The whip had been striking the thick weighted pack, but then it hit Chen Xu's buttocks directly. It didn't hurt much, but it still made Chen Xu squeal and howl.
But I chose this path myself. If I'm sent back on the first day, I might as well give up!
Chen Xu has that kind of ruthless determination. And his physical abilities are indeed quite good, but twenty laps... If he were unloaded, it wouldn't be a problem, but once the weight is added, it's really going to be a death sentence.
By the time Chen Xu had finished ten laps, his steps were already unsteady, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. He let the sweat stream down his forehead, into his eyes, and down his face… his camouflage uniform was completely soaked!
At this moment, Chen Xu was still gritting his teeth and persevering. His half-year of morning runs during his freshman year had allowed him to master certain running techniques without a teacher. For example, the pace of his stride and the rhythm of his breathing. Also, running not only consumes energy but also allows for a slow recovery. Although Chen Xu hadn't undergone very professional long-distance running training, after running for more than half a year, he had at least seen how it worked, so he was doing quite well in this aspect. If he had just been running blindly, he would definitely have collapsed by now!
But at this point, Chen Xu felt he had reached his limit. His lungs were burning, and the air he breathed was hot; it was torture to breathe into his lungs!
Seeing Chen Xu slow down, Instructor Wang lashed his arm without hesitation, yelling, "You're already giving up after only running halfway? If you're the kind of person who gives up so easily, you might as well get out of here! You haven't reached your limit yet, you don't even know what the limit means! The limit isn't about stopping when you're tired! Tiredness is just the body's way of dealing with fatigue, a warning sign! But if you want to grow quickly, you have to break your limits again and again! Keep running!"
The whip lashed Chen Xu, making him grimace and want to fight back, but after hearing what the whip said next, Chen Xu gritted his teeth and continued running forward.
"How many more laps do you think he can keep going?" Instructor Zhang, who always had a smile on his face, said to Instructor Qin, who had a cold expression, from the sidelines of the playground.
"Four laps at most. He's in good shape, but he's just a well-off rich kid with a good physique." Instructor Qin didn't even blink.
Although their voices weren't loud, there were only four of them on the playground, so Chen Xu heard them. He not only heard their words but also the disdain in their tone: "You said four laps?!"
good!
Then I'll show you, and I'll show myself, where my limits are!
Chapter 283 First Day of Training (Part 1)
Huang Anping had told Chen Xu about it before he came.
Although the military felt indebted to SMMH, thus granting Chen Xu "special treatment" for training, the truly elite soldiers held this kind of "backdoor" admission in utter contempt!
It makes sense when you think about it. It's perfectly natural for capable people, those who achieve success through their own efforts, to be a little arrogant; they have the right to be. Looking down on those who got in through connections is perfectly normal, so they'll definitely give you a hard time at the beginning!
This show of force isn't really excessive; in the military, strength reigns supreme. For example, this kind of weighted training might be a bit excessive for someone like Chen Xu, but for elite soldiers, it's perfectly normal training. This tactic is basically meant to discourage you from trying. Of course, if anything goes wrong during training, it can't be blamed on the military, because this is their standard training method.
Therefore, Huang Anping's advice is that on the first day of training, no matter what, you must grit your teeth and persevere until you impress the instructors!
Because first impressions are very important!
Although Chen Xu's physique is good, it's still far from that of a special forces soldier; otherwise, he wouldn't bother going to training. However, on the first day, Chen Xu absolutely cannot lose face in the face of this intimidating beating. Otherwise, the instructors will look down on him greatly, and he won't learn anything there for the next three months.
And he didn't even need to say it. Chen Xu himself is a very stubborn person, and he's prone to getting stuck on things.
Hearing Instructor Qin's disdainful words, Chen Xu felt a fire burning in his heart. You look down on me? Fine, then let me show you just how capable I am!
Human potential is enormous. Chen Xu had already felt that he was about to give up, but with the support of his will, he gritted his teeth and continued running.
One lap.
Two laps.
Three laps.
