Chapter81: Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Mud and Victory  XENOIS The lead family was moving fast but erratically, their formation starting to wobble as they rushed toward the finish. I could see it coming before it happened—the mother's foot hit a muddy patch at an angle, and she went down hard. Her fall triggered a chain reaction. The father tried to compensate but overcorrected, pulling their two sons off balance. Within seconds, the entire family was sprawled across the mud, just fifteen meters from the finish line. "We're in first!" Soren screamed. "Don't slow down!" "Steady!" Celeste commanded, keeping us moving at our controlled pace. "Don't get excited and fall now!" David's family had pulled even with us, both teams now racing side by side toward the finish line. I could see Kyle's face set with intense concentration, David calling out steps, and Miranda laughing with pure joy as they shuffled forward. "You're not beating us!" Kyle challenged. "We'll see about that!" Lake shot back. The finish line was ten