Chapter Thirty-Five: Tactical Sprint

While sparks were flying between Lu Suo, Tian Shiwei, and the athletes of the Yangcheng team, the results of the first group of the 100m semifinals at the Provincial Games had already been decided. Wang Peng and Xu Taiming from the Pengcheng team were eliminated, while the first to cross the finish line was Xu Zhiqiang from the Yangcheng team, with a time of 10.64 seconds.

An impressive result indeed—Yangcheng truly lived up to its reputation as a powerhouse.

...

Second group of the 100m semifinals at the Provincial Games.

As the eight athletes stood at the starting line, you could see from their name tags that four were from “Yangcheng City Team,” two from “Pengcheng City Team,” and only two others from different cities, highlighting the dominance of Yangcheng and Pengcheng in provincial sprinting.

Four years ago, at the previous South Guangdong Provincial Games, there were even more athletes from the Yangcheng City Team on the semifinal track. Though South Guangdong lagged behind nationally in track sprinting, Yangcheng stood head and shoulders above the rest—until Lu Jinrong began rebuilding the Pengcheng provincial team.

When it came to sprinting, Lu Jinrong looked down on Yangcheng. His ambitions were always set on the national stage, the Asian Games, even the Olympics. But as a team often overlooked, Yangcheng had no reason to accommodate such lofty aspirations. And so, wasn’t it only natural that the two teams almost came to blows?

Now, the semifinals were about to begin.

The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder.

The athletes from the two teams exchanged fiery glances, each gaze sparking with electricity.

Lu Suo and Tian Shiwei stood in lanes three and four. They scanned the field, then looked at each other, both seeing the burning desire to win reflected in the other’s eyes.

Their thoughts were perfectly aligned: “Our opponents aren’t just the Yangcheng crowd—it’s you, too. I’ll take you all down in one fell swoop!”

...

Bang!

The starter’s pistol fired.

Bang!

Someone had false-started.

As the eight athletes walked back, the referee pointed out lane three as the culprit.

Among athletes, a false start never leaves a good impression, but no one would openly fall out over it. After all, even the best stumble sometimes.

But seeing this dark-skinned kid from Pengcheng in lane three, not only unremorseful but even smiling a little, the others—especially the four from Yangcheng—were instantly irked.

A deliberate false start? Despicable!

Yet among the irritated, Tian Shiwei was not included. He simply grinned at Lu Suo, thinking, “Compared to two months ago, when this kid false-started four times, he’s much more restrained now.”

Of course, since official competition rules call for disqualification after two false starts, Lu Suo wouldn’t dare play his old “false start trick” at the Provincial Games.

A deliberate false start carries risks: succeed, and you gain an advantage; fail, and you sap your opponents’ energy and focus. That was Lu Suo’s strategy—a small trick, but with the risk of being expelled and losing a result altogether.

But Lu Suo was willing to take the risk.

...

Off the track.

When Lu Suo false-started, both Shen Peng and Lu Jinrong felt their hearts leap into their throats. Seeing how unfazed Lu Suo looked, they realized it was intentional.

“Was that your idea?” Shen Peng asked Lu Jinrong.

Lu Jinrong glanced at Shen Peng and simply replied with a noncommittal, “Ah.”

Shen Peng knew Lu Jinrong well enough to realize that meant the false start was purely Lu Suo’s improvisation.

“This kid is really something,” Shen Peng remarked, watching Lu Suo calmly return to the starting line, utterly unruffled. “He’s got nerves of steel.”

...

Bang!

The gun fired again.

Lu Suo lowered his head and surged forward. Among the eight, his start was comparatively slow, placing him mid-pack. By the thirty-meter mark, he was toward the back.

He raised his head, eyes fixed ahead, the edge of his vision gauging the positions of his rivals and his own situation. Not bad—not too slow off the blocks.

Right now, he was in fourth or fifth place.

Tian Shiwei beside him was a touch faster.

Arm swing, stride, arm swing, stride...

Entering the middle thirty meters, Lu Suo’s height and resulting stride advantage began to show. Among the eight forming a wavy line, Lu Suo’s position pierced forward like an awl, charging into the leading group. Tian Shiwei in lane four was making a similar surge.

Watching the two race, it was evident—their technique and stride characteristics were strikingly similar: both conserved energy for the mid-to-late section, both had long strides but slower turnover.

The Yangcheng athletes, shorter in stature, held the advantage for the first sixty meters. But after sixty meters, they were gradually caught.

They struggled to maintain their lead.

But among the eight lined up, the arrowhead at the center kept pressing forward.

