Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Three-kilometer Assessment
The three of them walked towards the door and saw a man standing on the steps with a parasol in his hand, peeking in front of a stone pillar in a sneaky manner. A long white car was parked not far away.
She walked around him and onto the stairs. Unexpectedly, the man came closer. His face was innocent, but his eyes were full of intelligence. He walked straight towards her and said, "Hello."
Karl stepped forward, not allowing the other party to get any closer, and asked defensively, "What's the matter?"
Lei Ke: "I just want to ask, what time does this place open?" The man took out his ID. "I'm a member of the Itachi team. I'm here to pick up the guide. Didn't we say we'll disband at 5:30?"
Yes, she remembered that they would have a day off from tomorrow night to the night after tomorrow, and they could leave the camp, but today was Friday, so he might have remembered the wrong date.
Xu Shanshan: "If you need to pick someone up, come back tomorrow."
As they talked, the window of a long car slowly rolled down, revealing a group of people inside. After a long wait, a weasel emerged, crawled to the window, and was pinned down. A moment later, another weasel jumped out. It had short, round ears, a brown back, and a white belly, and its spirit was restless, as if it had been on stimulants.
Lei Ke gestured over there and scratched his head, as if he was too anxious and remembered the wrong date. "Then we'll come back tomorrow. Thank you."
My eyes followed the man's back as he got into the shiny car, which spewed out exhaust fumes and drove away. There was graffiti on the hood of the car, an eye-catching family portrait with a hare surrounded by it.
She shook her head in amusement. She really didn't know whose sentinels they were. The rear of the car disappeared from view, and suddenly a voice was heard.
Xie Yifei: "We will also come to pick you up tomorrow."
"Ah?" She didn't expect that the excitement would affect her. She thought about the scene, which was just like picking up students for exams. The roads were blocked and there were huge crowds of people. They were crowded in the front row, shouting her name loudly.
"There will be a lot of people there, so it might be crowded."
Xie Yifei: "It doesn't matter."
He pointed westward, where there was a dark green mountain with a steep slope. "We can do flight training over there. Do you want to join in?"
Birds of various shapes flew down from the edge of the cliff and streaked across the sky. The scene must have been very interesting. She really couldn't resist the temptation, nodded in agreement, and turned back to look at Carl. Before she spoke, he nodded first.
Carl: "I'll go with you."
She looked at Jie Yifei again. The man didn't mind having another onlooker, so the matter was happily decided.
Entering the camp, it was exceptionally quiet, with few people on the road and only the ubiquitous puppets. After a quick cleanup and evening training, I returned to the dormitory under the moonlight and washed up.
The two of them lay down on the bed. Clara had not come back yet. She had to do extra training every night.
When the three of them gathered together, Wu Ke shared the news of the simulation exercise with them and told them that they also wanted to participate. They didn't show any fear, but were full of excitement.
Clara: "Yeah."
Xu Shanshan nodded. "I've heard about that too. We should all participate."
On Saturday morning, the instructor suddenly announced that several physical fitness tests would be conducted.
She could barely pass the short sprint thanks to her strong and well-developed thigh muscles. Born by her mother, she has always had strong bursts of energy since she was young, but the long-distance run in the afternoon was difficult for her.
That afternoon, she waited nervously, but after finishing all the tests, it was not her turn. Time passed and it was coming to an end. Everyone sat in the shade to rest. She even suspected that there would be no test today, and she was secretly happy.
But this was impossible. Seeing that there was only half an hour left, the instructor called everyone up, and after gathering them, he announced the news of the simulation exercise to them. Everyone needed to participate, and the final test was a long-distance running test.
Instructor: "Today is the day to test the results."
She was so hot that her hair stuck to the back of her neck. She announced that she would take a three-kilometer test. The passing score was eighteen minutes. The requirement was not high, but for people who lack exercise, like her, it would be extremely difficult.
The instructor pointed to the wide road on the outermost side and said, "Follow this road, pass the gate, run around the camp, and come back here."
After she finished speaking, it didn't take long for the crowd to gather behind the starting line, standing in several rows in front and behind. With a whistle, the people in the first row took a step forward and rushed out with a light running posture.
Wu Ke was standing in the back row, very close to her. Before starting, she looked over and encouraged, "Come on, I'll be waiting for you in front." Then she started quickly, accelerated rapidly, and rushed to the front row.
