Chapter 102: red lightning

Qiao Sang had never expected Ye Ranran’s Desert Tail Fox to be so powerful, and she immediately relaxed.

With over two hundred Pets, there was no way Fire Fang Dog, running second, would come in last.

Fire Fang Dog, wearing the yellow relay band, shot out in a flash.

“Qunbao!”

“Qunbao!”

Little Treasure Hunting Ghost shouted encouragement with all its might.

As it shouted, it floated along.

Qiao Sang, quick-eyed and quick-handed, pulled it back.

“Qunbao?”

Little Treasure Hunting Ghost looked innocent.

“Don’t waste your stamina; the sixth leg still depends on you. We’ll go straight to Liu Gan Stream to wait for Fangbao,” Qiao Sang said.

Her words were half-true, half-false; the first part was false, the latter true. She had no intention of relying on Little Treasure Hunting Ghost for the sixth leg at all.

Running alongside was impossible. The third leg was 10 kilometers away at Liu Gan Stream, and with her small arms and legs, she’d probably be exhausted before even halfway.

Moreover, marathon races do not allow accompanying runners. During the race, they have professional medical teams and technical services, and logistical support is also very safe.

Running alongside can lead to unnecessary trouble and chaos during the race, and it can also make it difficult to control order.

Qiao Sang looked in the direction where Fire Fang Dog had disappeared.

Fangbao, we can only support you spiritually!

Go, Fangbao!

…

Fire Fang Dog ran forward with all its might.

It remembered its Yu Beast Master saying to follow the main group ahead, but ahead, let alone a main group, there wasn’t even a single competitor.

At this moment, it thought of the Six-touch Snail that had run ahead of it.

“Fang!”

Fire Fang Dog accelerated.

Then it could only try to catch up with that Six-touch Snail first!

It didn’t know how long it had been running.

Fire Fang Dog dragged its limbs wearily, trying to move itself forward.

Now, let alone running, even walking was difficult.

Although the Pet marathon is different from traditional human marathons, it is essentially a high-load, high-volume, and long-distance competitive sport.

Although Pets can use their abilities and skills to speed themselves up, adding interest to the race, constantly using abilities and releasing skills is unrealistic.

Excessive energy consumption might cause a Pet to run out of stamina during the race.

Therefore, Pets with experience in marathon races usually run a certain distance on their own and then occasionally use skills to increase their speed.

When nearing the destination, they would use abilities or skills for a sprint, just like Ye Ranran’s Desert Tail Fox.

But Fire Fang Dog didn’t know; from the start, it had been running with all its might.

It was fine at first, but when it slowed down, dozens of competing Pets passed it one after another.

Fire Fang Dog wasn’t stupid.

During that time, seeing some of the competing Pets use skills, it also released skills to speed up.

It had used Flame Charge and Ram.

But it quickly grew weak.

Fire Fang Dog had not undergone professional training; recently, it had mainly been practicing skills.

The few laps it ran around Liu Gan Stream had no real training effect for a marathon.

Its physical endurance might be decent among Pets of the same rank, but it still wasn’t up to marathon standards.

The scorching sun baked the earth.

Even Fire Fang Dog, which was usually not afraid of heat, felt the torment.

Fire Fang Dog panted with its tongue out, breathing with difficulty. It felt increasingly out of breath, and its limbs required immense effort to lift, even harder than when it first wore the weight rings.

“Fang.”

Fire Fang Dog unconsciously whimpered, its throat as dry as if it were on fire.

At this moment, it suddenly remembered the water its Yu Beast Master had mentioned.

It looked around but didn’t see any tables or water.

Not there yet?

Fire Fang Dog’s eyes sparkled, and it looked ahead dazedly, thinking of giving up for the first time.

So tired…

Really so tired…

“Ball.”

A Bouncing Pig happened to pass by.

Its tail was like a spring, with a gray ball at the end, and it wore race bib A099.

Its tail stood upright, the gray ball at its end touching the ground, and using its spring-like tail, it bounced and instantly surpassed Fire Fang Dog.

“Ball.”

The Bouncing Pig didn’t leave immediately. It turned its head and grinned triumphantly at Fire Fang Dog, then provocatively raised its smallest short toe.

“Fang.”

Fire Fang Dog was instantly enraged.

It wanted to roar at this Bouncing Pig, but the roar it emitted was so weak that only it could hear it.

Watching the Bouncing Pig turn and bounce away, Fire Fang Dog felt a fire ignite inside, wanting to rush over.

But its heart was willing, though its flesh was weak.

The momentum to rush out was too strong, and its already weak limbs couldn’t support it. After only two steps, Fire Fang Dog’s legs gave out, and it collapsed.

In a daze, it seemed to hear its Yu Beast Master calling its name.

Fangbao.

Actually, it didn’t really like that name; it had no presence at all, but its Yu Beast Master liked it, so there was nothing it could do.

If it collapsed here, would its Yu Beast Master be disappointed?

And its little brother, it was still waiting for its relay band.

Fire Fang Dog suddenly felt a little defeated inside.

Its Yu Beast Master trusted it so much, telling it to wait for it at Liu Gan Stream. If it didn’t make it…

It really wanted to get up and continue…

The faint sparks within Fire Fang Dog’s body gradually turned into flames. The next moment, the flames pulsed, and crimson fire surged, instantly engulfing it from the inside out.

“There’s a Fire Fang Dog here, looks like it’s exhausted, quickly send… What the heck!” The logistics staff jumped in fright.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” The person on the other end of the phone asked worriedly.

“Nothing, just a Fire Fang Dog that had fallen suddenly caught fire… It must have activated its Fierce Fire ability, and then it zoomed off and disappeared. It’s my first time seeing a Fire-type Pet running a marathon and activating Raging Flames,” the logistics staff explained, still shaken.

It was like seeing a patient who had collapsed suddenly get up and perform a lively backflip for you; it was quite frightening…

…

Liu Gan Stream.

Qiao Sang looked at the Bouncing Pig not far away, bouncing rapidly towards the third relay point using its tail on the ground, and exclaimed, “That tail is too perfect for this race, isn’t it?”

“I still think that Ice Snow Tanuki’s skill is more suitable. It actually made its paw pads stick to ice balls and slide over; I don’t know how it thought of that,” Ye Ranran said.

“It’s summer, the ground is so hot, those ice balls won’t last long before melting. It’s just for a moment of ease in the middle, but you can tell it put effort into it; its balance is impeccable,” Qiao Sang analyzed.

“For a Pet marathon, coming up with a slightly less strenuous plan to buffer when tired in the middle is enough. The main thing still depends on the Pet’s physical endurance and stamina,” Ye Ranran said with a smile.

Qiao Sang was silent for a moment, then asked, “What if there isn’t a less strenuous plan?”

Ye Ranran pondered for a moment and said, “Purely relying on physical strength and stamina? That shouldn’t be, that’s too tiring. Everyone prepares a plan for Pet marathons; I’ve never seen any idiot come to a race without a plan.”

Qiao Sang: “…”

Heh, the idiot is right here.

“Qunbao!”

“Qunbao!”

Little Treasure Hunting Ghost suddenly cried out excitedly twice.

Qiao Sang looked at the track.

She saw a figure enveloped in Raging Flames speeding from a distance, like a red lightning bolt, whooshing past her eyes in an instant, only stopping after surpassing the Bouncing Pig that was about to reach the handover point.