The most important part of the military training was the mountain run. The “Mountain” refers to the approximate ten-kilometer route that surrounds the training base located in the mountainous area of the bridge brigade training base

Gao Jie quickly made the decision to quit and was fiercely glared at by Instructor Chen, who mocked him a few times. However, Gao Jie valued his dignity less than his life, so he left his teammates behind and ran away as fast as he could.

“After warming up, everyone better start running!” Instructor Chen shouted loudly. “I’ll lead the way, and nobody should try to slack off! Those who run slowly will have to do fifty squats after finishing!”

At regular intervals along the mountain route, signposts were set up to prevent students from getting lost in the mountains while running. Although there were no fierce beasts in this area, occasional encounters with wild animals were still possible. The forested areas hadn’t been completely developed, and some places were desolate and uninhabited.

As it was close to dinnertime in the afternoon, the vegetation in the mountains was dense, shielding them from the scorching sun, and making the temperature much cooler.

Initially, the students were relatively grouped together, but as time progressed, the team became more dispersed. The rectangular formation gradually turned into a scattered line. Some people couldn’t endure the running and started crying while they ran. Others experienced low blood pressure and were on the verge of passing out. The instructors had no choice but to coax and urge them on, and if someone was about to faint, they would call for someone to carry them down the mountain.

As a result, the team completely fell apart. Those with good stamina and fast running speed charged ahead, following the leading instructor, while those with poor stamina lagged behind, accompanied by another instructor. The people in the middle were scattered, while members from different squads were mixed together.

Because no one was keeping an eye on Mao Silu, he got lost.

In theory, he shouldn’t have. There were route markers, and people were running together. However, Mao Silu was naturally terrible at recognizing directions. He was simply running and got lost in his thoughts for a while, looking at the sky, looking at the trees, mentally playing a few rounds of basketball in his head. When he snapped back to reality, he realized there was no one ahead or behind him.

Mao Silu panicked and exclaimed, “Hey, Zhikai, Z-gong where is everyone?”

He somehow ended up running downhill and reached a stream. A chilly breeze blew, causing goosebumps to form on his skin.

Mao Silu hurriedly climbed back up the slope. Taking the longer path around would waste some time, so he opted for a small trail that had been opened in the middle of the mountain. In order to catch up with the team, Mao Silu chose the shortcut.

He clutched tree branches and crossed through dense bushes, panting heavily as he climbed up the slope. He took a breath with his feet on the muddy ground, and relaxed for a moment. Little did he know that when he lifted his foot, the sole of his shoe slipped abruptly. Mao Silu let out a loud cry and his arms flailed in mid-air, before he tumbled down the hill.

Fortunately, Mao Silu reacted quickly and instinctively protected his head as he rolled down the slope. He ended up at the bottom of the hill, his whole body in pain from being scraped by shrubs and rocks. He lay on the ground in a dazed and disoriented state for a while before finally groaning and regaining consciousness.

He was about to prop himself up when he howled again, clutching his leg and falling back. A piercing pain surged through him, and it took Mao Silu’s mind a while to realize that he had sprained his ankle.

Not only that, but his arms and knees were scraped, and his body was covered in mud and leaves.

Mao Silu almost felt like crying in frustration. Unfortunately, he had left his phone behind, so his only option was taking a deep breath and shouting, “Is there anyone here?”

Birds in the mountains flew up and across the sky in alarm. Mao Silu looked at the birds in the sky and felt somewhat comforted, thinking that at least there were living creatures around.

Then a horrified thought crossed his mind. What if there were wild boars in the mountains? Would his shouting attract them?

Mao Silu hugged his legs in frustration and lowered his voice cautiously as he shouted again, “Is there anyone there?”

He shouted several more times and after a while he heard some commotion from the top of the slope.

Mao Silu immediately tensed and looked up, afraid to see the head of a wild boar or a snake popping out.

Fortunately, it was Lin Shiyu’s head that appeared.

Mao Silu felt as if he had seen a savior. “Shiyu! Quick, come and help me.”

Lin Shiyu frowned at him, and carefully made his way down the slope so as not to slip like Mao Silu did, reminding himself to walk slowly and avoid falling.

