20: Chapter 20: First Place Again?! Breaking four army records in a single day!

Just as the Falcon Squad was immersed in shock, the referee's whistle blew.

"Next group: Falcon's Da Xiong versus Wild Wolf Assault Team's Black Wolf!"

Da Xiong's expression changed as he finally remembered he still had a match.

"Go on," Su Han patted his shoulder. "Remember, your opponent has an old injury in his left leg."

Da Xiong was stunned. "How do you know?"

Su Han didn't say anything, only giving him a gentle push.

After the match began, Da Xiong kept Su Han's tip in mind and focused his attacks on Black Wolf's left side.

Sure enough, after three moves, Black Wolf's movements became visibly sluggish, and he was eventually taken down by Da Xiong's sweeping kick.

"Falcon's Da Xiong wins!"

"I won!" Da Xiong rushed off the stage excitedly and gave Su Han a big hug. "Brother, that was divine! How did you see he was injured?"

Su Han said, "I have Fiery Eyes."

In the observation room, Wang Yuanchao looked at Su Han's figure on the screen and finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"No! I have to go and secure him right now!" Wang Yuanchao stood up abruptly, not bothering to greet the others as he rushed out of the observation room in a hurry.

"That old fox!" Chen Shuai slapped his thigh. "Quick, follow him! Don't let him get there first!"

Several Captains scrambled to run out, fearing they would be a step too late.

...

By the side of the combat arena, Su Han was packing his gear, preparing to head to the next competition venue.

"Su Han!"

An urgent call came out. Su Han looked up and saw Wang Yuanchao running over out of breath, followed by a group of equally hurried Captains.

"Captain?" Su Han stood at attention and saluted.

Wang Yuanchao grabbed his hand. "Comrade Su Han, on behalf of the Falcon Special Forces Brigade, I officially invite you to join us! You can name your own terms!"

Before Su Han could answer, the Captain of Wild Wolf squeezed his way over. "Don't listen to him! Come to our Wild Wolf, and we'll give you a Squadron Leader position immediately!"

"We at Snow Leopard will give you the best training resources and promotion channels!" the Captain of Snow Leopard added, not to be outdone.

"Everyone move aside!" Chen Shuai pushed through the crowd. "Comrade Su Han, our Flying Dragon Special Forces Brigade was the first Special Forces unit established in the entire army. We have the longest history and the most sophisticated equipment..."

Wang Yuanchao's face turned livid with anger. "You bunch of bandits! Su Han is one of our Falcon's men!"

"Bullshit!" the Captain of Wild Wolf said bluntly. "He's only using your quota to compete. Since when did he become one of yours?"

The group broke into a noisy argument, leaving the surrounding Special Forces Soldiers dumbfounded.

"This... so many Captains fighting over one person?"

"In all my years in the army, this is the first time I've seen this..."

"That's Su Han, after all—the monster who defeated Long Bao in one move..."

Zhou Mo and the members of the Falcon Squad stood to the side, both shocked and embarrassed.

They remembered how they had marginalized Su Han before, and their faces burned with shame.

"Sirs," Su Han suddenly spoke up. His voice wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone. "Thank you for your kindness, but I have no plans to join any Special Forces unit for the time being."

"What?" Wang Yuanchao's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Is it because of how Falcon treated you before..." He trailed off, his face full of regret. "Comrade Su Han, on behalf of Falcon, I apologize to you. We were blind to your greatness before..."

"It's not for that reason," Su Han shook his head. "It's a matter of my personal planning."

Seeing this, the other Captains immediately swarmed him again.

"Comrade Su Han, feel free to mention any conditions!"

"Yeah, don't be so quick to refuse!"

"We at Tiger Whale can give you the best treatment!"

Su Han was getting a headache from the noise and suddenly had a bright idea. "Sirs, I have the 20km Armed Cross-Country race this afternoon. I need to go prepare."

After saying that, he gave a salute and walked away quickly before the others could react.

"Wait!" Wang Yuanchao wanted to chase after him but was blocked by the other Captains.

