Bao Xu, Sa Ziran, Li Yaling, and other staff members had been waiting for some time. Dedicated personnel were responsible for reception, registration, distribution of clothing and equipment, and explaining various precautions during training.

Qiao Liang was puzzled: “Why is it just the three of us? Where are the others?”

“Did someone not show up?”

Bao Xu chuckled: “They’ll be here soon.”

“Not a single one will be missing.”

Hearing Bao Xu’s confident words, Qiao Liang felt slightly ashamed.

Indeed, Tenda’s employees, under Mr. Pei’s leadership, had probably developed an iron will. How could they think of deserting like him?

His assumption had been unfair, judging noble characters by his own petty standards.

Just as he finished speaking, a minibus stopped outside, and Tenda employees participating in the suffering journey disembarked one after another.

Every one of them had “happiness” written all over their faces, like prisoners being escorted to the execution ground.

As everyone got off the bus, the driver also alighted and shook hands with Bao Xu: “Seven people in total, all present. Handover complete!”

Bao Xu nodded: “Thank you for your hard work!”

The two connected seamlessly, like a shift change.

Qiao Liang: “…”

So he had misunderstood.

He thought Bao Xu was so confident and certain because he had special trust in Tenda’s employees and believed in their courage and determination.

But now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all!

It was simply because they had all been brought by minibus, and no one could escape. That’s why Bao Xu said “not a single one will be missing”!

Soon, all ten people changed into training clothes and put on rock climbing equipment.

“Come on, everyone do some warm-up exercises with me to loosen your muscles and joints.” Li Yaling began leading the group in warm-ups.

Qiao Liang couldn’t help but give a silent thumbs-up. This suffering journey was not bad at all! With a pretty girl leading the team, it shouldn’t be that difficult!

And it seemed that men and women would train together, not separately.

This way, Qiao Liang didn’t have to worry about being last. No matter what, due to natural physiological differences, he should at least be slightly stronger than the girls, right?

For this trip, Qiao Liang had brought equipment that could be used for livestreaming.

But he didn’t plan to use it now.

First, he needed to confirm whether livestreaming was allowed here and when. Second, he wanted to assess the situation first—he couldn’t livestream his most embarrassing moments.

So far, everything seemed fine, except that Bao Xu’s gaze seemed to carry a murderous intent, making him feel uneasy.

What Qiao Liang didn’t know was that Bao Xu’s scrutinizing gaze indeed carried killing intent; it wasn’t his imagination.

This was because Mr. Pei had privately instructed that certain individuals must be given special attention!

And the first on the list was Qiao Liang.

Following him were Ruan Guangjian, Chen Yufeng, and Zhu Xiaocai.

There was no helping it—who told them to be so outstanding and memorable?

Actually, for Pei Qian, the most annoying managers had already been arranged in the first batch. The managers in this second batch were relatively less severe.

The main focus was still on dealing with Qiao Liang and Ruan Guangjian.

But Ruan Guangjian might not be easily tormented, as this person could potentially enjoy anything he did. So tormenting Qiao Liang would be more effective.

As for Chen Yufeng, it was mainly because GOG’s recent spectator system had caused a surge in event popularity, dragging along both GOG and Rabbit Tail Streaming departments, making him too visible in Pei Qian’s eyes.

So Pei Qian felt this person should also be given special treatment.

As for Bao Xu, he had no objections whatsoever.

From Bao Xu’s perspective, bringing all Tenda employees to the suffering journey would certainly include some innocent ones, but taking them selectively would definitely let some slip through the cracks.

That being the case, why show any courtesy?

Arrange it!

Soon, Li Yaling had led everyone through the warm-up exercises.

Bao Xu stepped forward, cleared his throat, and emphasized the relevant precautions for the suffering journey once more.

“Next, we officially begin training, starting with rock climbing!”

“Considering that many of you don’t have rock climbing experience, we’ll start with something simple.”

“You will climb this wall one by one. We will record your performance and develop corresponding training plans accordingly.”

As Bao Xu spoke, he pointed to the lowest artificial climbing wall nearby.

This special training base was originally converted from a climbing gym, so there were several climbing walls of different sizes. The shorter ones were for training, and only after sufficient practice would they climb the tallest natural-looking rock face.

Of course, a climbing wall wasn’t necessarily more difficult the higher it was. It depended on the specific design and routes. This wall for beginners happened to be the shortest.

Hearing this, Qiao Liang’s eyes lit up.

Record performance and develop corresponding training plans?

Did that mean if he performed weakly, his training load would be reduced accordingly?

As if seeing through Qiao Liang’s thoughts, Bao Xu added: “For those with poor results, we will provide extra tutoring to help them catch up with the group as soon as possible.”

Qiao Liang: “…”

That’s underhanded!

Poor performers get “extra tutoring”? Then he could only give it his all!

What if he gave his all and still ended up at the bottom?

Qiao Liang felt his future looked bleak.

Bao Xu’s gaze swept over everyone: “Qiao Liang, you’re first!”

Qiao Liang was taken aback: “Huh?”

Everyone had already turned to him with encouraging looks: “Qiao Laoshi, you can do it! Go for it!”

