In a haze, a scene suddenly appeared before Henry Brooks's eyes. On the vast grassland, a fierce cheetah was sprinting toward a herd of antelopes. The antelopes scattered in all directions, and one poor antelope that had been targeted ran helplessly in another direction. It had to run for its life, to lure the dangerous cheetah far away from its own herd. If it could escape, it would be lucky; if not, it would lose its life. I have to run!!

It seemed to be the ninth lap already...

Why is Instructor Hack still watching me? There are so many people over there who also need your training! Henry Brooks shouted in his heart, wishing he could be an unnoticed blade of grass.

Hmm, I must have been a blade of grass before. Now, Henry Brooks was no longer surprised by the strange thoughts that popped up in his mind from time to time. Sure enough, I have been. And I was a foxtail grass struggling silently in a place rarely visited by people.

It seems being grass isn't easy either. In order to poke out of the ground and get a bit of sunlight, not only do you have to use all your strength to push away the stones above your head, but you also have to twist your body to secretly bask in a little sunlight through the gaps in the trees. Life seems pretty miserable too.

More people around were clearly paying attention now, and it seemed like there were two people watching from a distant building as well. Who are they? No idea. But how do I even know that people so far away are watching? Strange!

Suddenly, I missed the soup I drank this morning.

Tenth lap, the final lap...

Instructor Hack is still watching. I wonder if after I finish, he'll shout, "Damn it, running so slow, do another ten laps!"

Shaking his head, Henry Brooks threw this terrifying thought to the back of his mind and kept sprinting. If Instructor Hack really said that, he would definitely press that button without hesitation and have the military doctor come and carry him away.

It seemed like the two instructors nearby were also watching him. Seriously, when you're unlucky, even drinking cold water gets something stuck in your teeth. It's just being punished to run for daydreaming, is it really necessary to watch like it's a monkey show? Monkey? Hmm, that sounds familiar!

The two people from the building seemed to have come out, holding something, but he didn't notice what it was. However, they seemed to be heading his way. What for? It was just daydreaming during a run, he's a new recruit, is such a big fuss necessary? Oh god! I'm really unlucky.

Only two hundred meters left, better hurry up and finish, or else if Instructor Hack says I didn't run enough and makes me start over, wouldn't that be unfair! I'm running!

Huff, huff, Henry Brooks was gasping for air, finally reaching the end. Instructor Hack seemed to be coming over—what for?

"Henry Brooks, don't stop! Walk slowly for a bit." Instructor Hack's voice was as loud as ever. Who knows who he's mad at—could it be the legendary lion's roar? No, a lion's roar isn't this loud! Oh god, I must have been a lion before. Otherwise, how would I know so clearly?

"Stop!" Before Henry Brooks could react to this unfamiliar voice, he instinctively stopped in place. Here, as long as you're not a new recruit, you're an officer, and anyone can boss you around. Suddenly, a bottle was shoved into his mouth, and before he could spit it out, he heard Instructor Hack's voice: "Drink it!"

Obediently, he drank the liquid in the bottle. It was sweet and sour, and tasted pretty good. After finishing, he wiped his mouth and finally saw that the ones who handed him the bottle were two people in military uniforms, both wearing armbands with a red cross on their sleeves—they must be military doctors. So the people watching him from the building were two military doctors; Henry Brooks had misunderstood.

The two military doctors led him to walk slowly. Henry Brooks gradually understood that they were worried he might have health problems after running for so long. The drink he just had was probably some kind of nutrient solution to quickly replenish his strength. Because after just a short while, Henry Brooks already felt he wasn't so exhausted, and his breathing had eased a lot.

So Instructor Hack's order not to stop and to walk slowly was actually to protect him. Turning to look at Instructor Hack, who stopped paying much attention to him once the military doctors arrived, Henry Brooks suddenly felt that this Instructor Hack was actually a decent person. Although his tone was very strict, he had a good heart.

"Kid, how are you feeling?" one of the military doctors asked.

Henry Brooks moved his arms and legs casually; there didn't seem to be any problem, just a bit tired. He saluted the two military doctors and reported, "Reporting, I'm fine!" The military doctors' ranks seemed even higher than Instructor Hack's, so he should salute when speaking.

"If you're fine, return to your unit immediately!" The military doctor returned the salute and then ordered.

"Yes!" Henry Brooks replied loudly, running toward his squad.

Faintly, he could hear the two military doctors talking behind him.

"This guy seems pretty good!"

"Not bad. On his first day of training, he managed to finish the full fourteen kilometers. Not bad."

"By the way, was the gravity control turned on today? How much?"

"I think it was only set to 1.1 times for these rookies. Hmm, that means this guy is pretty strong!"

"There's hope! But maybe he's usually a long-distance runner."

...

"Reporting, Private Henry Brooks requests to rejoin the ranks." Henry Brooks shouted loudly, as if only by shouting could he vent his frustration. The etiquette for rejoining the ranks had already been taught by Instructor Hack, but he didn't know how that fierce Instructor Hack would handle him.