160: As long as you don't die from practicing, practice until you die

The moment twenty minutes were up, Cheng Xiao immediately pulled Pan Han to his feet.

"Come on, our great Commander Pan. No playing dead, okay?"

Don't even mention it, Pan Han, who had been half-dead from exhaustion and didn't want to utter a single word just now, now had no sore back or aching legs, and could stand up in an instant.

It seemed Cheng Xiao was right; the recovery speed of a peak-level primary evolver was astonishing.

"Alright! What's next for training?"

"Let's run then. What's your 100-meter speed?" Cheng Xiao thought for a moment.

"Five seconds," Pan Han replied without hesitation, as he had tested it repeatedly before.

"Then 1000 meters should be under 70 seconds?"

"Roughly."

"Okay, then we'll pace at 80 seconds. First, run 100,000 meters, and once you're done, today's training will be over." After saying that, Cheng Xiao began stretching. She hadn't moved at all just now and needed to make up for her warm-up.

"8000 seconds to run 100,000 meters?" Pan Han's eyes widened. Good heavens, she truly opened her mouth and worked the Commander to death. A casual 100 kilometers just like that.

"It's only a little over two hours; it'll be over in a blink of an eye. If you feel miserable, it means your willpower isn't strong enough, so it's a good chance to temper it as well."

"Nima, who did you learn that from? Doing all the bad things and saying all the good words." Pan Han suddenly felt a shiver run through him.

"Reporting, Commander, I learned it from our Battalion Commander Qin." Cheng Xiao noticed Pan Han's tone change and immediately stood up straight, reporting seriously.

"Damn, no wonder you two are in the same squad."

"When Big Brother trained us before, it was much tougher than this. However, no one ever complained."

"Why?"

"Because not training meant death. We used to be mercenaries, living on the edge of a knife; who dared to relax?"

"Qin Laoda is right." In truth, Pan Han was just saying it out loud; how could he not know in his heart?

"Oh, right. Big Brother had a motto during training. I think it suits you too." Suddenly, Cheng Xiao gave a ghostly smile.

"Oh? What is it?"

"As long as you don't train to death, then train until you're dead!"

"Nima! I knew it!"

"Time waits for no one! Let's begin! If you can catch me, you can do whatever you want tonight!" Cheng Xiao finished her warm-up, tightened her belt, and bumped Pan Han with her butt.

"Hmph, I'm a grown man, and I can't outrun you? Tonight, you just wash yourself clean and wait for the artillery bombardment."

...

Two and a half hours later, Pan Han was panting with his tongue hanging out, like a dead dog, crawling, crawling, crawling at the entrance of Dawn Base!

Ten minutes ago, Cheng Xiao had already reached the finish line and was chatting with Sixth Brother.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Our Commander is truly out of shape. He's already done after just 100,000 meters." Sixth Brother whispered to Cheng Xiao.

Cheng Xiao wiped her sweat and didn't answer him, her expression serious.

"Seventh Sister, is our Commander also that bad in bed?" Sixth Brother saw that Cheng Xiao ignored him and changed the topic.

"Sixth Brother, don't talk nonsense. Be careful, Big Brother will knock your head!" Cheng Xiao rolled her eyes at him.

"Hehe, just kidding. But it seems it'll be a miracle if we can just improve the Commander's physical fitness during this period." Sixth Brother said sheepishly.

"I don't know what that 10-billion Trial will be like. I'm a bit worried about our Commander." Cheng Xiao said, concerned.

Finally, Pan Han's right hand touched the base gate; the 100,000-meter run was complete.

"Why! Why! This isn't scientific!" Pan Han lay on his back, gasping for breath.

"I actually couldn't outrun Cheng Xiao! How embarrassing! No chance of artillery bombardment tonight either. I'll just have to do it myself! Ah ah ah ah!" Pan Han looked at the sky, his mind racing with thoughts.