Lin Shiyu came down the slope and stood in front of him, looking like a ghost. He saw Mao Silu grimacing in pain, clutching his leg, covered in dirt and looking miserable. His lips were even turning pale. Lin Shiyu asked, “Did you fall down from the slope?”

Mao Silu nodded pitifully. “I sprained my foot. I can’t move.”

Lin Shiyu seemed to be at a loss for words. He examined Mao Silu’s foot and noticed a swollen lump at the ankle, indicating an injury.

“You can’t walk at all?” Lin Shiyu asked.

“I tried, but I can’t even stand up.”

Lin Shiyu fell silent, and Mao Silu came up with an idea. “It’s okay. You can go back now and call the instructor and others. They can figure out how to get me down the mountain. I’ll wait here for you all.”

However, Lin Shiyu didn’t immediately agree. Instead, he looked up at the sky, showing a hesitant expression.

“What’s wrong?” Mao Silu asked cautiously.

“…I’m not very good at finding my way.” Lin Shiyu chose to be honest, not caring about his pride anymore. “It’s almost 5 PM now, and if I can’t find someone in time, you’ll have to wait here until morning.”

Mao Silu was shocked. After a moment of mental processing, he stared at Lin Shiyu with a dumbfounded expression, before tentatively asking, “So, you’re also… lost?”

Lin Shiyu looked at him expressionlessly.

Mao Silu felt relieved. With his limited brain capacity and reasoning ability, he guessed that Lin Shiyu was just like him—he was running and got distracted or for some other reason, and ended up getting separated from the rest of the group. He wandered aimlessly in the mountains until he heard Mao Silu’s voice and followed it.

Two lost souls meeting in an accidental encounter. Perfect.

“Well, let’s not go looking for help then.” Mao Silu said sheepishly. “Since I got lost and injured while rolling down the hill, if you then went looking for help only to get lost, the instructors would have a hard time finding both of us, causing unnecessary trouble.

“It’s better if we stay together,” Mao Silu said after careful consideration, then he added sincerely, “It might be safer that way.”

Lin Shiyu nodded and took out a half-empty bottle of mineral water from his pocket, handing it to Mao Silu.

Mao Silu was somewhat surprised and took the bottle of mineral water in a daze. His mind hadn’t caught up yet. “You brought a bottle of water.”

“I bought it before the run,” Lin Shiyu replied.

“Oh… oh,” Mao Silu said. He was indeed thirsty. After running for so long and shouting for a while after falling down the hill, his throat was dry. He unscrewed the water bottle and took a sip, not wanting to drink too much. Then he screwed the cap back on and handed it back, saying, “Thank you.”

“You can drink it.” Lin Shiyu casually squatted next to him, not even looking at Mao Silu. His gaze was fixed on the distance, and he seemed distracted, as if his attention was elsewhere. However, for some reason, Mao Silu, who had never been good at understanding people’s emotions, suddenly seemed to grasp something about Lin Shiyu’s attitude.

It seemed like he was a bit awkward. Mao Silu held the water bottle, thinking this way.

“Thank you,” Mao Silu didn’t know what else to say, so he repeated his words from earlier, a little foolishly. After receiving a bewildered look from Lin Shiyu, he scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. “You… you’re actually quite nice. I mean, as a person. Why do you always have that fierce look on your face?”

Lin Shiyu frowned, his gaze turning cold. “Does it have anything to do with you?”

“Ah? It does, right?” Mao Silu wasn’t bothered by his distant attitude. On the contrary, he earnestly pondered over his words. “We’re not in the same class, but we’re roommates now.”

Lin Shiyu paused for a moment, looking at Mao Silu and meeting his bewildered, curious, and innocent gaze.

After a moment of silence, Lin Shiyu said somewhat awkwardly, “That’s just how I am.”

“Oh,” Mao Silu nodded, miraculously understanding Lin Shiyu. “There are indeed many different types of personalities.”

Finally, he added shyly, “But you’re a good person. I know that.”

Lin Shiyu’s skin crawled. “Speak properly, why are you being so awkward?”

Mao Silu shrunk his shoulders at being scolded. “Sorry, it’s just that this is the first time I’ve opened up to you, so it’s normal to feel a little awkward.”

“Who said we opened up to each other?”

“Okay, we didn’t. Sorry, don’t be angry.”

