"Wow... you chose 20? I thought you'd be choosing just five?" Yoongi asked, brows all furrowed while peeking at every folder Aris has picked. He got the privilege to get the first pick as he never hired anybody for the past 3 years.

"I'll narrow it down to five," Aris replied, sitting on his chair comfortably with arms and legs crossed. 

"And you took the top 20... Jesus, you're not leaving anyone good for the rest of us." Suho says, also peeking at every folder Yoongi is currently checking while standing behind the man who's seated down. 

Aris's gaze then turned to Gong Yoo, "Will you let me test all of them first? I just need the five I can really rely on." 

"Can't you just choose the top five ranked by the academy? Saves your time too." Suho suggested. 

"Welp, the best we chose last year were all... chickens." Yoongi then sighs after looking over the last folder after he decided to choose a softer term to describe the privates who acted cowardly the first time they traverse outside the wall. For him, it seems like every year, these new recruits get wimpier. 

"We all chickened out during our first time." Seulgi interrupted scoffing, wearing that high ponytail up in her head.

Aris then cracked a smirk, chuckling softly while shaking his head, recalling how most of the captains here were scared out of witts when they faced a horde for the first time on their first day on the job.

"And what're you chuckling about, Yoda?" Seulgi rolled her eyes at the man who saved her life a couple of years ago. She wasn't in his team but she found herself in a situation where she couldn't even move her feet despite the coming danger. If it weren't for him who screamed the hell out as he runs to her, she would've been one of those brainless corpses that continues to walk just outside the walls by now.

Seulgi has always been grouchy yet still respectful around Aris ever since that day. She told everyone she didn't need his help. But deep inside, she was truly grateful and she admires how courageous he is every time they'd be assigned to work together. But now that she's promoted captain, she's going all out being around him just so she could mask her true feelings. 

"Are you going to give them a test?" Gong Yoo asked to which Aris nodded to, "I don't need the best. I just need those who know what to do when terror strikes." He then looked at Seulgi who returned his gaze with a glare. He's clearly teasing her which made the man sitting beside him chuckle softly. He was there at day and he seriously thought she was stupid after all that talk about being the best when she was still in the academy.

"So, we're doing a courage test?" The general asked and Aris nodded accordingly. 

"I'm gonna need the captains' and their teams' help for this. This courage test won't be like that back at the academy. All of us have seen those ghouls first hand. We'll make a perimeter and we'll take all of the privates outside the walls. We and the rest of the squads will act either the monsters or those chickens who are willing to sacrifice somebody for their own safety."

"Wait... outside the wall? That'll be dangerous." JB says, a little reluctant to agree with the plan. "Even if we execute this in one of the safe zones, we could still attract a horde with all the noise we could make." 

"The safe zones don't even exist. It's just made up term so the citizens would think we're actually doing something. Any place outside the walls is dangerous." Yoongi added, agreeing with JB. 

JB's brows then furrowed in confusion, "Citizens? We have citizens?"

Everyone around the table chuckled with his question. Everyone inside the wall was compelled to contribute. No one can chase their dreams anymore, no one can be anybody or somebody anymore because the apocalypse had actually wiped out the way of living. 

Living has no sense anymore when you need to survive. At these times, survival is more important than living.

"No one will take it seriously if we execute this inside the base. The new contractors will be more convinced if we do it outside the walls. They need to know what darkness is like... what danger is. They'll eventually go out so why not test them in the field where they will feel unsafe... You can all have your pick after I've done mine... and as I've said, we'll set up a perimeter. It should be enough to kill the wandering ghouls. Plus, all units will be outside. We should be enough to take care of the horde if worse comes to worst." Aris stated sternly. 

Gong Yoo pursed his lips as he nods to Aris's suggestion while looking at the empty, rectangular table they all surround. 

"We could actually have that courage test with all the private contractors as initiation rights. Though, this might also mean the deaths of a few if worse comes to worst. But... I like the idea."

Yoongi nods as well, "I agree, at least we'll all know who the are. It's always chaotic during the first missions and they tend to compromise the team, especially for the first-timers who weren't there when the first wave happened.