Chapter 219: 【 Bring Glory To The Team 】 Special Mission And Its Generous Rewards!
Seeing a long line of runners ahead.
Jiang Tao was also a bit surprised and unexpected.
He thought so many runners had sprung up from the surrounding villages.
When he clearly saw the golden characters “Ping County Running Group” written on the bright red flag held by the leader Huo Chenyang.
He then understood that they were members of the running group from Ping County.
In the past, Jiang Tao had to drive and haul goods from early morning to late night for a living.
At that time, he had no time or energy to exercise.
Driving all day made him exhausted.
After returning to his rental room, he just wanted to eat and drink something, then lie down and read a novel for a while.
He had never actively sought information about the running community, nor was he concerned about sports.
Since he started running, he gradually learned more about this community.
He also suddenly realized that there were quite a few people around him who liked to run.
In large residential communities or villages, there are usually groups of runners who spontaneously form running groups.
Running group members check in daily in the group chat to exercise and motivate each other, which also serves as a good reminder.
At this moment, Jiang Tao was added to the Hong Fu Yuan Residential Area running group by Shan Yang.
Running group members post their exercise records every morning.
Some do a 5-kilometer health run daily, while others do a 10-kilometer long run.
There are even some who run over 20 kilometers to work every day.
A group of people with common interests gather together, motivate each other, and everyone runs with more vigor.
After lurking in the running group for a few days.
Jiang Tao now has a better understanding of running groups and has gradually come to like the atmosphere within the group.
Although he did not join the “Ping County Running Group,” seeing these fellow villagers with whom he shared common interests made him feel very close.
“Hey, Jing Jing, look, isn’t that Jiang Tao!”
Liu Yuan, who was invited to provide drone follow-up for the running group, also saw Jiang Tao running from a side path after hearing the discussions.
“Ah! It’s really Brother Jiang! So Brother Jiang is also a runner!”
Liu Yuan could only guess, but He Jing, who was driving a small electric tricycle with her, recognized Jiang Tao immediately!
Although she hadn’t known Jiang Tao for very long, and they had only met a few times.
However, through several interactions with Jiang Tao, He Jing’s curiosity turned into a liking, and now she’s gradually starting to fall for him.
At some point, Jiang Tao had occupied a place in He Jing’s heart.
But thinking of Jiang Tao having a wife and children.
He Jing could only bury her feelings for him deep in her heart.
Perhaps, when she meets a man better than Brother Jiang, she will gradually forget him.
“I’ll fly over to take a look~”
Liu Yuan said, controlling the drone to leave the Ping County Running Group and fly towards Jiang Tao on the side path.
Soon, Liu Yuan’s drone screen displayed a clear image of a handsome man’s face.
In the image, Jiang Tao friendly returned a smile and waved at the drone.
“It really is Jiang Tao! Why do I feel like he’s getting more handsome lately? Is it an illusion?”
“Ah, Jing Jing, you drive carefully, don’t veer off the road.”
“If you want to see handsome guys, I’ll show you on my phone when we get back.”
“Ahem, I’m not! I’m driving carefully!”
After being teased by her older female cousin, He Jing quickly focused her eyes forward and concentrated on driving.
Soon, Jiang Tao rejoined the main road from the side path and merged with the Ping County Running Group.
He wasn’t a member of their running group, so he didn’t forcefully merge into their ranks.
Moreover, he was focused on getting to Old Soldier Farm to pick strawberries.
He didn’t have the inclination to join the running group for their regular run.
“Jiang Tao!”
Just as Jiang Tao was about to quickly overtake the running group, he suddenly heard someone in the group call his name.
Turning around, Jiang Tao saw a woman wearing white sports clothing and a light gray baseball cap, smiling and greeting him.
“Oh, Sister Bai! It’s you, what a coincidence!”
Upon seeing Bai Yulan in the group, Jiang Tao immediately slowed down and smiled, greeting Bai Yulan.
“It is a coincidence! Do you run often too? Are you interested in joining our running group?”
Bai Yulan said, quickly breaking away from the running group.
She moved closer to Jiang Tao, running at the same pace as him.
With Jiang Tao slowing down, she was able to keep up with his rhythm.
Bai Yulan is also a runner with over ten years of experience.
Her full marathon time is 3 hours and 30 minutes, which is considered great god level in a small county town like Ping County.
Of course, compared to those professional marathon bounty hunters, this achievement is certainly not enough.
“I’m doing a small business in the Capital City, and I only return to my hometown during festivals.”
