Chapter Five: The Lingering Fragrance on the Hands

Following closely behind Ambition and Ouyang Nan were Jing Dong and Wu Mingjie, who adjusted their pace accordingly. Yet maintaining such steadiness was no easy feat.

Xu Yan thrived on adventure and extreme sports. Though Ouyang Nan was a woman, fitness and running were her strengths; otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it through the Jinjiang Special Forces preliminary selection together. Jing Dong and Wu Mingjie relied purely on instinct.

From the stands, Zhang Xudong reported, “Captain, the gravity pull has now increased to a speed of 12 kilometers per hour.”

Jing Zhiming smiled wryly, “I’d say after another lap or so, these rookies will be close to breaking. Let’s raise it another notch.”

“Again?” Zhang Xudong asked uncertainly.

Jing Zhiming glanced up at the sky. “The weather’s neither hot nor cold—unpleasant.”

Zhang Xudong adjusted the setting one level higher and looked toward the square. Indeed, most were beginning to feel the increasing difficulty with every step; speeding up further was impossible now.

Nearly a hundred were still leading, maintaining a pace over 12 kilometers per hour. Clearly, these were elite individuals, accustomed to pushing their limits at high intensities. To them, the gravity pull was a non-factor; their sole aim was not only to be among the surviving three hundred but to be the best among them.

This wasn’t an outdoor endurance run with weight to carry—now, aside from their wristbands, they had no equipment at all.

Half an hour passed, and the index had reached 20 kilometers per hour.

Even among the nearly hundred leading runners, more than half began to slow, feeling the gravity’s pull.

Ten more minutes went by. The index surpassed 30 kilometers per hour. Some had collapsed to the ground, crawling with agonizing effort; every inch forward felt like climbing a mountain.

With virtually no difference in foot lift, every part of their feet touched the ground, the gravity pull now fully encompassing their bodies.

Jing Dong and Wu Mingjie had fallen far behind.

“Xu Yan, why not help them? We all came from the Charm Spirit Academy,” Ouyang Nan said breathlessly, somewhat irritated.

Ambition had no intention of paying attention, but Xu Yan’s life signal wave reminded him again: “Giving roses leaves a lingering fragrance.”

“What nonsense?” Ambition asked.

“It means helping others brings you satisfaction and joy!”

Though Ambition was indifferent to Xu Yan’s reminder, considering he still had to survive on Blue Star for a while, he didn’t respond coldly.

“Keep your step frequency steady. I’ll help them,” Ambition said, then suddenly slowed his pace, appearing unable to keep up.

“Number 176 seems to have slowed down too,” Zhang Xudong observed the timely data with some regret.

“Not necessarily,” Jing Zhiming kept his eyes on the square, especially on Ambition and Ouyang Nan, who adjusted their pace closely in response to the data.

His gaze landed squarely on them.

Number 176 had slowed suddenly without any warning, which didn’t seem like fatigue—it looked intentional. Why, he still didn’t know.

Ambition’s steps grew slower until he reached Jing Dong and grabbed his hand. “Don’t rush. Wait for Mingjie.”

Jing Dong, already struggling, was further slowed when Ambition pulled him back, feeling the gravity’s pull intensify. He grumbled angrily, “If you can’t handle it, just quit. Don’t slow me down.”

But his struggles were futile; Ambition’s grip was firm.

Just then, Wu Mingjie finally caught up.

Ambition reached out again, grabbing Wu Mingjie’s arm, then suddenly accelerated.

However, instead of chasing after Ouyang Nan, he maintained a pace of 30 kilometers per hour.

From the stands, Zhang Xudong lifted his head from the tablet. The number of runners keeping pace with the gravity pull had risen to four.

Number 178 held steady, but 176 disappeared from the rankings after slowing, soon joining 179 and 190, all maintaining a pace of 30 kilometers per hour.

“How is he doing that, Captain...?”

“No need to say more—I see it. This kid’s impressive, very much a team player,” Jing Zhiming praised. “But this is just getting interesting.”

Seeing numbers 176 and the other two holding their pace, Jing Zhiming instructed Zhang Xudong, “Raise it straight to 40 kilometers per hour.”

Zhang Xudong stared incredulously. “Captain, this might cause trouble! None of them have undergone formal training yet.”

“If someone can stand firm, what’s the point of the Jinjiang Special Forces test? These rookies need to know it’s not easy to get in,” Jing Zhiming said bluntly.

“Alright!” Zhang Xudong immediately adjusted the value on the tablet.

Instantly, the square erupted in a chain reaction as clusters of people began to collapse.

Ambition frowned deeply. The sudden jump from 30 to 40 kilometers per hour made him stagger, but he didn’t release Wu Mingjie or Jing Dong.

Yet, the moment the gravity pulled on them, their bodies pitched forward while their feet lagged behind.

At that moment, the two seemed dragged along by Ambition.

To help them regain an upright position, Ambition would have to slow down—which he was reluctant to do.

Just as he prepared to ease his pace, Xu Yan’s signal wave came through: “Don’t slow down. You’re too obvious. It’s already extreme enough.”

Ambition’s steps instantly recovered.

But what followed left even Xu Yan at a loss.

Ouyang Nan was clearly faltering; her stamina couldn’t keep up, her pace slowed, and she was just ahead of Ambition, who kept his pace steady.

If Ambition pushed Jing Dong and Wu Mingjie, he could maneuver around, but Ouyang Nan would be pulled down in seconds. At that point, ranking was irrelevant.

Ambition quickly glanced at the number of fallen competitors; just a few more and it would reach the cutoff of 200.

Having helped Jing Dong and Wu Mingjie, he couldn’t abandon Ouyang Nan.

Then a strange scene unfolded on the track. Number 176 dragged one teammate with one hand while pushing another in front with his legs, almost lifting the front runner’s legs to move forward.

Ouyang Nan initially moved close to Xu Yan, who propelled her forward with his legs. She looked back and said, “Thank you.”

But no matter how hard she tried afterward, she couldn’t quicken her pace or shake off Xu Yan’s close presence.

As a result, she was essentially being pushed forward by Xu Yan’s body. To maintain balance, she leaned back, pressed closely against him.

Her face flushed a deep red, though she knew Xu Yan had no choice.

The running posture was indescribably awkward.

Every leg lift brought the sensation of Xu Yan’s strong, muscular legs pressing against her hips, driving her legs forward.

She had no doubt that even if she stopped trying, as long as Xu Yan supported her waist, she could run without her feet touching the ground.

In the stands, Jing Zhiming, Zhang Xudong, and the assistant instructors stared wide-eyed.

Could it get any more incredible?