Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Level 1

"The first task you have to learn today is to hold a gun and shoot, and the second task is how to win when fighting." The fourth child pressed the gun in my hand without even looking at me, and then continued to stride forward , "Since you are standing here, you already know how to jump on and off the Mercedes-Benz train, so I don't have to teach you any more." I'm not surprised that the Dauntless want us to give it our all, it's a surprise to be playing with just over six hours off.Now my body hasn't recovered from sleep yet. "The test process is divided into three levels. We will evaluate your progress and rank you according to the results of each level. When determining the final ranking, the proportion of each level is different, so you should try to improve your ranking. Although It's difficult, but not impossible."

I stared at the weapon in my hand, never in my life had I expected to be holding a gun, let alone shooting it.I feel that this is very dangerous, as if just touching it, it may catch fire at any time and hurt others. "There is an old saying in the Dauntless faction that training can eliminate cowardice, and acting in fear will be regarded as failure," said the fourth child, "Therefore, you must prepare for each level of the test. The first level mainly It is physical quality, the second level is mainly about emotional quality, and the third level is mainly about psychological quality.”

"But..." Pete yawned as he said, "What does shooting have to do with bravery?" The fourth child turned the gun over in his hand, put the barrel on Pete's forehead, and loaded the bullet.Peter froze with his mouth open, motionless, in the middle of a yawn. "Wake up," the fourth child said harshly, "What do you think you are holding in your hand? Idiot, this is a loaded gun. Find out." After speaking, he slowly put down the gun.As soon as the threat in front of him was lifted, Pete's green eyes instantly filled with firmness and indifference.I admit that I was stunned by his reaction, his face was flushed, and he didn't refute a word.You know, it's not easy for a guy from the Honest faction to hide his inner voice.

"Now to answer your question...Listen, you can protect yourself when you are in danger, instead of crying for your father and mother, and peeing your pants in fright." The fourth child stopped at the end of the line, and then fell back on the spot. Turn, "This is also what you may use later in the first level. So, watch me demonstrate." He turned to a wall where some targets hung.The so-called target was a square of plywood with three red circles on it, and each of us had our own target.I saw the old four standing with his feet apart, holding the gun in both hands, aiming at the target, and then shooting.There was a loud bang that hurt my ears, and I craned my neck to look at the target, the bullet passed right through the very center of the middle circle.

I turned and aimed at my target.My family would never approve of me shooting a gun.They will surely say that guns are used for violence or self-defense, so they are all self-serving. I pushed the image of my family out of my mind and brought my thoughts back to reality.With feet shoulder-width apart, carefully grasp the gun by the handle.The gun is heavy and hard to lift, but I want it to be as far away from my face as possible.I squeezed the trigger, hesitating at first, and then I pulled it slowly and timidly.With a bang, my ears hurt so badly, and my hands almost hit my nose under the recoil.I staggered, and hurriedly pressed my hands back against the wall behind me, otherwise I would definitely fall on my back.The bullet went somewhere, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't close to the target.

I fired shot after shot, but none came close and missed. "In terms of probability," the erudite boy next to me, Will, said with a smile, "even if it's a random fight, it should be hit at least once by now." He has fluffy blond hair and a vertical line between his eyebrows . "Is that so?" I said lightly. "Of course, so I think you are contrary to common sense." Gritting my teeth, I turned and aimed at the target, determined to at least keep myself on my feet.I told myself silently, if I can't even complete the first task, how can I pass the first level?

I squeezed the trigger and pulled it down hard, this time, I was mentally prepared for the recoil.As soon as the gun went off, my hands flicked back, but my feet were firmly planted.A bullet hole appears on the edge of the target, and I raise an eyebrow at Will. "Look, am I right? Probability doesn't lie," he said. I smile slightly. It took five shots to hit the target, but anyway, I made it! A rush of hot blood surged into my heart, and suddenly I felt full of energy.I woke up again, my eyes widened again, and my hands felt warm again.Then I put the gun down.Needless to say, control brings power, and gaining control can do a lot of damage, it's that simple.

