When you're in the Wolf Pack, your ability to obey orders becomes stronger.

Chapter 350 Since you messed with me first, I'll mess with you back! (4.5K)

Long-distance running in the military, especially physical training exercises like armed cross-country running, is actually different from professional long-distance running events in sports.

In the military, from squad leaders to platoon leaders to company commanders, including the instructors, none of them can be considered professional coaches.

Naturally, the soldiers' running styles and rhythms varied widely, but over time and with repeated practice, they all found the one that suited them best.

Some people like a fast-slow-fast approach, meaning fast at the beginning, slow in the middle, and accelerated at the end.
Some people are slow and fast, giving their bodies a chance to adapt at first, and then gradually increasing their speed.

The other two extremes are very slow and very fast.

As the name suggests, "slowly and steadily" is a pure, nonchalant approach, like a dead pig that isn't afraid of boiling water.

But going fast, fast, fast is terrifying; you have to keep sprinting the whole time!
The three motorized infantry reconnaissance battalion contestants ahead are showing this trend now.

Xu Ge was surprised because, regardless of the running method, one prerequisite must be considered: endurance.

Maintaining a sprinting pace isn't a big problem during a 5km naked run; many veterans like to use this method to outpace new recruits.

But a 10-kilometer armed cross-country run is a different story.

Given the weight they were already carrying and the distance was long, Xu Ge didn't believe that the three people in front of him had the physical strength to support them running the entire course.

Of all the people he had ever met, apart from the deputy squad leader when he was young, probably only the wet nurse could have this level of skill.

Once Xu Ge understood this, he immediately realized that this was a competitive strategy employed by the other party, though he still didn't know what their purpose was.

Whoohoo!
The breathing of the person behind them became noticeably heavier, and Chen Wei and Wang Long caught up.

"Dog Baby, are you still okay?" Chen Wei asked, panting heavily.

Xu Ge didn't turn around: "Okay, what's wrong?"

With his current physical condition, running at this speed is quite easy for him.

Xu Ge's plan was to accelerate during the second half of the descent, which would allow him to quickly distance himself from the others.

"Damn, let's overtake those three guys!"

Wang Long, grimacing, strained, "Do you still want to be the number one warrior? Let's go, charge!"

"rush!"

The other members of the Sirius team immediately accelerated and quickly rushed up to stand alongside Xu Ge.

"Do not impulse!"

Xu Ge quickly turned around and called out, about to say something, when he noticed that the second-term sergeant from the motorized infantry reconnaissance battalion had somehow followed behind them. A thought struck him, and he immediately spoke.

"Listen to me, keep this pace, and don't let anyone mess up your rhythm!"

"But Goubao, they've already gone halfway over..."

"They can't keep running like this forever! We're about to start going up the mountain, so let's conserve our energy and sprint down the mountain!"

"it is good!"

After running for so long, everyone could see that Xu Ge's physical fitness level was clearly superior to theirs. Since even he said so, the team members calmed down.

Three minutes later, the guide at the intersection ahead began waving a flag, signaling the runners to change course and go up the mountain.

After turning the corner, the road narrows immediately, allowing only four or five people to pass side by side, and then there is a long uphill section.

Those who can participate in the Warriors Competition are all experts. Without being reminded, everyone immediately slowed down and adjusted their breathing to avoid being disrupted by the sudden uphill.

"Goubao, you go first, everyone else in a row!" Zheng Tiannan shouted from behind.

The other five immediately understood and ran in a line, not giving the people behind them an easy chance to overtake.

Xu Ge glanced back and found that, apart from the second-term sergeant, the other contestants had been left at least twenty or thirty meters away.

However, the second-term sergeant clearly seemed to have room for improvement but showed no intention of surpassing his former level, so it seems that Zheng Tiannan's worries were unnecessary.

Xu Ge continued to slow down, running uphill along the mountain road.

Not far ahead, the three athletes still showed no signs of slowing down, which made Xu Ge admire their physical fitness.

The mountain road is winding and tests the runners' endurance to a great extent. Sometimes, several consecutive steep turns will force people to change their running rhythm.

Just after crossing another large slope, the terrain suddenly became gentler, and the road became wider. Several figures carrying flags appeared on the mountaintop a few hundred meters away.

The round-trip point is just ahead!
Xu Ge turned around and saw that Chen Wei and the other four were gritting their teeth and running with their heads down, while the second-term sergeant of the motorized infantry reconnaissance battalion was already running alongside them.

"I'm going to speed things up. You guys keep at your own pace and don't panic!"

"Okay! Forget about us, let's go for first place!" Zheng Tiannan replied with difficulty.

Xu Ge took a deep breath, leaned his body forward, and began to slowly increase his speed.

As they approached the round-trip point, the three people at the front were less than ten meters apart. Seemingly noticing that Xu Ge was catching up, someone shouted, and the three of them suddenly accelerated again, widening the distance once more.

