Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 218: Secret Training

Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Secret Training

In a foreign factory, there are many people working in the daytime, and this place would turn into a training base at night, where Cui Qi, like other newbies, began his training.

A female supervisor addressed them, "Welcome to our organization. You all come from different places but share similar experiences that have led you here. I know you must be wondering what kind of organization you’ve joined and whether it’s as life-changing as promised."

Her words stirred up everyone. Indeed, that was the reason why they wanted to join in the first place – they believed this organization was anything but ordinary.

The female supervisor started to explain, "Our organization has vast influences. It dominates both the Black and White realms. On the sunny side, we run legitimate businesses with the cover of the police and the help of high-ranking officials. We make loads of money running our companies. On the dark side, we have a lot of enforcers, but we only resort to extreme measures when necessary. We seldom engage in crimes, as it usually leaves traces that draw unwanted attention. In this world, many crime syndicates with protective umbrellas eventually got eradicated."

At this point, someone couldn’t help raising a hand to ask, "May I ask what exactly you want us to do here? If it’s just working in this factory, there’s no difference from ordinary people."

The female supervisor chuckled, "That’s right, we need you to work. That’s something we have to do in our legitimate business. But our activities are not limited to that."

Cui Qi asked a question, "If we’re running things like a normal company in the lawful society, we must be expected to do something on the dark side, something more than just committing crimes."

"Absolutely. We have no interest in crime whatsoever," the female supervisor said with a enigmatic smile that piqued everyone’s curiosity.

Next, the female supervisor turned on a giant display screen showing a map of the local region. "Our location is abundant with resources. Our current job is to extract these resources. This country has been plagued by years of strife with illegal armed forces wreaking havoc everywhere. The local government is sometimes powerless. That’s when I need you to step forward."

Upon hearing this, someone voiced their discontent immediately, "What do you mean? Are you planning to use us as cannon fodder?"

"Absolutely not. What I mean is that when our organization’s lawful interests are unlawfully infringed upon and we aren’t getting legal protection, we must resort to illegal means to defend our rights," the female supervisor solemnly explained.

Due to the unsatisfactory explanation, the female supervisor gave an example, "There’s a slum here, rampant with criminals. Even local law enforcement is hesitant to intervene. If our truck is intercepted while passing through the slum and we follow the authorities’ decision to retreat instead, we download that duty upon ourselves. Whatever methods we must use, we must reclaim what’s rightfully ours."

Someone immediately raised a question, "What if local law enforcement comes after us if we use illegal means to defend our legal interests?"

The female supervisor bit her finger, "In some places, the police won’t intervene. They can’t, actually. In a way, they’ve tacitly agreed."

Hearing this, some people seemed to understand. Cui Qi furrowed his brows. He had been Zhuo Hang’s informant for many years. Every time he encountered a group of people committing crimes, Cui Qi would collect evidence and bring them to justice.

However, Cui Qi felt this organization was significantly different. The members fought illegal activities with illegal actions, and it seemed that local law enforcement condoned these actions.

While this kind of training seemed a bit extreme, it was within reason – if they couldn’t get help from local law enforcement, they would have to take matters into their own hands.

The female supervisor continued, "In the next few days, you will work in the daytime and train in physical fitness and combat skills at night. Be ready to take on tasks at any time. And remember one thing – since local law enforcement is allowing it, nothing we do is considered a crime. Do you understand?"

"Alright, we understand," many people answered loudly. After the meeting disbanded, everyone went their separate ways to train. If everything was as the female supervisor said, the best way to survive a mission was to strengthen oneself.

Cui Qi started pretending to lift a dumbbell while observing those around him closely. It seemed none of them were nervous, regretful, or annoyed – instead, they seemed excited, as if they’d found a great gig.

Without a cellphone or any communication tools, it seemed very hard for Cui Qi to inform Zhuo Hang about his location and what was happening. He had to wait for the right opportunity.

Just then, Cui Qi overheard a nearby conversation, "Do you believe this place? As long as conditions are met, even minor illegal activities are allowed. If I’d known, I would’ve come here sooner."