Unlike Clara, who had undergone long and arduous training, Wu Ke benefited from her spiritual body, her agility was maximized, not only fast but also strong endurance. She passed through a person, successfully overtaking on a curve, and ran in the front without any pressure.
She was like a heavy tank, her footsteps pounding the ground. She was lagging behind others from the beginning. Seeing Clara leading the race, the distance between her and the second to last person was gradually widening.
The puppet's body was facing them, observing and supervising the actions of each guide.
With her mouth open, she increased her oxygen intake and stared at the distant corner, her mind clear. She could hear the instructor's instructions from behind, cheering her up, but she couldn't take care of them.
She was breathing heavily. She would have to give herself at least a month. Gradually, she had no energy to think anymore and could only instinctively lift her legs forward.
The sentries were indeed waiting in front of the camp gate. On the steps, a crowd gathered outside the barrier, and below the steps, several luxury cars were parked on the roadside.
The first guide appeared from the left, her long silver hair dyed with gold flakes by the sun, and her hair ends swayed. She ran past in an orderly manner. There was a burst of cheers outside the door, but she was not distracted at all and just ran forward.
Distant shouts were heard, one after another. Xu Shanshan felt ashamed and embarrassed. She gritted her teeth and kept up the pace under pressure, at least not to fall behind. Otherwise, she would think it was over and then leave, which would be too embarrassing.
Everyone she knew was watching. She pursed her lips. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have let them come. She was drenched in sweat, and every time she lifted her foot, her chest felt like it was going to explode, but she persevered, forcing herself to run to the tree in front, then the next one.
Her figure was long and slanted. She was about to reach the door and quickened her pace, not wanting to fall too far behind, even though her calves were already as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
Passing by the door, she heard a burst of sparse cheers. Xu Shanshan looked against the light, her vision shaking up and down, and she couldn't see who it was. She turned her head slightly and continued forward, feeling a little embarrassed.
She was the last one.
Sweat splashed on the ground. This assessment had to be completed. Even if she failed, she had to keep moving forward.
What she didn't know was that there were many people standing outside the door waiting for her. People she could think of and those she couldn't think of were all there, watching this scene.
A few minutes later, a whistle sounded and the first person reached the finish line.
Seeing that she was struggling, Xie Yifei leaned over and whispered in Laurent's ear. Then, the Bee Brothers went against the crowd, walked to an inconspicuous place, and secretly released their spirit bodies.
Some people had already finished, and she was only halfway there.
There was still a very long other half. The back of the person in front gradually disappeared from her sight. She even quickened her pace to increase her speed. She actually still had the strength to do so.
Xu Shanshan was surprised by this. In contrast, her speed slowed down, not even much faster than walking, and she didn't have much energy to lift her hands and feet.
"Buzz—"
This is the sound produced by the high-frequency vibration of wings. Two small bees suddenly appeared in front of the sight, hovering not far away, flapping two pairs of wings as thin as cicada wings, with antennae and three pairs of legs hanging down, and their abdomens covered with yellow fluff. They were flying slowly.
It seems like leading the way, and also like encouragement.
"Laurent, Laurence," she read out the two names, her voice interrupted by panting. She had a premonition that failing was an inevitable result, as she had never performed well in long-distance running.
She was initially disappointed and sad, but seeing the people who accompanied and supported her, she felt that the setback was nothing serious. She still had time and could practice slowly, so that even if she went to the polluted area in the future, she wouldn't be held back.
Probably in the last hundred meters, they did not catch up with her. The puppet stared at her closely, wondering if it had noticed the bees that sneaked in and whether it would report them.
She had to run the last stretch alone.
At the end of the road, some people were walking slowly, some were leaning against the wall, and someone was handing them water.
The instructor's roommates were standing next to him, counting on a stopwatch. When they heard footsteps, they both looked up and said, "Come on!"
Seeing the finish line gave her more energy, and she swung her limbs more vigorously, took wider strides, and sped up. Finally, she crossed the finish line.
Pressing the stopwatch, the instructor read: "Nineteen minutes and forty seconds."
She failed the test, and before she could get lost in her disappointment, Wu Ke patted her on the shoulder. Her legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground. Clara caught her as she fell forward.
"You," she turned around and saw Wu Ke with a guilty look on his face. He couldn't even say a word of accusation. His mouth was open, but he finally smiled, "Haha."
The three of them laughed at each other. Xu Shanshan asked while laughing, "What are you laughing at?"
Wu Ke: "I don't know, I just see you smile and I want to smile too."