"Damn! I don't believe it, are you guys really that strong?"

Driven by a competitive spirit, Xu Ge subconsciously sped up as well.

Soon, Xu Ge and the three others arrived at the round-trip point one after the other. After receiving their playing cards, the three immediately turned around and sprinted away.

Xu Ge was not to be outdone, and he also accelerated, thinking that he would definitely outpace them when they went downhill and uphill!

Just as the two passed each other, Xu Ge suddenly noticed that one of them had noticeably bluish lips and was breathing rapidly.

"Holy crap! Is this guy out of his mind? He's already running so hard he's practically oxygen-deprived, and he's still charging forward?!"

The members of the Wolf Brigade train on the plateau year-round and are no strangers to this cyanosis phenomenon. Xu Ge knew that it was caused by blood hypoxia.

This means that the person's body is nearing its limit!
However, after Xu Ge received the playing cards and turned around, he found that the three of them were rushing down the mountain at an even faster speed, showing no intention of slowing down!
Just as he was about to sprint, he suddenly felt something was wrong and remembered the words his squad leader had reminded him before they set off.

These three guys are weird!
The contestants who can participate in the Warriors Competition are all experts, and they certainly won't make basic common sense mistakes. Each of them is also very clear about their own physical fitness plan.

But in Xu Ge's opinion, those three guys in front of him were clearly trying to drive him crazy!

This is so abnormal...

"Hey, it seems like the people from Sirius aren't very good!" Suddenly, a soft laugh interrupted Xu Ge's thoughts.

The second-term sergeant had somehow overtaken Chen Wei and his group of five, and as he ran towards them, he didn't forget to turn around and hurl a sarcastic remark.

"Fuck! What the hell are you saying?!"

The five people instantly lost their composure and rushed forward at the same time.

"I've made myself perfectly clear, so what? If you're not convinced, then catch up with me!"

After finishing his sentence, the second-term sergeant sped up again, and as he brushed past Xu Ge, he couldn't help but smile, "Wait for me, I'll be right there!"

Swish!
The opponent's steps were light and powerful, and his strides were long.

Xu Ge's expression changed, and he quickly shouted at the five people chasing after him, "Stop chasing! Wake up! You can't outrun him, keep up the pace!"

He had already figured it out; this second-term sergeant was the strongest person in the motorized infantry regiment's reconnaissance battalion!
The opponent had been following behind to conserve their energy; now they're preparing to sprint!

. . .

. . .

Whoohoo!
Xu Ge swung his arms rapidly, using the momentum of the downhill slope to sprint forward while breathing heavily.

This is the last slope down the mountain. The intersection is just a few hundred meters away. After turning over, there will be the last 2000 meters of cement road.

The three people who had been charging ahead were long gone, no longer even a shadow of them.

These three people were deliberately trying to set the pace. Around the six-kilometer mark, they all ran out of energy and were overtaken by Xu Ge one by one.

There was only one person in front of him now, that second-term sergeant.

The other person had caught up with Xu Ge two minutes earlier and had also mocked him the moment they passed him. However, Xu Ge, who already understood the other person's intentions, remained unmoved, maintaining his own pace and staying firmly behind.

Soon, the two turned the corner one after the other and rushed onto the flat, wide cement road.

"come on!"

"The last 2000 meters, go for it, Zou Jun!"

"Holy crap! That's fast! There's a chance we can break the record, keep it up!"

There were already onlookers waiting on both sides. As soon as a runner appeared, they started shouting loudly, and some even accompanied him to the finish line.

There seemed to be members of a motorized infantry group nearby, who kept calling out Zou Jun's name.

As Zou Jun ran, he would occasionally glance back at Xu Ge. Seemingly realizing that the private was not taking the bait, he suddenly roared and his two thin legs began to spin rapidly like windmills, increasing his speed once again!
"Brilliant!"

"Fuck!"

"That's awesome!"

The emotions of those around them were instantly ignited, and exclamations rose one after another.

Xu Ge also thought to himself, "Damn it, they haven't even gone all out yet?"

What's this guy's physical fitness level? It's probably over 10,000 stats at level 5!

However, at the same time, his doubts deepened. This Zou Jun was already so powerful that he could easily crush them with his strength, so why did he have to pull this stunt?
Is it satisfying to watch others get ripped out?

What kind of twisted sense of humor is this?

"Go for it! Go for it, Uncle!"

Niu Sanxian's voice came from the crowd.

Guo Yuanshuai also appeared beside Xu Ge, running and shouting, "Last 500 meters! Sprint!"

"Ah!! Charge!"

Xu Ge also roared and gritted his teeth as he began to burn his physical strength!
drop!
At the finish line, the examiner pressed the stopwatch and announced the result: "Number 007, 40 minutes and 03 seconds!"

"Wow!"

A chorus of exclamations immediately erupted around them.