The other person nodded, "Absolutely. Back in our country, thievery could land you in jail for several years. But here, theft is the least of the issues – even murder might not necessarily cause trouble."

"Haha, isn’t this place a paradise for committing crimes? I nearly crippled someone in the past and got sentenced for many years. I never accepted it, it was clearly him who started the fight. And I didn’t know the guy couldn’t take a hit, should all the blame fall on me?"

"I never thought there’d be a day where I could commit crimes reasonably, with no repercussions."

Someone reminded him: "The premise is that we can only do so in order to defend our legitimate interests."

"To hell with it, it looks like we can do so even if it’s not for any legitimate interest."

At this moment, Cui Qi walked over, looking slightly anxious: "Don’t celebrate too early. If we can commit crimes without facing consequences, so can others. Who knows, we may end up at a disadvantage if conflicts arise later on. You may not feel so good then."

Hearing this, some people were taken aback. True, they were already outsiders. If they clashed with the locals, they were outnumbered and could easily be wiped out.

The female director noticed this and walked over coolly: "Your worries are not unfounded. That’s why we need to train you. Also, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the side with more people will win. Strategies are also crucial. We can minimize casualties as long as you follow our orders."

Upon hearing the word ’casualties’, some people looked pale. They seemed frightened, their expressions timid, and looked as though they were considering backing out.

Of course, the female director couldn’t let morale slide like that, so she emphasized: "I know you might be scared, especially during the first execution of a mission. Many people are so frightened that they wet their pants. I don’t blame you for that. But when you think of backing out, remember why you chose to come here. You knew the risks before you came, but you still came. What have you been up to until now?"

Hearing this, everyone’s eyes grew sharp, filled with resentment, as if all the unbearable memories had been brought back.

Cui Qi knew roughly what these people had gone through. They were generally estranged from their families and had difficult lives. They had been bullied, despised, trampled on, humiliated, and could see no hope in life. These people resented the world’s unfairness and were easily emotionally triggered.

Resentment led to a desire for revenge, to retaliate against an unjust world. Here, these people could do things to avenge themselves - it was the perfect training ground.

"Impressive. She roused everyone’s anger with just a few words. This woman is not simple. She must have done this kind of training a few times." Cui Qi pretended to harbor resentment while secretly figuring out how to leak the information out.

After the training, the female director required them to draw lots to form groups, with four people in each group. They were then to elect a group leader. From then on, everything would be done in groups.

Cui Qi sighed quietly. Using small units was a smart move. The group members were all strangers and trust was impossible to establish in a short time. This arrangement facilitated surveillance of each other. After spending a long time together, the group members would become familiar with each other. But by then, he believed that the female director would have used other methods to build a sense of belonging to the organization among the members.

After the draw, Cui Qi was assigned to the first group and became the group leader. The other three members were a tall guy, a fat guy, and a guy wearing glasses.

"Okay, that’s it for today. Each group, go back and rest. We’ll start work early tomorrow." As the female director finished speaking, the lights in the factory dimmed.

The rooms provided for them were made up of shipping containers located outside the factory. Each group was assigned one container room.

Cui Qi led his group to their room. It was small, with two bunk beds, just enough for four people.

Under Cui Qi’s arrangement, the four of them chose their beds. At first, due to unfamiliarity, nobody spoke. They either looked at each other or elsewhere, not knowing what to say, making the atmosphere awkward. In the end, Cui Qi broke the silence by casually asking the others a few questions, slowly initiating a conversation.

Most of the conversation revolved around how they were selected. All experienced similar situations. They were all at their lowest point and most desperate when they were offered a lifeline.

However, Cui Qi didn’t know that there were bugs in the shipping container room they were staying in. At that moment, the female director was listening in to their conversation. New people generally had suspicions and concerns, and they were still unstable mentally, so it was necessary to monitor their every move.

"The last batch took only half a year to become qualified. I wonder how long this batch will take." The female director smiled subtly and started to report the situation.