Chapter 106: Escalation of War

After returning to Pengcheng this time, Lu Su clumsily learned how to use the internet.

163, Houlang, Haijiaoge—these were the names of the platforms Xiao Qiang had taught him about after the competition in Quancheng. Lu Su heard that he had become quite a hot topic online. Every time he achieved a result, it would be refreshed at the very top of the Haijiaoge forum for everyone to gaze upon.

However, much of what Lu Su saw was criticism.

"He still has the nerve to call himself a 'Hexagonal Warrior'? He's slower than Pan Kai in the 100m, couldn't beat Zhang Zhen in the 60m, and just lost to Xiao Qiang in the 400m. That's already five sides gone—might as well call him a 'Stick Warrior' instead~"

It was quite humorous, and comments with this sentiment were in the majority.

Lu Su frowned. Being attacked naturally didn't make him happy, but he couldn't help but feel that people were paying a bit too much attention to him.

Especially on Houlang and 163, there were long, opposing articles. While Houlang promoted Lu Su for repeatedly breaking the indoor 60m record, 163 posted lists of athletes throughout history who had intentionally broken records just to pad their stats. 163 was also aggressively playing up Pan Kai's performance at the Thailand Track and Field Open, enshrining him as the country's top sprinter while subtly or openly belittling the so-called "Hexagonal Warrior."

Houlang was clearly at a disadvantage in this war of public opinion because the athletes their sports editors championed—like Lu Su—simply did not have public records that measured up to Pan Kai's.

Lu Su also saw articles on 163 cited from major national newspapers and journals, filled with news promoting Pan Kai's achievements. Since the Thailand Track and Field Open, Pan Kai had firmly secured his position as the number one sprinter in the country. Among all the online news, it seemed that only that editor from Houlang and that one post on Haijiaoge were still insisting on cheering for Lu Su.

This overwhelming wave of propaganda made Lu Su feel that something was wrong. Promoting Pan Kai was fine; the man’s results were genuinely impressive. But why step on him, Lu Su, while doing so? Why force a rivalry between Lu Su and Pan Kai? And why throw in Xiao Qiang for the 400m and Zhang Zhen for the 60m as his opponents?

The glow from the computer screen illuminated Lu Su's face. Lu Xiaoyu sat quietly to the side, occasionally glancing at the text on the screen, then at Lu Su's expression. Lu Su relied on Lu Xiaoyu to guide him through the internet; otherwise, with his "one-finger zen" typing style, even entering a URL was a struggle.

"Brother, don't be angry," Lu Xiaoyu said. "Everything on the internet is just nonsense."

"I'm not angry, I just find it strange. All the publicity channels sound so uniform. Those official media outlets don't like me because I challenged Li Yan at the East Asian Youth Games—that's understandable. But in these online posts, the comments attacking me all sound so suspiciously similar..." Lu Su mused.

Lu Su had experienced enough malice to recognize the common threads behind these defamatory words.

"Is it because the 'Hexagonal Warrior' promotion caused a backlash?" Lu Xiaoyu asked cautiously. She wanted to praise her brother; how did he end up inciting such public outrage?

"No, I like the 'Hexagonal Warrior' title; I intend to be a Hexagonal Warrior. But don't you think those people cursing me are speaking with one voice? It feels like a mob on the internet—whoever shouts the loudest is perceived to be in the right," Lu Su said.

"If you put it that way... I get it now!" Lu Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. She took control of the computer, logged into her own account, and began a series of operations. Soon, a list of IP addresses was compiled into a file and displayed before them.

"The IP addresses are all the same! There's definitely something fishy going on!" Lu Xiaoyu said through gritted teeth. "How despicable!"

...

"Pressure will cause an athlete to lose their composure," Li Yan said. "We just need to make Lu Su realize that he isn't unique and that no one believes in him. This vast, overwhelming pressure from society is something only the national team can help him alleviate, and then he will reconsider his choices."

"But how are you going to do that?" Dong Zijian asked. "At most, you can get all the media to promote Pan Kai through the General Administration, but you can't have the official media slander Lu Su."