“If I join a running group, I won’t have many opportunities to participate in regular runs, so I won’t join to slack off and take up resources.”
Jiang Tao smiled and politely declined Bai Yulan’s invitation.
Having too many WeChat groups means receiving a lot of messy and useless information every day.
Dealing with it is also quite an energy-draining task.
Beside them, a few members of the running group not far from Jiang Tao and Bai Yulan heard their conversation and looked at Jiang Tao with admiration!
Being invited to join the group by Sister Bai is definitely an honorable matter.
Others would wish for it.
But this buddy refused Sister Bai’s invitation without a second thought!
【 Ding! Congratulations on triggering the special mission 『 Bring Glory to the Team 』! 】
As soon as Jiang Tao finished speaking, a system prompt sounded in his mind with a “ding.”
At the same time, a prompt flashed across his retina.
“Bring Glory to the Team?”
Seeing the suddenly refreshed special mission prompt, Jiang Tao’s eyes lit up.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t encountered such a random special mission in a while.
His luck today was really good!
First, he had refreshed three pieces of highly valuable intelligence.
And this morning, while out for a morning run, he triggered a special mission!
The cash and numerical rewards for completing special missions are still quite appealing!
“How can a handsome guy like you be considered taking up resources in our group? You are high-quality resources.”
“We have quite a few beautiful women in our group, are you sure you don’t want to join?”
Hearing Jiang Tao’s refusal, Bai Yulan was neither angry nor discouraged. She smiled and tried to invite him again.
“Really? If there were more goddesses in the group as beautiful and elegant as Sister Bai, I would definitely join.”
Jiang Tao, while checking the detailed introduction of the 【 Bring Glory to the Team 】 mission, joked with Bai Yulan.
Swish!
With a thought from Jiang Tao, a bright blue virtual screen appeared on his retina.
【 Task Name 】: Bring Glory to the Team.
【 Task Content 】: Win the championship representing the Ping County Running Group in the upcoming first Ping County Health Run event.
【 Task Reward 】: 1 million in cash, salary card credit +100,000, filial piety card credit +100,000, physique +8, charm value +6.
Seeing the generous rewards for 【 Bring Glory to the Team 】, Jiang Tao felt happy but also a bit worried.
Could he win this championship?
As a novice runner who had only started running for less than a month.
Although Jiang Tao’s physique far surpassed ordinary people, his running experience was far inferior to those serious runners who had been running for over a decade.
He could maintain a pace of under 3 minutes per kilometer for a maximum of 15 kilometers; beyond that, he would start to slow down.
With his current level, competing with professional athletes would still be somewhat challenging!
However, no matter what, he would definitely participate!
As for whether he could complete the mission, that was not something he could decide.
He would give his all at that time.
“My looks are only average in our group. You should join, we have many beautiful women.”
“There are also many single young ladies.”
Bai Yulan chatted and joked with Jiang Tao, inviting him again.
“Haha, if Sister Bai says so, then I really should join!”
“Of course, I’m not joining to see beautiful women, but to verify if what Sister Bai said is true.”
“Are there any women in Ping County more beautiful and elegant than Sister Bai? I find that hard to believe.”
Women, regardless of age, enjoy hearing compliments.
Bai Yulan was overjoyed and very happy to hear Jiang Tao’s compliments, her emotional value greatly satisfied.
“You ran quite fast just now, you’re quite strong. Have you registered for the first Ping County Health Run yet?”
Bai Yulan, running at the same pace as Jiang Tao, shifted the conversation to the first Health Run event to be held in Ping County.
After all, this was the first large-scale running-related event held in Ping County.
Since registration opened, over 5,000 people from all over the country had registered to participate.
In addition to the several hundred runners from the county, the remaining thousands were from out of town.
A small county town welcomed thousands of participants from other places.
Hotels of all grades in the town were fully booked for the past few days.
Restaurants of all sizes in the city also benefited from this influx of tourists, with a surge in revenue.
The economic benefits brought by sports events have led to an unprecedented enthusiasm for hosting events everywhere.
It took a lot of effort to secure the bid for the first Ping County Health Run.
Among them, Bai Yulan’s connections played a significant role.
Her Bai Yulan Hotel was also a sponsor of this event.
Various departments, including the County Committee, Sports Bureau, and Culture Bureau, attached great importance to this event.
“Sister Bai, can I still register for the event you mentioned?”
If it weren’t for the 【 Bring Glory to the Team 】 mission, Jiang Tao would have been too lazy to participate in such an event.
