Then let the witch offer her loyalty

After an unknown amount of time, several beams of light appeared in the distance.

At the finish line, staff used lights to guide the way while shouting, "Hang in there, you're almost there!"

Alexander was completely exhausted. He was dizzy and his vision was blurry. It felt as if all the blood in his body had been drained. He had many muscle strains and was in pain all over.

When physical strength is exhausted, willpower also collapses.

Sorry, guys...

I probably won't get those 3 points...

As soon as the thought of discouragement crossed his mind, his speed noticeably dropped, and his movements gradually became distorted, as if he might fall to the ground at any moment.

At this moment, the lead trainee of the 19th squad, who was closely following behind, also noticed Alexander's unusual behavior.

"Huff... He's done for... Huff... Speed ​​up... Overtake this foreigner!"

Alexander had already lost his fighting spirit, but then he suddenly heard someone say, "We've surpassed this foreigner."

In an instant, a surge of rage, like flames, swept through his heart, and his blood boiled, transforming into an explosive burst of power.

"You son of a bitch!!!"

With a pure Chinese phrase, Alexander, like a beast unleashed from its seal, suddenly accelerated and overtook the three students who had just taken the lead in the blink of an eye.

The sprinting figure left its opponent far behind, galloping towards the brightly lit spot ahead.

As he crossed the finish line, he heard the staff's announcement.

“8号学员，成绩10小时48分31秒，排名20名，获得3分。”

After a while, the three trainees also crossed the finish line.

"Numbers 21, 43, and 55, with a time of 10 hours, 48 ​​minutes, and 52 seconds, ranked 21st, 22nd, and 23rd respectively, each earning 1 point."

The three trainees of the 19th squad unloaded their weights and involuntarily knelt down on the ground. Some pounded the ground and grumbled in frustration, while others lay on their backs and helplessly covered their faces.

Alexander was exhausted and collapsed on the ground, but he still managed to crawl up to the three students who called him a foreigner, raising his chin high and looking down at them with the air of a victor.

"Don't call me that again. Remember, my name is Ai Zhongguo, and I am a proud citizen of the Empire!"

Chapter 63 Lei Lie: Am I even human?

Time passed slowly, and night fell.

The mountains were shrouded in thick darkness, and the sky was like a huge black cloth, with only the high-hanging moonlight casting a silvery glow, faintly illuminating some of the foliage in the forest.

An owl flew over the valley, its black wings almost blending into the night sky. It glanced curiously at the buzzing flying object in front of it, but since it didn't look like something edible, it ignored it and disappeared into the forest.

"Even at night, the owls are out."

In the command center of the special training camp's administrative area, Li Lei and the technicians were still watching the live footage transmitted back by the drone.

Ten hours have passed since 11 a.m., and more than half of the trainees have reached the finish line.

The trainees who haven't finished running are still some distance from the finish line, but judging from their current speed, completing the test shouldn't be a problem.

Overall, the quality of this batch of trainees is satisfactory.

However, there is one exception.

Chen Moxin, the ninth student in the 7th squad, is currently far behind in progress.

He carried a 60-kilogram load for two people right from the start of the race, making it very difficult for him.

Ten hours later, he had only run a little over thirty kilometers, leaving the third group far behind and forming a lonely "fourth group" by himself.

Although the test is not over yet, judging from this trend, it is a foregone conclusion that he and the entire Team 7 will be eliminated.

One technician sighed, "I don't know what this guy number 9 was thinking. He could have just honestly shared some of the load with others and made sure he passed, wouldn't that have been enough?"

"He insisted on pushing himself too hard and adding unnecessary burdens to himself. Now look what happened, he's ruined his teammates' lives."

Li Lei made no comment, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the densely packed images on the screen.

Suddenly, he seemed to notice something, raised his finger and pointed: "Screen 1021, zoom in so I can see it."

The technician operated the drone's camera to focus and quickly captured a figure running wildly.

The man was tall and burly, yet incredibly agile, moving through the forest like an ape. Neither rocks, streams, nor bushes could slow his pace in the slightest; he was unleashing his full speed.

As he crossed the edge of the woods, the moonlight illuminated his resolute face, and everyone finally recognized him.

"Isn't that Lei Lie, number 5 from the 7th squad?" the technician asked blankly. "Why is he running back?"

Li Lei's brows furrowed slightly at first, then quickly relaxed, a look of sudden realization appearing in his eyes, and he couldn't help but smile.

"This kid..."

...

Anyone who regularly engages in long-distance running knows that at the beginning of a run, you will feel very uncomfortable and tired, and it will be difficult to move your legs.

This state is academically known as the "extreme point," which is a sign that the body has not yet adapted to the intensity of exercise.

However, as long as you control your speed and run at a constant pace for a period of time, as your body functions improve and the oxygen supply in your blood increases, your body will overcome its limit and enter a period of balanced adaptation.

During this period, the discomfort will gradually disappear, and you will suddenly feel less tired.

This is the "second breath" phenomenon in exercise physiology.

After the test began, Chen Moxin kept running at a low pace.

He has experienced hitting the wall multiple times since he started running. Each time this happens, he slightly reduces his running speed and pays attention to controlling his breathing rate and increasing the depth of his breathing to help himself adapt to the new environment as quickly as possible.

Over time, this running style allowed his body to adapt well to the intensity of the exercise, and even the 60 kilograms of weight on his body didn't feel so heavy anymore, as if it were an integral part of his body.

Of course, the price of reducing physical exertion was extremely slow speed; it took him ten hours to complete about a third of the distance.

Following this trend, Chen Moxin will definitely fail, and according to the "joint liability" rule of this test, he will also send Alexander and Lei Lie away.