Maybe, I do belong here. By lunch time, my arms were so sore from holding the gun for so long that I couldn't straighten my fingers.I rubbed my arms lightly and walked into the restaurant.Christina asked Al and I to sit with her.But whenever I saw his face, I felt like weeping, so I tried not to look at him. I poked peas with a fork, and my mind drifted back to the personality test.When Tori warned me that Divergents were in danger, I always felt as if the words "Divergent" were etched on my forehead, and if I made a mistake, someone would find out.Although there have been no major problems so far, this does not guarantee that I am safe.If I let my guard down, will bad luck come at any time?

"Oh, come on, you don't remember me?" Christina asked Al as she made a sandwich. "We had a math class together the other day, and I'm not a quiet person." "Most of the time I sleep through math class," Al replied, "literally the first hour of the morning." I began to worry, what if the danger didn't come immediately -- what if it came years later and I didn't know it was coming? "Tracey," Christina snapped her fingers in front of my eyes, "are you listening?" "What? What's wrong?" "I said, do you remember having a class with me?" she said, "Sorry, no offense, but even if we had a class together, I probably wouldn't. To me, all selfless people It all looks the same. I mean, they still do, but you choose to join Dauntless, you're not one of them anymore."

I stared at her with wide eyes, do I still need her to remind me? "Sorry, was I being rude?" she asked. "I'm straight and I'm used to speaking straight. My mother used to say that politeness is deceit in a fancy package." "I think this is the reason why we don't have much contact between our two factions." I said with a chuckle.It is true that the disinterested and the honest do not hate each other as much as the disinterested and the learned, but they avoid each other.The biggest headache for the honest faction is the friendly faction, who think that they put peace in the highest position and lie a lot, just to maintain the false superficial peace.

