Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In the early morning, accompanied by a sharp and piercing whistle, all the Cadets were fully armed and dressed, quickly gathering downstairs. They looked spirited, some excited and others nervous, as the morning's first assessment before breakfast was a fully armed five-kilometer cross-country run. The Cadet who finished last would be eliminated.
In front of the open space downstairs stood a large black board that had been erected at some point, displaying a big chart. On the left side, arranged in order of unit composition from top to bottom, was the roster of Cadets participating in this training session. The upper right column listed the names of various subjects: Fully Armed Five Kilometers, Shooting, Tactics, Wilderness Survival… Each Cadet had a blank space next to their name. The captain explained that this was the elimination chart that would be activated immediately. The entire process would follow a last-place elimination system; anyone who failed any item would be eliminated entirely. If everyone passed, then the Cadet with the lowest score would be eliminated. The remaining Cadets would be ranked based on their total scores, and this ranking would be reported to the entire military. It was undeniably cruel; this elimination process would keep all Cadets on edge throughout the training camp, maintaining a constant state of competition.
The professor had already returned to school, leaving Xiao Yu to provide theoretical guidance later on. Other instructors also decided to stay and observe the Cadets' training, planning to advance and retreat together with them. After the start signal, several instructors were designated by the captain to act as military doctors near the finish line in case of any emergencies.
Dozens of Cadets were eager at the starting line, each brimming with confidence as if they would never finish last. I saw Old Bi with Liu and noticed Lin Hao's calm demeanor alongside Sun Hu's confident expression. I also spotted Old Sergeant with Wu Di; perhaps it was because they were both warriors.
With a blast of the whistle, everyone surged forward. Unlike regular training sessions, this time there was no clear formation from the start as everyone jostled for advantageous positions while ensuring their speed.
I watched as Sun Hu maneuvered through the crowd, using his physical advantage to push past many Cadets and force his way to the front. Was he trying to lead the entire team? Generally speaking, starting out in front during a fully armed five-kilometer run requires a high level of balance between pace and speed while reserving energy for a final sprint; otherwise, one could easily be overtaken until they unintentionally fell behind at the end.
At that moment, Lin Hao closely followed him, running side by side with Sun Hu at the front. Behind them was a large crowd; I couldn't see where Old Bi and the others were anymore. According to regulations, I couldn't follow them but had to remain in place and wait for them to complete a large loop back.
As I watched them disappear from sight, I wondered who might be eliminated today. A voice beside me said, "I bet Sun Hu will come in first!" Another voice replied, "I think it will be Wu Di." I turned my head to find two instructors arguing; one claimed Sun Hu's past performance was unmatched and would continue this year; the other insisted Wu Di had come determined to prove himself and would surely outperform Sun Hu. Why hadn't they considered Lin Hao? "Why didn't you include Lin Hao?" I exclaimed in surprise when I realized it was Xiao Yu looking intently at the two young instructors.
"Well, umm... cough... Lin Hao is so gentle; how could he possibly compete with Sun Hu?"
"Yeah, I agree! That White Face guy—how can he compare to Wu Di and Sun Hu? The military is truly a man's world!"
It seemed men always found it hard to accept someone more handsome than themselves; both glasses-wearing instructors immediately joined forces against Lin Hao while I silently observed their debate.
"You two!" Xiao Yu clearly disagreed and was momentarily speechless with anger. "Hmph! Do you dare make a bet with me?" She stomped her foot.
"What kind of bet?" one instructor asked.
"I bet Lin Hao will be the first to reach the finish line. If I win, you two have to call me 'Sister' from now on." It should be noted that Xiao Yu was indeed the oldest among us.
"And if we win?"
"If you win, after training ends and before I leave, I'll treat you both to dinner! But only if you can stick around here."
"Alright, no problem!" both replied in unison.
"What about you? Do you want to join in? You can choose which side to bet on!" Xiao Yu smiled at me as if she already knew my answer.
"You seem quite confident," I replied noncommittally.
"Of course, I believe Lin Hao will definitely be first!"
"Still no, I don't like betting with others." Just joking, right? With a woman's intuition? You want me to bet on something uncertain? I never do that!
"Hmph, coward!" Xiao Yu seemed disdainful as she turned away, no longer looking at me.
At that moment, the Pighead Vice Captain approached, smiling as he greeted Xiao Yu, "Instructor Xiaoyu, what's going on? It seems lively here!"
