Chapter 134: Consecutive Victories

As Lu Suo stepped down from the podium, Li Yan was huddled in the athlete’s tunnel, gasping for air. He was curled up, immobile, looking like a beaten cur. When a security guard approached to ask if something was wrong, Dong Zijian didn't know how to respond, but Li Yan managed to squeeze out the words, "It's nothing, just a stomachache."

The security guard offered to take Li Yan to the medical room inside the venue, but Li Yan waved him off, signaling that he only needed a moment to rest.

Several minutes passed.

Only then did Li Yan recover enough to sit up against the wall, his legs splayed, hair disheveled, and forehead slick with sweat. The calm, composed demeanor he usually maintained was entirely gone.

"You don't want to call the police, and you don't want to go to the hospital?" Dong Zijian asked in a low voice.

Li Yan shook his head, lamenting, "If it had been Lu Suo who hit me, that would have been perfect..."

"At a time like this, you’re still... why?" Dong Zijian could not fathom the workings of Li Yan’s mind.

"Then I would have leverage over him—misconduct, assaulting a national team coach. If he didn't listen to me, I could have him banned from competition." Li Yan stood up with Dong Zijian’s support, his legs still trembling; the severity of Lu Jinrong’s kick was evident. "But if his coach hit me, the impact on him isn't as direct. Public opinion would instead start asking why Lu Jinrong hit me... that’s troublesome." Li Yan tried to take a few steps, still in pain. "We need to go to a hospital; don't get treated here."

*Because it might lead to uncovering what you did to Lu Suo, right?* Dong Zijian couldn't help but admire Li Yan’s ability to remain coldly logical and calculating even in such a moment.

...

Lu Suo walked off the podium and saw Lu Jinrong. They shared a brief hug, with no time for idle chatter, as the 400-meter final was only an hour away.

"Is your leg injured?" Lu Jinrong noticed Lu Suo’s gait was slightly unnatural.

"It’s not as bad as it was at the East Asian Games," Lu Suo said, trusting his own intuition.

"Then you can't run the 400-meter final!" Lu Jinrong decided.

"Coach!" Lu Suo grabbed Lu Jinrong’s arm. "Give me a nerve block."

A nerve block was a local analgesic treatment; many athletes used them to compete when physically compromised.

"There's no need!" Lu Jinrong shook his head. "You still have the 200-meter tomorrow and the 4x100-meter relay the day after. It’s not worth it for the 400-meter final. If you sustain a more serious injury, the loss will outweigh the gain!"

Indeed, a nerve block would numb the athlete’s nerves, making the body susceptible to further, more severe damage without the athlete feeling it.

"I’m sure I can do it, Coach!" Lu Suo’s gaze was resolute. He planned to wear the "Glass Crown" for the 400-meter run; it would give him better control over his physical state and prevent the injury from worsening.

Lu Jinrong and Lu Suo locked eyes for a few seconds. If it had been any other athlete on the team, Lu Jinrong would have forced them to withdraw and rest long ago. But Lu Suo was different; he had always maintained powerful self-discipline and self-awareness. Whatever Lu Suo promised, he had never failed to deliver.

"...Alright." Lu Jinrong nodded helplessly. "If you can't hold on, don't force it. A single 400-meter race isn't that important."

"Understood!" Lu Suo nodded.

...

The 100-meter sprint had just concluded.

The audience was still savoring the aftermath of the race. Some recalled the congratulatory newspaper advertisement that had run for three consecutive days; the prophecy had indeed come true. It was a pity, however, that the final result only "equaled" the National Games record rather than "breaking" it.

Soon, the audience heard the broadcast announcing the upcoming 400-meter final, followed immediately by a name they were now very familiar with: Nanyue Province athlete, Lu Suo.

"Running the 400-meter right after the 100-meter?" the crowd murmured. "Isn't that pushing it too hard?"

*Is Big Brother hurt?* Although she was far away, Lu Xiaoyu felt something was off with Lu Suo.

...

The provincial television station’s original broadcast schedule did not include the 400-meter final, as it overlapped with the diving semifinals. However, the schedule was temporarily adjusted after Lu Suo won the 100-meter title.

First, viewers had called in requesting more coverage of Lu Suo’s races. Second, the diving event had been delayed by an hour—enough time to broadcast the 400-meter final. Consequently, the track and field expert who was about to leave was pulled back for overtime.

"The 400-meter final is about to begin. By popular demand, we will be broadcasting this race. Viewers want to see more of Lu Suo, and I can understand that sentiment, as I have become a fan of his myself," the host said with a smile.

"Indeed, his victory earlier was brilliant. Although Lu Suo encountered some 'accidents' at the start of the 100-meter, it was precisely those 'accidents' that proved his dominance in the domestic 100-meter event," the expert added.

"The word 'dominance' is quite interesting. After all, before this, everyone thought Pan Kai was the best in the country. Lu Suo has beaten Pan Kai once, but surely there isn't a tier-level gap between them?" The host added a clarification: "I mean, in future races, they could trade wins."

"If a race where you can overcome a slow start to reach the finish line 0.03 seconds ahead of your opponent isn't considered a 'dominance-level' gap, then everyone might as well just roll dice to decide the winner of the 100-meter," the expert said with a smile, his tone firm.

"It seems you are very high on Lu Suo," the host noted.

"Personally, I believe this was an overwhelming victory for Lu Suo. For a long time to come, it will be difficult for Pan Kai to bridge this gap in strength. Considering their ages, I fear the crown of the best 100-meter runner in the country has already settled on Lu Suo’s head," the expert said.

"Then we must congratulate Lu Suo. Alright, the 400-meter final is about to begin. We see our familiar friend, Lu Suo, standing in lane three, which proves his outstanding performance in the preliminaries..."

...

Lu Suo checked his stamina. 74/100—not bad.

During the 100-meter race, he had used "Burst" at the start, combined with "Acceleration" to enter the "Meteor" state early. That had consumed a vast amount of stamina, though he had regained quite a bit by using the "Little White Horse" title for self-hypnosis.

"You going to be alright?" Xiao Qiang’s voice drifted over.

Lu Suo was in lane three, Xiao Qiang in lane four. In the 400-meter event, they were the two standing at the peak nationwide. Of course, Yang Lei in lane five from Sichuan and Liu Liangyu in lane six from Shanghai also possessed the ability to run under 46.50 seconds and were strong contenders.

"I’m doing just fine," Lu Suo replied to Xiao Qiang with a smile.

...

*Bang!*

The gun fired.

The athletes in all eight lanes started simultaneously.

To many who had been watching Lu Suo for a long time, or those who had just become fans because of his performance, this evening of January 18th at the Galaxy Sports Center, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, would perhaps be remembered as the "Lu Suo Moment."

Because after winning the gold medal in the 100-meter final, Lu Suo had also won the 400-meter title with a time of 46.15 seconds!

There was only one way to describe Lu Suo this evening: he was on a rampage.