“The boy who cried wolf” was a fairytale.
But at this moment, the fairytale had turned into a cruel reality and was happening before everyone’s eyes. It was no longer a fairy tale that had educational value, but an impending nightmare.
The first group training in the camp.
The crowd unconsciously had inexplicable expectations, hoping that the chief instructor was just joking.
Some wanted to run to the exit and ask the chief instructor to open the door; some didn’t dare to move, hoping that it was just a test and a scare tactic; and a few simply stopped where they were, hiding in the crowd and feeling safe.
“Ten!”
“Nine!”
They heard Niu Hechuan’s loud voice as it resounded at the starting point of the track.
The crowd froze in place.
Not to say if anyone was timid or weak. Most of the people grew up in cities and towns and were used to living harmoniously. Which of them had seen wolves before?
Furthermore, there was more than one wolf.
There were at least a dozen wolves locked behind those steel guardrails.
It was not scary racing one wolf. But to race a pack of wolves was putting one’s life on the line!
Instead of running away, it was better to fight head-on. Tang Hong looked over to Jiang Lulu who was panicking. His gaze swept past all the other trainees and landed on Xiao Ziyun.
The two looked at each other and each knew that the other had the same intention.
If they combined the power of the crowd, as long as they did not panic, it wouldn’t matter how many wolves there were.
“Seven! Are you not going to start running!?”
Niu Hechuan seemed to see through Tang Hong and Xiao Ziyun’s thoughts and let out an angry shout, startling the crowd.
“Run!”
Someone shouted.
In an instant, people went from being frozen to panicking, from stunned immobility to desperate frenzy. The hundreds of people who were at the starting point of the running track started rushing forward.
This was crowd psychology. When one person started to flee, everyone would flee too.
All thoughts of resistance disappeared instantly. However, everyone still retained some sanity and did not cause a stampede. The people in front ran desperately and the people behind chased desperately.
Huff, puff.
More than a hundred people ran with all their might. They accelerated rapidly and ran more than ten meters in just two seconds. They were not running by themselves. There were too many people running together and it was too easy to fall.
Even so, everyone scrambled to be the first. It was as if they were crazy.
Of course.
Ladies first, even if one could not run, they could not drag others down, such conditions still had to be adhered to. Several chief instructors had come together to decide on the total number of people participating. There must not be too many. Otherwise, there would be a problem.
There cannot be too little as well, it would be a waste of time.
“Five!”
Niu Hechuan shouted the number.
Only Jiang Lulu remained at the starting point.
Just because she had low intelligence didn’t mean she was an idiot. No one would lose their lives at the special training camp? Jiang Lulu didn’t believe that the chief instructor would sit back and watch someone die, so she raised her head.
“Hey!”
After running more than ten meters, Tang Hong could not see Jiang Lulu from the corner of his eyes. His heart thumped.
He knew something was wrong.
That kid acted up at the crucial moment. He was really angry.
“Jiang Lulu, run with me!”
Tang Hong slowed down slightly and turned around to wave at her. His shouts, filled with indignation and reproach made her forget about her presumptuous thinking as she leaned forward and stumbled a little before she started running.
He waited for about two seconds.
Splat!
Tang Hong fiercely yanked Jiang Lulu’s left arm with his left hand and pulled her forward to run.
The explosive effect of nearly 50% Strength was no small feat. In just two or three seconds he led Jiang Lulu to catch up with the group of people at the end of the crowd.
“Run, aren’t you afraid of being disfigured if you get bitten by the wolves?!”
Tang Hong shouted in a low voice, reminding Jiang Lulu. This girl, who usually laughed like an airhead, would probably break down if she got bitten by the wolves. Tang Hong could not tolerate it.
If it was a life or death situation, he would have already ran away.
But the situation was not as serious now. He could not sit back and watch Jiang Lulu make a fool of herself by staying at the starting point.
‘There is only a chance of getting hurt at the special training camp, no one will die.’
‘This Jiang Lulu is usually so silly, how did she become so smart at the critical moment?’
‘Maybe she did the right thing…’
‘Maybe we shouldn’t run…’
“No, no. If even Jiang Lulu could think of this loophole, the chief instructor would have thought of it also. What method would the chief instructor use to dispel our conclusion that no one would be killed?”
In a sudden flash, his thoughts flew by.
