Thane’s POVI nodded slowly. “Makes sense. If they find anything off, we’re done.”Paul leaned back on the couch. “Exactly. So, we’ll prepare for both written and field tests.”Theresa sat cross-legged on the floor beside me, holding her notepad. “Do you have any idea what kind of questions they’ll ask?” she asked curiously.Paul gave a short smile. “A few. But Thane probably remembers more from his time as commander.”I shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. I remember some of the questions they used to throw at us.”“Like what?” Theresa asked, looking at me with interest.I leaned forward and said, “For example — if a terrorist grabs your neck and tries to cut it with a knife, how would you save yourself?”Paul chuckled softly. “Good one. What were the options?”I started listing them out. “A: Run away. B: Surrender. C: Scream for help. D: Turn the terrorist downward while snatching the knife from him. E: None of the above.”Theresa snapped her fingers. “That’s easy — D!”I smiled. “You’re right.”

Thane’s POVI laughed quietly, It was already midnight when I heard a soft knock at the door.“Thane,” Paul said, stepping in. His tone was serious. “Get dressed. We’re going to the secret training room.”I looked at him, confused. “Now? It’s midnight.”“Yes. That’s the point,” he replied, already walking toward the elevator.I followed him through the hallway, the hotel was almost empty at this hour. The elevator opened on the third floor, but instead of regular rooms, there was a long corridor leading to a metal door. Paul typed a code on a small keypad. The door opened while revealing a wide space filled with training equipment, weights, dummies, shooting targets, and advanced weapons.My eyes went wide. “You brought all this here?”He smirked. “Let’s just say I know a few people.”In the corner, a large sniper rifle rested on a tripod. My stomach tightened a little.“Okay, what’s this about?” I asked, looking around.Paul turned to me with a sharp grin. “If you can dodge a sniper

Thane’s POVBy 4 p.m., the coordinator’s voice sounded through the speakers. “All candidates, please proceed into the examination hall immediately!”The crowd outside began to move. Thousands of us filed into the enormous building, the air filled us with nervous whispers and the sound of footsteps against the tiled floor. The hall was massive, rows upon rows of computers stretched as far as the eye could see, each with the screen on waiting for the next candidate to log in. The white fluorescent lights made everything feel sharper and colder.Lucie’s seat number was B17, while mine was B19, just two seats apart. I gave her a small nod as we sat down. She smiled back nervously and adjusted her fake ID tag that read Lucie.Paul was farther away, somewhere near the front rows. His posture was calm, like he’d done this a thousand times.“Attention, everyone!” one of the invigilators shouted through a mic. “Please remain silent. Your login pins will be distributed shortly. Once you receive

Thane’s POVPaul didn’t look convinced. “Maybe,” he muttered, stepping out of the car with us.We entered the hotel quietly, our bodies was still aching from the long, stressful day. The air inside the lobby smelled faintly of lemon polish and coffee. I could feel the exhaustion crawling through my muscles.Theresa leaned against the elevator wall. “I’m really tired,” she said softly, her eyes half-closed. “But not too tired to remember our last time together.” She gave me a playful smirk.I rolled my eyes. “Theresa, this is not the time for that.”Paul chuckled under his breath. “You two never change,” he said as the elevator doors opened. “Get some rest. Tomorrow might be another long day.”The elevator stopped on our floor. We all stepped out and went our separate ways. I unlocked my room door and dropped my bag on the couch. My body felt heavy, and all I wanted was food and a hot shower.A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I opened it, and the room service attendan

Thane POVThe next morning came faster than I expected, when I woke up, I could already feel the pressure of what the day would bring. Today was the big interview at Campbell City Barracks the physical combat test that would decide everything.I got out of bed, stretched my arms, and took a deep breath. Theresa was already awake, brushing her hair in front of the mirror. “You’re up early,” I said, buttoning my shirt.She smiled faintly. “I couldn’t sleep much. Today’s the real deal, Pierre. We can’t afford any mistake.”“Yeah, I know,” I replied, straightening my tie. “But we’ve trained for this. Yesterday’s session with Paul was rough, but it prepared us well.”Theresa nodded, then looked at me from head to toe. “You clean up nice,” she teased.I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a dark expensive suit and polished shoes. Everything about me screamed confidence. “You’re not looking bad yourself,” I said, eyeing her Paris version gown. It hugged her curves perfectly,