Instructor Wang was somewhat moved at this moment. In his view, Chen Xu's ability to complete ten laps had already exceeded his expectations. After all, this young man was only 20 years old, and his teacher was the renowned SMMH… Before coming, they must have already obtained all of Chen Xu's information. Actually, this young man wasn't some spoiled rich kid; although his family was wealthy, that was a later development. In terms of physique, he was already considered very good among civilian personnel in the military. They also knew that this young man's future wouldn't be on the battlefield, because the information stated that his computer skills were quite good, although not quite top-notch. But more importantly… with SMMH as his teacher, his progress was immense.
Judging from his personality, he is a very good young man—passionate, loyal, and quick-witted. He also maintains a consistent exercise routine and is quite physically capable.
But after all, they can't compare to those elite special forces soldiers!
Running 3,000 meters with a 50-pound load should have been his limit. But Instructor Wang said that because he hoped he could persevere a little longer. They both knew that what followed wasn't about stamina or physical fitness, but about spirit—a tenacious, unwavering spirit!
Chen Xu gritted his teeth, ignoring the sweat dripping into his eyes, and continued running forward.
He has no idea how many laps he's run! He hasn't even bothered to keep track!
Because a person's thinking is very strange... I don't know about you guys, but when I was running the 5,000 meters (back then, I can't even run 500 meters now), I was only thinking about how many laps I had left to reach the finish line, how many more laps I had to go... And once I reached the finish line, that energy completely deflated, and I almost collapsed on the ground like a rag doll... Chen Xu isn't thinking about how many laps he has to run now, he just can't let that energy go away!
The man said he could only run four more laps, so Chen Xu decided to keep running with his eyes half-closed until he collapsed. He absolutely couldn't let the man underestimate him!
But Instructor Qin's eyes were incredibly sharp.
He had previously said that Chen Xu could only run four more laps, which meant he was certain of Chen Xu's final potential. When Chen Xu finished his fourth lap, he was indeed nearing his limit. If Chen Xu still had some potential after running ten laps, he had now exhausted even that.
But Chen Xu hadn't given up; he was still running.
At this point, it would be more accurate to say he was walking briskly, albeit unsteadily, rather than running.
Because carrying fifty pounds of weight on his back felt like carrying a giant tortoise shell, it made him lose his balance and center of gravity. Chen Xu was completely exhausted and was only able to persevere through sheer willpower.
After completing the fourteenth lap, Chen Xu was still persevering.
On the fifteenth lap, Chen Xu was finally about to give up. While running, he suddenly kicked his right foot with his left foot and fell heavily to the ground.
The three instructors exchanged glances, knowing that the young man had truly reached his limit.
Fourteen laps, more than four thousand meters—that's not much, but carrying a fifty-pound pack makes all the difference. For someone who hasn't undergone systematic military or physical training, this level of physical fitness is already quite impressive… If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself. And this was Chen Xu's first time running like this.
But just as Instructor Wang was about to lift Chen Xu up to tell him that the training was over, Chen Xu actually struggled to get up from the ground and continued to run slowly forward with difficulty!
The fall had made him dizzy, but at least he had rested for a while. Chen Xu had regained some strength, and his will had not yet faded. So he got up and continued to run forward.
For any special forces soldier, being exhausted after running 4,000 meters with a 50-pound load is truly shameful. But this was Chen Xu's first time doing so, and the most important factor was that he wasn't used to this level of training. Moreover, without warm-up or preparation, anyone would find it unbearable. Besides, that 50-pound pack was like a tortoise shell; normally, a 10,000-meter run would be a piece of cake for Chen Xu, but now, 4,000 meters had left him utterly exhausted.
Seeing Chen Xu start running forward again, Instructor Wang stopped and watched him silently, his goodwill towards him growing: at least this young man wasn't the kind of person who would back down at the first sign of difficulty.
Chen Xu struggled even more from then on, but despite the difficulty, he still managed to complete two and a half laps, which is almost seventeen laps, or five kilometers. The last lap, to be honest, wasn't even running; it was practically a walk!
Finally, unable to hold on any longer, Chen Xu collapsed to the ground again, this time unable to get up at all. Instructor Wang quickly removed his weighted pack and took him to the medical room.
To prevent any accidents involving Chen Xu, there was also a military doctor at the base. Since the base was only temporarily not in use and a new batch of soldiers would be arriving in the fall, the base was well-prepared. Chen Xu was just exhausted from working, so he was fine.
