"Oh ho, isn't this the troublemaker Shen Qingzhu? You got eliminated too?"
"...Yes."
"You dare to shoot down a drone? Who gave you the guts?"
"I'm sorry, I got arrogant."
"In that case, your punishment time will be doubled. Let me think where to start asking... By the way, did you hear what Li Liang just said?"
"I heard it."
"Is he telling the truth?"
"...Yes."
"So why do you portray yourself as ruthless, lawless, and arrogant?"
"Because people are inherently bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong; the weak will always be bullied."
"Although I'm very curious about your past, considering the current situation, I'll refrain from asking for now... Tell me why you want to become strong."
"I don't want others to look down on me."
"Just because of that?"
"Mm."
"Pretending to be true to yourself, outwardly sharp but inwardly soft, and caring so much about what others think... Are you a Virgo?"
"...Yes."
"Oh, then let's talk about your romantic history. How many love letters have you written so far?"
"One hundred and fourteen."
"So much? Tell me more."
"When I was four years old, I fell in love with the older girl next door, and then…"
"..."
"Then do you have any interested in the female recruits here? And who is that lucky girl?"
"Yes... Only one.... Her name is L... Huh!? Why should I tell you!?"
As Lin Qiye and his two companions raced through the mountains, they listened intently to Shen Qingzhu's public execution.
"Good grief, Brother Swagger has completely fallen this time." Baili Pangpang was panting heavily, laughing every now and then.
Lin Qiye looked at the gradually darkening sky and slowly spoke:
"It's been almost five hours since we entered Jinan Mountain, and more than half of the participants have already been eliminated."
Cao Yuan turned to look at Baili Pangpang, somewhat surprised, and said, "Weren't you already exhausted when you first came in? How have you managed to hold on until now?"
"Even if I run myself unconscious, I don't want to accept that punishment." Baili Pangpang seemed to have thought of something, and his face turned pale.
"Now that you say that, I'm even more curious about the secrets you hold."
"...Get lost!"
As more and more new recruits were dragged down the mountain, the number of drones on the mountain increased significantly. At first, there were only two or three drones chasing them, but now there are often more than ten!
Fortunately, the instructors had some conscience and didn't let the drones surround them from all sides. Each time, they would give them a gap to break through and a chance to escape.
The drone would chase them for a while, exhausting their strength, then disappear for a while, giving them a short time to recover, repeating this cycle and pushing them to the brink of their limits time and time again.
Now, Lin Qiye finally understood why this was called extreme training.
The deeper they went into Jinan Mountain, the slower the three of them became. Baili Pangpang staggered behind Lin Qiye and the other man, his face growing paler and paler.
"If you can't take it, sit down and rest for a while." Lin Qiye noticed Baili Pangpang's condition and said with a frown.
"No...no...I have to run away..."
Baili Pangpang's eyes were unfocused, and his clothes were soaked with sweat. He walked forward step by step, his eyes full of determination.
"Damn it... how come I haven't passed out yet...?"
Cao Yuan pondered for a moment, then said, "Why don't you just run headfirst into a tree?"
"...I'm afraid of pain."
Baili Pangpang waved his hand, "You guys run first, I think I'm really about to die... If I faint in a bit, you don't need to come and save me."
"Actually, we didn't intend to save you in the first place..."
Baili Pangpang's expression twitched, and he coughed twice, "That hurts, that hurts... ugh..."
Baili Pangpang touched his chest, and before he could finish speaking, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Cao Yuan stepped forward to check on him, then nodded to Lin Qiye, "He's alright, he just fainted from exhaustion."
"Okay, let's go then."
Lin Qiye turned around and continued walking into the forest.
To be honest, Lin Qiye was also nearing his limit. After five consecutive hours of weighted cross-country running, although he had taken many breaks in between, his body was not strong enough, and now he was starting to see stars.
"Why don't you take a break too?" Cao Yuan asked Lin Qiye.
Lin Qiye took a deep breath and shook his head. "I can still hold on."
"Why are you working so hard too?"
"Only by breaking through your limits can you become stronger," Lin Qiye said calmly. "And only by becoming stronger can you survive, and only by surviving can you go back..."
"Go back? Go back where?"
Lin Qiye shook his head and did not answer.
"If you just want me to clear your name later, there's no need to fawn over me like this," Lin Qiye suddenly said.
"Hm?"
"If this is a deal, you just need to offer a sufficient price."
"A transaction... So that's how you see it?"
"Otherwise what?"
"...Don't you have many friends?"
"I and Xiao Chen been heretics since we were children too."
"What a coincidence, me too," Cao Yuan said casually. "But that's precisely why we could become friends, isn't it?"
"The last person who wanted to be my friend had his head chopped off by my own hand, and the one before that was personally stuffed into the monster's mouth by my own hand. Now the grass on his grave must be half a meter high," Lin Qiye said expressionlessly.
"As for Xiao Chen, she's a bit of an introvert and frequently gets into fights with her classmates. Well, she's a handful, but at least she wins." Lin Qiye smiles fondly at the memory—like a proud brother—recalling how she'd punch those bullies and give them black eyes. "She didn't have much friend either..."
"...The risk of being your friend is this high?"
"Right."
"Actually, we're pretty much the same," Cao Yuan shrugged. "I not only personally killed more than a dozen of my close friends, but I also slaughtered everyone in the village. After that day, not even a dog was left in the village where I grew up."
"...Don't compare yourself to me; I'm nowhere near as good as you."
"You are special. Even disregarding the prophecy of the Golden Cicada Grandmaster, you are still special." Cao Yuan gazed into Lin Qiye's eyes. "Actually, if possible, I would really like to hope that we three heretics can become friends."
Lin Qiye was silent for a moment, then pointed to Baili Pangpang lying dead behind him, "And what about him?"
"Him?" Cao Yuan smiled. "Don't you think... in a sense, he's also a heretic?"
"Yeah, he's incredibly stupid, and incredibly rich."
"Insightful."
...
Soon after, two instructors carried a stretcher to the unconscious Baili Pangpang and said with some surprise:
"This chubby kid actually kept going until now, and he even fainted on his own."
Another instructor shook his head regretfully: "What a pity. I thought I'd hear some gossip about the Baili family. I've heard that these young masters from wealthy families have very messy private lives!"
"Oh well, never mind, let's just carry him away."
"Wow! He's so heavy!"
The two men lifted Baili Pangpang onto a stretcher and ran down the mountain, panting heavily.
On the stretcher, Baili Pangpang, lying like a dead pig, grunted twice, then quietly opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips
...
At the foot of the mountain.
"Seven hours have passed. How many people are left?" Instructor Hong asked as he walked into the tactical tent.
The instructors, who were intently watching the screen, counted and answered:
"There are still seventeen left. Most of them are skilled fighters or special forces soldiers. The others... wow, Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan are still on the field. That's a bit unexpected."
"While they excel in combat, physical stamina isn't their strong suit. If I'm not mistaken, they're nearing their limit."
Instructor Hong looked up at Jinan Mountain, which was shrouded in darkness, and spoke slowly.
"How about his sister?"
Instructor Hong switched the screen to Lin Xi Chen, who was swinging about like Tarzan, reveling in the fact that she could still use her powers. She swung from trees and soared like a bird; whenever she needed to check her location, she would launch herself high into the air to get a better view of her surroundings.
All Instructors: ...