In just a few minutes, they will reach the peak speed of long-distance runners.
It's easier said than done; most people simply can't do it.
If it were when she first entered the Gate of Reincarnation, Cheng Shuang would probably have been the first to be eliminated. But now, with the added benefit of running socks, her short legs are barely able to cope.
It didn't take long for Liu Juan's heavy breathing to reach the ears of those on either side of her. Her throat sounded like a worn-out box, making a rattling, strained noise.
Cheng Shuang glanced at her with concern. Seeing her pale face flushed, sweat dripping down her eyelids and soaking her clothes, and her whole body looking heavy and weak, Cheng Shuang's heart sank.
Recently, Sister Liu Juan has been eating very little, so naturally her physical strength is not keeping up.
But it's obviously too late to say all this now.
The girl herself is alright, but the powder hasn't solidified yet. If she really couldn't keep going, she'd be producing and selling one herself. If all ten projects followed this pattern, at least she could manage.
But Liu Juan couldn't manage. The powder pills she bought were stored in her spatial storage, and she couldn't even take them out, let alone feed them to herself. She clung tightly to the guards on both sides, barely managing to keep up with her hesitant steps.
After persisting for another five minutes, Cheng Shuang felt her whole body radiating heat, her throat filled with a metallic taste, and her legs felt like they were about to take off, light and powerless.
At that moment, the treadmill suddenly increased its incline.
"Go, don't turn around!" Du Lanshan's rough voice was somewhat panicked, but the more he told them not to turn around, the more nervous everyone became, like cat claws. Fortunately, trusting their companions had become a habit.
They patiently focused and ran with their heads down, using the three-step breathing method that Du Lanshan had taught them before.
The coach shouted anxiously, "Yes, don't look back! Keep your chest up and head high as you run forward, breathing evenly. The treadmill is the easiest; it tests your patience. Come on! If you're a man, speed up! Yes, that's right, shout your own slogans!"
That's bullshit! Forget about shouting slogans, even just opening your mouth to breathe in some oxygen makes you feel suffocated.
The sentiment of everyone: If you're so good, then you do it!
Seemingly dissatisfied that his motivational words hadn't achieved the desired effect, the coach came to Liu Juan's side, clenched his fists, and encouraged her, "Hurry up, hurry up, keep your steps consistent, use your waist to drive your leg power, don't be so awkward, put your hands down, holding on to your guard won't help you perform well!"
Liu Juan was so tired she didn't even want to glance at it, and she was annoyed by its incessant chatter. However, not long after, her eyes widened and her mouth unconsciously opened. It turned out that the large glass window in front of her was reflecting light, revealing a small, extra thing behind her.
At the end of the treadmill's rotating wheels, two sharp saw blades emerged, clashing and churning against each other. She watched as Cheng Shuang, on the treadmill next to her, tripped, and one of her shoes fell off, instantly shattering into fragments by the gears.
Cheng Shuang naturally sensed it; the treadmill's normal hum had changed to a clicking and clattering sound, as if something was opening and closing, creating noise. Even after she swung one of her shoes away, the noise seemed to get even closer.
The little girl was short, and the treadmill blocked the view reflected in the floor-to-ceiling window, so she had no idea what was coming out from behind it.
She was panting heavily, her mind a beat slower due to lack of oxygen. Disliking that her two feet were different, she subconsciously threw the other shoe away as well.
The crunching sounds of chewing up the foreign object grew closer and closer.
Cheng Shuang's brows furrowed, her intelligence returning to normal. She immediately sensed that the unknown object was very, very close to her, so close that a chill ran down her spine, and all the cells in her body stood on end like goosebumps.
Liu Juan was so anxious she almost cried. There was no one to the girl's right, only her to the left, but she had no idea how to remind her.
As she watched helplessly as the metal gear rose to one-third of the way up the track, only half an arm's length away from Cheng Shuang, Liu Juan broke down.
This isn't a treadmill, it's a death trap!
"Adjust!" Her sharp, hoarse voice was filled with panic and helplessness.
The coach asked, "Aren't you going to wait a little longer? It's only been less than half an hour!"
"Adjust!" Those two words alone took all her strength.
The coach reached out and adjusted Liu Juan's treadmill to its initial setting: a 5-kilometer slow walk. The saw blade behind the machine then disappeared.
Liu Juan, her face pale, tilted her head to look at Cheng Shuang, and said slowly, trying to catch her breath, "Keep up the pace, baby, don't throw anything down, don't throw anything at all."
Cheng Shuang looked distressed. She wanted to too! But without shoes, and socks couldn't keep her feet covered—they would run away!
Liu Juan didn't notice the girl's emotional change. After all, everyone's face was covered in sweat, their mouths were wide open, and they looked like they couldn't breathe, including herself. But she could see the running socks under Cheng Shuang's feet, slowly smudging down to her toes.
She gasped. Without running socks, not only would her speed drop, but the saw blades would also take up more space on the treadmill. She couldn't take big strides; if she did, her heels would dig directly into the two saw blades.
This is absolutely a vicious cycle!
"Adjust, baby, adjust!" Liu Juan shouted, and her treadmill started changing speeds again, allowing her to focus without any distractions.
Before the running socks completely abandoned her, Cheng Shuang called for adjustments.
The moment she slowed down, she released Luo An. Taking advantage of the time it took to catch its breath, the ghost doll carrying a pair of new running shoes put on its socks and boots and ran with all its might. If it weren't so small, it would have loved to carry Cheng Shuang and run for her.
How can it be so slow, like a snail crawling?
Snail Shuang felt that things couldn't continue like this. The coach hadn't mentioned a specific time, but it seemed there wasn't time, and they needed a certain opportunity to bring the experience to a close.
The little girl took the opportunity to glance back at the two saw blades, which were as thin as silver wings yet incredibly sharp. Remembering the metal rod of the elevator hostess, she asked Luo An to take it out and quickly wed it at the center point where the saw blades intersected.
Cheng Shuang was on edge, her breathing slightly labored. Whether to snap the metal bar or force the saw blade to stop depended entirely on this moment.
The saw blade rubbed against the metal bar, making a sharp, piercing clicking noise. The coach noticed it, cried out, and the saw blade dangled twice in front of him before stopping. Then, burning white smoke billowed from the end of the treadmill, and the track came to an abrupt stop.
"It's...it's broken?" the coach asked, bewildered.
"The experience was...not bad." Cheng Shuang jumped off the treadmill, gave two insincere thumbs-ups, and quickly stopped the other four people's treadmills.
"Why has everyone stopped?" The coach snapped out of his daze and casually remarked, not caring about anything else.
It looked down at the broken treadmill and the metal bar jamming the saw blade, and asked anxiously, "What is this thing? Is it yours? This machine cost a lot of money!"
"It's not ours," Liu Juan quickly waved her hand.
Du Lanshan wiped his sweat and panted, saying, "It looks familiar."
The coach suddenly rushed to his side, "Is it yours?"
"Of course not." Du Lanshan waved his hand in the same manner. "It's the elevator operator. Go ask her!"
Du Jun held his head, and after catching his breath from the lack of oxygen, he said, "Look, isn't there a Wanda logo on it? It has nothing to do with us!"
Du Lushui... Du Lushui rolled off the treadmill and lay on the ground, not getting up at all.
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