"Runners who have finished the race, move to the back immediately! Don't stay still, there's salt water available later, remember to drink it!" the officer in charge of maintaining order kept shouting.

Guo Yuanshuai and Niu Sanxian ran over and helped Xu Ge walk towards the rest area at the back. Not far away, a group of people were surrounding Zou Jun, shouting and yelling.

Upon hearing the words "record broken," Xu Ge calmed his heartbeat and looked at Niu Sanxian, asking, "San'er, how many miles did Zou Jun run?"

Niu Sanxian's expression was complicated: "39 minutes and 48 seconds, breaking the army group's record!"

"You drank my drink! So fast?!"

Guo Yuanshuai was also taken aback. Having been the Wolf Warriors' number one team for seven consecutive years, he knew all too well the significance of this achievement.

Xu Ge didn't speak, but walked slowly with his head down.

Guo Yuanshuai and Niu Sanxian, seeing him like this, assumed he was feeling down and quickly offered words of comfort.

"Uncle, you're really amazing too! You broke the record as well! The third-place finisher hasn't even arrived yet!"

"That's right, Ge Bao! It's okay that you didn't get first place in the 10km race. The rest are all your strong points!"

Xu Ge raised his head, glanced at Zou Jun first, and then said in a low voice, "Squad leader, I'm fine! There's just something I haven't been able to figure out."

"what's up?"

"Zou Jun is clearly so strong, why did he deliberately try to mess with our mentality on the way?"

Xu Ge recounted the previous actions of Zou Jun and the three motorized infantry reconnaissance battalion soldiers, then frowned and said...
"He already has that kind of power, isn't this just redundant? Does he think our Wolf Brigade members are even more monstrous than him?"

Niu Sanxian was quite surprised: "Holy crap! There's such a thing? This must have been a tactic they discussed beforehand. No, what are they trying to achieve with their motorized infantry regiment?"

"Damn it, they're aiming for first place!" Guo Yuanshuai's expression suddenly turned serious.

Xu Ge and Niu Sanxian were both taken aback.

"Vice-squad leader, what first place?"

"Isn't Zou Jun already number one? He even broke the army group's record!"

"He wants to be the number one warrior!"

Guo Yuanshuai shook his head and looked at Xu Ge, saying slowly, "Ge Bao, you guys have been targeted by them and have become key competitive targets!"

Xu Ge instantly realized: "Damn! So that's how it is, no wonder!"

He always felt that what Zou Jun and the others did in the 10km armed cross-country race was a huge loss, because the three athletes who were responsible for setting the pace were also very strong, but they were sacrificed.

To ensure Zou Jun takes first place would be too much of a sacrifice, given that Zou Jun's strength is overwhelming.

This is something Xu Ge has never been able to understand.

However, Guo Yuanshuai's words just now enlightened Xu Ge. If their goal was to make Zou Jun take the title of the number one warrior, then everything would make sense.

These people's real target is their competitors; they want them to fail in their very first project!

Thinking of this, Xu Ge's face darkened: "They're going too far! Damn! This is practically malicious competition!"

Guo Yuanshuai glanced at the motorized infantry group and said calmly, "They were operating within the rules, but it was indeed a bit underhanded."

"Deputy squad leader, it's just a title, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?" Xu Ge was a little confused.

If the system hadn't forced him to participate in the challenge, he really wouldn't have thought of joining this competition.

Guo Yuanshuai: "You still underestimate the allure of a first-class merit award!"

Xu Ge: ...

So, it seems we should blame Mr. Gu for coming over?

However, he only dared to mutter these words to himself.

"its not right!"

Niu Sanxian frowned and said, "Even if their plan succeeds and Uncle fails in the 10-kilometer race, how can they guarantee that Zou Jun will get first place in all events? There are so many experts in the entire Wolf Brigade, and the motorized infantry regiment's shooting skills are no match for ours!"

"That's exactly what I'm worried about!"

Guo Yuanshuai said in a deep voice, "What if Zou Jun is also very skilled in other areas?"

Xu Ge's heart skipped a beat.

The squad leader was actually being conservative. Since the other party did this, the possibility wasn't just a "what if," but very likely!

"Ge Bao, what are your thoughts on winning the title of First Warrior?" Guo Yuanshuai suddenly asked.

Xu Ge replied without hesitation: "We must win!"

He was unwilling to accept the mandatory punishment imposed by the system after failing the challenge.

Deducting 20,000 skill proficiency points? What's the point of playing then?!
"Alright, since they made the first move, we can't let them think they're easy to bully! Come on, let me tell you..."

Guo Yuanshuai whispered a few words in Xu Ge's ear, then asked, "Won't you have some kind of mental burden about doing this?"

"Squad leader, not a single bit! Just do it this way!"

Xu Ge looked at the motorized infantry regiment and said coldly, "Since you attacked me first, don't blame me for attacking you back!"

(End of this chapter)