Chapter 77: This Sixth Brother!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Quick, quick, quick… Take a big step!”
“Go, go. Do you want to have breakfast?”
“Damn it, how did I end up with a soldier like you…”
On the track, the class leaders of each class were not actually rushing to the front. Although they were running separately, they were still class presidents. They cared about the collective honor of their class, so they couldn’t help but drag these recruits along.
However, they all stayed at the back, accompanying the last soldier from their class. They hurried, scolded, or encouraged him to run with all his might.
Ye Sanshi was no exception. He ran alongside Song Yuejin and shouted, “Run! You can’t let the people behind you overtake you, you know? You’re already fifth from the bottom. Come on, run!”
Three kilometers wasn’t considered a sprint. The most important thing was to maintain a constant speed. However, due to the competition and their reputation, nobody wanted to be the last one to finish. This caused many people to become breathless after the first lap.
Wang Ye’s legs were also slightly swollen, but he endured it and continued to accelerate. Eventually, he caught up with the company commander.
“Heh, you’re running quite fast. It doesn’t seem like what the instructor said about you. So, have you folded the blanket today?” the company commander asked when he saw Wang Ye.
Wang Ye had the intention to ignore him. He had already been running very hard, and continuing to talk would disrupt his breathing rhythm even more. However, he couldn’t ignore the company commander’s question. After all, he was the company commander.
“Report, I… I folded the blanket, and the result was… Well wait for you to go and check it out!” Wang Ye gritted his teeth and responded.
“Alright, I’ll wait for the inspection. If you want to surpass me now, go ahead. However, I advise you, young man, don’t try to show off. You have to maintain your strength and laugh until the end to win,” the company commander said with a rough tone, but there was a smile on his face that made Wang Ye clench his fists.
“Yes, thank you for your reminder, Captain.”
Although Wang Ye said that, he didn’t stop. He overtook the captain and continued running ahead.
However, even though the company commander said to let Wang Ye surpass him, he suddenly accelerated and overtook Wang Ye again. In order to stay ahead of the company commander, Wang Ye had to grit his teeth and increase his speed.
He was determined. Even if he had to break his legs today, he wouldn’t let the company commander overtake him.
Time passed slowly, and one by one, the recruits who were initially running in front were overtaken. However, Wang Ye no longer paid attention to them. His focus was on the company commander, a few steps behind him.
At the same time, he kept recalling and applying the running techniques and experience that the system had transferred to him when he leveled up his three-kilometer skill. The footwork and breathing techniques while running were helpful, but his physical fitness was struggling to keep up with the competition.
Although Wang Ye’s physical fitness surpassed that of an ordinary person, reaching a level of 1.15, there was still a gap compared to the experienced company commander.
However, having a difference in physical fitness didn’t mean that Wang Ye had lost. Sometimes, people could surpass their limits, especially when they were driven by unwavering beliefs.
For example, at this moment, Wang Ye was determined to surpass the company commander. He ran until his lungs felt like they were about to burst out of his throat.
Then, he heard the company commander’s laughter from the side. “Haha, I’m not playing with you anymore. If you don’t hurry up, you’ll lose first place. As a company commander, I can’t lose face in front of a bunch of new recruits!”
Under Wang Ye’s despairing gaze, the company commander accelerated and overtook him. Wang Ye clenched his teeth, feeling like he had been played. He could have been leading the race, but he had been running behind him all along.
He wanted to speed up, but his legs wouldn’t obey.
Helplessly, he watched as the company commander overtook him and continued to move forward, overtaking the four recruits who were also struggling but couldn’t catch up.
Indeed, Wang Ye’s original score for the three-kilometer run would only place him around 20th in the entire company. Today, he managed to rank in the top five.
If he continued at his current speed, he would definitely finish the three kilometers in thirteen minutes. However, seeing the company commander running so fast, Wang Ye lacked the strength to catch up. He sighed and slightly slowed down his pace.
• •
“Hu… Hu…”
At the finish line, one by one, the recruits ran over and bent down to catch their breath.
“Haha, that’s it. Everyone, keep moving. You’ve been here for ten days. You’re considered veterans now. You know you can’t stay still after running!” the company commander said as he paced back and forth, his voice full of energy.
Wang Ye raised his head and looked at him. He didn’t have the strength to respond or mock him. Now they called them veterans, but later they would be called new recruits again…
Taking a step forward, Wang Ye turned around and glanced at the track behind him.
“Quick, quick, quick… Keep running! Can’t you see? They’ve all reached the finish line. You still have one lap left. Cheer up!”
“Calm down. My minimum requirement for you is not to be in the last five. Push yourself, gather your strength, and run faster…”
Wang Ye had already caught his breath at the finish line, but there were still a few people left to complete their final lap. They were running together, with half of them being the class presidents and the other half being those who were not physically fit.
However, they weren’t the slowest. There was still one recruit behind them, a hundred or so meters away from finishing the last lap.
His class president had already given up on him. He knew he would be the last one, and the remaining four positions would be chosen from a group of six or seven students competing against each other for the last spots.
“All of you, run faster. Let’s see how much stamina you have!” the company commander shouted as they passed by.
After shouting, he looked at the last recruit on the track, still a hundred meters away.
“Damn it, what’s wrong with military selection these days? How did a soldier like this pass?”
The company commander didn’t curse loudly but expressed his frustration with a low voice and a helpless expression.
Wang Ye also looked at the soldier and shook his head slightly, feeling a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
Everyone had known about this soldier since last week’s physical examination. He was from Class 9, and in the last three kilometers run, his final time was more than twenty minutes. An existence that made the class monitor of Class 9 want to cry and curse.
However, Wang Ye shook his head not because he looked down on him. He simply felt that this person would face hardships in the future. If he wanted to continue being a soldier, he would have to put in extra effort and endure additional challenges.
The pain he had to endure in the recruit company would be much more than others.