"Oh, Vice Captain Chen, we are guessing who will be the first to arrive. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Pighead immediately perked up. "As for this question, I’m betting on Sun Hu. Instructors, do you know why? Sun Hu is actually my junior brother. We come from the same school, and I'm one year ahead of him. In his cohort, he’s already the best. If it weren't for the Training Brigade Leader always keeping me around, I would have joined him in training for the Special Operations Team long ago." He finished with a feigned look of regret.
I almost burst out laughing. Seriously? They’re keeping you around so you can go to the Special Operations Team? Is that your backyard? Just go if you want to! Honestly, I doubt Pighead's military skills could even match Old Bi's. Blowing his own horn in front of the ladies was a bit much; there were still several officers from other units present. Haven't they seen a pig walk before?
The other two Instructors exchanged glances but said nothing, allowing Pighead to boast.
Xiao Yu engaged him half-heartedly while clearly her mind was elsewhere, focused on the direction where people were coming from. Pighead continued rambling about how great he was and how he took care of Sun Hu during last year's training.
Suddenly, Xiao Yu shouted, "They're coming!"
We turned to look and saw figures in the distance; they were running back. At that moment, Pighead yelled, "Team Leader Ding! Get ready to time them!"
Xiao Yu and the two Instructors stood tensely at the entrance, eagerly watching for who would arrive first. I was curious too.
As they got closer, we could see a strong and tall figure running steadily at the front. Xiao Yu covered her mouth and gasped softly, "Ah!" Who else could it be but Sun Hu?!
"It really is Sun Hu!" the two Cadets exclaimed as well. Pighead couldn't hide his pride any longer. "Well, he's my junior brother; I trained him last year after all. Haha, it's only natural for him to come in first."
Xiao Yu pursed her delicate lips and said nothing; she just watched as the team slowly ran in. The second person was surprisingly Wu Di! I glanced at Xiao Yu; she seemed even more disappointed but remained silent, stubbornly pressing her lips together. In my heart, I thought: even if you bite your lips until they bleed, White Face still won't make it.
After recognizing the third figure, my eyes nearly popped out! It was Old Bi! What the heck? Was Old Bi hiding his strength or saving it for later?! Behind Old Bi was Liu, and behind Liu was actually Lin Hao! My mind felt a bit scrambled; I couldn't process everything at once.
At the finish line, even the captain and several others looked surprised; clearly they hadn't expected this outcome. As they approached within two hundred meters, Xiao Yu looked like she might cry—was White Face really that charming?
I turned my head in frustration, only to find that the situation had suddenly changed! Lin Hao had unleashed his power! I saw him suddenly accelerate, overtaking Liu in an instant and closing in on Old Bi!
Old Bi clearly sensed someone was about to pass him and began to speed up as well. However, it was evident that Old Bi had already reached his limit; he could only maintain his speed for a few seconds before slowing down again, even more sluggishly than before. His steps became heavy, and just like that, Lin Hao easily surpassed him!
There were less than a hundred meters left! At this moment, Wu Di must have felt the pressure from behind as well and started to push himself. Just a few meters ahead of him was Sun Hu, and I imagined he was also trying to give it his all. Unfortunately, like Old Bi, he could only manage to maintain his speed without being able to increase it further to catch up with Sun Hu. It seemed that Wu Di had exhausted all his energy, and Lin Hao effortlessly passed him with less than fifty meters to go. Did Lin Hao still have some strength left?
Only Sun Hu remained! We could see clearly now that he was less than two meters away from Sun Hu! At this point, Sun Hu must have heard the footsteps and breathing behind him; he bent down slightly as if preparing to sprint.
Watching Lin Hao continuously overtake the other cadets, Xiao Yu clearly became excited. "Lin Hao, go!" Xiao Yu shouted. I didn't know if it was the effect of her shout, but both Sun Hu and Lin Hao simultaneously increased their speed, almost like a hundred-meter dash.
However, due to his larger weight, Sun Hu clearly couldn't accelerate as quickly as Lin Hao. After a few seconds, Lin Hao finally caught up with Sun Hu, and the two maintained a parallel position with the finish line just ahead!
Suddenly, Sun Hu swerved sideways and collided with Lin Hao in an attempt to disrupt his rhythm! At that moment, Lin Hao let out a fierce shout and surged forward again, skillfully dodging Sun Hu and racing across the finish line! Lin Hao finished first! Sun Hu came in second!
Xiao Yu cheered happily, while I noticed the faces of the two instructors nearby had turned pale. Looking back, Wu Di had also reached the finish line, followed by Liu. But where was Old Bi?!
(To be continued; more excitement tomorrow!)
Comment 0 Comment Count