"These news outlets have already done enough; I'm very satisfied. I can manage the part about making Lu Su doubt himself through other means," Li Yan smiled.

"What means?" Dong Zijian asked.

"Coach Dong, you wouldn't want to know. Because even if you did, you couldn't do anything about it, and it would only weigh on your conscience," Li Yan shook his head. "Actually, I didn't do much. I just amplified certain facts to let Lu Su understand his own helplessness."

Dong Zijian frowned.

"Coach Dong, you're probably thinking that as a national team coach, focusing on targeting one athlete every day is unprofessional. But there is a saying in your country: 'A thousand-mile levee can be destroyed by an ant colony.' If Lu Su doesn't join the national team, he will be that ant colony."

*It really is about the East Asian Youth Games press conference; he's holding a grudge,* Dong Zijian thought.

Unwilling to continue this conversation, Dong Zijian brought up another topic: "Zhang Zhen is asking if you'll accompany him to the indoor invitational in Fengtian on the 30th."

"You go with him," Li Yan said.

"He'll probably feel uncomfortable. You weren't at the capital's indoor invitational either; he'll think you don't value him," Dong Zijian said.

"Fine, I'll go," Li Yan thought for a moment, then added, "If Pan Kai is going to participate in the 200m."

"Pan Kai is going to participate in the 200m at the Fengtian indoor meet?" Dong Zijian was surprised.

...

Although Lu Xiaoyu discovered that someone was intentionally deploying internet trolls to smear Lu Su, she could manage the Haijiaoge forum but couldn't control 163 or Houlang. Even on Haijiaoge, the constant stream of abuse from trolls on the sports boards was too much for a single moderator to delete entirely.

This made Lu Xiaoyu very angry.

Conversely, Lu Su, the one being attacked, was the one comforting Lu Xiaoyu. It didn't matter; as long as he had the results, all these attacks would be nothing but passing clouds.

"Then when will you get the results that make them shut up, brother..." Lu Xiaoyu was almost on the verge of tears from frustration.

"Soon, soon," Lu Su said, patting Lu Xiaoyu's back.

"It's okay, it's okay." Lu Xiaoyu pulled herself together. "Brother, we've been too kind. I never imagined that guy would stoop to personal attacks. I'm going to spread the news about him bullying national team members too!"

This matter clearly had to do with Li Yan, as Lu Su hadn't offended anyone else besides him.

"I've tried; those things aren't fatal," Lu Su said.

"There must be more. With such dirty methods, I don't believe he doesn't have some dark history he's hiding!" Lu Xiaoyu said viciously. "The war has escalated!"

...

Before the Fengtian meet, Lu Su had raised his "Strength" and "Agility" to "44/44."

Regarding the improvement of attributes, Lu Su had recently discovered a pattern. The greatest advantage of the Glass Crown was that it kept Lu Su's state very stable; once a result was achieved, it would remain at that level. Lu Su was currently raising his "Strength" and "Agility" evenly.

Physical Fitness + Technique + State = Performance.

In this equation, when all three variables were fixed, Lu Su could estimate how much of an impact every 1-point increase in "Strength" and "Agility" would have on his results. Ignoring other factors, the equation was roughly:

1 point of Strength + 1 point of Agility is approximately equal to a 0.05-second improvement in the 100m, a 0.07 to 0.09-second improvement in the 200m, and a 0.03-second improvement in the indoor 60m.

Calculating this way, after the gains from the final leg of the indoor track and field championships—the Fengtian meet—Lu Su could reach a performance range of 10.15 to 10.20 seconds in the 100m.

This result would be almost equal to Pan Kai's.

Of course, that was provided Lu Su could take first place in both the 60m and the 200m. If Lu Su could earn one more attribute point by taking first in the 400m, and add that to the attribute point he had been hoarding due to his perfectionism, then after the Fengtian meet, Lu Su would have 4 attribute points. By pushing his "Strength" and "Agility" to the limit, he could even challenge a time under 10.15 seconds.

Only then could he beat Pan Kai.

Only then could he make those people shut up.