"Let go!" Zhao Huoshan roared, already somewhat genuinely angry.

The desperate struggle of Old Ox certainly made him feel respect, but that didn't mean he would back down and compromise.

"Unless... I lose consciousness... As long as my eyes are open, I will never give up!" Old Ox said intermittently.

Zhao Huoshan closed his eyes, knowing that saying more was useless at this moment. He exerted effort to break free from Old Ox's grip, then stepped on Old Ox's hand on his left shoulder.

"Ahhhhh!"

The heart-wrenching pain instantly brought Old Ox's blurred consciousness back. This stimulus instead pulled him back from the brink of fainting.

Miao Yueqian's eyes seemed to be spitting fire. He could no longer bear to watch. Even admitting defeat and handing over the championship was better than seeing Old Ox like this.

However, just as she was about to leave and request the competition be stopped, a hand grabbed her wrist.

The owner of this hand... was Xiao Feng...

"Let go!" Miao Yueqian glared angrily at Xiao Feng. It was the first time she looked at him with such eyes since she met him, and also the first time she spoke so rudely.

Xiao Feng didn't mind, calmly asking, "Do you want to stop the competition early?"

Miao Yueqian didn't answer but said firmly, "I'll say it again, let go!"

Xiao Feng didn't release her but said calmly, "You worry about Old Ox and can't bear to see him suffer, which is understandable, but your approach is truly foolish."

"None of your business!" Miao Yueqian stubbornly said, then tried to break free from Xiao Feng's grip. After several attempts, her wrist felt sore, but she still couldn't succeed.

Xiao Feng sighed and asked, "Do you think ending the competition now is the result Old Ox wants to see? If so, I'll let you go immediately."

"..." Miao Yueqian fell silent.

Everyone around them also fell into silence, even the little girl who was strongly dissatisfied with Xiao Feng's actions, furrowed her brows at this moment.

Xiao Feng's obstruction seemed somewhat heartless, but thinking from a different perspective, it was quite understandable.

From everyone's standpoint, they certainly didn't want to watch Old Ox continue to suffer, but from Old Ox's angle, if he'd wanted to give up, he could have chosen not to stand up in the first place.

But since he fought until now, his attitude couldn't be more evident. Forcing the competition to end now would make Old Ox's persistence seem pointless, wouldn't it?

"I understand." Miao Yueqian took a deep breath. No matter if they won first or second place in the end, this memory would be etched in her mind forever.

Xiao Feng loosened his hold and looked at the big screen.

Only a handful of people remained standing in the footage, and among them was Wei Shuai. However, whether he could make it to the vicinity of the manor was still unknown.

"Ah!" At this moment, Old Ox, somehow, found the strength to roar, directly pulling Zhao Huoshan down, then straddled him and punched him in the face with all his might.

Zhao Huoshan seemed a bit unbelieving, but this punch made his vision black, and he fainted from the strong dizziness before even feeling the pain.

The medical team quickly arrived on the scene, carrying Zhao Huoshan onto a stretcher, and when they were about to carry Old Ox, he waved his hand laboriously, indicating he didn't need rescue.

"In your current condition, even if you continue competing, you can't climb this slope. Are you sure you want to persist?" the doctor in a white coat asked worriedly.

Old Ox nodded slowly, as if even moving was difficult, but his eyes were extremely determined.

After confirming Old Ox wouldn't be in life-threatening danger, the medical team quickly withdrew without providing basic assistance.

Although, as doctors, "turning a blind eye to someone in danger" was unethical, this was a competition, and helping only Old Ox would be blatantly unfair to other contestants.

Time seemed to slow down, everyone lowered their heads watching the time, as if waiting for Old Ox to faint or for someone else to stand and walk into the manor yard, pulling out the flag still waving in the night sky.

"Thud!"

A sound broke the silence.

It was the sound of Wei Shuai falling to the ground after walking almost three kilometers, unable to continue any longer.

Now, no contestants were visible standing in the footage.

This left everyone somewhat speechless, wondering if the competition would end in a tie.

But at that moment, Old Ox moved again, biting his teeth as he kneeled on the ground and shakily stood up.

His eyelids seemed to fight against each other, making everyone worried they would close at any moment.

Finally, using both hands and feet, Old Ox climbed the broken path, which, though not steep, felt like climbing a mountain, perhaps even Mount Everest, with each step being particularly arduous.

Old Ox stumbled along the road, appearing intoxicated, resembling a living corpse, eyes fixed on the flag, footsteps mechanical and comical.

But at this moment, no one could laugh.

Everyone looked at Old Ox with heavy respect, watching him fall and stand up again and again.

Until he walked into the yard, no one remembered how many times he fell, only feeling a weight lifted from their hearts when he pulled out the flag.

This respectable man could finally close his eyes and rest at ease.

"Toot toot toot..."

The referee's whistle blew, followed by a voice from the broadcast: "The competition is over, the champion is the Jiangcheng Team!"

In the audience seats, commentary seats, and campsites of various teams, everyone stood up together, clapping, but their expressions were somewhat solemn.

Even the Jiangcheng Team, who won the championship, seemed joyless, and no faces bore smiles.

No team expressed dissatisfaction with the result.

Many had heard that the will could conquer physical instincts, allowing feats beyond limits, but it was merely hearsay.

But now, seeing Old Ox being carried into a medical van, no one doubted it anymore.

The power of faith, invisible and intangible, yet truly present!

"Finally, it's over!"

The words were spoken by someone unknown.

Yet they expressed everyone's feelings.

Yes!

Finally, it's over!

Watching Old Ox's stubborn persistence was an unusual torment for the audience.

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