After transporting two balloons, Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan gradually got the hang of walking through the mud pit. Starting with their third balloon, Pei Yanchuan even wrapped his right arm around Xu Wang's waist. The muscles in his arm were sharply defined and looked powerful. Every time Xu Wang pulled a leg out of the mud, he silently lifted him with a flex of his arm. This made things much easier for Xu Wang, and their pace gradually picked up.
Qin Huai had learned his lesson this time. He held the balloon with one hand and gripped Gu Yunlan's hand tightly with the other. They were fairly quick at transporting their balloons too, holding steady in second place.
The other two teams weren't having as smooth a time as the first two. Aside from squeezing their first balloon until it burst, Xia Yu and Hou Yunqi also accidentally scraped another balloon against a small stone midway through, popping it.
Jiang Xiubai and Yun Xi were chasing their balloons all over the mud pit. The S-shaped routes they ran while chasing them were long enough for several trips back and forth.
After Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan finished transporting ten balloons, both were panting heavily. Pei Yanchuan scooped Xu Wang up and set him down at the edge of the mud pit to rest. Their timer had been paused the instant they completed the task.
[Wow, President Pei and his wife were really fast. Even the fastest of the other teams still has one more balloon to transport.]
[Let's see who ends up in last place. Come on, everyone, place your guesses.]
[I'm guessing Jiang Xiubai and Yun Xi.]
[Me too.]
[Then I'll take a chance on Old Hou and Xia Yu. Maybe Yun Xi's team will come from behind.]