Although he was a local of Ping County, his sense of collective honor was not that high.
Now that he had accepted the 【 Bring Glory to the Team 】 mission.
His mindset had completely changed.
Setting aside whether he could bring glory to the team or not.
He was determined to do his best to obtain the rewards for the 【 Bring Glory to the Team 】 special mission.
“The first Ping County Health Run starts the day after tomorrow, and registration has already closed.”
Bai Yulan could speak normally while keeping pace with Jiang Tao, without even being out of breath.
“Ah? Registration is closed?”
Upon hearing Bai Yulan’s words, Jiang Tao was stunned.
If he couldn’t register, wouldn’t this excellent 【 Bring Glory to the Team 】 mission go to waste?
“Pfft~ You want to participate in this Health Run?”
Seeing the expression on Jiang Tao’s face, Bai Yulan chuckled.
Jiang Tao suddenly realized after seeing Bai Yulan’s expression and said:
“Sister Bai, are you teasing me?”
“Who’s teasing you? It really has ended.”
Bai Yulan gave Jiang Tao a charming glance before changing the subject:
“However…”
“However what?”
Hearing there might be a turn of events, Jiang Tao asked eagerly.
Bai Yulan chuckled, “Look how anxious you are. Why weren’t you enthusiastic about registering when registration first opened? Regretting it now?”
“We put in a lot of effort to make the first Ping County Health Run a success and attract more participants.”
“We negotiated discounted registration fees for local runners, sought sponsorships, and increased prize money.”
Jiang Tao chuckled and said, “Uh, Sister Bai, you’ve misunderstood me.”
“When registration opened, I was still in the Capital City and hadn’t returned.”
“I truly didn’t know Ping County had become so accomplished as to be able to bid for such a large event.”
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Your Sister Bai has a few invitation spots left. If you want to compete, I’ll give you one.”
Bai Yulan’s face bloomed with a smile. She found teasing Jiang Tao a bit amusing and felt her mood lift.
“Then thank you, Sister Bai!”
After receiving Bai Yulan’s promise, Jiang Tao’s heart was put at ease. He smiled and said:
“I won’t take Sister Bai’s spot for free. This morning, I’ll find some time to visit Sister Bai and do a divination for you, to check your recent luck.”
“Oh? You can also read fortunes?”
Bai Yulan looked at Jiang Tao with some surprise.
“I know a little.”
Jiang Tao revealed a smile that seemed profound.
“Hehe, that’s good, I’ll be waiting for you.”
Bai Yulan nodded with a smile. She also held a sense of reverence for divination and gossip.
“You ran quite fast just now. Do you have confidence in winning a place this time? Standing on the podium?”
Bai Yulan looked at Jiang Tao’s long, strong legs and said, half seriously, half jokingly:
“This is the first Health Run held in our Ping County. Winning a place would be very memorable.”
“If you can get a place, you will not only bring glory to our Ping County but also be recorded in the county annals for posterity.”
“By the way, Sister Bai, why do you keep saying Health Run, Health Run? Is this a full marathon or a half marathon?”
Jiang Tao looked at Bai Yulan, his expression a bit confused.
Whether it was the 【 Bring Glory to the Team 】 system mission or Bai Yulan.
They kept mentioning the words “Health Run.”
Jiang Tao was indeed a bit confused at this moment.
“You really haven’t looked into our event at all!”
Bai Yulan chuckled and patiently explained:
“This Health Run has two categories: the mass group and the elite group.”
“The mass group is 5 kilometers, and the elite group is 15 kilometers.”
“Only 15 kilometers? Not a full or half marathon?”
Jiang Tao’s eyes lit up upon hearing Bai Yulan’s words!
15 kilometers was precisely the farthest distance Jiang Tao could manage at the moment!
If it were a half or full marathon, Jiang Tao would have no confidence in winning.
In the sport of running, perseverance is paramount.
Muscle and lung capacity can be greatly improved through exercise in a short period.
However, changes at the cellular level, such as cellular oxygen content, are changes that only time can bring.
This is also known as the “long-term adaptation” of exercise.
Jiang Tao’s physique had improved significantly in a very short period.
However, the oxygen content of the blood cells within his body’s blood vessels had not increased synchronously.
His running ability would also be affected by his body’s “shortest bottleneck.”
To further improve his performance, the only way is to improve his shortest bottleneck.
Therefore, even though Jiang Tao’s current physique values were superior to all professional marathon runners globally.
It did not mean he could outrun everyone.
