Chapter 156: The Asian Flying Man
Zhang Qiyang's words left Peng Liang and the others completely dumbfounded.
A full second passed before everyone broke into wry smiles, thinking Zhang Qiyang was just joking around.
With a laugh that was neither happy nor sad, Peng Liang said, "Master Pao, haven't you figured out the situation yet? The last person they left on the track isn't that annoying mosquito—it's Lu Kai! Lu Kai, the Asian Flying Man!"
Bai Xinhong chimed in, "Not to mention Lu Kai, they also have a three-meter lead! Master Pao, how on earth do you plan to win against that?"
Zhang Qiyang pointed at his own long legs and said, "I'll win with my legs, of course. Did you think I was going to win with my mouth?"
Zhang Qiyang's remark left the members of the guest team speechless, save for helpless, bitter smiles.
For a fleeting moment, they seemed to see a literal halo of mental deficiency radiating from Zhang Qiyang...
This young master was a genius at mental arithmetic, a genius in the realm of music, and probably a genius in many other fields.
Yet geniuses often had their flaws.
Was the missing piece for Master Pao simply a screw loose in his head?
No wonder Wang Dachong was always scolding him for being an idiot... It seemed like... sometimes... he really was quite an idiot!
The towering, magnificent image Zhang Qiyang had just established instantly collapsed in the minds of Peng Liang and the others, shrinking by a good few inches.
Not one of them could believe that Zhang Qiyang in a footrace could possibly outperform the Asian Flying Man, Lu Kai!
Li Xuan and Zhao Lijing, the ones most inclined to believe in Zhang Qiyang, were also left utterly helpless upon hearing him speak this way.
Li Xuan smacked her lips at least three times, wanting to say something to remind Zhang Qiyang, but the words failed her at the tip of her tongue. She could only muster a silent sigh.
Faced with such an inscrutable and bizarre genius, she decided that saying less was practically a victory.
Zhao Lijing looked from Zhang Qiyang to Lu Kai, who was over there warming up. Even if she turned her brain inside out, she couldn't imagine Zhang Qiyang defeating Lu Kai!
Just look at Lu Kai's thick, muscular thighs—their circumference was almost as wide as a woman's waist!
His loose sweatpants were actually stretched tight by the sheer bulk of his thighs. Legs like those were simply invincible on the sprinting track!
At this moment, Lu Kai had rolled his trouser legs up above his knees, revealing a pair of lean, dark, and sinewy calves.
The muscles on his lower legs were as solid as bricks, with thick, coiled veins snaking across them like earthworms, making anyone who looked at them break out in goosebumps!
Having retired for two years, Lu Kai had not completely given up training.
After all, he was only twenty-seven years old and had not yet completely passed his athletic prime.
Perhaps one day, he could step onto the track and field arena once again?
Although that possibility was minuscule, the Asian Flying Man, who had been accustomed to sprint training since his youth, had maintained a certain level of training ever since recovering from his injuries.
Exercise and fitness breed confidence. At this moment, Lu Kai was in peak physical condition, and standing on the runway, his self-assurance was overflowing!
The outcome of this round now seemed completely devoid of suspense.
The only thing anyone cared about was just how many meters the Asian Flying Man, Lu Kai, would be able to run!
Sophie fawned and egged Lu Kai on: "Brother Kai, you're the national record holder and the Asian Flying Man. You've got to aim for at least thirty-five meters right off the bat to blow everyone away!"
Wang Dawei chimed in mischievously: "There's no need to push it that hard. Twenty-five meters and we're guaranteed a win. Kaikai, just go for twenty-five."
Feng Sheng looked like he was about to die of exasperation from Wang Dawei. Wrapping a thick arm around Wang Dawei's neck, he chuckled and spat, "Shut your mouth!"
Everyone burst out laughing at Wang Dawei's antics.
Naturally, Lu Kai was not affected.
He knew his own limits and said, "I'll start with thirty-three first. Running on a semi-slope like this makes every single step extremely difficult. I'll secure thirty-three first, and then challenge myself to go further."
When the staff saw that Lu Kai was only aiming for thirty-three, they felt it wasn't thrilling enough. Feng Sheng and Lü Cheng had already run thirty-one meters, and as the Asian Flying Man, you're only going for thirty-three? No matter what, you should start at thirty-five just like Sophie suggested!
Little did these people know just how difficult it was to make further progress after surpassing one's limits!
The effort required for a challenger to improve by even half a meter beyond their limits might be several times greater than all the previous efforts combined!
People like Lü Cheng and Feng Sheng possessed already extraordinary physical fitness, yet even pushing themselves to the absolute brink, they could only manage thirty-one meters.
For Lu Kai to step up and aim for thirty-three straight away—surpassing that mark by a full two meters—was already no small challenge!
After all, this game also involved running uphill and turning around; it wasn't like a standard straight-line sprint where you could just run recklessly.
Running wildly in a game like this meant safety had to be taken into consideration.
Regardless of what others thought, Lu Kai decided to go for thirty-three in his first round anyway.
Standing at the starting line, much like a long-jump or high-jump star in a stadium, Lu Kai raised both arms high and began a rhythmic clap, signaling everyone to applaud along with his beat.
The artists and staff at the scene were full of anticipation for Lu Kai's challenge and eagerly clapped along in rhythm with him.
Encouraged by everyone's applause, Lu Kai tugged at his trouser legs once more to ensure the baggy fabric wouldn't catch the wind and get in his way.
Then, he bounced lightly behind the starting line.
With a spring-like lightness, a single effortless hop of his took him much higher than an ordinary person could ever jump.
It was clear that Lu Kai's physical condition today was exceptionally superb.
His fighting spirit was also fully charged!
In this battle, he had to crush Zhang Qiyang!
He wanted Zhang Qiyang to understand that on this track, he, Lu Kai, was the undisputed king!
Lowering his head slightly, a gleam of absolute determination flashing in his eyes, Lu Kai assumed a powerful, panther-like starting stance.
The applause had not yet died down, but many people were already holding their breath, palpable to the lethal, murderous aura radiating from Lu Kai as he prepared to run!
The mere posture Lu Kai struck was enough to make people realize the vast difference between a professional athlete and an ordinary person.
Many could hardly wait to watch Lu Kai trample the arena!
Lu Kai did not keep them waiting long. Once set, he took a deep breath, slammed his foot down hard on the starting button, and the split second before the distant large ball burst out of the goal frame, he darted forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, moving at an unbelievable speed!
In that instant, the cameras could barely keep up with Lu Kai's figure!
Everyone's necks whipped back and forth in rapid succession, desperately tracking Lu Kai as he sprinted forward like an arrow.
This speed was unmistakably much faster than both Lü Cheng and Feng Sheng!
It felt like mere fraction of a second before Lu Kai was already charging up the slope!
At this point, the massive ball was still quite a distance away from him!
Out of concern for safety, once he was on the slope, Lu Kai gradually slowed down, reaching the thirty-three-meter mark with what was practically a semi-braking motion, effortlessly pulling the flag and turning around to run back.
Even when the giant ball came closest to him, it was still more than a meter away.
Even Lu Kai himself hadn't expected this distance to be so effortless for him!
Perhaps it was because the giant ball bounced out too slowly that he was able to pull the flag with such ease.
Yet his ferocious, high-speed dash delivered a shocking impact to everyone present!
True to his name, the Asian Flying Man was extraordinary!
On the running track, he was simply invincible!