"Old Wang, he already refused. Stop being so clingy!"

"Exactly, let's have fair competition!"

Wang Yuanchao stamped his feet in anger. "What do you lot know?! A talent like Su Han would be a treasure in any unit!"

...

After leaving the combat arena, Su Han let out a long sigh of relief.

"Su Han!"

A familiar voice came out. Su Han turned his head and saw Lin Hu leaning against a wall waiting for him.

"Congratulations. Defeating Long Bao in one move—you're famous across the whole army now." Lin Hu walked over with a smile.

Su Han shrugged. "Just good luck."

"Give me a break." Lin Hu rolled his eyes. "I heard all the major Special Forces units are fighting over you?"

"Word travels fast." Su Han smiled helplessly.

Lin Hu suddenly turned serious. "Seriously, we at Dragon Shark welcome you anytime. The Marine Corps has much better benefits than the Army, and..."

"Stop right there." Su Han made a 'stop' gesture. "I don't intend to join any Special Forces unit right now."

"Why?" Lin Hu was puzzled. "With your strength..."

"The time isn't right yet." Su Han gave a mysterious smile. "Let's go, accompany me to prepare for this afternoon's competition."

Lin Hu shook his head and followed. "You guy, always so mysterious..."

The two walked side by side toward the dormitory area, with bursts of discussion trailing behind them.

Back at the dormitory, Su Han began preparing for the afternoon's 20km Armed Cross-Country race.

He carefully checked his equipment: a 25kg weighted backpack, rifle, canteen, first-aid kit... everything had to be perfect.

"Need help?" Lin Hu asked.

"No need," Su Han said without looking up. "I'm used to it."

Lin Hu leaned against the bed, looking at him thoughtfully. "Su Han, I always feel like you're... different."

"Hmm?" Su Han's hands didn't stop moving.

"I can't quite put my finger on it." Lin Hu scratched his head. "It's just that you feel so much more... mature than us. You're clearly only 18, but you're like a veteran who's been through a hundred battles."

Su Han's movements paused slightly before returning to normal. "Maybe I'm just exceptionally gifted?"

"Get out of here!" Lin Hu laughed and cursed. "But seriously, why exactly did you refuse the invitations from all those Special Forces units? That's an opportunity so many people dream of."

Su Han set down his gear and looked at Lin Hu seriously. "Because the path I want to take is different from what they imagine."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand later." Su Han smiled mysteriously and took a sip from his canteen. "Right now, I need to focus on the competition."

Lin Hu knew he wouldn't get anything more out of him and gave up. "Alright then, I'll head out first. Good luck with the race this afternoon."

"Thanks."

...

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the large drill ground at Purgatory Base was crowded with people.

At the starting point of the twenty-kilometer armed cross-country race, over thirty competing Special Forces Soldiers were doing their final warm-ups.

Different from usual, there were more than three times the normal amount of officers and soldiers spectating from the sidelines.

Almost all the Special Forces Soldiers who didn't have competition duties had come. They gathered in small groups, their eyes frequently darting in one direction—at Su Han, who was tying his shoelaces.

"Have you heard? This kid broke the triathlon record this morning and took down Long Bao at noon!"

"For real? Long Bao is a three-time combat champion!"

"It's absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes; Long Bao conceded on his own!"

The discussions rose and fell, and the entire drill ground was like a boiling beehive.

"Do you think he can still do it this afternoon? This is a twenty-kilometer armed cross-country race!"

"I think it's unlikely. After the triathlon and combat, even an iron man would be exhausted, right?"

"Not necessarily. Look at his state; he looks like it's nothing..."

The debate grew louder, and opinions were clearly divided into two camps.

"I bet he won't make the top ten!" a member of the Divine Sword Commando Unit said confidently. "The physical exertion is just too high!"

"I bet top three!" a Marine immediately countered. "Could someone who defeated Long Bao in one move have poor stamina?"

"Want to make a bet? The loser washes socks for a month!"

"You're on!"

...

