- Oliver -
Camille smiled before announcing, "This second stage will be interesting. Instead of just one attempt, you will have ten days and can try once a day."
The lights of the space base flickered montarily as Camille began the presentation. A slight tremor ran through the entire complex as if the gigantic structure was being rearranged. Oliver felt the floor vibrate beneath his feet and instinctively grabbed the table to keep his balance. The astonishnt wasn't his alone; Katherine and Isabela shared the sa surprised look.
"At this mont, the arenas you've used are being altered," Camille announced. "Each one is being expanded and remodeled so you can have a completely different setting, five tis larger than what you've faced before."
Oliver widened his eyes. ‘They're going to be enormous!’ he thought, trying to imagine the monuntal scale of the new arenas. His mind buzzed with possibilities, anticipating what was to co.
"All arenas will replicate the sa map," the General continued. Holograms projected three-dinsional images that revealed what looked like a small neighborhood.
A main road cut through the entire arena, connecting different buildings to a trail that led to a dense forest. The trees were tall and imposing, their canopies touching the arena's artificial sky.
Around the area, small structures circled the scenery: reinforced walls, energized barbed wire, and ramparts delineating the neighborhood. Warning signs glowed in neon, proclaiming "Caution!" and "Danger Ahead!" in pulsating letters.
Beyond the barriers stretched a vast terrain covered by dozens of trees and so houses. In the center of the road stood a huge red barn.
Finally, at the end of the road, a large colonial-style house rose, its white walls gleaming under the lighting. Panoramic windows facing the street offered glimpses of the sophisticated interior.
Scattered throughout the terrain, hundreds of robots waited silently. Each had a different-colored marking on its head. Its chanical eyes glowed with latent energy, ready to be activated at any mont.
Oliver felt a chill run down his spine. The magnitude of the next challenge was evident. The arenas weren't just battlefields but complete worlds designed to test the competitors' limits. He exchanged a glance with Katherine and Isabela.
"Your second test focuses on an assault mission. Your task is to execute a rapid entry and exit from enemy territory," Camille comnted.
"However," Camille continued, "the strategy is up to you. You can opt for a stealth approach, where you won't be detected by any of the robots in the territory."
The screen behind her displayed a high-definition video: an officer moving agilely through the map, jumping between obstacles, sliding through shadows, and avoiding robot patrols. With surgical precision, he reached the tallest house and then disappeared into the dense forest without leaving a trace.
"Or you can choose brute force," Camille said, a slight smile forming on her lips.
The image switched to another officer, this ti advancing with weapons in hand, firing at every robot that crossed his path. Explosions lit up the scene as he made his way to the main house before fleeing toward the forest, leaving a trail of destruction.
"You'll be able to choose between three possible entry points," the General pointed out, indicating the holographic map floating beside her. "Each with its advantages and disadvantages."
On the map, three bright arrows highlighted the infiltration locations, each offering distinct routes through enemy territory.
"However, there's only one way to complete the mission," Camille emphasized. "You must infiltrate the main house, obtain the orb located on the second floor, and escape into the forest."
New images appeared, showing details of the colonial house, the glowing orb resting on a pedestal, and the escape route through the dense vegetation.
"All arenas will be available at any ti for you to undertake the test," she continued. "The maximum ti is five minutes for you to be considered as having completed this challenge."
A digital tir appeared at the top of the projected arena, its red numbers highlighting the pressure of ti.
"For those who finish under five minutes, good work," declared Camille, clapping her hands twice. "You're at the level of an officer and can choose which officer school you wish to attend."
She paused before the second awaited information. "But if you wish to beco Rangers, your journey isn't over yet. Each ti will be ranked, and out of the 60,000 recruits, only the top 6,000 will advance to the final phase."
Oliver felt the weight of the competition. He knew that rely completing the mission wasn't enough; he needed to be exceptional.
"This is the mont to show what you're capable of," the General stated. "Plan your strategies, trust in your abilities, and above all, rember that every decision can be the difference between advancing or falling behind."
