, and another group exited a minute later, bringing out restrained competitors.Willy gave a slight nod of approval. "Well done. Subduing an opponent without injuring them requires true strength."Hearing Willy's praise, the four soldiers outside exchanged nods; receiving acknowledgment from the feared 'Demon King' was a significant badge of honor. It looked like their friends might owe them a meal—such was the spirit of elimination rounds. Soon, Josiah, Naomi, and others brought their opponents out just within the final seconds.When Rose saw that Naomi had defeated a male soldier, she was stunned."Excellent work, Number Eight!" Willy complimented."Thank you, sir!" Naomi replied, excited.I