Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen novel Chapter 396

Tom was absolutely livid, tied up like a Thanksgiving turkey on the floor.

Through gritted teeth, he mumbled, "That wicked woman! That treacherous witch! I'm going to report her! I'm going to... mmmph mmmph!"

With a wave of Manley's hand, a blue team soldier stuffed a rag into Tom's mouth, silencing him effectively.

Tom's face was flushed with anger, his eyes blazing with fury, as if he might just lose it at any second.

Meanwhile, the recorder continued to play the girl's voice.

"We've decided to send our commander as a hostage to the blue team. Not just because we can't afford to keep him, but also because we, the red team, want to negotiate with you, the blue team. The hostage is a gesture of goodwill. Tomorrow at 10 AM, I, the acting commander of the red team, Eileen, would like to meet with Commander John of the blue team for a face-to-face discussion. Rest assured, we will not use any tricks. If we do, feel free to execute the hostage. We won't object in the slightest."

Then Hancock's voice cut in on the recording, "I'm starting to doubt your intentions. Are you planning to skip the meeting tomorrow? Or worse, are you plotting to have Tom taken out so you can conveniently step up as the leader?"

"Shush," Eileen replied impatiently. "Do I seem like that kind of person? You made me mess up the recording! Now I have to do it all over again!"

Hancock muttered skeptically, "I just think you're full of it."

"Stop talking," Eileen snapped. "I'll erase the beginning and start over."

And so she recorded it again.

Once the recording was finally over, five minutes had passed.

Tom, still biting the rag, clenched his fists in frustration.

Manley pondered for a moment, then gestured for the hostage to be taken away and called all team captains into the tent for a meeting.

The blue team's meeting dragged on until 2 AM.

The next morning, at 10 AM sharp, Manley arrived at the designated meeting spot with sixty soldiers, all heavily armed and ready for anything.

On the wide riverbank, Eileen stood alone, casually perched on a tree branch with her rifle slung over her shoulder, watching them with an easygoing demeanor.

Manley, bundled up like he was prepared for a snowstorm, removed his protective goggles and squinted up at the nimble girl in the tree.

Eileen leaned against the trunk, her tone light as she spoke, "Commander John, you're not playing fair. I'm here all by myself, and you brought an army? I told you, I just want to talk to you."

Manley considered for a moment and then raised his hand to signal his troops to fall back.

One of the blue team captains protested, "Sir, this isn't safe! What if she has something up her sleeve?"

Manley replied calmly, "She's just one person."

The captain argued, "But that's all it takes to take you out!"

Manley sighed, clearly annoyed, "I know what I'm doing. If anything happens to me, we proceed with plan B. The deputy commander takes over. We went over this last night. Now, stand down!"

Finally, Manley managed to send the others away and made his way across the riverbank.

Eileen climbed down from the tree, leading Manley to a spot where drones couldn't eavesdrop, whispering her plan conspiratorially.

An hour later, their discussion concluded, and Eileen left as confidently as she'd arrived, striding away with a swagger that spoke volumes.

Manley returned to his anxious team.

Immediately, they bombarded him with questions, "Commander, what did you talk about?"

"What's her game, Commander?"

"Did she try to seduce you, Commander?"

"Smack!"

Manley slapped the back of the soldier who'd spoken out of turn, scowling, "Back to camp! Meeting!"

Unaware of the secret negotiations between the two team leaders, the surveillance room was buzzing with speculation.

Major Morris turned to Commander Dirk, "What do you think Eileen's up to?"

Commander Dirk was at a loss, "She mentioned yesterday that their true enemy is us."

Major Morris chuckled, shaking his head, "They're not planning to attack the surveillance room, are they? If they do, I'll dock them ten points each."

Commander Dirk couldn't be sure, "Let's hope she doesn't make the wrong choice. Their enemy is only each other."

There was no third option in this game. Either the red team won or the blue team did. The examiners were just observers, the jury in this battle that had nothing to do with them.

The two teams stayed put in their camps for the rest of the day.

The exam was set to end at midnight.

The night was dark, filled with the sounds of crickets and owls.

Major Morris stepped out of the surveillance room, stretching, and turned to the instructors from the Army Command Academy, "Alright, time to call them down."

The drone delivered the directive.

Half an hour later, the remaining soldiers from both teams assembled.