Chapter Seventy-Five: Hero

Just two hundred meters. Only a few dozen seconds of competition. Yuki Kenshi’s unexpected surge even outpaced his own teammate, the hot favorite Fujimitsu Masafumi. Though the television commentator exclaimed in surprise, there was no time for deeper analysis.

All he could say was, “We’re seeing the Japanese athlete in lane five, Yuki Kenshi, running extremely fast—he’s currently in the lead…”

At that moment, only half of the 120-meter curve had passed. Yuki Kenshi’s wealth of experience in major competitions made him immediately sense pressure from his right, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mainland athlete in lane six catching up.

Excellent.

He’s fallen for it.

Before the commentator could finish his previous sentence, he quickly noticed the domestic athlete, Lu Suo, in lane six closing in on Yuki Kenshi, and instantly switched: “Lu Suo from our country is closely following Yuki Kenshi’s pace, showing great determination…”

“Oh no,” the expert on the broadcast interjected, “Lu Suo is running too fast.”

Too fast—is that a problem?

The commentator wanted to ask, but there was no time. Changes were afoot on the two-hundred-meter track.

In the span of a few sentences, the curve was over.

When the bend hadn’t finished, Yuki Kenshi and Lu Suo were almost shoulder to shoulder, leading the pack. But as the curve ended, inexplicably, both fell behind. Instead, Fujimitsu Masafumi in lane four surged ahead, leading by a body length as he exited the bend and entered the straight.

…

The outcome seemed decided.

Tsuchie Hiroshi observed that Yuki Kenshi had employed a front-running tactic, pulling along the athletes in lanes six, seven, eight, and nine—all forward—and even disrupting the acceleration of lanes three and two. It was a successful strategy, throwing the rhythm of these competitors into disarray.

Although there weren’t many strong contenders in this race, caution dictated the use of tactics: sacrificing a silver medal to guarantee a gold. Now, the opponents had spent energy at the wrong moment, allowing Fujimitsu Masafumi, who had trained for this strategy, to maintain a steady and unique rhythm.

Victory was assured.

…

Ah~~~

Dong Zijian watched as Lu Suo followed Yuki Kenshi’s sudden acceleration, involuntarily sighing—Lu Suo was out of his usual rhythm, thrown off.

Li Yan frowned, seeing the same problem. The Japanese team had two athletes in the finals, both top performers, and still chose to sacrifice one for interference tactics. This was beyond Li Yan’s expectations.

Such cautious Japanese…

The curve was over.

Lu Suo began to fall behind.

Dong Zijian’s sigh turned into a resigned breath.

The tide of the race shifted in an instant—was this the end?

“Lu Suo’s technique may change again on the straight,” Li Yan said, his voice tinged with tension. After all, no one could predict the outcome, and Lu Suo was still at a disadvantage. It was almost as if they were waiting for a miraculous comeback.

Dong Zijian didn’t have time to respond.

Change.

Was there any change left?

…

Live on the broadcast—

“Fujimitsu Masafumi from Japan has come from behind and overtaken the other athletes. The race is now entering the straight, and Lu Suo from our country seems to have little chance… Wait—”

The commentator’s words fired out like a machine gun—dozens, even hundreds, in just ten seconds, with emotions shifting and turning. Now, another dramatic turn.

Because on the track, the mainland athlete Lu Suo in lane six, as he entered the straight, suddenly accelerated with striking clarity.

Lu Suo’s stride frequency increased at an almost impossible rate; with a few giant steps, he caught up with the Japanese athlete Fujimitsu Masafumi, who had previously held at least a body-length lead. Then, Lu Suo locked into this powerful rhythm: step after step, four, five…

Eighty meters of straight, just over thirty strides.

In that moment, on this short stretch, Lu Suo ran with a style that could only be described as ‘leaping’—each step forcefully propelling him forward, every stride poured with all his strength. He overtook Fujimitsu Masafumi and firmly held the lead.

Fujimitsu Masafumi chased desperately. In competition, he rarely found himself in pursuit—and now, he couldn’t catch up? The figure before him seemed to fly, always out of reach, no matter how fiercely he tried!

…

Tsuchie Hiroshi, who had assumed the outcome was settled, suddenly jumped up, knocking over his own chair.

Impossible!

This makes no sense!

How could someone sprint like this on the straight? How could there be so much energy left? How could he maintain such stride length and frequency?

Tsuchie Hiroshi didn’t know what to say or do—there wasn’t enough time to react. He could only stare as the flying figure raced ahead, while his prized pupil struggled behind in pursuit.

But clearly, he couldn’t catch up.

…

“Ah ah ah—!”

Dong Zijian’s sighs turned into a gasp of amazement, and the involuntary sound grew louder and louder. As Lu Suo held his lead, Dong Zijian was nearly shouting.

…

Dong Zijian wasn’t the only one shouting.

The entire East Qing Stadium was shouting.

When Lu Suo briefly fell behind on the curve, the crowd’s encouragement swelled, growing louder and louder. Initially, they called out “Go Lu Suo!” but when he entered the straight and visibly changed his stride, making a few giant leaps to catch up with the Japanese athlete, the sound exploded.

Tens of thousands of spectators seemed caught in a fever dream.

Lu Suo’s steps couldn’t be heard, but in their ears, it sounded like thunderous war drums.

Boom, boom, boom—

Catch up, catch up, surpass, surpass, lead, lead, lead, lead, lead…

Watching Lu Suo overtake and extend his lead, step after step—

Every throat erupted.

They shouted unconsciously, waving flags, flowers, hats, anything at hand, cheering Lu Suo on.

Amid these thunderous cries, Lu Suo lowered his head and crossed the two-hundred-meter finish line first.

The stadium exploded.

Countless people shouted at the top of their lungs, even more jumped with excitement, some hugged each other.

This victory was wholly unexpected, so when it arrived, the joy was all the more intense.

“Ah ah ah ah!”

“We won, we won, we won, we won, we won, we won!”

“We won!”

“We got the gold medal!”

…

On the live broadcast, the commentator’s words came in a torrent, as fierce as a storm:

“We see Lu Suo taking the lead, holding the lead, always leading—he’s approaching the line! Ah! Lu Suo crosses the finish first! Gold medal! Our country has won the two-hundred-meter gold at the East Qing Games for the first time in history!

Congratulations to Lu Suo for breaking the streak since 1993—our country’s first gold in the two-hundred meters at the East Asian Youth Games! Congratulations, Lu Suo, you are a hero—today, you are the hero of this track, this city, this nation!”