"This kid is good." Instructor Qin's icy expression softened slightly. "I'm not worried about his skills, I'm worried about his lack of ambition. This kid is doing a great job. Old Wang, you take good care of him for the next month, and I'll come to check on him next month."
Instructor Wang forced a smile onto his scarred face... if that expression could be called a smile: "Don't worry, leave it to me."
When Chen Xu woke up, there was still a glucose bottle stuck in his wrist. The military doctor told him that his blood sugar was low. Only then did Chen Xu realize that he hadn't eaten before running... It was already past five o'clock!
The next morning, Chen Xu was pulled up by Instructor Wang very early.
"Your performance yesterday was passable," Instructor Wang said sternly. "But that was just the beginning. The only thing that satisfied me was your willpower. Running five kilometers with such a heavy pack is simply useless! You'll run again this afternoon. If you can't achieve yesterday's result, you're fired!"
Chen Xu's eyes widened in surprise.
He wanted to slap himself across the face!
Why did I have to be so reckless yesterday?! Now I'm in big trouble!
But Instructor Wang showed no intention of going easy on Chen Xu, looking at him and saying, "A person's potential is squeezed out through repeated pressure! You only have three months. Generally speaking, you can't train someone much in three months. If you don't want to waste these three months, then work your butt off! If you don't want to, then you'd better get out of here early!"
"But my body can't take it!" Chen Xu finally voiced his first protest since arriving at the military camp: "The human body has a certain limit. If you keep overworking yourself, you won't be able to take it!"
"You're knowledgeable!" Instructor Wang said with a half-smile, then his face hardened. "But in the military, there's only obedience! From now on, when you talk to me, there are only two sentences! The first is 'Yes, Instructor!' The second is 'Understood, Instructor!' Understand?!"
Chen Xu took a deep breath and shouted, "Yes, Instructor!"
"Don't worry about your health, because I've prepared something for you," Instructor Wang said. "You're lucky, kid. You're only able to enjoy this kind of good stuff because of your teacher. It's an energy replenishment solution! This is taken orally and can quickly restore your physical strength. This solution was only recently developed and is very expensive. If it weren't for your teacher, you wouldn't be able to enjoy such a treatment."
"Energy supplement?! Isn't that like a stimulant?"
"Unlike performance-enhancing drugs, this liquid can relieve fatigue. Especially during rest, it can multiply your recovery speed... Okay, let's not talk about that now. I heard you came here to train because you're afraid of dying?!"
Chapter 284 First Day of Training (Part 2)
Chen Xu nodded readily: "Yes, I'm very afraid of dying."
Instructor Wang's face twitched, and a look of surprise appeared on Scarface's face, because when he usually asked soldiers, especially special forces soldiers, "Are you afraid of dying?!"
The answer would definitely be: "I'm not afraid!" or "It would be my honor to sacrifice for my country!"
Anyone who says they're "afraid" will get a slap across the face right there and then!
However, Instructor Wang did not get angry, because he knew that the little guy in front of him was not one of the simple-minded, physically strong soldiers he could manage. So he asked Chen Xu why he said that.
Chen Xu smiled: "Everyone is afraid of death, even our soldiers are. After all, life is incredibly precious, and everyone only has one..."
At this point, Chen Xu couldn't help but think of what he had asked Xiao Min after finding the jade seal: why did something like Mivad's happen... a soul? Could it be that when someone is about to die, using the software "Fantasy Paradise" can absorb their "soul" into the computer and turn it into data?
Of course, Chen Xu himself also thought that such an invention was impossible, because if it were, wouldn't the future world be in chaos?
Xiaomin couldn't answer this question either, because there was no answer to it in her database. All she could say was that it was an accident; Chen Xu won this grand prize with a probability of less than one in a billion—he could practically buy a lottery ticket… because even in the future world, since the birth of the Virtual Realm System, nothing like this had ever happened before.
Xiaomin retrieved the data from the database, and Chen Xu analyzed it, leading to the following conclusions.
First, the Miwad incident was an accident, the kind of accident that cannot be replicated artificially. In other words, it was an event with a very low probability, or even zero probability.