Over on the Falcon Squad's side, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

"Su Han, how about..." Zhou Mo hesitated. "Maybe skip this event? You've already taken two first places; there's no need to kill yourself."

Hou Zi nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, there are still five events left!"

Da Xiong squatted down directly to help Su Han massage his calf muscles. "Brother, take my advice, your health comes first."

Su Han looked at his teammates, who had suddenly become considerate, with a mixture of amusement and helplessness. "What's wrong with you guys? Weren't you just waiting for me to make a fool of myself this morning?"

The three of them immediately turned red in the face.

"Well, that's because we failed to recognize a great man when we saw one..." Hou Zi said with a sheepish grin.

Zhou Mo took a deep breath. "Su Han, we're serious. A twenty-kilometer armed cross-country run is no joke, especially when you've already expended so much energy."

"Don't worry." Su Han moved his shoulders. "I know what I'm doing."

The referee's whistle blew, and all the contestants quickly lined up.

"Twenty-kilometer armed cross-country run, 25-kilogram load. The route circles the mountains and forests around the base. There will be referees supervising the entire course; taking shortcuts is forbidden!" the head referee announced the rules loudly. "Now, check your gear!"

The staff began checking each contestant's load and equipment one by one.

"Falcon Su Han, 25-kilogram load, meets the standard!"

After the inspection, all the contestants stood before the starting line, and the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

"On your marks—"

Su Han bent his knees slightly, his eyes fixed ahead.

"Bang!"

The starting gun fired, and over thirty Special Forces Soldiers shot out like arrows from a bow.

Su Han didn't sprint from the start like he did during the triathlon; instead, he maintained a position in the middle of the lead pack.

"Look! He's not in the lead!" someone on the sidelines exclaimed.

"His stamina must be failing after all!"

"I told you, no one can complete three high-intensity competitions in such a short time!"

The members of the Falcon Squad stared nervously at the real-time footage on the large screen.

The base had installed cameras at all key points to broadcast the race's progress on the big screen.

"He's conserving his energy," Zhou Mo said suddenly. "Look at his stride; there's no sign of fatigue at all."

Sure enough, after running three kilometers, Su Han began to steadily increase his speed, overtaking the contestants ahead of him one by one.

By the five-kilometer mark, he had reached third place.

"My god! He's accelerating again!"

On the big screen, Su Han's pace suddenly quickened, easily overtaking the second-place runner and closing in on the leader—Wu Hai from the Divine Sword Commando Unit.

"Impossible..." The Divine Sword members on the sidelines were dumbfounded. "Wu Hai was last year's cross-country champion!"

Wu Hai seemed to sense the threat behind him. He looked back, and his expression changed instantly.

He gritted his teeth and accelerated, trying to shake off Su Han.

The two of them charged into the mountain forest section one after the other, their figures disappearing into the dense woods.

...

In the mountain forest, Su Han moved as if on level ground. The steep slopes and tangled underbrush seemed to have no effect on him.

His breathing was steady, and his footsteps were so light it was as if he were carrying no weight at all.

"Damn it!" Ahead of him, Wu Hai couldn't help but curse as he heard the footsteps getting closer and closer.

He was already giving it his all, yet he couldn't shake off the tail behind him.

"Squad Leader Wu, mind if I pass?" Su Han's voice suddenly rang out behind him, carrying a relaxed chuckle.

Wu Hai's heart jolted. Before he could react, a figure flashed past him at an astonishing speed.

"This is impossible!" Wu Hai's eyes widened as he watched Su Han's back grow more and more distant.

What made him even more desperate was that Su Han actually began to accelerate on the steepest part of the mountain path!

"Monster..." Wu Hai muttered, his fighting spirit instantly collapsing.

On the base's big screen, the real-time footage switched to the camera at the mountain summit.

Su Han was seen far ahead of everyone else, charging down the slope at an incredible speed.

"My god! He's leading the second-place runner by at least eight hundred meters!"

"It's only been ten kilometers! How can the gap be this large?"

"Look at his posture descending the mountain; it's as if he's running on flat ground!"

