"Report the situation here to the higher-ups, we need to hurry over as well!"
After hearing the pilot’s words, the captain showed a satisfied smile on his face, patted the pilot’s shoulder, and then jumped off the helicopter with his team, rushing urgently in the direction where Lin Beichen had disappeared.
"I say, is that kid even human? How can he run so fast!"
The team members, sprinting at full speed through the forest, felt as if their lungs were about to explode. They pushed their speed to the limit, but even so, they still couldn’t see any sign of Lin Beichen.
From the moment Lin Beichen jumped off the helicopter to the moment they followed, only about thirty seconds had passed. Yet in those brief thirty seconds, the distance between them had become an insurmountable gap.
These people were all elite selections from various military units. Even if the world champions in running came, they could compete on equal footing. But they never expected they couldn’t even catch a glimpse of Lin Beichen’s back.
"Now you realize your own shortcomings, don’t you? You guys always say the basic training is boring, now what do you have to say?"
The captain glared at his team members with a dissatisfied look, saying with a hint of discontent. Hearing the captain’s criticism, the team members glanced at each other and shrugged helplessly.
Although the captain said this, he was also extremely surprised. If the team members couldn’t keep up due to slacking off in daily practice, his own inability to keep up didn’t make any sense.
As the captain, he constantly engaged in various intensive training exercises. It could be said that his physical strength and ability were among the top in the Dragon Army.
Though he had intentionally slowed down a bit to accommodate his team’s pace, it shouldn’t be to the extent that he couldn’t even see Lin Beichen’s shadow. This indicated only one thing: Lin Beichen’s strength had far exceeded that of the group.
At the same time, the hunters in the forest, seeing the fire erupting behind them, had looks of shock on their faces. The young man’s father turned his head and smacked the back of his son’s head.
"You brat, didn’t I tell you to completely extinguish the fire? What on earth were you doing!"
The young hunter never imagined that just a couple of small sparks could escalate into this. He had never seen anything like it before, and his legs trembled uncontrollably, rendering him tongue-tied.
"I...I..."
Seeing his son so helpless, the young hunter’s father became infuriated, kicking his son to the ground.
"You, stammering there, what exactly happened!"
"I saw there were only a few sparks, so I didn’t pay attention..."
Realizing the incident was indeed related to his son, the older hunter was preparing to give him a proper scolding, but his partner intervened.
"What’s the use of saying this now? Even if you beat him to death, it won’t help. We need to put out the fire immediately!"
The hunter speaking seemed to hold a certain authority, as the other hunters referred to him as ’Big Brother.’
Hearing their leader’s words, the other hunters didn’t bother punishing the youth further and rushed urgently toward the fire.
Meanwhile, due to strong winds, the initially small flames quickly devoured several trees, becoming a sea of fire. The dense smoke caught the attention of nearby residents, who immediately called the fire department.
The firefighters, upon receiving the call about the fire, had serious expressions on their faces. They knew very well that a fire in such a place meant it would be extremely difficult to extinguish. This was undoubtedly going to be a tough battle.
"Comrades, the Party and country’s moment of trial is upon us! The disaster is our command; we must head to the fire scene immediately and put out the fire at once!"
Considering the special situation of this fire, the nearby fire department contacted all other accessible fire brigades, rushing to the forest fire at once. Meanwhile, the hunters were trapped in the middle of the fire.
The scorching heat waves continuously engulfed them. If this continued, even if they weren’t burned to death, dehydration from the heat would ultimately take their lives.
"What should we do next!"
The young hunter’s face displayed a look of terror. He searched desperately for an escape route but found that everywhere he looked was engulfed in flames.
"Now you know what fear is good for? What were you thinking when you were supposed to do it right!"
The young hunter’s father maintained a stern demeanor, glaring furiously at his son.
Hearing his father’s rebuke finally triggered the young hunter’s outburst. He took off his hat and threw it on the ground.
"I know you think I’m worthless. That dead brother of mine, why bother keeping me around if that’s how you feel!"
The unexpected outburst left the young hunter’s father and the surrounding middle-aged hunters stunned. They all lived in the same village and were well aware of each other’s family matters.