Secondly, the concept of the soul is vague and ethereal; even in the future, it will be difficult to make any definitive judgments about it. However, one popular theory is that this so-called soul is actually a form of energy containing data… because in this world, there are only three forms of existence: matter, energy, and data. And the so-called soul should indeed exist, because the human brain possesses a very powerful spiritual force. According to the principle of conservation of energy, this energy cannot simply disappear after death; rather, it transforms into another form.
This method is what is called the soul.
Of course, this kind of soul is not as complicated as imagined, and it does not involve going to hell or heaven, or being reincarnated.
This soul can easily become energy and be absorbed by nature. This is what is often said: dust to dust, ashes to ashes.
If this spiritual force is strong enough, it might lead to unusual phenomena… such as the ancient saying that frost in June signifies injustice. According to scientists, this is likely because the spirit of someone who has suffered injustice is stimulated, resulting in a spiritual strength far exceeding that of ordinary people—the kind of spirit that lingers in death with unresolved grievances. It might even cause abnormal weather patterns…
Of course, we won't discuss those things for now. Chen Xu's research revealed that Mivad's soul was likely due to his exceptionally strong spiritual power resulting from his unyielding spirit before death, while Xiao Min used Fantasy Paradise to access his memories... At that moment, something even the developers of "Virtual Realm" couldn't have imagined occurred... Mivad's soul was preserved, and along with his memories, it became something akin to computer data.
This explains why a portion of Mivad's soul can wander onto the internet.
Because they were originally one.
Therefore, such exceptions are basically difficult to replicate, and Chen Xu doesn't know whether it's a special case or a method, because he has no one to experiment with it, nor does he want to, nor is it possible to experiment with it... Chen Xu doesn't even want to open the software "Fantasy Paradise" now.
Chen Xu looked at Instructor Wang, neither humble nor arrogant: "Every life is precious. I think my own life is very important; I shouldn't lose it so meaninglessly. That's why I'm training here—because I don't want to die. Because I still feel that, given the current situation, the value I can create while I'm alive is greater." "That's an interesting point," Instructor Wang nodded. "Actually, I don't want my soldiers to die either. After all, they're all born of parents, but when they have to die, no one can stop them. I'm proud of every soldier who sacrifices themselves because their deaths were meaningful. And you… indeed, your value is greater while you're alive. But I don't understand, as a student, who would want to kill you?"
"As a student, I naturally don't offend anyone, but if I get involved with SMMH, that's a different story. I wonder how many people are using me as a breakthrough point for SMMH right now? Do you believe it? There are a few who just got into Hopson University this year, deliberately choosing the computer science department, a few teenagers, and even spies sent by other countries. Their goal is to get close to me and find a way to get information about my teachers."
“I understand, but I still think you should have a bodyguard with you. Considering SMMH’s contributions to the country, and you… young man, at least you found the Imperial Seal, and we know you almost lost your life because of it. I think you can definitely apply to the government for a bodyguard. Why make things so difficult for yourself?”
Chen Xu gave a wry smile: "To be honest, I trust myself more. After all, I have my own privacy, and I might also be alone. My teacher said that true strength comes from one's own power, and I can't entrust my life to others. At the very least... I need to be able to protect myself."
Although Instructor Wang found the young man somewhat interesting, he still thought Chen Xu was making a mountain out of a molehill. Little did he know, and at his rank, that a massive hostile force had already been established—Chen Xu's current hypothetical enemy. It wasn't some foreign intelligence agency, but rather the one Xu Jiang had so earnestly mentioned on his deathbed: in the Pacific, the place where that myth ended…
Huang Anping has already reported this matter to the state, including the fact that one of Miwad's clones has become a network soul... The state is very interested in the technology that can read human brain information and even absorb the souls of the dying into computers, and has also asked Chen Xu to convey a message to SMMH. The state hopes to purchase this technology.
However, he was rejected by SMMH (who is actually Chen Xu).
The reason given for the refusal was quite plausible... because, aside from unforeseen events like Mivad, the technology is currently undergoing testing and modification. A work-in-progress will not be released for the time being.
The relevant departments are completely helpless in this regard. They know SMMH has an eccentric temperament, and given his personality… well, the personality as analyzed by psychologists… because no company can produce a 100% perfect product these days. It's like Microsoft's operating system—it's patch after patch, and everyone's gotten used to it, knowing that nothing in this world is perfect. True perfection requires everyone's collective effort.