...

Yangcheng sprint coach Li Yong frowned at the scene. As expected, these two kids from Pengcheng were faster than in the heats—a lot faster.

...

After the mid thirty meters, Tian Shiwei began to pull ahead of Lu Suo, closing in on the other competitors.

After all, whether in terms of visible stats or sprinting technique and experience, Tian Shiwei was miles ahead of Lu Suo. Once Tian Shiwei fired on all cylinders, the lead was inevitable.

But in the final thirty meters, the situation changed again.

Lu Suo, unreasonably, ramped up his stride frequency, instantly catching up to Tian Shiwei, who had already pulled a body length ahead.

From the corner of his eye, Tian Shiwei noticed a shadow closing in from the left. He immediately realized it was Lu Suo. This wasn’t the first time Lu Suo had challenged him like this—but this time, the assault was even more ferocious.

Ahhh...

Tian Shiwei screamed inwardly, pushing himself to accelerate.

On the other side, Lu Suo pressed even closer.

In the process of this chase, the two rapidly broke away from the rest. The four Yangcheng athletes watched in despair as the pair all but crossed the finish line side by side.

Whoosh!

The finish-line whistle.

The electronic scoreboard immediately displayed all the results.

Everyone looked up at the scoreboard.

The first and second places showed two outstanding results:

“Pengcheng City Team, Tian Shiwei, 10.68
Pengcheng City Team, Lu Suo, 10.74”

Seeing the time, Tian Shiwei punched the air in excitement. Not bad—he rarely broke 10.7, and his form was excellent today.

Tian Shiwei beamed at the Yangcheng sprinters. The previously cocky boys all avoided his gaze. On this field, winning was everything—losers had no right to sulk.

As for Lu Suo, he looked at the clock, then dropped his head and shook it, seemingly unsatisfied. He’d still lost to Tian Shiwei. Of course, he hadn’t played his trump card—reserved for the finals...

...

Pengcheng coach Lu Jinrong and Yangcheng coach Li Yong exchanged a few words after the race.

“10.6—ha!” Lu Jinrong said.

“That’s 10.68. Our Xu Zhiqiang was even faster: 10.64,” Li Yong replied.

“Those two kids weren’t even going all out,” Lu Jinrong said.

“And you think we were?” Li Yong retorted.

Further words were pointless. They’d settle it in the finals.

...

On the way back in the bus.

Lu Suo promptly fell asleep.

He didn’t wake until they arrived at the Pengcheng Sports Institute.

It was evening. After dinner, as Lu Suo was leaving the canteen, he suddenly sensed someone beside him. Turning, he saw it was Juno.

“You ran really well today. Why aren’t you happy?” Juno asked.

“So you heard,” Lu Suo replied. “I haven’t congratulated you yet for breaking the Provincial Games record.”

Yesterday, during the high jump team’s celebration for Juno, Lu Suo and Tian Shiwei hadn’t been able to speak with her—there were simply too many people around her.

“I came to thank you especially for that!” Juno giggled. “Without you, I could never have achieved such a great result.”

Indeed, Lu Suo’s advice had been the key to Juno’s breakthrough in such a short time. Without him, she might have done it eventually, but it would have taken much longer.

Lu Suo simply shook his head, as if to say it was nothing.

They walked side by side along the path in front of the canteen, growing increasingly secluded. As they neared a wall, Juno pressed close to Lu Suo. At one point, she even clung to his arm. Perhaps to avoid misunderstanding, she began telling him a vivid story:

“You know, I once ran into a ‘ghost’ here—scared me half to death! It was lying on the ground, just like a giant toad. Since then, I never walk this way alone.”

Hearing this, Lu Suo couldn’t help but give her a complicated look.

Then he changed the subject.

“Juno, what do you think an athlete must sacrifice to win?” Lu Suo asked.

“Blood, sweat, and tears,” Juno answered after a moment’s thought. “Sometimes, even if you give everything, you might not win. But if you give nothing, you’re sure to lose.”

“And what is it that you must never sacrifice for victory?” Lu Suo pressed.

That question was harder. Juno considered, then said, “Fairness, I guess. If the competition isn’t fair, then even if I win, I don’t want it.”

“Why not?” Lu Suo asked.

“It wouldn’t feel right. My heart wouldn’t be at peace,” Juno replied. “That’s a really interesting question, Old Lu. What about you? What would you give, and what wouldn’t you?”

“I just want to win. The meaning of ‘victory’—for you and for me—it’s not the same,” Lu Suo murmured, as if reaffirming his own conviction.