Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Talk 026 - Trapping and being trapped (1)
694 words
•
4 min read
Dawn breaks and the autumn wind rustles.
The new soldiers who have finished running ten kilometers almost all collapsed at the finish line, finding it difficult to get back up once they fall. Some even started to vomit on the side of the road right after crossing the finish line.
Rowdy Brightwill and Drake Easton, who had been waiting at the finish line, seemed to be doing nothing, but the roster and stopwatch they held in their hands never rested. Although the overall score of this test depends on the last one to finish, they did not say they wouldn’t record individuals’ scores. Those soldiers who were misled by their words into slacking off certainly wouldn’t receive high marks.
However, by the time these new soldiers reached the finish line, it was too late for them to realize what the stopwatch and roster meant. They could only watch helplessly as their scores were recorded.
Gradually, the soldiers lagging behind the main force also caught up, each one panting heavily and dripping with sweat. As soon as they reached the finish line, they collapsed and didn’t get up, even if someone kicked them out of disgust, hoping to make them move away, there was still no response.
They were really too tired after performing a ten-kilometer cross-country exercise with loads.
"How many left?" Rowdy Brightwill asked, looking rather casually at the roster in his hand as he marked off scores.
"Five." Drake Easton glanced at the wide road.
Among these five, the two with the worst physical conditions were Flossie Wright from the female soldiers and Jamson Eldeanor from the male ones. However, it was not yet known whether the final competition would be between these two.
Rowdy Brightwill paused, a hint of puzzlement appearing in his eyes, "What about the female soldiers?"
"Two." Drake Easton slightly furrowed his brows, "Janice Wood and Flossie Wright."
As a squadron leader, Drake Easton had a clear understanding of the physical condition of his squadron. Flossie Wright’s tardiness did not surprise him, but Janice Wood was expected to have finished first, for even Jocelyn Carrington couldn’t keep up with her.
However, speak of the devil.
Just as he finished speaking, Janice Wood’s sprinting figure emerged in the empty field of view. About three hundred meters away, even laden with heavy weight, her speed did not dwindle. In an instant, she overtook all the people running in front of her. Before anyone could react, she had already crossed the finish line with a hundred-meter dash speed.
The new soldiers who had already arrived at the finish line were startled by her speed. They quickly got up from the ground, staring in awe at the slightly panting Janice Wood, with an inexplicable feeling as if they were looking at a monster.
Aren’t the ones falling behind supposed to be lacking strength? It would have been good enough for them to make it here, but how could anyone still have the energy to sprint towards the finish line at this time?
More importantly, unlike the exhausted soldiers, Janice Wood reached the finish line without showing any signs of fatigue. She didn’t even unload the weights on her body but turned around directly to face those who were still struggling to run.
Seeing two familiar figures gradually coming into view, Janice Wood spent a moment panting, then placed her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted with all her might, "Come on, Flossie!"
When she shouted like this, the relatively disorderly new soldiers were taken aback, only to turn their heads almost simultaneously in the same direction.
Looking out at the horizon across the vast grassland, the morning glow seemed to have tinted the landscape with a layer of fresh red. Behind the sparse silhouettes, the rising sun jumped out from the horizon, and the first rays of sunshine fell, slightly dazzling.
The figures of Flossie Wright and Jamson Eldeanor appeared on the horizon with the sunlight, their distant figures unclear. But to Rowdy Brightwill, they were quickly recognized by looking at their slow steps, his hand gripping the pen involuntarily tightened.
— End of Chapter 49 —