Chapter 132: The Enforcer

To the spectators, this 100-meter final felt slightly off.

In particular, the heavily favored seed in lane five, Lu Su, appeared to be struggling. Despite a smooth start, he hesitated for a fraction of a second as he lunged out of the blocks. By the time Pan Kai in lane four had taken three or four strides, Lu Su had only managed two or three. The gap of a step or two was glaringly obvious.

In a race that lasts only ten seconds, such a moment left the live television commentator stunned, forcing him to stammer, "It seems Lu Su has run into some trouble at the start..."

Lu Jinrong, watching from the sidelines, saw it much more clearly.

It was a deliberate strike!

Chen Tianfu, positioned in lane six, had unreasonably extended his arm during the initial swing, his left hand colliding with Lu Su’s right. Lu Su’s sluggish start was the direct result of losing his balance for that split second.

This was intentional.

It was not unheard of for sprinters in adjacent lanes to have poor form, leading to accidental interference. Liu Yu had encountered such an incident in the 110-meter hurdles, and there had even been bizarre cases of photographers straying onto the track. However, no athlete had ever been struck during the explosive phase of a start. This was calculated. It was impossible for this to be anything but deliberate.

Lu Jinrong felt his scalp tingle. A surge of uncontrollable fury erupted in his chest like a volcanic eruption, and he roared, "Foul!"

Guan Zhaoyue had not seen the incident clearly; he only noticed Lu Su’s slow start and heard Lu Jinrong shouting. He turned, looking at his old friend from the Pengcheng provincial team with surprise.

All of this transpired in a mere two or three seconds.

By now, Lu Su had already readjusted his posture. He had anticipated this. In his eyes, the world seemed to move in slow motion. Beyond his own body, he had no room for distractions—not even to dwell on the simulation his status bar had provided before the race.

The status bar could only simulate Lu Su’s own performance; it could not predict the outcome of the race. Yet, it had provided him with this ominous prompt: 'You will be struck by Chen Tianfu in lane six during the start, causing you to lose speed and finish far below your usual performance.'

Lu Su had run the simulation several times. Regardless of the techniques he employed, he could not avoid the accident. Therefore, it was not an accident.

It was an act of malice. Was this Li Yan’s doing? Orchestrating a collision to ruin Lu Su’s performance? It was truly insidious. Lu Su could only watch it unfold; he could hardly "break Chen Tianfu’s legs" before the race started, or he would be disqualified himself.

So, Lu Su focused all his attention on readjusting his form. But he was already trailing Pan Kai by nearly three strides. It took Lu Su forty-two strides to complete the 100 meters, and since Pan Kai shared his height, stride frequency, and length, how could he possibly make up for three strides?

Lu Su activated his first "Burst."

Being hindered at the start meant the advantage gained from "Momentum" was shattered. Combined with the time spent regaining his balance, Lu Su had effectively started with a 0.5-second disadvantage. He had simulated various responses in his status bar and knew that only a "Burst" could save his result at this moment.

Lu Su’s stride frequency surged instantly. The "Glass Crown" fine-tuned his balance and posture. Because he had triggered the "Burst" prematurely, he would enter the "Meteor" state earlier, which meant he would also hit the point of exhaustion sooner. Pan Kai was fast; in a fair race, Lu Su would have had to push himself to the limit to win. How much harder would it be now, after the interference from Chen Tianfu?

...

The first 30 meters passed in a blur. Pan Kai remained in the lead. He hadn't noticed the collision; he didn't have the energy to focus on anything outside his own lane. In lane four, Pan Kai simply felt that the pressure from Lu Su wasn't as intense as expected.

Pan Kai was a veteran. While he hadn't reached the ultimate level where a single handshake could gauge an opponent's capability, his body could immediately sense where the pressure was coming from once the race began. At the start, the pressure from his right side was negligible—not even as intense as Gong Wei’s presence on his left. This surprised him, but he had no time to ponder it. Every sprinter’s energy was entirely consumed by their own body and the track ahead.

...

As they reached the end of the first 30 meters, Pan Kai completed his acceleration and entered his cruising phase. Suddenly, an illogical surge of pressure rolled in from his right.

When that shadow appeared in the periphery of his vision, he saw Lu Su—head high, chest out—having clearly reached his peak acceleration earlier than expected. His strides were like shooting stars; he was coming from behind to take the lead, pulling level with Pan Kai in an instant, and then surging ahead.

How... how was this possible?! Pan Kai was horrified.

...

"...We see that Lu Su had some trouble at the start, but his acceleration is fast—very fast, incredibly fast!" the commentator’s voice rose involuntarily. He was witnessing a spectacle: while every other runner in the 100-meter final was hunched over, accelerating forward, Lu Su’s pace was faster. He had not only closed the gap but was the first to lift his head, driving forward.

There was no time for the host and the experts to discuss why Lu Su had slowed so strangely at the start only to accelerate so suddenly. The commentator simply described the thrilling race as he saw it.

"...Lu Su remains in the lead, but Pan Kai in lane four is in hot pursuit. Lu Su’s lead is widening now, and his unique running style has appeared earlier in the race than ever before..."

"...Pan Kai and Gong Wei are chasing hard. Lu Su’s speed seems to be dropping in the final stage; his lead is in danger! Pan Kai is shoulder-to-shoulder with him now. It’s down to the two of them fighting for victory!"

"Go, Lu Su! Go, Lu Su!"

Seeing the intensity of the duel, the commentator abandoned any pretense of neutrality and shouted for his provincial runner.

"Lu Su and Pan Kai cross the finish line neck and neck! It’s almost impossible to tell with the naked eye who won!" The commentator’s voice remained filled with awe. "So, who is the winner? Who will claim victory in this pivotal race that could well decide the top sprinter in the country!"

Not just the spectators at the stadium, but everyone watching on television held their breath. Indeed, who had won?

If the commentator had added, "Find out after these commercials," the viewers might have metaphorically torn his house down. But this was a provincial station, and they wouldn't dare.

Soon, the results appeared. The electronic scoreboard at the stadium displayed the times for the 100-meter final:

'Lu Su, 10.10 seconds.
Pan Kai, 10.13 seconds.
Gong Wei, 10.20 seconds.
Tian Shiwei, 10.32 seconds.
...
Chen Tianfu, 11.50 seconds.'