Tang Hong thought that things were not that simple. The first special training test would not be so easy. But what would Chief Instructor Niu Hechuan have to do to force everyone to expend their full strength and think that their lives were really endangered.
While he thought, he pulled Jiang Lulu and ran with all their might.
After hearing the word “disfigured”, it was as if Jiang Lulu had taken a pill. She accelerated, huffing and puffing, and caught up with Tang Hong.
She was afraid of being disfigured.
She could feel the pain on her arm from Tang Hong clutching it.
They ran against the summer night’s wind as it blew past their eyes. Only heavy panting and the sound of people running at different paces could be heard. They could no longer hear Niu Hechuan’s countdown. The crisp sound of the steel rail guards crashing on the ground lingered.
The wolves were released…
It was not a dozen wolves, as Tang Hong had estimated. There were thirty of them!
“Ahwoo!”
Hearing the wolves’ howl, everyone began to run faster. The whole group moved faster.
“It should be safe.”
Tang Hong looked at the people around him from the corner of his eyes. He and Jiang Lulu belong to the middle back echelon.
However, at this moment.
“Ah!!”
That desperate scream rang out in the back. It sounded extremely miserable!
It was heart wrenching!
It didn’t seem fake!
Someone probably got hurt. Everyone felt their hearts racing and extremely fearful.
The scream was too real, real enough to make people panic and bolt. Their suspicions and expectations disappeared without a trace.
‘You either run, or you die’, chief instructor Niu Hechuan’s words filled their minds.
“Ah——”
A second screeching cry could be heard.
It was tragic beyond comparison and appalling. Words could not portray how one felt at this moment. Tang Hong looked back, all his thoughts were gone, his brain had gone blank.
There was a bloody man crawling on the ground…
What was he saying, his forehead was injured…
His face could not be seen clearly, he only let out a second abrupt cry of horror!
One wolf pounced on him, then two, then three. Immediately after, there was only silence. Nearly a dozen wolves had drowned out the man.
He was instantly buried under the wolves.
The other wolves which did not manage to get a share did not stop the slightest. They raised their paws and chased after the crowd.
“Ahh!”
Jiang Lulu shrieked. She heard two screams herself and couldn’t help but turn around. Her legs went weak at once, as she stumbled and cried.
“No, it can’t be.”
“We’re not going to die here, right.”
Hearing this.
Tang Hong fell into silence.
By this time, he was no longer so sure and began to waver. His initial scepticism turned into confusion as he broke into a cold sweat. Tang Hong just wanted to abandon the burden-like Jiang Lulu away and escape alone.
His strong willpower forced him to calm down. Tang Hong suddenly thought of Hua Yu.
The person who died…
Was it Hua Yu?
Tang Hong didn’t dare to take the risk. He gasped and faintly heard the subtle sounds of hungry wolves chasing after them.
He and Jiang Lulu nearly fell behind.
“Run!”
Tang Hong was ready to let go of her hand to run faster himself, and let Jiang Lulu run on her own.
Humans were selfish, he could not risk his life for Jiang Lulu. Moreover, Jiang Lulu could run on her own.
But without waiting for him to release his grip, Jiang Lulu’s youthful body unexpectedly exploded with strength, stumbling and ditching Tang Hong.
“Don’t bother about me! You run! Run!”
After hurting her head in elementary school, Jiang Lulu never ran again. Her mother didn’t allow her to play roughly. As the beloved daughter, everyone pampered her, and no one pushed her to exercise.
Because it was meaningless, and it would only aggravate her condition.
And now.
She ditched Tang Hong.
She slowed down at once.
She gritted her teeth and her fists clenched tightly. She did not have the courage to turn back.
“I… Damn you Jiang Lulu!!!”
Since his ex-girlfriend proposed a breakup, it was the first time Tang Hong felt like cursing. Jiang Lulu stood there cowardly thinking that she was an ostrich.
But those hungry wolves would not think she was an ostrich.
They’re nearing!
Getting nearer and nearer!
The fastest wolf was about to leap up and pounce on Jiang Lulu!
Its green eyes, blood-stained teeth, all of them foretell the ferocity of these wolves. It was terrifying to look at even one of them up close. Who would dare to turn around to fight and kill.
If not for the cries, or the scene of the dying man covered with blood, Tang Hong would definitely not hesitate.
Yes.
