The last five kilometers of the outdoor march were through a dense forest with complex terrain.

This part of the journey not only required climbing hills and wading through low-lying areas but also tested one’s willpower due to the exhaustion of previous physical exertion.

A group of rookies who had never endured hardship before, many of whom were used to being pampered at home, began to wail only halfway through this high-intensity physical training, which was already considered quite good.

There were still several steep slopes to climb. While Xiang Bei and the instructor commanded everyone to sing to boost morale at the front, Liang Qiuchi went to the back of the line to help those lagging behind to prevent anyone from falling behind.

At this point, some people in the middle of the line collapsed from exhaustion, and seeing this, others couldn’t hold on either, and more than a dozen followed suit.

Seeing this, the instructor ordered everyone to rest on the spot for twenty minutes.

However, during roll call, Liang Qiuchi noticed that Mo Xin and two other team members were missing.

In the chaos just now, those three didn’t join in or help out, they just continued walking forward.

With everyone’s energy depleted, it was unlikely that they could go far. The instructor instructed Liang Qiuchi to go after them and make sure they safely reached the finish line.

Liang Qiuchi had always performed well in outdoor training, and he had walked this training route many times before, so he was the best candidate to find them.

But as he neared the finish line, he didn’t see a trace of them.

Was it possible that those three rookies carrying heavy packs could run faster than him, who was lightly equipped?

Not very likely.

Liang Qiuchi retraced his steps, and soon he saw a pink smoke rising from a depression not far away.

It was a signal flare.

He hurried over and saw two people lying in the muddy depression below the hill, covered in dirt and groaning in pain. There was also one person sitting beside them expressionless, pouring water from his bottle over his face.

That person was Mo Xin.

Liang Qiuchi jumped down the hill and first checked the injuries of the two lying on the ground. One had a broken arm, and the other had a broken nose. The injuries didn’t look like they could have been caused by falling down a hill.

“What happened?” Liang Qiuchi asked.

“Ask him!” The one with the broken nose pointed angrily at Mo Xin, then winced in pain, clutching his nose and letting out a cry.

Liang Qiuchi turned to look at Mo Xin. “Did you do this?”

“Mm.” Mo Xin admitted straightforwardly but didn’t intend to give any explanation.

Liang Qiuchi had no choice but to ask, “Why did you hit them?”

Actually, what he wanted to ask more was whether Mo Xin had any training because it was quite challenging to take on two opponents and come out unscathed, especially since these two weren’t weak.

“I hit them because I felt like it,” Mo Xin’s voice was cold, and his attitude was firm, “If you want to punish me, go ahead. I accept it.”

“To hit someone and then act so arrogantly. Just because your dad is an official doesn’t make you so great! Can’t stand your high-and-mighty young master attitude!”

“Yeah, if you want to act like a young master, then go back to your Danga! What are you showing off here for, damn it!”

The expressions and words of the two injured men were full of disdain, and Liang Qiuchi immediately understood what had happened.

He looked at Mo Xin again, who finished drinking the last bit of water from his bottle, then stood up, looked down at the two injured men without saying a word, and shouldered his backpack before walking up the slope without a word, but his steps seemed a bit lame.

“Wait.”

Liang Qiuchi called out to him, and Mo Xin stood halfway up the hill and turned around. The setting sun outlined his tall figure even more.

“What’s wrong with your foot?” Liang Qiuchi waved to him. “Roll up your pants leg, let me take a look.”

“…It’s nothing,” Mo Xin said. “I’ve already taken care of it.”

Liang Qiuchi looked at him suspiciously.

Mo Xin didn’t like being stared at like this. He was about to turn around and leave when his wrist was grabbed, and then a warm hand pressed against his forehead.

Mo Xin instinctively threw a punch, but the person opposite him reacted faster and grabbed his forearm.

Liang Qiuchi chuckled, “As expected, you’ve had training. No wonder you can fight so well.”

Mo Xin coldly demanded, “Let go.”

Ignoring him, Liang Qiuchi still held onto Mo Xin’s thinly-muscled arm tightly, withdrew his other hand, touched his own forehead, then pressed it against Mo Xin’s forehead to confirm the temperature.

“Are you running a fever?”

“…”

Mo Xin blinked, and suddenly his arm and forehead felt cool as Liang Qiuchi removed both hands.

“What are you spacing out for? Give me your backpack.” Liang Qiuchi, seeing him not moving, had to open the backpack himself and pull out a box of fever-reducing medicine. “No wonder your face is so red. Don’t you feel uncomfortable? Open your mouth, take the medicine.”

Mo Xin looked at the open palm in front of him and didn’t move.

Liang Qiuchi was a little angry. He directly stuffed the medicine into Mo Xin’s mouth and scolded him in the manner of an assistant instructor, “Can you please have some common sense? If you have a fever and still insist on carrying heavy loads cross-country, what if something happens? Who will be responsible? Do you understand that concealing your condition during a mission could potentially endanger your teammates?!”

Mo Xin forcibly swallowed the medicine, then said quietly, “I understand.”

The two men who were knocked down couldn’t help but laugh scornfully at the same time. Liang Qiuchi sternly swept his gaze over them, and they immediately fell silent, not daring to say another word.

Liang Qiuchi instructed the two of them to climb up the hill and wait for the main group to regroup. Then he reached out to help Mo Xin, who had a high fever and a twisted foot, up the hill.

But seeing Mo Xin’s expression, it was obvious he didn’t want physical contact with others. Liang Qiuchi instead took his backpack and slung it over his own shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

Mo Xin glanced at the figure walking ahead, slowly withdrew his gaze, and followed with slightly faltering steps.

About ten minutes later, the main group arrived at this hill one after another.

Seeing the injured, the instructor came over to inquire about the situation. Liang Qiuchi reported that they had accidentally fallen, and the two men glanced at each other but didn’t dare to correct Liang Qiuchi’s statement.

After all, they weren’t entirely in the right. If it was known that they were outnumbered and still beaten up like this, they might become the laughingstock of their classmates for the next few years.

“Since there’s nothing serious, hold on a little longer. There’s only one kilometer left.” After confirming that Mo Xin’s foot wasn’t seriously injured, the instructor asked two assistant instructors to take care of him and then ordered the rest of the team to continue toward the finish line.

Liang Qiuchi was about to go to the back of the line to check on things when suddenly his shoulders lightened, and the backpack on his shoulder was taken away.

Mo Xin, with his long legs, passed by him without a word, leaving only a very light “Thank you.”

“I told you he’s a pretentious little young master, but you didn’t believe me. You insisted on courting trouble.” Xiang Bei appeared next to Liang Qiuchi like a ghost and waggled his eyebrows.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Liang Qiuchi glanced at him. “You were supposed to carry the flag at the front. Why did you come to the back?”

“I couldn’t handle it anymore,” Xiang Bei handed the marching flag to Liang Qiuchi. “You take it for a while. It’s exhausting.”

Liang Qiuchi cursed at him with a laugh but still took the flag.