A muffled, guttural sound came from inside the gas mask. Matthew observed Hunk's attire, which was extremely faithful to the original design, and silently gave it a mental thumbs up.
"Hunk, before you came, Ross already explained this mission clearly to you, right?" Matthew asked, looking at Hunk, who seemed devoid of emotion.
"Mm," Hunk nodded, his gaze fixed on Matthew. Under Hunk's stare, Matthew felt as if the figure before him wasn't a 'person', but a venomous snake capable of calmly taking a life.
"Mission objective is clear."
"To provide you with comprehensive combat training, enabling you to acquire battlefield survival skills in a short period."
"However, before that, you need to change into this Combat Suit to prevent injuries during the upcoming training," Hunk said, squatting down to open the black briefcase in his hand.
Inside the briefcase was a brand-new special operations Combat Suit. Its style was almost identical to Hunk's own.
Matthew accepted Hunk's suggestion almost without thinking, as it was only natural. The suit he was wearing looked expensive.
'If it got damaged during the upcoming training, I'd be heartbroken for a while,' he thought. Although he was no longer the same as before, he couldn't just waste things like that.
The Combat Suit's material was excellent and fit perfectly. It balanced both defense and comfort.
'No wonder Hunk always wore this outfit whenever he appeared, so you've been living the good life, huh!' Matthew mused.
Once Matthew was fully dressed, Eleanor, who had been standing by, tactfully retreated. Before entering the elevator, she deliberately leaned close to Hunk.
She whispered that Matthew had raised his salary. At first, Hunk was slightly stunned to hear that his salary had inexplicably increased.
Through the red lenses embedded in his Gas Mask, he looked at Eleanor with confusion. But soon, that hint of confusion turned into composure.
He nodded, saying, "I understand."
"I will earn this salary, absolutely obey superior orders! I will show no mercy during training! I will ensure the BOSS masters the secrets of battlefield survival as quickly as possible!"
Seeing this, Eleanor retreated with satisfaction.
At the same time, a System notification suddenly popped up before Matthew, who was warming up.
[System Points +20, 'Hunk' feels more motivated.]
Matthew thought, '???' 'This 'motivation' isn't going to be 'motivating' *me*, is it?'
Matthew looked up at Hunk, who was handing him a Tactical Knife. After a moment of silence, he took the dagger whose blade gleamed with cold light.
Before they started, he still said earnestly, "Hunk, I'm your boss, you understand?"
He tried to use his status as boss to ensure he wouldn't suffer too much in the upcoming training. However, Hunk misunderstood.
'He thought Matthew was worried that his status as boss would make Hunk hold back,' Matthew realized.
"Sir, I understand you perfectly," Hunk said, his eyes narrowing slightly. 'I will do my utmost in the upcoming training!'
"Alright then, let's begin."
"Mm!" As soon as he finished speaking... *Swish!* A cold glint shot straight towards his heart!
...Time flew by like a white steed flashing past a crevice. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
During this half-month, Matthew lived a truly miserable existence. Hunk had even cured his insomnia.
Because every time Hunk made a move, he could 'coax' Matthew to sleep. The Combat Suit he'd initially worn had long since turned into rags under Hunk's 'personal tutelage'.
He had accumulated countless wounds. Although these wounds would quickly heal and recover with the First Aid Spray produced by Umbrella Corporation, leaving no scars, the pain was very real!
'That old bastard Hunk really didn't hold back!' Matthew thought. Even though he knew the person before him had never received any training, he still treated him with extremely harsh standards.
'Don't subordinates usually read between the lines of their boss's words? What exactly did you misinterpret my subtext as, you rascal!'
*Bang bang bang bang!* Golden-yellow casings flew out. In Matthew's hands, the muzzle of the MP5 Submachine Gun continuously spat out flames.
The bullets they used had reduced gunpowder, so there was no possibility of them being lethal. Thus, they could be used without worry.
Not far away, Hunk's figure was rapidly approaching. Before this, Matthew had never understood how people could 'dodge' bullets.
But now he understood. A normal person's speed couldn't possibly be faster than a bullet.
However, if combat experience and [Neural Reflexes] reached a certain level, one could attempt to evade bullets by judging the muzzle's trajectory. Hunk was clearly such a case.
A volley of bullets whizzed past Hunk, striking the concrete wall and sparking, yet not even grazing his clothes.
*Click!* A sound of the bolt locking back echoed from inside the gun's chamber. Hearing this sound, Hunk stopped dodging.
He swiftly drew the dagger from his waist, turned, and charged fiercely at Matthew. In an instant, he was already at Matthew's side.
Feeling the bone-chilling coldness on his neck, Matthew didn't hesitate. He quickly dropped the MP5 in his hand, drew the pistol from his waist, and repeatedly pulled the trigger!
At the same time, his other hand reached for the Karambit at his waist, preparing to defend.
The gunshots, practically exploding in his face, forced Hunk to halt his previous attack. After tilting his head to dodge the muzzle, the dagger in his hand suddenly flicked upwards.
A heavy strike sent the pistol flying. Hunk's combat techniques were extremely refined.
Although Matthew hadn't yet grasped the essence, he had learned a few things under Hunk's 'beating'. The moment the cold glint of the dagger clashed with the Karambit's blade, sparks flew into Matthew's slightly bloodshot eyes.
Before he could exert more force, Hunk had already used the momentum to spin, deflecting the power of Matthew's knife. He then delivered a kick to his chest.
*Bang!* That kick almost knocked the wind out of Matthew. But he still managed to forcefully stabilize himself after retreating two steps.
He then immediately attacked Hunk. The Karambit in his hand continuously struck at Hunk's vital points, and sparks flew as they engaged in close combat.
*Rip!* The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the entire space. Matthew, having landed a hit, forcefully kneed Hunk away.
He then looked at the bulletproof vest ripped open on Hunk's chest, breathing heavily. Just as he was about to say something, Hunk, from a distance, also pointed at his chest.
Matthew looked down. Only then did he realize that, at some unknown point, Hunk had carved a huge 'X'-shaped wound into the bulletproof vest on his upper body.
Not only that, but there were also various sized cuts on his legs, arms, and other areas, revealing the anti-cut lining beneath.
"..." 'As expected, the older ginger is spicier,' Matthew thought.
Not far away, Hunk looked down at the tear running across his chest, paused for two seconds, then gave Matthew a thumbs up.
"Good progress."
"Let's stop here for now. Next time, it would be even better if you could avoid this 'injury for injury' approach."
Just as the two were about to change clothes for the next round of training, the elevator not far away chimed softly. Eleanor's distinctive high heels clicking on the floor reached their ears.
"Sir, please forgive my sudden intrusion... The Board of Directors has a meeting tomorrow evening that requires your attendance, and you'll need to prepare for it in advance."
"Also, Mr. Obadiah Stane from Stark Industries had scheduled an appointment with you for this afternoon one week ago, and he is now waiting for you in the conference room."