Courtyard House: Starting with handing over the keys, the state helps me abuse birds.

At the command, Xie Weihong and Yi Zhonghai rushed out at the same time.

At first, Yi Zhonghai could barely keep up. He gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain in his ribs, and desperately took steps forward. He had only one thought in his mind—he couldn't lose! He had to at least finish this lap!

But after running less than ten meters, the gap began to appear.

Xie Weihong's steps were light and steady, her pace even, like a cheetah. Yi Zhonghai, on the other hand, staggered, his breathing rapid, and his face growing paler.

At the 20-meter mark, Xie Weihong was already two body lengths ahead.

At 30 meters, they were leading by 5 meters.

At the 40-meter mark, they were leading by 10 meters.

Looking at the relaxed figure ahead of him, Yi Zhonghai felt a surge of despair. But he couldn't give up; he was the first runner, and if he lost too badly, the pressure on the runners would be even greater.

He gritted his teeth and tried his best to speed up.

A tearing pain shot through his ribs, like being cut by a knife. But he didn't care; his eyes were fixed on the finish line, on that ever-approaching point of intersection.

Finally, the first lap is over.

Xie Weihong easily ran past the handover point and began her second lap.

Yi Zhonghai staggered over, handed the "baton" (which was actually a wooden stick that Duan Chengyi had found on the spot) to Liu Haizhong, and then collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest, panting heavily, his face contorted in pain.

"Old Yi!" Liu Haizhong was startled.

"Run...run..." Yi Zhonghai squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth, turned around, and started running.

At this point, Xie Weihong had already completed half of the second lap, leading by almost a lap.

But Liu Haizhong refused to admit defeat. He was the second oldest man in the courtyard; when had he ever lost? Besides, his opponent was Xie Weihong, this young upstart!

He dragged his injured leg, limping forward. The cast on his left leg was a burden, and every step was excruciatingly painful. But he gritted his teeth and managed to keep up with Yi Zhonghai.

However, the gap is widening.

When Liu Haizhong had completed half a lap, Xie Weihong had already started her third lap.

"Come on, Second Uncle!" Yan Bugui shouted anxiously at the handover point.

Liu Haizhong paid no heed, his eyes fixed only on the figure receding from behind. He was unwilling, truly unwilling. Why? Why could an orphan like him drive him to this point?

Anger gave him strength, and he accelerated again.

But his injured leg wouldn't allow it. When he reached the sixty-meter mark, his left leg suddenly gave way, and he fell forward, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Ah!" Liu Haizhong screamed in agony as the plaster cracked and blood seeped out.

"Second Uncle!" Yan Bugui rushed over to help him.

"Leave me alone!" Liu Haizhong, his eyes red, struggled to get up, dragging his bloodied leg, and continued to move forward.

This scene moved everyone present.

But Duan Chengyi remained expressionless, simply watching.

Xie Weihong had already completed his third lap and started his fourth. When he passed Liu Haizhong, he didn't even slow down; he just glanced at him indifferently.

That look in his eyes was terrifyingly calm.

Liu Haizhong felt a chill rise up his spine, but he was already in a bind and could only continue moving forward.

Finally, he reached the handover point, handed the wooden stick to Yan Bugui, and then collapsed to the ground, clutching his injured leg and gasping for breath in pain.

Yan Bugui took the wooden stick, looked at Xie Weihong who had already finished the fourth lap and started the fifth lap, and made a firm decision.

Fight!

He had the least serious injuries of the five; he only hurt his arm, but his leg was fine. Moreover, he was usually good at calculations, quick-witted, and physically strong.

He started walking, and surprisingly, he was quite fast.

At this point, Xie Weihong had one lap left, while Yan Bugui had one lap left. The gap was nearly four laps, or two hundred meters.

In theory, even if Xie Weihong stopped walking now, Yan Bugui wouldn't be able to catch up.

But Yan Bugui was unwilling to accept defeat. He was unwilling to lose like this, unwilling to watch the captain's position slip away before his eyes.

He gritted his teeth and accelerated desperately, actually achieving the fastest speed among the five people today.

However, Xie Weihong remained unhurried.

He maintained a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow. Whenever Yan Bugui felt he had a chance to close the gap, he would slightly accelerate to widen the distance again.

That feeling of being in complete control is like a cat catching a mouse.

Yan Bugui finally understood—Xie Weihong was playing them!

He wasn't incapable of running fast at all; he was deliberately controlling his speed, deliberately giving them hope, and then deliberately extinguishing that hope!

"Xie Weihong! You..." Yan Bugui was so angry that he wanted to curse, but he couldn't catch his breath and almost choked.

Just then, Xie Weihong crossed the finish line.