Seeing Pan Han collapsed on the ground, Cheng Xiao and Sixth Brother also stopped talking and quickly ran over to check on him.

"How are you, Commander?"

"How is the Commander?"

"Are you two putting on a double act?" Pan Han was speechless.

The two of them were rebuffed by him and exchanged awkward glances.

"I'm fine; I just need to lie down for a bit. You two go about your business. Don't worry about me. Just remember to call me when it's time to eat." Pan Han waved his hand at the two, dismissing them.

"Sixth Brother, you go about your business. I'll stay here with the Commander for a bit."

"Alright!" Sixth Brother turned and left, resuming his post.

"You go too. I want to be alone." Pan Han looked up at Cheng Xiao; from this angle, her legs looked so long!

No wonder she could run so well.

"Hehe. Commander, for this upcoming period, if you can outrun me, then your training will be a success." Cheng Xiao saw that Pan Han was truly exhausted and didn't have the heart to say any more harsh words.

"It's really not easy! My whole body feels like it's been hit 1000 times with a baseball bat; it hurts with every move."

"Your muscles are tearing; once they're rebuilt, they'll be stronger."

"Help me up. What kind of Commander of a base lies at the front gate? Those who know will say I'm tired from running, but those who don't will think I'm sunbathing."

Cheng Xiao covered her mouth and smiled, extending a delicate hand to pull Pan Han up.

"Commander, put some effort into it!" Cheng Xiao found Pan Han as heavy as a dead dog.

"I can't, I have no strength left." Pan Han found himself utterly unable to resist gravity, letting his body fall.

"Fine, I'll carry you back to the second floor. Here we go!" With a strong pull from both of Cheng Xiao's hands, Pan Han was on her back.

"Good thing you're not heavy." After saying that, Cheng Xiao carried him straight to the small room on the second floor.

Along the way, everyone stepped aside, but there was some whispering.

After all, the Commander of the base should be invincible in all aspects.

Cheng Xiao also knew what everyone was thinking, so she passed through the courtyard and hall at the fastest possible speed.

Pushing open the door, she gently placed Pan Han on the bed.

"How about I give you a massage and physical therapy?" Cheng Xiao squeezed Pan Han's thighs, feeling that his muscles were indeed tense.

"Good! Hurry up and massage me." Pan Han just wanted a pure massage right now, with no other thoughts.

"You just lie down. I'll go get some hot towels." After saying that, Cheng Xiao went to the bathroom to prepare the supplies.

"I will definitely surpass you tomorrow." Pan Han lay on the bed, groaning.

"You, just train for half a month first, and then talk after your muscles have torn once." Cheng Xiao came out of the bathroom, wrung out the towel, and applied a hot compress to him.

"However, after training, I feel quite comfortable. My breathing is very smooth now." Pan Han touched his stomach, then his arm; after the soreness, there was a burning sensation.

"Oh, right. You said you'd be moving supplies for the base tomorrow. What all is there this time?" Cheng Xiao remembered tomorrow's training and needed to make time for moving supplies.

"Pancakes, steamed buns, canned goods, and the like. This time there's staple food; the leftover rice and flour from before can be traded for weapons and medicine."

"That's great. Pancakes and steamed buns, just hearing it makes me feel energized." Cheng Xiao was extremely excited upon hearing this, and she couldn't help but apply a little more pressure with her hands.

"Ow! That hurts!" Pan Han immediately grimaced; he couldn't take any pressure now.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Cheng Xiao realized the problem and quickly switched to gently pushing with her palm.

"You know, if I get the intermediate potion, what kind of development will our base achieve?" Pan Han lit a cigarette, like a husband, chatting casually with Cheng Xiao.

"It will definitely become even stronger! Then no one will dare to bully us. We can develop well, plant crops, drink wine. How wonderful!" Cheng Xiao transformed into a young wife, fantasizing about the future with her man.

"Too bad, we just can't have children! If we had children, the picture would be even more beautiful!"