The screens began displaying scenes of the arenas being prepared, drones adjusting the final details, and robots positioning themselves at strategic points.
"Good luck to all," Camille concluded before the transmission ended.
| File received: Schematic of the Second Challenge
| File received: Rules of the Second Challenge
| File received: Information on the Second Challenge
| Ti until arena release: 03:00:00
As soon as the transmission ended, the atmosphere inside the base changed abruptly. The corridors filled with movent as thousands of recruits headed to the training floors, while others went directly to the fourth floor, eager for the challenge to begin. The rhythmic sound of boots against the floor and the murmur of voices were full of anticipation to advance to the next stage.
Oliver stood still for a mont, observing the activity around him. ‘There are 60,000 of us,’ he calculated ntally. ‘If it takes five minutes each and everyone participates, each will only have one chance. Are they counting on dropouts?’
"What do you think we should do?" Isabela asked, her eyes reflecting a mix of anxiety and determination.
"You also received the three files, right?" Katherine interjected calmly. "I think it's better we read every detail before attempting anything."
Oliver nodded; last ti, the data they had on the gauntlet was essential for him to succeed. He searched for the notification about the rules and clicked it, opening an enormous file with various details about what they could and couldn't do inside the arena.
Lines of text and technical diagrams floated in the air. Generally, there was nothing extraordinary, but one point was reiterated with emphasis: under no circumstances could they harm other competitors. Even though it was an individual competition, it wasn't permitted to leave traps, explosives, or any other type of equipnt or ability that could affect the next participant entering the arena.
Oliver let out a sigh of relief. ‘At least I won't have to worry about sabotage,’ he thought. ‘I can imagine soone entering each arena just to leave traps.’
With the rules clear in his mind, he moved on to the detailed schematics of the map. A three-dinsional hologram of the arena erged, revealing every building, path, and obstacle. "It's huge," he pondered. "We have several options we can use." He analyzed the positions where the robots would appear, which houses had accessible entrances, and which routes could offer the best chance of success.
The last file explained how the opponents operated. They would encounter three types of robots scattered throughout the arena, identified by yellow, red, and black markings.
Robots with yellow markings were patrol units. They walked around the entire arena, always alert. Individually, they weren't strong; if they were taken down silently, the others wouldn't notice. However, they were constantly attentive to any nearby sound or movent.
Robots with red markings were combat sentinels. They remained in fixed positions near the main house and could be summoned by the yellow robots. Their alert level was low, possibly ignoring movents and sounds unless there was a clear alert.
The black robots existed only inside the large house. They were the most lethal, constantly moving between the two floors but confined to that restricted area.
"Tricky," Oliver murmured, frowning as he tried to devise an initial plan. The arena's complexity would require a well-thought-out strategy.
After a few hours imrsed in the details, he reached a preliminary conclusion. ‘I'll try to secure the five minutes without extravagant strategies. After that, I can try to improve the ti.’
He looked up and noticed that Katherine was still deeply engrossed in her studies. Isabela, on the other hand, had her hands in her hair, displaying an expression of confusion and frustration.
"How the heck am I supposed to infiltrate that?!" Isabela exclaid aloud.
"You can watch other matches first before deciding how you'll approach it," Katherine suggested, trying to calm her. "In the coming days, there will be constant battles to achieve the best tis."
"Shall we go to one of the queues?" Oliver proposed. "We can wait there and maybe watch so attempts before our turn."
Katherine agreed with a nod. Isabela sighed but got up from the café table. The trio headed to the fourth floor. The corridors were bustling, and each arena entrance displayed long lines of recruits. Apparently, most had decided to try their luck on the first day.
As they ascended, they could hear snippets of anxious conversations:
"I heard the main entrance is the farthest but less guarded."
"There's a girl in Wing D saying she has a strategy to complete it in under three minutes!"
"The black robots are relentless, but you can get out easily if you avoid them."
After a few more minutes in the queue for Arena 31, the long-awaited notification finally arrived.
| Second exam started
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