Chapter 24
"Alright, ready? One, two."
Wilkins checked before giving the signal. The colleagues lined up on both sides shouted their enthusiastic support, calling out the names of Dane and Grayson. Dane leaned forward, preparing to dash. Wilkins alternated his gaze between the two and shouted, his face tense.
"Three!"
"Woaaah!"
"Dane, Dane! Our hope! Our hero!"
"Grayson, my love!"
"Run, run! Grayson, you have to win!"
"Dane, you're our pride!"
With the start signal, the cheers erupted, and both of them quickly hit the ground, racing forward. Their colleagues at the bottom of the mountain were watching them. Even though they could only see them faintly, they could still catch glimpses of them, except when they turned a new course.
That part ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) of the course was a steep incline around a mountain, so the colleagues watching below couldn't see them again until they appeared on the opposite side of the mountain. That spot was where Dane was about to make his move.
The flat terrain ended quickly, and soon an uphill path appeared. It served as a substitute for the first stage of the test, the stair climb, and now they had to drag a fire hose up the mountainside. Even though it was a moderate hill, the incline was steep, and with the heavy fire hose to carry, the physical exhaustion started to set in early. During training on flat terrain, they filled the hose with water, but here, they used the empty hose as an advantage for the time being.
As they skillfully dragged the fire hose upwards, they came to a spot where equipment was placed. They then had to drop the hose and drag the firefighting gear. As soon as they saw the target, they threw down the hose and grabbed the pre-prepared equipment. With a chainsaw in each hand, they circled the trees about 100 meters away and returned to the starting point. If they dropped the saw during this process, they would be disqualified. Because their colleagues below could see them, even a small mistake was unacceptable.