The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 158

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Chapter 158 The Top Twenty Will Remain

Chapter 158 The Top Twenty Will Remain

“Do you know the rules of this training camp?” Natalie asked, her voice cold.

Her, tone was icy.

“Yeah,” Henry replied.

“You knew, and you still showed up?” Natalie pressed.

“I did,” Henry answered.

Natalie stared at him for two seconds, her eyes cold and unblinking.

“Fine,” she said.

She stepped back, hands clasped behind her, her eyes moving from Henry to the squad.

“Today’s training drills: 15 kilometers of weighted cross-country, carrying 55 pounds. Extreme endurance challenge, and a night raid,” she announced.

She looked at Henry. “If your total score doesn’t make the top twenty, pack your bags. And forget about the investment and the Pierce Group’s deal with the military. It’s off the table.”

No one on the field dared to even breathe.

Henry was one of the most powerful men in Summerset, and their chief instructor just went right at him. She’s got guts. Everyone thought he’d lose it any second.

But to everyone’s surprise, Henry stayed cool and answered calmly, “Yes, madam.”

“Fall back in,” Natalie ordered.

“Everyone, gear up. Move out!” she barked.

The forty-six trainees took off. Henry ran somewhere in the middle of the group, his steps neither long nor fast, but the way he moved made the others raise their eyebrows.

His forward lean was precise, and his arm swing was perfectly controlled.

No way a pampered CEO could pull off that kind of running form. This was pure muscle memory from years spent grinding on the training field.

Madison and Sebastian heard someone whispering and couldn’t resist glancing back at Henry.

As soon as they turned, they saw Henry’s step rate was freakishly steady. Going uphill, his strides got shorter but the rhythm never changed; downhill, his steps stretched out, but the tempo stayed locked in.

That kind of rhythm? You can’t just learn it from a couple of training videos. It’s the kind of muscle memory you build after running thousands of miles through the mountains, adjusting every single mile until it just clicks.

Blondie ran right beside Henry, huffing and puffing as he shot him a look.

‘Wait, is this for real?’ Blondie thought, still trying to catch his breath.

‘Why does it look like even a couple of steps from him are so pro? Since when does some Harbor City big shot know how to run cross-country?’ he thought, baffled.

Henry didn’t care about the looks he was getting. He stuck to his own pace and rhythm, kept his head down, and ran on.

By the end of the 15 kilometers, Henry finished fifth.

The top four were Sebastian, Madison, Blondie, and another trainee named Hayden Harrison.

As he crossed the finish line, his legs buckled and he dropped to his knees.

His knees slammed into the muddy ground with a dull thud, sending up a cloud of dust that drifted through the morning air like fog.

He pressed his hands to the ground, gulping in air as sweat dripped from his chin, splattering into tiny dark spots in the mud.

He stayed there, head down, shoulders shaking with every breath, completely drenched in sweat.

Natalie watched him from afar, unmoving. Sen’

head and locked eyes with her directly.

Successfully unlocked!

He looked at her, a confident smile on his face,

ned to win.

The second event of the morning was the extreme endurance circuit.

Chapter 158 The Top Twenty Will Remain

Two hundred push-ups, fifty pull-ups, two hundred squats, two hundred frog leaps, five minutes of plank, two hundred it- ups, log carry, tire drag, three rounds, no breaks.

This kind of ultra-intense endurance circuit was tough even for them. No way a big-shot CEO could handle it. Everyone was betting Henry would be wiped out in no time.

But Henry finished every single drill. He wasn’t the fastest, but he was definitely the most consistent.

By the third round of push-ups, his chest brushed the ground every time, arms locked out straight, no shortcuts, no sloppy form.

Sweat poured off him, the veins on his forehead standing out, and his lips were split and bleeding from how hard he bt down on them.

When it was time for pull-ups, Henry grabbed the bar, his whole body trembling. He’d pushed himself past his breaking point.

But he pulled off the first rep, chin clearing the bar, arms fully extended.

At the tenth rep, his pace started to slow.

By the thirtieth, he was hanging from the bar, chin couldn’t even reach it, and everyone below held their breath. His lips were cracked, still stained with dried blood, breathing heavy as he just hung there for five whole seconds. Then he gritted his teeth and pulled himself up, chin over the bar, dropped down, then pulled up again. By the fortieth rep, his arms weren’t even his anymore. His lats were screaming, his biceps twitching like crazy. The only thing driving him was one thought: if he wasn’t as strong as Natalie, he didn’t deserve to stand by her side.

Noah watched the whole thing, his jaw dropping in awe at what Henry was putting himself through. In this camp, he’d only ever looked up to Natalie. Now, Henry had just joined that list.

If Noah remembered right, Henry used to be in the special ops unit, and was the combat champion three years in a row. Later, after his sister was in a car accident, he left the military. He was only fifteen or sixteen at the time.

Now, ten years have gone by with no real training, no hardcore drills, and he can still hold his own against almost everyone here. That’s seriously impressive.

The night raid was the final event of the day.

It was ten kilometers, carrying 45 pounds, no time limit, but whoever finished last had to do extra rounds as punishment. Henry finished sixth.

When the final standings were posted, the field fell silent.

Henry Pierce, fourth overall.

He placed fifth in the cross-country, third in the extreme endurance circuit, and sixth in the night raid.

Adding up all three events, his total score put him in fourth place.

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