The fifth lap is complete.

His face wasn't flushed or out of breath, only a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. He turned around, looked at Yan Bugui who was still desperately chasing after him, and smiled slightly.

That smile was like the mockery of a victor.

Yan Bugui was trembling with anger, but he dared not stop. He finally reached the handover point, shoved the wooden stick into He Yuzhu's hand, and then collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, a sharp pain shooting through his injured right arm.

He Yuzhu took the wooden stick, looked at Xie Weihong who had finished the match ahead, and then looked at his own right leg in a cast. A sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

Why are you still running? We've already lost.

But he couldn't stop. Duan Chengyi was watching, and so were the plainclothes officers. If he dared to stop, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He gritted his teeth, leaned on his crutch, and hopped forward on one leg.

It hops and hops, like a comical kangaroo.

Around the courtyard, several young men in plainclothes couldn't help but turn their faces away, their shoulders trembling slightly.

He Yuzhu felt those gazes and was filled with shame and indignation. But he could only keep jumping, and with each jump, his injured leg was in excruciating pain, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

By the time he was halfway through his jump, Xu Damao was already getting impatient waiting at the handover point.

"Pillar! Hurry up!" Xu Damao shouted.

He Yuzhu gritted his teeth, threw away his crutches, and hopped forward on one leg. Surprisingly, he was much faster, but the price was that with each hop, his injured leg was filled with excruciating pain from the bone grinding together.

He finally hopped to the handover point, shoved the wooden stick into Xu Damao's hands, then collapsed to the ground, clutching his injured leg, tears streaming down his face from the pain.

Xu Damao took the wooden stick, looked at Xie Weihong who had been resting for half a day, and then looked at his own sling arm and injured leg. He felt a chill in his heart.

Why are you still running? Are you going to perform as a clown?

But all he could do was run—or rather, walk.

He dragged his injured leg and sling his arm, limping forward. Every step was incredibly difficult, and every step made him wince in pain.

Finally, he reached the finish line.

The entire process took a full ten minutes longer than Xie Weihong's.

"The match is over." Duan Chengyi glanced at his watch, his voice calm. "Comrade Xie Weihong has won and is now a candidate for captain."

Yi Zhonghai and his four companions lay sprawled on the ground, like five dead dogs.

They were covered in sweat, their wounds had reopened, and blood stained their clothes and casts. They were in so much pain that they didn't even have the strength to speak.

Xie Weihong, on the other hand, was only slightly out of breath and didn't even break a sweat.

The gap is stark and blatant.

Duan Chengyi walked to Xie Weihong's side and said in a low voice, "Go and rest, leave the rest to me."

Xie Weihong nodded and turned to go back into the house.

The instant he turned around, the system interface in his mind refreshed rapidly:

[Warning! Warning! The host is being hunted by the ninth-tier king-level demon "Hypocritical Soul Demon" and its horde!]

[High-intensity pursuit behavior detected!]

[Assessing the difficulty of escape...]

[Assessment Completed: Difficulty Level - Very Low]

[Congratulations, host, on successfully shaking off your pursuers!]

[Reward calculation in progress...]

[Received: 80 Corrosion Crystals]

[Received: Body Tempering Elixir × 2]

[Received: Basic Formation Material Pack]

[Obtained: Introduction to Tier 1 Talisman Crafting]

[Hint: The host has stabilized at the peak of the third tier and may attempt to break through to the fourth tier at any time.]

Xie Weihong smiled slightly and walked back into the house with light steps.

In the courtyard, Duan Chengyi looked at the five people lying on the ground and said to the plainclothes officer next to him, "Call the medical team over to treat their wounds."

Soon, three people in white coats ran in carrying medical kits and began to examine the five people's injuries.

Yi Zhonghai's rib fixation bandage has loosened and needs to be re-bandaged. Liu Haizhong's leg cast has completely broken, and the bone may have dislocated again. Yan Bugui's arm wound has reopened, and blood is flowing freely. He Yuzhu and Xu Damao's injured legs are even more gruesome.

The five people screamed in pain, but the medical team worked quickly and finished treating them in no time.

"Director Duan," Yi Zhonghai gasped, his voice weak, "this training...it's too brutal..."

"Ruthless?" Duan Chengyi looked at him. "This is just the beginning. Tomorrow there's the long jump, and the day after that, push-ups. Take good care of your injuries and try to do better next time."

Yi Zhonghai and the others turned pale.

Is there tomorrow? Or the day after tomorrow?

Today's match has nearly killed them!

Duan Chengyi ignored them and turned to leave.

In the courtyard, only five people were left sprawled on the ground, along with a few medical staff who were packing up their medicine kits.