In the observation room, the Captains of the various Special Forces units were equally shocked.

"This speed..." the Captain of Wild Wolf stared at the timer. "He's already at a pace that breaks last year's record!"

"And that's after completing the triathlon and the combat match..." the Captain of Snow Leopard added, his voice trembling slightly.

Wang Yuanchao clenched his hands, his eyes fixed on the screen without blinking.

His mind was now filled with only one question: How could he keep Su Han in the Falcon Brigade?

"Old Long, did you know he had this kind of strength all along?" Chen Shuai couldn't help but ask Long Zhan.

Long Zhan smiled without answering, merely pointing at the screen. "Look, the best is yet to come."

...

At the fifteen-kilometer mark, Su Han's speed hadn't slowed down in the slightest.

His military uniform was soaked with sweat, but his stride remained steady and powerful.

The big screen switched to a rugged stretch of riverbank.

Su Han was seen easily jumping over several slippery rocks, his movements fluid as if he were already familiar with every inch of the terrain.

"This terrain handling..." an experienced Special Forces instructor marveled. "One would need to train on this route at least a hundred times to be this proficient!"

"But this is clearly his first time at Purgatory Base..."

Doubt spread through everyone's hearts, but it was soon interrupted by the next scene.

Su Han reached the final five kilometers of flat road and suddenly began to sprint!

"He's crazy!" someone exclaimed. "Sprinting in the last five kilometers?"

"This doesn't follow the principles of energy distribution!"

However, Su Han proved with his actions that no rules applied to him.

His speed grew faster and faster. In the final two kilometers, he even reached the sprinting speed of a track athlete!

"Timekeepers ready!" the referee at the finish line shouted a reminder. "The contestant is approaching!"

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the end of the road.

Finally, a camouflaged figure appeared in their line of sight, rushing toward the finish line like a whirlwind.

"Falcon Su Han, has reached the finish line!" The referee pressed the stopwatch, his voice trembling with shock. "1 hour, 08 minutes, 23 seconds! A new all-army record!"

The entire field erupted in an uproar.

"A full 6 minutes faster than the previous record!"

"Is he even human?"

"Four records—breaking four all-army records in a single day!"

The members of the Falcon Squad were so excited they couldn't speak; they could only slap each other's shoulders, their eyes filled with unbelievable joy.

After crossing the finish line, Su Han didn't collapse to the ground like the other contestants; instead, he walked slowly to adjust his breathing.

Medical personnel wanted to come forward to check on him, but he politely declined. "I'm fine, thank you."

Ten minutes later, the second-place Wu Hai finally arrived.

He fell to his knees immediately after crossing the finish line and was carried away on a stretcher by medical staff.

"Su Han..." Wu Hai struggled to lift his head before being carried off. "Who on earth are you..."

Su Han smiled without answering, simply giving him a salute.

Other contestants arrived at the finish line one after another, almost everyone too exhausted to speak.

The way they looked at Su Han had changed from initial contempt to awe, and even a bit of fear.

"Doesn't this kid get tired?"

"Three high-intensity subjects, all record-breaking..."

"We're witnessing history here..."

...

Back at the dormitory area, Su Han had just finished showering when he was cornered at the door by Wang Yuanchao.

"Comrade Su Han!" Wang Yuanchao was all smiles. "How are you feeling? Tired? Do you want to go to the infirmary for a check-up?"

"Thank you for your concern, Captain, I'm fine," Su Han replied politely.

"That's good, that's good!" Wang Yuanchao rubbed his hands together. "Um... about joining the Falcon Brigade..."

"Captain," Su Han interrupted him, "I'd like to finish all the competitions first."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Wang Yuanchao nodded repeatedly. "Then get some good rest; there's the Night Sniping Competition tonight!"

Having said that, he left tactfully, but his eyes shone with a determined light.

Su Han closed the door and let out a long sigh of relief.

As night gradually fell, the lights of Purgatory Base came on one by one.

Everyone knew that tonight's Night Sniping Competition would be another great show.