"Can I sit here?" Will tapped his fingers on the table around us. "What? You don't want to sit with your old erudite friend?" Christina asked. "They're not my friends," Will put down the plate. "People of the same faction don't necessarily get along well. Besides, Edward and Myra are dating, and I don't want to be a light bulb." Edward and Myra, two other freshmen from the Erudite School, sat two tables away from us, so close together that their elbows touched as they cut the food.Suddenly Myra stopped and kissed Edward.I watched them carefully, my cheeks were a little hot.To be honest, I haven't seen anyone kiss a few times in my life. Edward tilted his head, pressing his hot lips against Myra's.I clicked my tongue involuntarily, and quickly looked away.Surprised, I kind of hoped they'd be caught.There is probably still a hint of longing, not knowing how it would feel if someone kissed me. "Do they have to be so affectionate in public?" I said. "She just kissed him." Al frowned at me.As soon as he frowned, his thick eyebrows and eyelashes squeezed together, "It's not like he took off his clothes or something." "However, kissing should not happen in public places." Al, Will, and Christina all smiled contentedly. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Your selfless nature is on display," Christina said. "The rest of us think it's normal to make love in public." "Oh." I shrugged awkwardly, "Well, I guess I'll have to get over it slowly." "Or, you can always be so nonchalant." There was a teasing gleam in Will's green eyes. Christina picked up the bread roll and threw it at him, but he caught it with one hand and took a bite. "You hurt her less," bellowed Christina, "she's just as cold as you are a know-it-all." "I'm not frigid," I yelled. "Calm down," Will said. "I think that's cute. Look at you, you're blushing." Hearing this, my face became even hotter.They giggled, I suppressed the smile, and after a while, I laughed out. It's one of life's great joys to be able to laugh again. After lunch, the fourth child took us into a new room. The room was very large, the floor was cracked and creaked, and a big circle was drawn in the center.On the wall to the left hangs a green board—the "blackboard"—my junior teacher used one, but I haven't seen it since.There is a "blackboard" in this room, and I guess it may have something to do with the order of priority required by the Dauntless: training first, technology second. Our names are written on the "black board" in alphabetical order.I looked around, and my eyes fell on the end of the room, where faded black sandbags hung every meter. We lined up behind the sandbags, all looking at the fourth child standing in the middle. "As I said in the morning," said the fourth child, "next you will learn to fight. The purpose is to train people's reflexes and flexibility, so that the body is ready to deal with sudden difficulties and challenges. If you want to survive in the Fearless faction Going forward, these skills are required.” I didn't even dare to think about what it would be like to live as a Dauntless, all I could think about was how to survive all the trials. "Today, let's learn fighting skills first; tomorrow, we will fight in groups of two." The fourth child said, "Therefore, I suggest you concentrate. Those who don't learn quickly will definitely get hurt." He talked about several different punches and demonstrated each of them to us, first punching the air and then hitting the punching bag. As I practiced, I gradually understood the essentials.Practice makes perfect. This applies to shooting as well as to fighting practice. I need to practice a few times before I can figure out how to control my balance and how to move my body to make movements.Kicking was much more difficult, even though all he taught us was the basics.The sandbag made my hands and feet hurt and my skin was red and swollen, but no matter how hard I hit it, it didn't budge.The sound of sandbags being hit filled the air. The fourth child walked among our group of freshmen, watching us practice these movements over and over again.He stopped when he came to me, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable, and my internal organs seemed to be stirred by a spoon.He stared at me blankly, surveying me quickly from head to toe without any extra lingering—a practical and scientific examination. "You don't have a lot of muscle," he says, "that is, using your knees and elbows is the key to your success. Remember to use them hard." Suddenly, he put his hand on my stomach.His fingers were so slender that the heels of his palms touched one side of my chest, and the tips of his fingers touched the other.My heart was beating so hard it hurt my chest, and I stared at him, eyes wide open. "Never forget to put the taut here," he said softly. After speaking, he took his hand away and continued to walk forward.I stood there stupidly, and I still couldn't come back to my senses, and I could even feel his palm on my abdomen.It felt weird and I had to stop and catch my breath before I could continue practicing. When the fourth one dismissed the team and sent us to lunch, Christina nudged me lightly with her elbow. "It's strange that he didn't cut you in half," she wrinkled her nose at me. "Scared me, the way he whispered it was scary." "Yeah, he really..." I turned my head to look, he was very quiet and very composed, I wasn't afraid that he would hurt me, but in the end I agreed, "It's pretty scary." Al walked ahead of us, and when we got to the base pit, he turned and announced, "I want a tattoo." Will's voice came from behind: "Then what are you going to tattoo?" "I don't know yet," Al burst out laughing, "I just want to give myself a feeling that I have left the Honesty, and I don't want to cry about it every day." Seeing that no one said a word, he added One line, "I know you've heard that." "Yes, but don't you need to say anything?" Christina poked Al's thick arm. "But it's true, we are now stepping into the gate of the fearless faction with one foot. If we want to become official members, we have to look like us." She glanced at me. "No, I'm not going to cut my hair short, I'm not going to dye it a weird color, and I'm not going to put holes in my face," I said. "What do you think of belly buttons?" she joked. "Where's the nipple?" Will teased. I snorted disdainfully. Today's training is over, and the time until bedtime is free.Dreaming, thinking about it makes me feel a little dizzy, although I also know that it may be caused by excessive fatigue. The pit at the base is full of people, and we weave through the crowd.Christina said she would meet Al and Will at the tattoo parlor, then dragged me to the clothing store. We