Operation: Special Warfare Episode 12 Recap
> Operation: Special Warfare Recap
The female soldiers embarked on their next training project: spinning in place while answering questions from Qin Guan. As they spun, Qin Guan peppered them with multiplication and subtraction questions. Many struggled to answer correctly, providing wrong numbers or getting flustered. Qin Guan then challenged their perceived ease, declaring this was just the beginning and harder tasks were ahead. He began calling out groups, ordering each soldier to complete 120 laps in three minutes within the spinning cage.
Ning Meng and Yang Shu were in the final group. True to Qin Guan's warning, many soldiers became dizzy and vomited. While most managed to complete the task, Yang Shu failed to finish, disappointing Qin Guan. He expressed his displeasure, announcing that everyone would have to double their training the next day to catch up. Back in the dormitory, the female soldiers were in agony, dizzy and exhausted.
Li Sisi lay on Ning Meng's bed, complaining of severe dizziness, while Ning Meng herself struggled to stand. Despite the intense additional training, most soldiers eventually passed this phase, but Yang Shu continued to struggle. Qin Guan then ordered Yang Shu to continue spinning while the others were forced to flip heavy tires, emphasizing that no one would rest until Yang Shu completed her 120 laps. Yang Shu practiced alone during breaks, but repeatedly failed, collapsing and vomiting.
Ning Meng approached her, pointing to a small yellow flower nearby and sharing how that same flower had given her courage during a previous anti-strike training when she was on the verge of giving up. Ning Meng told Yang Shu she thought she was an incredibly cool person. Yang Shu thanked her but firmly stated she didn't need any psychological counseling. Zhuang Qian noticed a change in Yang Shu, observing that she had lost her former domineering spirit.
She and Ning Meng sought advice from Wen Jing. Wen Jing explained that inability to pass such training stemmed either from psychological reasons or a vestibular system issue. Given Yang Shu's refusal of psychological counseling, Wen Jing concluded it was likely a vestibular problem. She gave Ning Meng two glow sticks, advising that focusing on a fixed point while spinning could alleviate dizziness. Ning Meng took the glow sticks to help Yang Shu in her extra training.
Qin Guan silently appeared during their session, instructing Ning Meng not to make a sound. He explained that Yang Shu excelled in all other aspects, but her anti-vertigo capabilities were weak, and being a loner, she needed Ning Meng's help. Ning Meng, delighted by Qin Guan's words, realized he had been quietly observing and fostering their growth all along. Later, in the dorm, Li Sisi teased Ning Meng about her contented giggles, trying to uncover the cause of her happiness.
Yang Shu later requested more time from Qin Guan to train, but he refused, emphasizing that "rules are rules" and applied equally to everyone. He reminded her of her impressive past achievements, like being a national shooting champion, a taekwondo expert with no rivals, and a record holder in cross-country, before asking if she still needed time. He stated that failing to pass within the stipulated time would result in her quitting Blue Lightning.
That evening, Yang Shu asked Ning Meng to tie her to the spinning apparatus, instructing her not to untie her no matter how much she cried out, stating she wanted to be spun until she couldn't take it anymore. Ning Meng tied her up, urging her to focus on the cross mark. After a while, seeing Yang Shu falter, Ning Meng untied her, concerned she might have passed out.
Yang Shu, however, quickly recovered and begged Ning Meng to tie her back, determined to pass. Ning Meng, instead, gently encouraged her to smile more, telling her she looked beautiful when she smiled. Two days later, the final assessment arrived, presenting Yang Shu with her last opportunity. This time, she successfully passed the spinning test. Afterward, Yang Shu reverted to her usual "ice-faced" demeanor, a sight Ning Meng had grown accustomed to.
Qin Guan commended all the female soldiers for passing this assessment but quickly added that the harder challenges were yet to come. For the next training, Qin Guan presented the female soldiers with new equipment and ordered them to put it on, giving them ten minutes to gather. The women speculated about the contents, wondering if it was special disguise gear or advanced technology.
Meanwhile, the male soldiers also pondered what new training awaited, jokingly hoping for beach volleyball or imagining the female soldiers in high heels and cheongsams for disguise training. To their surprise, the new equipment turned out to be heavy sandbags to be worn all over their bodies. Struggling to move under the weight, the female soldiers looked like "Ninja Turtles."
Qin Guan announced the next course: female soldiers, weighed down by sandbags, would fight male soldiers, and only winning would count as passing. Ning Meng questioned how they could possibly fight under such conditions. Qin Guan clarified that the purpose was to enhance their strength and endurance in combat, preparing them to be "invincible against strong bandits." He then immediately ordered a five-kilometer cross-country run.
The female soldiers understood that this seemingly unfair training was designed to push them to their limits, enabling them to become as strong, or even stronger, than the male soldiers, ensuring they could hold their own in real counter-terrorism operations. After a day of running with the heavy sandbags, their bodies were covered in bruises and wounds, with clothes painfully stuck to their skin. Ning Meng, despite her own discomfort, gently applied hot compresses to Li Sisi's injuries.
Later, as they nursed their wounds, the female soldiers expressed worries about tomorrow's combat and whether their injuries would leave scars, potentially affecting their future romantic prospects. The conversation quickly devolved into lighthearted gossip about Xu Dongdong and Lin Yi. Ning Meng then suggested they must quickly adapt to wearing the sandbags. Yang Shu, regaining her resolve, declared that to achieve a breakthrough, they must challenge their limits.
She proposed that starting the next day, they would organize their own 400 m steeplechase training, aiming to significantly improve their results. The group rallied behind the motto: "The harder it is, the more forward it is!" Late that night, Li Sisi, unable to sleep due to anxiety, crept into Ning Meng's bed. She confided in Ning Meng that she worried about dragging the team down during tomorrow's training, fearing she wouldn't be able to keep up.
Ning Meng patiently reassured her, urging her to believe in herself and reminding her that they would all help her. She encouraged Li Sisi not to put so much pressure on herself, to get a good night's sleep, and to remember that "there's nothing you can't do." The next morning, the female soldiers, united in their determination, began their self-organized 400 m steeplechase training.
However, Li Sisi again hesitated, finding it daunting to complete the course even in regular uniform, let alone with the heavy sandbags to meet the high standards. Yang Shu firmly reminded everyone that Blue Lightning was different from any other unit they had served in, constantly pushing them to challenge their limits every single day.