Until she laughed until her stomach cramped, she held her stomach, stopped moving, and waved her hands, "I won't laugh anymore, I can't do it anymore."
Not long after, the instructor blew the whistle again. After gathering, we heard a loud voice: "Long-distance running training is to develop physical fitness, endurance and willpower, and to improve your ability to avoid danger when you encounter it."
"Some people always say: 'Guides are protected by sentries, so they don't need training.' But I don't think so. The battlefield situation is unpredictable. They will prioritize the safety of the guides, but that doesn't mean there is no possibility of them being left alone."
The instructor's gaze fell on Clara in the back row. "I'm not saying that everyone needs to be like them, with broad shoulders and a round waist, and the strength to lift a tripod. I just hope that everyone will pay attention to this aspect."
“This year we have some very good guides who can run 3km in under 10 minutes, even matching some of the Sentinels.”
The instructor's eyes passed over her and said, "Some people may have poor physical fitness, but don't be discouraged. As long as you persist, you will definitely be able to surpass your previous self."
Xu Shanshan felt like she was being pointed at, and her throat still felt a little sore. She swallowed her saliva. The instructor was promoting her ideas, but not everyone agreed. Some people shook their heads in disbelief.
The ringing of the bell gradually drowned out the instructor's voice. She looked toward the gate and dismissed the group. Everyone clapped in response, and the crowd dispersed, walking back to the dormitories in twos and threes.
Xu Shanshan changed into casual clothes and turned around to find that Clara was motionless. She began to sit and meditate again, with her whole body glowing.
She and Wu Ke looked at each other and couldn't help asking, "Aren't you going out? You have a day off tomorrow."
Wu Ke: "Yeah, there's nothing here, it's so boring. Your sentry is waiting for you outside."
But the two men failed to convince her. Clara seemed to have made up her mind to stay. She took out her laptop and sent them a text message asking them to go back.
Wu Ke grabbed her wrist and said, "Don't let the small things get you in the way. The simulation exercise is coming up soon. Instead of extra training, you might as well get familiar with the team."
She flipped through the announcement. "Do you know how much the prize is for the winner?" Her fingertips slid across the lines. "It's divided into multiple groups. The top sixteen in each group will receive a prize. Just look at how much the top eight get."
Looking at the prize column, especially the string of zeros for the top three, Clara finally moved. She uncrossed her legs, stood up, reached out and lifted up her shirt, revealing her snow-white, firm abdomen and one-piece sports vest.
Adhering to the principle of not looking at what is inappropriate, Xu Shanshan looked away when she was taking off her clothes. In the end, the three of them left together, but after passing through the checkpoint, they went their separate ways and waved goodbye.
The crowd was bustling, all dressed up dazzlingly, making the place look like a fashion show. Standing in the open space, looking around, she couldn't tell who was who for a moment, until a pair of slightly cool hands grasped her and said, "Let's go."
She looked up and saw her commander and Karl. The three of them made their way through the crowd and arrived at a less crowded intersection. Xia Guangli and Jie Yifei were standing by the roadside. When they saw her come out, they walked over.
Xu Shanshan: "Sir, I have an appointment with them..."
"Go ahead," Shan Hao released his hand, "the two captains will take good care of you."
Xia Guangli: "Of course."
Xie Yifei: "She is with us, please rest assured."
Why is it different from what she imagined? She hasn't had time to explain yet.
Without saying much, they decided to go up the mountain before the sun set, so Xia Guangli took her hand and left.
There was a bus parked on the side of the road. The door was open. She walked on and looked inside. Many people popped their heads out and shouted her name.
She also opened her arms and waved: "Hello!"
She sat in the front right seat, Xia Guangli naturally sat next to her on the outside, and Xie Yifei sat in front of the two of them to help the driver check the position.
"Ga——" a clear and long cry.
Where did the duck come from? No, it's a peregrine falcon! She looked down at the spirit form in Xia Guangli's arms, smiled, and held it in her arms. Most birds of prey make strange cries, and the contrast between their voices and appearance is too great.
At the intersection, I watched the bus disappear.
Shan Hao also drove away. Sitting in the driver's seat, he unexpectedly saw two familiar faces, Ares, the captain of the Cat Team, and Manuel, the "old captain" of the Dog Team.
It was surprising that the two of them could get together. The two teams had always been at odds, and even the sentries below were hostile to each other. This "putting aside past grudges" seemed to indicate something more important.
Unfortunately, the person they were waiting for had already been picked up by someone else. First come, first served has always been so important.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
