CHAPTER 83: UNINTENDED GENTLENESS

"What is the Military Triathlon?" In Li Xi’s dorm room, they were all abuzz about this as well. They had heard of the traditional triathlon, but within Longzhi Academy, due to certain limitations, activities like biking and swimming could not be held.

"Rumor has it that this training event is designed to fully utilize the terrain and environment of Longzhi Mountain, and this time, it’s an individual race. The winner will be named the model soldier of military training, and it will directly affect their placement upon graduation." Listening to her roommate’s news, Li Xi also got interested.

The distribution of graduates at Longzhi included multiple levels, with the best outcomes being retention by the school or direct entry into Rand. Those slightly lesser may enter various military regions, and the ones below that could only join governmental military-related departments.

"The terrain and environment of Longzhi Mountain?" The students wondered, since when was Longzhi Mountain considered a scenic spot?

"Xia You, what do you think?" Li Xi called out, but no one answered. Xia You was good in many aspects, but she had one particular habit: she would fall asleep whenever there was a break. Additionally, she had another quirk: she liked to sleep while holding her phone.

Li Xi had reminded her multiple times that sleeping with the phone could expose her to strong radiation, but she just smiled without responding. One morning, Li Xi climbed onto her bed while Xiao You was still asleep, attempting to take the phone from her. She found that Xiao You gripped it tightly in her hand, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pry it away.

"Private 0, hurry up, faster," in the midst of a storm.

The wind tore at Private 0’s uniform, shredding her clothes to tatters. A system alert announced: "Your Private Uniform’s durability is below 10, please consider changing." The durability of the uniform was displayed as 9/100 in the equipment attribute list.

In "Military Road," clothing, boots, and even ordinary weapons all had durability, decreasing with each use. Private 0’s uniform, originally a newbie outfit with no additional attributes, had only the basic function of covering the body. Yet, after many days of continuous exertion, the durability of Private 0’s uniform was also nearing its end.

More than twenty days had passed since the start of military training. Private 0 felt like a sponge being wrung out repeatedly.

Shooting, climbing, push-ups, pull-ups—she felt that the part of her that was a woman was being pulled away from her body, numbness setting in after countless instances of clenching her teeth. In the mucky difficulty of the mud, it was uncertain whether it was tires or herself moving forward.

On the last day of military training, Xia You stood in the bathroom, touching her hair, which had grown three centimeters over the month. If Maggie saw her appearance now, she might not dare recognize her.

Xia You stroked her arm, feeling that her body, which looked no different than before, had fundamentally transformed. She undressed piece by piece, the flabby ’butterfly flesh’ on her arms all vanished, her chest was perky, taking on the shape of two half mounds, and her dark red butterfly tattoo shone even more vividly, from the connection of her waist and hips like the most beautiful mountain ranges undulating.

(There’s always a feeling, as if you were born to look this way) Little Eight’s words floated lightly into Xia You’s ears.

"It’s time to get ready to head out, Xiao You," Li Xi reminded from outside. On the final day of military training, all the students gathered at the 600-meter altitude mark of Longzhi Mountain. What awaited them there was the Military Triathlon.

Almost no one knew what the Military Triathlon was. The answer would only be revealed at the very last moment.

The students jogged along the mountain path, their spirits relatively relaxed. Having reached the last day, the end of military training meant the start of a new semester, where they could receive systematic teaching like the seniors.

The further up they ran, the steeper the incline. Despite having significantly improved their fitness under Lu Xun’s nearly brutal training over the past month, the thin air and heavy steps made them feel once again the hardship of Longzhi’s military training.

Rising above six hundred meters, Longzhi Mountain no longer felt like a tourist area. Broad leaves on the trees were replaced with needles. The brilliant late summer flowers and chirping birds at the foot and waist of the mountain had also disappeared.

Despite it being broad daylight, the temperature had already dropped. The morning dew occasionally dripped onto the bodies of the cadets. Ren Minghang led the team, weaving through the crowd from time to time to prevent anyone from falling behind or showing signs of fatigue.

Running to the rear, the sun was completely obscured. For the first time, the thick military training uniform was no longer hot and stuffy.

The paved mountain trail came to an abrupt end; further up was the coniferous forest zone without paths, where climbing was necessary.

"All personnel, pay attention! On the last day of this military training, everyone must complete three military tasks. Two male students and two female students, the victors will receive a recommendation for graduation. The three military tasks are: hiking through, tire climbing, and mud swamp survival."

Beyond the coniferous forest lay a chaotic rocky forest with steep and difficult terrain, surrounded by no apparent trails. This coniferous forest area was a primal forest, perennially deprived of sunlight, with the ground covered by decayed humus leaves and avian excrement; one had to tread very carefully. Following the coniferous forest, there was a row of rocks standing approximately twenty meters tall, with several positions for climbing.

"There are cameras positioned at the mountain pass intersections; no student is allowed to use opportunistic methods. During this process, you are permitted to engage in fair competition using non-violent means," Ren Minghang added some precautions.

Fair competition? Zhang Fangxiao peered through the crowd with a pondering look towards Xia You.

At the command of Ren Minghang, all the students rushed into the coniferous forest in a competitive scramble.

"Xiao You, see you at the finish line," Li Xi greeted. Since the three military tasks were individual challenges and to gain a better opportunity at graduation, she had to give it her all.

Xia You did not immediately dash into the coniferous forest like the others. She squatted down leisurely, securing all the loosened buttons on her clothes, tied her waistband and cuffs tightly, and tucked her trouser legs into her boots. Only after everything was ready did she head into the coniferous forest.

"Xia," Ren Minghang, still holding the walkie-talkie, was reporting the situation to Lu Xun when he saw Xia You setting off and called out to her. He turned off the walkie-talkie in his hand.

"There are many snakes, insects, rats, and ants on the mountain; take this with you," Ren Minghang, a grown man, was considerate enough to carry an ointment for bug bites in his pocket.

(Number Zero, this man has a good feeling towards you,) Little Eight teased.

Even in a high-altitude cold region, one must be cautious of insect bites in the woods, especially those that are perpetually devoid of sunlight. None of the students had taken this into account before heading off.

It was upon reaching the coniferous forest that Xia You recalled scenes she had encountered in the Prehistoric Society, which led to her earlier actions.

The ointment with a mint fragrance was pressed into Xia You’s hands, and Ren Minghang gave an embarrassed smile.

"Thank you," Xia You smiled, a flash revealing her fine white teeth.

Ren Minghang felt as though he was suddenly basking in sunlight. By the time he came back to his senses, that bundle of "sunlight" had already disappeared.(To be continued. If you like this novel, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)