Tang Hong did his best, he did his best.
He did not give up on Jiang Lulu just now, he did not ditch her and escape on his own. What else could he do? Was the chief instructor Niu Hechuan not going to do anything about it?
Countless thoughts entwined together.
That second felt as long as a century.
If he didn’t go back, if the kid died.
Everything that he had heard about the Yellow River Organization, the government military, the Transcendent special training camp, countless thoughts filled his mind at that moment.
Speeding up and running wildly, in addition to the internal struggles, caused him to sweat profusely.
Tang Hong only felt a chord break off in the depths of his mind. His heart pumped vigorously, and his blood vessels twitched!
Under the blazing summer sun hanging high in the blue sky.
A bead of sweat flowed down his forehead, sliding over the corner of his eye, cheek, and then dripped onto the track. The bead of sweat reflected the sun rays like a mirror as it fell on the ground.
Splat!
He stomped one foot on the ground!
Turn back!
Turn around!
His Strength percentage value had increased again. A sense of inexplicable exuberance suffused his entire body. Within him, he felt a calm that separated him from the rest of the world!
“Come!”
It was the most difficult step to take. His willpower shattered all the hesitation he had before.
He crossed ten over meters in two strides. All those feelings of fear, confusion, and anger exploded in his mind!
“Come! Come! Come!”
Tang Hong roared in his heart as he swung his fist out.
Don’t touch that girl.
“Bench Press weight 189 KG!!”
“189 KG, that’s terrifying. He can lift 3 of me!!!”
“Monster!”
“Sick!”
“How did Tang Hong train?!”
A huge group of trainees who entered the camp gathered around the electronic bench press for the strength test. They all either stared with their eyes wide open or their mouths wide open.
Transcendents were mysterious, powerful, and rare. But no one knew exactly how strong they were.
One could only guess.
The fifth seed in front of them, Tang Hong, had tremendously prominent arm muscles. The outline of his bulky muscles was apparent before their eyes.
Extreme visual impact!
Tang Hong’s arm muscles, which looked like it had gone through vigorous training, had everyone’s undivided attention.
It didn’t look abrupt, the angles were rounded and rather aesthetic.
People might be secretly amazed at the bulging muscles of those muscle men in gyms, but they would not be so shocked. Tang Hong’s toned muscles were of the golden ratio, plump and well-coordinated.
“Gulp”
Female trainees who had finished testing their willpower gazed at Tang Hong’s arms, unconsciously swallowing their saliva.
There were also bolder female trainees who gently licked their lips.
Hu!
Tang Hong exhaled hardly, shook his head, and smiled as he looked around. “I haven’t practiced for a few days, it’s embarrassing.”
Everyone: “???”
See what he was saying… He was indeed a seed trainee, extraordinary… The former were the thoughts of the male trainees. The latter were the thoughts of the female trainees. No one present had seen the scene of resisting the gods.
Tang Hong has seen it, hence he was calm, hence he was not proud of it.
He looked at the grading criteria of the strength test:
Bench press 40KG was a Pass. Bench press 60KG was Ordinary. Bench press 80KG was Good.
Bench press 100KG was Excellent. Any higher than that would be graded as Excellent.
It should be to prevent particularly outstanding trainees from getting a higher grade.
“We are done with the strength test.”
“Next is speed.”
He was certain that his strength and speed would surpass Xiao Ziyun.
But the physical fitness assessment was divided into five major areas.
‘Strength’: Nil.
‘Speed’: Nil.
‘Endurance’: The ability to overcome fatigue and work long hours .
‘Agility’: Range of joint movement, the ability to stretch muscle ligaments.
‘Flexibility’: The ability to change body position, movement, physical aptitude and ability to orientate.
The five elements complement each other to make up physical qualities. Tang Hong’s endurance was fair, and he barely passed Agility and Flexibility.
For example, the measurement methods of Agility were standing forward bending and back bending. These areas were not Tang Hong’s expertise, he felt that the strength test was the simplest and most reasonable.
When the entry tests ended, it was almost midnight.
The detailed grades, as well as everyone’s rank, still had to be organized.
The special training camp compiled a form and submitted it to the headquarters of the Yellow River Organization, which then recorded and approved it before everything was considered settled, and came up with the ranking results.
“Very good!”
Niu Hechuan appeared again. “The first special training test will be conducted tomorrow. That’s all for today. Everyone, stand here until dawn, then go back.”