Qiao Liang thought, better to die early and be reborn early. Going first meant he could rest afterward, which wasn’t bad.

So he gritted his teeth, approached the artificial rock wall, and began climbing under the protection of the staff.

Once he started, he discovered that this activity, which seemed simple, was actually quite difficult.

As someone without any foundation, he felt awkward no matter how he climbed. He didn’t know where to exert force or where to place his hands and feet. Standing on flat ground for an hour would be no problem, but after climbing for just a few minutes, he was already breathing heavily.

Determined not to receive “extra tutoring,” Qiao Liang went all out, using both hands and feet to climb upward. Below, the observers continued to cheer and encourage him.

Finally, Qiao Liang felt he truly couldn’t climb anymore. Looking up, he saw that although the artificial rock wall wasn’t tall, he was still a bit short of reaching the top.

This should be considered not bad, right?

So he began to descend awkwardly with the help of staff adjusting the ropes.

Once his feet were firmly back on the ground, Qiao Liang felt his legs were a bit weak and he was completely exhausted.

The venue immediately erupted in warm applause.

“Well done, Qiao Laoshi!”

Qiao Liang felt a bit embarrassed but also somewhat elated, with a feeling of “I’m really awesome.”

Bao Xu glanced at everyone: “Chen Yufeng, you’re second.”

Chen Yufeng couldn’t help but tremble, thinking: what have I done to deserve being right after Qiao Laoshi?

In terms of seniority or achievements, there were many people here who were much stronger than him, right?

He still felt he hadn’t accomplished much at Rabbit Tail Streaming. By all accounts, he shouldn’t be receiving such attention, right?

But having been called, he had no choice but to approach the artificial rock wall and begin climbing.

Although Qiao Liang’s body was tired, his heart was joyful.

It was like when a teacher randomly checks if students can recite ancient texts—being the first one called is certainly desperate, but after finishing and sitting down, there’s instantly a sense of carefree transcendence.

However, watching Chen Yufeng climb higher and higher, Qiao Liang’s expression froze.

What was going on?

This didn’t seem right. Shouldn’t Tenda’s employees all be ordinary office workers?

Although he was a content creator, he was at least a freelancer who could use a smart fitness clothes rack to exercise at home when he had nothing to do. Why was Chen Yufeng climbing faster than him?

Clearly, Chen Yufeng was also rock climbing for the first time, and many of his movements weren’t standard. But his physical fitness was obviously better, and he successfully reached the very top before descending smoothly.

Qiao Liang was speechless.

“I forgot that Tenda’s employees are all members of Tuoguan Fitness with mandatory workout schedules. Enforced regular exercise is indeed much better than my sporadic efforts…”

“It’s okay, my goal is just not to be last. No matter what, there’s no reason why Yao Bo and those two girls should surpass me, right?”

Bao Xu said nothing and continued calling the next name: “Ruan Guangjian.”

Ruan Guangjian approached the artificial rock wall, looked up, and showed a troubled expression, as if he had no idea how to begin.

Then he nimbly climbed up.

Qiao Liang: “…”

Hmph, just as expected.

Men.

There was absolutely no hope for Ruan Guangjian. Qiao Liang seriously doubted whether this impressive person was actually a carbon-based life form. Was there anything in this world he wasn’t good at?

But it was fine; others would bring up the rear.

Finally, it was Yao Bo’s turn.

Qiao Liang perked up again, watching attentively.

From his appearance, Yao Bo wasn’t very tall and was rather thin. He didn’t look like the type who would excel at sports.

However, as soon as Yao Bo started climbing the artificial rock wall, Qiao Liang’s heart sank.

Judging from his standard body posture, he was clearly an experienced climber who had done this many times!

Sure enough, this small artificial rock wall was a piece of cake for Yao Bo, who completed it with complete ease.

The climbing felt like certain adventure games where you just need to press the X button to make the protagonist effortlessly scale to the top by gripping rock crevices.

Qiao Liang was utterly discouraged.

Because so far, everyone in the team had reached the top except for him!

But there was still hope, as there were still two girls…

However, after Hao Yun and Qi Yan also gracefully climbed the artificial rock wall and successfully reached the top, Qiao Liang was completely speechless.

“I must have water in my brain…”

“What kind of monsters are these Tenda employees…”

Qiao Liang was thoroughly despondent. He originally thought that no matter what, he wouldn’t be at the bottom, that there would be one or two Huskies like him.

But now he realized this was a veritable wolf pack, and he was the only Husky!

On second thought, it was actually quite reasonable.

All Tenda employees were members of Tuoguan Fitness with mandatory exercise requirements.

The girls, although not as strong as the men, were lighter and had better coordination and balance after training, making them stronger than Qiao Liang.

As for Ruan Guangjian and Yao Bo, one had natural talent, and the other was wealthy and had undoubtedly tried rock climbing before.

“What am I going to do now!”

“There are still two months to endure!”

Qiao Liang’s expression was blank, feeling totally defeated.

Seeing Qiao Liang’s expression, Bao Xu gently patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Although your starting condition is the worst, we will conduct special training for you this month, ensuring you can keep up with the group!”

Qiao Liang slowly turned to look at Bao Xu, momentarily speechless.