The first to be assessed was marksmanship.
As expected, with a perfect score of ten, Lin Yuan could only manage a score of 7.8 even with all his might.
There was no helping it; within twenty meters, Lin Yuan could hit the bullseye every time, but these assessment targets were all at one hundred meters.
Thus, Lin Yuan was the only one who hadn't experienced day and night in the water.
"I'm a landlubber."
"Ah, it's alright... What? You can't swim?"
"Not exactly. I could when I was little, but I went through some things, so I have a bit of aquaphobia."
"What things?" Ying Tianlong asked seriously. Innate aquaphobia was difficult to treat, but if it was caused by a specific reason, the simplest method was system desensitization.
That is, the best way to conquer fear is to face it directly. What "Guai Ge" said was indeed not wrong.
"When I was little, I was quite mischievous and often bathed with my friends. One day, we agreed to go bathe in a large lake on the outskirts of town. Something happened there. I personally saw two of my companions being dragged down by something while they were swimming. They struggled incessantly, and soon they vanished, leaving only a few bubbles.
The rest of us were terrified. We swam towards the shore, shouting for help.
By the time we were rescued, it was too late. Their legs were entangled with a lot of water weeds. This left a huge shadow in my heart. Even now, when I look at deep water, I feel like there's something terrifying waiting to pull me down. This feeling is strongest when I'm alone." (Please do not swim in the river, cherish your life.)
As he reached the end, Lin Yuan was covered in a cold sweat.
Seeing Lin Yuan's significant change, Ying Tianlong sighed, "What are you thinking now? If you can't overcome your inner fear, your entry into the group will be postponed. This is also my fault; I always assumed you would be traversing mountains and crossing rivers. As the leader, you should be competent, if not all-around skilled, to not have this problem.
Make a choice, Comrade Lin Yuan. I will compensate for my oversight."
The severe winter cold had not yet passed, and the water was bone-chilling. The other team members had all reached Wu Tian's level of physical enhancement, so winter swimming was not an issue for them.
Even without a warm-up, they wouldn't get cramps upon entering the water. (In reality, always warm up before entering the water!!!)
"I've decided to go in!" Lin Yuan said firmly after taking a few deep breaths.
He had to do this; he had to maximize his chances of survival in future operations.
Taking off his clothes, Lin Yuan could feel the external temperature, but his physical constitution had improved his resistance to extreme temperatures, though not to the point of being impervious to the elements.
After a simple warm-up and calming himself, he slowly entered the water.
Ying Tianlong felt uneasy and stopped the training of others, guarding the lake, ready to rescue at any moment.
On the other side, Lin Yuan felt the icy lake water gradually submerging his thighs and chest.
As he approached the deep end, Lin Yuan hesitated.
He was scared and couldn't even bring himself to look down.
In the dark, murky water, he imagined corpses, their bloated faces appearing and disappearing beneath the surface.
Staring at Lin Yuan, waiting for this scapegoat to fully disappear into the deep water.
"If you're dead, don't bother the living! If you're not convinced, I'll let the 204 howitzer take care of you!"
Shaking his head fiercely, Lin Yuan uttered harsh words, shattering these illusions. He sang "My Motherland" loudly, inhaling oxygen into his lungs, and dove into the depths.