Did they really have to stand until dawn?
Everyone’s expressions were bitter.
Guo Bojun also secretly complained: “You probably have some misunderstanding about ‘That’s all for today!'”
“Staying up late is bad for your body.”
Someone stood out and shouted.
“Eh?” Niu Hechuan stared at her sternly for a long while. “That one serving of Transcendent food at noon every day should be enough to make up for it. Standing until dawn is to adjust your body clock. Not many gods appear during daytime.”
“The special training camp aims to minimize stress for everyone.”
“We wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“But to become Transcendent, one must have patience. In order to resist the gods, it’s not rare to have to squat and watch for the whole day. So, it’s better to adapt to it in advance… Of course, it’s very impressive that we have more than 20 Transcendents here. Most people can only become full members!”
“Tomorrow will be the first special training!”
“The day after tomorrow, you will be divided into six groups led by six instructors!”
So it was to adjust their body clock. After Niu Hechuan explained clearly, no one said anything.
He could have said so earlier.
Jiang Lulu stopped complaining as well. “Take it as staying up late to cultivate. The more cultivation the merrier.”
“Adjust the biological clock.”
Tang Hong took a deep breath.
Soon.
Dawn approached.
Chief instructor Niu Hechuan, who had been standing in front of everyone, shouted. “Dismissed! Everyone go back and get some rest!”
…
The second day in camp at noon.
Tang Hong pondered as he ate: “Willpower and physical fitness cannot differ too much.”
Transcendent food tasted unique and was considered gourmet food.
Chief Instructor Niu Hechuan appeared at the entrance of the restaurant on time, and led all the trainees to the basement level of the fourth building.
“Stand in line!”
“Xiao Ziyun! Tang Hong! Jiang Lulu! Those names that I have read out, go to the beginning of the track now!”
‘So what if your voice is loud?’ Jiang Lulu rubbed her ears unhappily as she stumbled and stood at the starting point of the huge running track.
Xiao Ziyun and Tang Hong stood there.
This was a special track mimicking dirt floor with gravel. The usual synthetic rubber track was pure paradise compared to it.
One round around the track was roughly 800 meters. It should be a training track specially prepared for preparatory-level Transcendental.
The outer and inner ring track were surrounded by steel guardrails.
On top, a huge tempered glass was erected with steel bars to form a structure similar to a skylight.
“Hua Yu!”
“Li Yuqi!”
Gradually, the Chief Instructor Niu Hechuan finally stopped reading out names. The starting point of the running track was crowded with a black mass of trainees.
There were people on both the left and right sides, rubbing shoulders with each other!
There were nearly a hundred people!
Nobody understood. The track could only accommodate about 30 people widthwise. How were so many people supposed to run and compete against each other? There was no way to run at their fastest speed.
Click!
The outer steel guardrail of the track slammed shut!
“Close the door and let the dogs out!”
Niu Hechuan continued to roar. The crowd wanted to laugh, but didn’t dare to laugh.
However.
When the trainees finally looked clearly inside the dark passage on the inner side of the track, there were pairs of fierce, green eyes, blood-stained teeth, pointed mouths, and bloodthirsty intent that could not be concealed.
One by one, their minds went blank and they fell into panic.
Suppressed screams, the sound of breathing, and the whispers interspersed with curses. Everyone’s expressions changed completely.
They didn’t dare to laugh earlier, now, they were unable to laugh!
The corners of Xiao Ziyun’s mouth twitched as he secretly gritted his teeth.
“These… these are real wolves. Neither the old nor the young will be cheated!” Jiang Lulu could not help but whisper, her face was pale.
“You…”
“You call them dogs.”
Even Tang Hong, who had always remained calm, was filled with disbelief. He looked at the sturdy and strong Niu Hechuan outside the steel guardrails.
Will there be bloodshed the first time they enter the camp for special training?
Niu Hechuan appeared very stern. He shouted. “Given that today is the first special training test, I decided to reduce the difficulty and let you have a head start of ten seconds… the first ten people to complete a lap will be rewarded Transcendent points. The Transcendent points, which are recognized by the major institutions can be exchanged for all resources in the Transcendent world and modern society!”
“You either run!”
“Or you die!”
The steel railings rose a little.
Countdown to ten seconds.
Begin.