Special Training (Part Two)

Time passed slowly under the grueling training. Everyone gradually found a rhythm and pressed on. After about a kilometer, they finally reached the foot of the mountain. Because of the waterfall, the current was fiercer here and the stones slicker. Even Dai Mubai had to give it his full attention; one careless step and he would slip.

Then something went wrong.

Zhu Zhuqing stepped on a loose stone and instantly lost her balance. Under tenfold gravity, the momentum of her body and the weight on her back sent her toppling sideways. Panic flashed in her eyes.

Suddenly, a strong hand caught her arm, steadying her. Dai Mubai had somehow moved to her side. His brows drawn tight, he said in a low voice, "Be careful. These stones are much slipperier than the ones back there." He pulled Zhu Zhuqing back onto firm footing.

Zhu Zhuqing recovered her composure, and her tense shoulders eased. After a moment's hesitation, she quietly thanked Dai Mubai, adjusted the straps of her pack, and continued forward.

Seeing that she was all right, Dai Mubai nodded. After a moment's thought, he called to those behind him, "The current here is several times stronger than elsewhere, and it hits much harder. The stones are slicker too. Make sure every step is steady. Don't fall." Then he turned and resumed leading the way. Behind him, Zhu Zhuqing watched his back, a complicated look passing through her eyes.

The others said nothing—or rather, they had no strength or attention left for words. Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong moved their legs mechanically, their minds blank, with only instinct driving them forward. Spray from the waterfall mixed with sweat and plastered their faces, but they could not spare the effort to wipe it away.

The waterfall poured down a cliff