Chapter 763: Stunning the Audience (3)
Skylar Crowe felt a surge of anger. A country bumpkin like Vera Xavier—what right did she have to compete with Susan Caldwell for a man? Especially a man so exceptional!
Lost in thought, she failed to notice when her academy’s squad shifted forward. Her mind was so preoccupied that she reacted a beat too late. Her hesitation made the entire formation look untidy.
The drill instructor’s sharp gaze shot toward her. She quickly cleared her mind, not daring to let her thoughts wander, and hurried to catch up.
The officials on the platform noticed the slip-up. The elderly leader, Zhang, who had just returned, frowned. “The overall caliber of the students from these academies this year is lower than in previous years,” he commented.
No one refuted his statement. In their eyes, even if this was just a performance review following military training, there was absolutely no room for sloppiness. It was a fundamental matter of attitude.
Nathaniel Nathan paid no mind to this minor detail. He was searching for Vera Xavier.
Since Sheldon Caldwell was leading the team from Veridia University, they were relatively easy to find.
Veridia University was participating in the performance with two female squads and three male squads, for a total of one hundred and fifty students.
Vera was the type of person who stood out in any crowd, so as soon as Nathaniel located the Veridia University contingent, he immediately spotted her.
The moment his gaze fell on her, Vera sensed it and gave him a subtle wink.
Seeing her small gesture, the corner of his mouth twitched. He loved this side of her, but with so many people around, he couldn’t risk a similar gesture in return. He maintained his stoic, expressionless facade.
However, the light drumming of his fingers on the table betrayed his good mood.
Vera pouted slightly and thought, ‘What a poser!’
Once all the squads were assembled, the presidents of the participating universities delivered speeches, recited oaths, and chanted slogans. Then, they announced the rules for the day’s performance review, promising generous rewards for the top three finishers.
As the only team from a non-military academy, Veridia University drew everyone’s attention. One of the university presidents even made a special mention of them in his speech, calling their participation “commendable for its courage.” Hearing this, the students and instructors in the audience chuckled.
Sheldon Caldwell sneered. “What’s so funny?” he yelled. “We’ll wipe the floor with all of you in a bit!”
His comment, far from silencing them, only triggered another round of uproarious laughter.
An instructor from another school who knew him piped up, “Deputy General Manager Caldwell, don’t tell me you’re trying to win back a round in this training performance because you lost the war games, are you?”
This was, in fact, Sheldon’s initial motivation, but he would never admit it in front of everyone. With a look of solemn righteousness, he declared, “What nonsense! I’m simply here to show you all that we are people of ambition! We refuse to settle for the mediocrity of the present!”
His words immediately elevated the matter to a higher plane. After all, a great man once said, “Our power is derived from the people!”
In an instant, no one dared to laugh at Sheldon Caldwell anymore. He immediately grew smug and shot a provocative grin at Nathaniel Nathan on the platform.
Seeing his antics, Nathaniel could only think that the man was utterly childish. ‘What is there to be so smug about?’
A slight smile played on Sheldon Caldwell’s lips. Others might not know why Nathaniel was here, but he did. After spending some time with Nathaniel recently, he had discovered just how important Vera was to him.