There were 40 soldiers in the sixth team. With so many people, it was impossible for them to stand at the same starting line. Naturally, some people stood at the front, while others were squeezed at the back.
Zhao Rui felt that using the system to secretly train was unfair to his comrades. He took the initiative to stand at the back of the line.
Under the command of the instructor, the soldiers in the sixth team charged forward.
Zhang Cheng took the lead and rushed to the front. There were several comrades behind him. They wanted to get a good result in this competition, so they started to chase after him. The competition officially began.
However, only a small number of people wanted to get a place. Most of the soldiers did not pursue honor. They only wanted to finish the 3,000-meter race.
Zhang Cheng's father was an outstanding soldier, but he died heroically while carrying out a mission. This was the reason why Zhang Cheng had applied for the Military Academy. He had to work hard in this competition and get good results.
Only then could he comfort his father's soul in heaven.
Zhang Cheng had to get first place, so he used all his strength.
The comrades behind him gritted their teeth and ran forward with all their might. It was as if the sound of rapid breathing was ringing behind their ears.
Different from Zhang Cheng and the other runners, there were also some soldiers who wanted to win glory in the competition. However, they did not rush to the front of the team at the very beginning.
This was because there were strategies to win a race. If it was a sprint they would of course have to use all their strength at the very beginning. This was because sprinting was short in time and required strong explosive power. If they were a second late, they might have been eliminated.
However, it was different for a 3,000-meter race like this. This type of competition did not only test the speed of the soldiers, but also their stamina and endurance. If the first half of the race consumed too much stamina, one might be eliminated in the second half because they used up all their strength and were surpassed by other comrades.
The reason why Zhao Rui did not immediately rush to the front in the beginning was because when Zhao Rui was training in the King of Soldier's training space, he had tested two different training methods. The time spent on the same distance by sprinting all the way was twice that of just sprinting in the second half!
With the experience gained in the training space, Zhao Rui decided to conserve his strength in the first half of the race and sprint again when he reached 1,000 meters.
"I say, class monitor, why did you run at the same speed as me? As the leader, shouldn't you rush to the front?"
In the middle of the team, Bai Xiaofei teased Zhao Rui.
Zhao Rui looked at him with disdain and teased, "It's not time for me to exert my strength yet."
Zhang Cheng gradually felt exhausted. His legs became heavier and heavier, and his mouth felt very dry which became worse and worse.
And the comrade who had been following closely behind Zhang Cheng finally surpassed Zhang Cheng.
"Damn it, did I run out of strength after only running for a short while?" Zhang Cheng gritted his teeth and continued to chase after him.
Of course, there were also some new recruits who had been running at the back of the team, advancing at a slow pace. They were not accumulating strength to prepare for the second half of the sprint. From the beginning, their mentality had been to just complete this training.
The two people at the end of the training team were Chi Heng and Qian Jiang.
"Brother, I'm so fat that I can't run. You're tall, thin, and have a pair of long legs. Aren't you going to get first place?" Chi Heng asked Qian Jiang, who was beside him, as he moved with small steps.
Qian Jiang sighed and said, "I'm not good at running. I'm not suitable to be a soldier."
"Do you still like that girl?"
"Girl? What girl?" Qian Jiang was a little flustered and his face was red.
"Stop pretending. I noticed it during the song battle. You were staring at the girl in the female team."
The two people at the end of the line started to chat.
More and more comrades surpassed Zhang Cheng from the back.
Even though he was not happy, Zhang Cheng had no choice because he didn't have the strength to catch up and overtake them.
Among those who surpassed Zhang Cheng was Zhao Rui.
It was already the second half of the competition. Zhao Rui sprinted with all his might. However, he didn't know how many comrades were in front of him. In order to get first place, he didn't dare to slack off.
This was the first competition that Zhao Rui had participated in since he entered the Military Academy. This was only an internal competition among those in the sixth team and there wouldn't be any real awards or certificates.
But to him, as long as he could get first place, it was enough. This honor was the best reward for Zhao Rui.
Zhao Rui didn't care how many comrades he had surpassed. He just used all his strength to sprint.
The sound of air rushing could be heard by Zhao Rui from time to time.
The familiar empty space appeared in Zhao Rui's field of vision. He was very close to the finish line.
But at this moment, Zhao Rui noticed a cadet in military uniform standing beside the instructor!
Could it be that someone had already reached the finish line ahead of him!
Instantly, an indescribable feeling of discomfort surfaced in his heart.
He did not expect to have such a formidable comrade in the sixth team!
For this match, he had trained in the training space for so long, but he still could not obtain first place.
Zhao Rui was not discouraged by this. On the contrary, he rushed towards the finish line at an even faster speed.
Since he could not get first place, then he would work hard to get second place. He also wanted to get to the finish line as soon as possible to see who this first place winner was.
After Zhao Rui rushed past the finish line, the instructor pressed the timer and looked at the time. He nodded his head in satisfaction.
He did not make the wrong choice in choosing Zhao Rui to be the leader. Zhao Rui could indeed play a leading role for the other recruits.
The student who had been standing beside the instructor before also curiously stretched his head over and looked at the time Zhao Rui took to complete the entire run.
"You're too amazing, junior. You're in first place. Moreover, your results are also top-notch even in our year."
"Keep up the good work!" The senior praised him.
Junior?!
Only then did Zhao Rui realize that the person who stood beside the instructor and spoke wasn't a sixth team's comrade, but Senior He Jian, who had been to their dormitory before.
In other words, Zhao Rui's special training in the King of Soldier's training space every night for the past week had not been in vain. Zhao Rui was in first place!!!
Zhao Rui was instantly overjoyed.
But he immediately controlled his emotions and said humbly, "No, no, senior, you're making fun of me again. I was just lucky."
As he said this, Zhao Rui suddenly realized that Senior He Jian and Instructor He Yingbo had similar eyes.
Both of their surnames were the same. Could it be that the two of them had some sort of relationship?
However, Zhao Rui didn't ask much. After Senior He received a document from the instructor, he said goodbye and left.
After reaching the finish line for some time, there were still no comrades who arrived.
"How many people do you think have the mentality of just finishing the 3,000-meter race and are not willing to earn a place?" He Yingbo suddenly asked Zhao Rui.
Zhao Rui had not thought about this question before. "I, I don't know, but there should be a lot of people."
He scratched his head and asked, "Instructor, why do you ask?"