But Chen Moxin was not in a hurry, nor did she accelerate rashly. She continued to run forward in a way that minimized physical exertion, running as much as she could while waiting quietly.

Waiting for the countermeasures they have prepared.

About half an hour later, Chen Moxin heard hurried footsteps coming from ahead, getting closer and closer.

"Whoosh—" Soon, accompanied by the fluttering leaves, a tall figure rushed out from the bushes.

The moonlight illuminated the other person's bronze skin, and sweat poured down his strong muscles.

Lei Lie wiped the sweat from his face, took out the supplements and water from his pocket, and said urgently to Chen Moxin, "Give me the weight, you eat, quick! There's not much time left!"

Chen Moxin immediately unloaded all her burdens and let Lei Lie carry them, while also taking the tonics.

He gulped down the water, inhaled energy gels, and gnawed on salt tablets.

With his body replenished and all the burden released, Chen Moxin took a deep breath, suddenly increased his speed, and began to sprint the second half of the race with all his might.

At the same time, Lei Lie shouldered the 60-kilogram load and continued running towards the finish line with Chen Moxin.

The two, one in front and one behind, raced against time and launched their final sprint.

...

In the administrative district command center, everyone was stunned by what they saw.

"No, isn't this a foul?!" a staff member questioned.

Li Lei just gave a brief laugh and said calmly, "The rules don't say you can't do that."

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing this.

Yes.

It's not mentioned in the rules that those who have completed the test cannot run back to help their teammates.

Because a normal person would be exhausted after running, okay...

In previous years, some trainees collapsed or became paralyzed after completing the test, and some even fainted and had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Lei Lie, on the other hand, first ran more than 80 kilometers carrying 30 kilograms of weight, then ran more than 40 kilometers back to find Chen Moxin, and finally ran back again carrying 60 kilograms of weight.

This 7th squad is too ruthless; they treat people like cattle and horses!

Such an outrageous thing happened so suddenly that the staff who were on duty all night didn't even eat their midnight snack. They kept a close watch on Chen Moxin and Lei Lie the whole time, and also deployed a medical airship to stand by above the forest, ready to provide medical assistance at any time.

They were genuinely afraid that Lei Lie might accidentally run himself to death.

Fortunately, no accident occurred in the end.

Around 2 a.m., drone footage showed Chen Moxin and Lei Lie crossing the finish line together.

"Ring ring." Soon, the phone in the command center rang.

After the call connected, the voice of the staff at the finish line came from the other end: "The last student has reached the finish line, with a time of 15 hours, 32 minutes and 45 seconds."

"All 72 trainees from the 24 teams that participated in this test passed."

Chapter 64 The Three Great Psionicists

(Today's chapter is a two-in-one chapter)

The end point.

Chen Moxin, who had just crossed the finish line, lay sprawled on the ground, her whole body limp like a puppet without its supports, panting heavily and trying to catch her breath.

Alexander, who had already recovered, brought lightly salted water, as well as energy gels and salt tablets that could quickly raise blood sugar and replenish electrolytes. He massaged Chen Moxin's legs to relax them and fed him a few bites from time to time.

Alexander knew that Chen Moxin was much more tired than he was this time.

I ran the entire race with zero weight and at a normal pace.

Chen Moxin first ran about a third of the way with a 60-kilogram weight, and then started to accelerate and sprint after removing the weight.

Running at a constant speed and running at varying speeds are two completely different concepts.

The two were roughly equal in physical condition. Alexander had been running so painfully before, so you can imagine how tired Chen Moxin must have been.

Of course, Lei Lie was the one who was used the most heavily this time.

This muscular man ran nearly 160 kilometers in 16 hours, carrying a heavy load at both the beginning and end of the journey, a feat that is unimaginable for most people.

You can tell how tired Lei Lie is just by looking at him resting.

Instead of standing to rest, he sat down.

After Chen Moxin and Lei Lie finished resting, the staff organized transport vehicles to send all the trainees back to the special training camp.

After the trip, everyone was exhausted. Many people fell asleep on the bus and had to be carried back to their dormitories by instructors and guards.

The next day, the instructors gave the trainees plenty of rest time, allowing them to sleep all day and then assemble after dinner.

As evening approached, Chen Moxin, exhausted, was drifting off to sleep when he suddenly felt someone gently shaking him.

Chen Moxin opened her eyes and saw a bronze-colored face.

Lei Lie is 1.98 meters tall, just a little taller than the person in the upper bunk, and he is peeking out from the edge of the bed to look at Chen Moxin.

Lei Lie lifted the boxed lunches he was carrying and said with a simple smile, "You've slept all day, and it's not good for your stomachs to be empty for so long. I brought you boxed lunches. When we gather in a bit, get up and eat something."

Chen Moxin stretched her aching body, sat up in bed, and said sleepily, "You ran so much yesterday, how come you're still so energetic? Aren't you tired?"

Lei Lie said frankly, "It's alright. I got up at eight o'clock in the morning and practiced on the playground all morning, but there was no one there."

Chen Moxin's lips twitched; she was already used to it.

After getting out of bed, Chen Moxin casually patted Alexander awake: "Zhongguo, get up."

Alexander rolled over and murmured, "I'm so tired, I'll sleep a little longer..."

Chen Moxin then said, "Zhongguo, rise up and serve your country."

Alexander immediately sat bolt upright: "Coming!"

...

To provide the trainees with extra nutrition, the canteen food was plentiful tonight. The trainees, who had slept all day, were starving. No one spoke while eating; the only sounds were the clinking of chopsticks against plates and the heavy breathing of those who ate too quickly.

After dinner, Li Lei gathered everyone together and announced the team's total score statistics after this test.

The result was somewhat unexpected.

"Holy crap, we're number one?!" Alexander couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.