The first group quickly registered and entered the preparation area. After a few minutes of preparation, they stood at the starting line according to the password. When the second group received the notice to go to the registration area, the first group's competition began with the whistle.
There was no cheering. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the ten people running in the rain not far from them.
More than a minute passed in the blink of an eye. When the first soldier crossed the finish line, the scorer shouted, "Three lanes, one minute and twenty-eight seconds."
Then the other scorekeepers' voices sounded one after another.
"Five lanes, one minute and twenty-nine seconds."
"Ten lanes, one minute and twenty-nine seconds."
"One lane, one minute and thirty-one seconds."
"…"
As the last soldier crossed the finish line, the scorekeeper's voice sounded. The first group was finished, and the second group was ready to enter the field.
"Damn, one minute and twenty-eight seconds in the rain. Amazing!" Behind Qu Sen, Guan Yun, who had drawn lots to be in the eleventh group, exclaimed in a low voice.
The other participants couldn't help but whisper to each other.
As the third group went to register, the second group's competition began. Perhaps because of the pressure of one minute and twenty-eight seconds, the third runner made a mistake as soon as he entered the obstacle area. On the way back, the ninth runner made another mistake because of the slippery weather.
After two consecutive mistakes, the other soldiers in the same group began to warn each other. Guan Yun also whispered to Qu Sen behind him, "Qu Sen, you must be steady. It's better to be slow than slow. If you're slow, you'll get a result. If you make a mistake, you'll be finished."
"Yes!" Qu Sen didn't dare to look back. He just answered in a low voice.
As the second runner crossed the finish line first, the scorekeeper reported the result of one minute and twenty-seven seconds. The rest of the soldiers felt even more pressure.
Soon, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh groups went on the field one after another. As more and more people made mistakes, and even a soldier was injured and had to be taken down for treatment, two more good results of one minute and twenty-seven seconds appeared.
The rain became heavier. As the ninth group went to register, the eighth group set off. At this time, Qu Sen was not in the mood to pay attention to the field. He found that he was getting more and more nervous. Plus, he had been in the rain for a long time. His body, especially his hands and feet, was so cold that his body was trembling slightly.
Just as he clenched and unclenched his fists to promote blood circulation, the first place of the eighth group crossed the finish line.
"Nine strikes, one minute and twenty-six seconds!" As the scorekeeper's voice rang out, both the warriors who were waiting for the start of the competition and the warriors who had finished the competition exclaimed at the same time.
On the other hand, Qu Sen became even more nervous. His heart thumped rapidly in his chest, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.
"Group 10, register in the registration area!" The staff officer's voice rang out.
Qu Sen only reacted after being scolded by Guan Yun. He hurriedly took two steps forward to catch up with the warriors in front of him.
The registration area was very close, but every step Qu Sen took was very strenuous. His legs were very stiff, and for some reason, the muscles on his buttocks were sore and swollen. It was difficult for him to lift his legs. If Qu Sen could see the way he walked now, he would think that he was a patient who had just started walking again after being paralyzed for a long time.
"Ha … Huff … Ha!"
Continuously taking deep breaths to adjust his state of mind, Qu Sen walked into the registration area and stood in line in front of the registrar of the third venue.
The registrar was a dark and fat third class sergeant. When he saw Qu Sen's stiff walk and pale face, he handed a pen to him and said, "Unit, name, ID number, and let me see your soldier ID."
"Yes!" Qu Sen said one word. His hand trembled slightly as he took out his soldier ID from the pocket of his camouflage uniform. After handing it to the third class sergeant, he took the pen and began to fill in the form.
The third class sergeant opened the soldier ID and looked at the photo and ID number on it. He then looked at Qu Sen's trembling hand as he wrote and encouraged him, "Young man, what are you nervous about? You're the only private out of a hundred people. It's already good that you're able to stand here. "
Qu Sen's head was full of black lines. He could only control his right hand to fill in the form according to the requirements. After taking back the soldier ID, he forced a smile and said to the third class sergeant, "Squad leader, I'm not nervous. I'm just a bit cold."
"Cold my ass. You're just nervous." The third class sergeant laughed loudly and pointed at Qu Sen as he scolded him.
As soon as he said this, the other registrars and soldiers in the same group who were preparing for the competition all laughed along. The originally tense and serious atmosphere suddenly relaxed quite a bit.
Maybe it was because he laughed with everyone for a while, but when he came out of the registration area, although Qu Sen was still nervous, the stiffness in his body had eased a lot.
When he arrived at the preparation area, he first checked his shoelaces, pants, zippers, buttons, and so on. He felt uneasy, so he untied his shoelaces and tightened them again. He carefully tucked in the extra parts and stood up and jumped a few times to relieve the numbness in his feet. After that, he began to warm up.
When the starter's whistle sounded, the ten soldiers in the tenth group finished their warm-up and stood at their starting positions.
Qu Sen stepped on the starting line with his left foot and took deep breaths to adjust his state of mind. The words of the third class sergeant echoed in his mind. "You're the only private out of a hundred people. It's already good that you're able to stand here." At the same time, he kept telling himself, "I've only been a soldier for a few months. It's already amazing that I'm able to stand here. No matter what, I have to run a good race and enjoy the rest of the competition!"
Just like that, under the constant self-pacification, his wildly beating heart finally calmed down.
"Ssss." Due to the water entering the track, the whistle sounded a little strange.
However, he didn't have time to care about that now. When he heard the whistle, Qu Sen pushed his left foot against the ground and stepped out with his right leg. He completely ignored the contestants on both sides of the track and started the 100-meter race at his own pace.
Raindrops kept hitting his face, and his ears were filled with the sound of the running feet of the soldiers on the track.
The 100-meter distance was covered in a blink of an eye. By the time he crossed the three-step pole, Qu Sen's mind was clear of all distracting thoughts. He followed the steps that he had practiced countless times and jumped over the trench. He adjusted his pace and used one arm to support himself over the short wall. Then, he sprinted and jumped onto the high board with all his strength.
The rainwater had indeed made the track slippery, especially when he jumped into the trench. Due to the water in the trench, one of his feet slipped when he landed. However, Qu Sen finally completed the 200-meter obstacle course. When he turned the flag, he glanced around and knew that he was definitely in the lead. Then, he lowered his head and started the final sprint.
His legs felt heavier and heavier, but Qu Sen's speed was getting faster and faster. The sound of the rain and the wind intermingled with each other. Qu Sen's ears were filled with scenes from his team training.
His conflict with Liu Fei, the competition, the company commander's approval to participate in the selection, and the encouragement from his regiment commander …
"Three shots, one minute and twenty-six seconds!"
Following a powerful shout, Qu Sen crossed the finish line. His buzzing ears vaguely heard the scorekeeper announce the number. He was so excited that he fell to the ground.
Qu Sen didn't care about his sore arm. He crawled up and asked excitedly, "Reporting! Is it one minute and twenty-six seconds? "
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