staggered up the passage to higher ground above the base, kicking the rubble away from our feet as we climbed. "What's wrong with my clothes? Why do I need to change them?" I asked puzzled, "I don't wear gray clothes anymore." "Your clothes are ugly and big." She sighed, "Let me help you choose? If you don't like what I choose for you, just change it, I promise." Ten minutes later, I was standing in front of a mirror in a clothing store in a knee-length black skirt.The dress fit just right, not too bulky or clinging to her thighs, unlike the first one she picked, which I rejected.I got goosebumps on my bare arms.She untied my hair tie, and I shook my head and tossed my braids, long, wavy hair falling to my shoulders. Then she picked up a black pencil. "This is eyeliner." She could see my doubts. "You should know that there is no way to make me beautiful." I closed my eyes and remained silent.She ran the tip of the eyeliner along my lashes and I could feel the chill.I imagined wearing this outfit in front of my family, and I felt like I was about to throw up. "Who cares if you're pretty? I want you to stand out." I opened my eyes and stared blankly at myself in the mirror, the first time I had looked in the mirror openly.When I do this, my heart races like I'm breaking some rule and I'm being scolded for it.For a while, it was difficult to get rid of the concept instilled in my mind by the altruism. It was like spinning on a complicated and exquisite embroidery. It would take a while to completely pull it out.But I will have new habits, new ideas, new rules, and I will be a different kind of person. Before, my eyes were blue, a dull, dull blue, but eyeliner made them vivid and sharp.With the modification of the hair, the facial features appear softer and rounder.I wasn't pretty—the eyes were too big, the nose was too long—but now I knew Christina was right, the face was now noticeable. Now I don't feel at all like seeing myself for the first time; it's like meeting someone else for the first time.Beatrice was the girl I secretly glimpsed in the mirror, the girl who didn't say a word at the dinner table.Now, the one who has my eyes but doesn't show them is Triss. "See?" she said, "You're really... brilliant." In this case, it was the best compliment she could give me.I smiled at her in the mirror. "Like it?" she asked. "Like it." I nodded, "I look... like someone else." She smiled: "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" I looked at myself in the mirror again, and for the first time, the thought of shedding my altruistic identity gave me hope instead of panic. "Good thing." I replied shaking my head, "Sorry, we never allowed to look in the mirror for so long." "Really?" Christina shook her head, "I have to say, the Selfless faction is really weird." "Let's go see Al tattoos." While it's true to leave the old school, I don't want to hear people criticizing it just yet. I remember that when we were at home, my mother and I were busy buying a lot of identical clothes every six months or so.It's easier to distribute when everyone wears the same thing, but Dauntless is completely different.Every dreadnought buys something different every month, which of course includes different clothes. Christina and I ran down the narrow passage to the tattoo parlor.When we arrived, Al was sitting in a chair, and a thin, narrow-shouldered man with more tattoos than no tattoos was carefully tattooing spiders on his arm. Christina and Will flipped through the picture book boredly, elbowing each other every time they found an interesting one.They sat next to each other, and I didn't notice how different they were: Christina was dark and thin, Will was fair and strong.If there is any similarity, then there is only a smile from the heart. I wandered around tattoo parlors, looking at the art on the walls, admiring the images.It dawned on me that the only people who have artists are the Amity Party, and the Disinterested Party sees art as a nonsense, because the time spent enjoying art can be used to help others.It is also for this reason that I can only see these artworks in textbooks, but never step into the art exhibition hall in reality.There is a warm and friendly atmosphere in the air, and I am immersed in it and cannot extricate myself.I ran my fingers lightly across the walls, and on one wall came a painting of an eagle that seemed familiar, as if the same one had been tattooed on the back of Tori's neck.Below the eagle hangs a sketch of a bird in flight. "That's a raven," said a voice behind me. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I turned my head and saw Tori standing behind me. I suddenly had the feeling of returning to the personality testing room. The surrounding mirrors and the plug-in wires connected to the forehead appeared in front of my eyes. This in itself gave me a feeling of wanting to escape. When I saw Tori, this feeling came back to me again.Didn't expect to see her again. "Hello." She smiled at me. "I didn't expect to meet you here. It's Beatrice, isn't it?" "Tracey," I corrected her, "do you work here?" "That's right. The tester was a part-time job during the holidays that day, and I worked here most of the time." She tapped her chin lightly, "I recognize this name, and you are the first jumper, right?" "That's right, it's me." "Not bad." "Thank you." I touched the raven skeleton diagram curiously, "It's like this, I have to talk to you..." After saying this, I hurriedly glanced in the direction of Will and Christina, I couldn't Force Tori to tell the truth, and they will definitely chase after them if they find out. "Some things... another day." "I'm not sure it's wise," she whispered. "I've done all I can to help you. Then you'll have to do it yourself." I pouted involuntarily.Tori knew the answer, and I knew she must.If she insists on not telling me, I will definitely find a way to lure her to tell the truth. "Want to get a tattoo?" She changed the subject. The raven sketch caught my attention.When I came here, I didn't intend to get tattoos or piercings, but this place held my heart tightly.I know full well that if I do this, the rift between me and my family will be widened and may never be repaired.But here I am, and this may be the tiniest rift if I want to live on. Now I understand what Tori said, that the tattoo represents her overcoming her past fears, reminds her of where she came from, and reminds her of where she is now.Maybe it's a good way to honor my past life while also embracing my present. "Think about it." I replied firmly, "I want three ravens." I pointed to the raven skeleton diagram. I feel my collarbone and mark their flight path—towards my heart.They represent each family member I have betrayed.