With Mao Silu taking the initiative to apologize, Lin Shiyu couldn’t find anything to say, let alone get angry at. He had no way to deal with someone like Mao Silu, who was straightforward and easygoing. Plus, he was injured and covered in dirt, looking like a pitiful stray dog.

“Drink your water and stop talking,” Lin Shiyu stood up and walked away.

The sky gradually turned pale purple as the sun set and the light in the forest grew dim.

It quickly became dark in the mountains. The evening sky was filled with colorful clouds, but it was getting dark.

Mao Silu looked at the sky and pondered slowly, asking himself, “Why hasn’t anyone come to find us yet?”

Lin Shiyu was squatting by the stream, and ignored him.

Mao Silu stretched his neck and looked over, eagerly asking, “Shiyu, what are you doing?”

After a while, Lin Shiyu stood up, holding a mineral water bottle filled with stream water, and walked over. He squatted down and pressed the bottle against Mao Silu’s swollen ankle.

The water from the mountain stream was cool, and the bottle pressed against the painful and itchy swelling, alleviating the discomfort slightly.

Lin Shiyu said, “Hold it yourself.”

Mao Silu quickly took the water bottle, gratefully saying to Lin Shiyu, “Thank you.”

Lin Shiyu nodded in response, appearing unaccustomed to receiving thanks from others.

“They wouldn’t have forgotten about us, would they?”

“They shouldn’t. They’ll count the number of people.”

Mao Silu was still worried. “But based on my understanding of those tough instructors, they might think we’re hiding in a corner slacking off, and they’re probably searching for us everywhere in the training base.”

“Oh.”

“What if nobody comes in the evening? I’ve heard that there are venomous snakes and many wild animals in the mountains…”

“Then I’ll eat you.”

“No, I still want to go back and play basketball. I haven’t even worn my new sneakers much.”

“Why do you talk so much?” Lin Shiyu was annoyed by his rambling and felt like he wanted to do something to the injured person. “Stop talking.”

Mao Silu whispered, “I can’t help it when I’m nervous.”

“Just hold it in,” Lin Shiyu glared at him.

In the quiet forest where the birds’ chirping gradually ceased, both of them heard the sound of rustling in the grass.

Mao Silu shivered and looked around anxiously, holding the water bottle tightly.

Lin Shiyu furrowed his brows and observed their surroundings. The sun was nearing the mountaintop, casting a golden glow on the treetops. The light faded further down, leaving only a faint reddish evening glow.

“What is it? Could it really be a snake?” Mao Silu was terrified and sat up straight. The rustling sound became louder, and it seemed to be circling around them. Mao Silu’s body was covered in goosebumps. “A snake!”

“Don’t shout!”

“It’s coming, it’s coming closer!” Mao Silu heard the sound getting closer to them and panicked, shouting, “The snake is coming! Ah!”

Lin Shiyu also became very frantic due to him. “Can’t you be quiet for a moment?!”

Whoosh! 

Suddenly, a swift dark shadow shot out of the bushes. Mao Silu was frightened and quickly lay down, while Lin Shiyu was about to stand up but was directly hit in the chest by the dark shadow, causing him to stagger.

“Shiyu, are you okay?”

“Cough… What was that?”

“Oh my god, it’s still moving. What is it?!”

“Don’t move, hold it down.”

“No, no, no, I can’t hold it down!”

“Get away!”

Lin Shiyu took a quick step forward and pressed down on the thing that was wriggling frantically on the ground. It was fluffy. 

It was a wild rabbit.

Lin Shiyu grabbed the rabbit by its ears, confused. The rabbit, whether stunned from the impact or for some other reason, didn’t run away after crashing into him. It kicked its feet and struggled aimlessly on the muddy ground, but Lin Shiyu still managed to catch it.

Mao Silu who was scared out of his wits. Finally, he regained his composure, and both he and Lin Shiyu looked at the struggling rabbit in bewilderment.

“What are you doing?”

Another voice suddenly rang out. Mao Silu trembled in fright, and Lin Shiyu’s grip loosened. The rabbit fell to the ground and trembled for a while before darting away quickly.

Both of them turned around and saw Zhong Qi standing on the slope, looking down at them with a rare expression of bewilderment on his usually calm face.

It was as if he was looking at two idiots.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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