Chapter 39: The Final Sprint and an Unexpected Outcome

"Go for it!"
"Lu Yuquan, go for it!"
"Class Three, go for it!"
The waves of encouragement rang out one after another, spurring the runners to push past their limits, to surpass those ahead, and to charge toward the finish line.

Yet the gap in ability proved an insurmountable barrier; in the end, Lu Yuquan from Class Two—last time’s champion in the junior division—once again claimed first place in the heats with overwhelming superiority. The other finalist was a student from Class Five.

With the first group finished, the second race began immediately. Zhou Xuan hurried to the starting line to prepare.

By coincidence, Zhou Xuan was in lane seven, with Wang Wen from Class One right beside him in lane eight.

"I heard you’re planning to keep me out of the finals?" Zhou Xuan eyed Wang Wen with a look of disdain.

Wang Wen hadn’t expected Zhou Xuan to speak to him at this moment, nor to be aware of their plot. Still, he paid no mind. He would show Zhou Xuan the true meaning of the word 'gap' with his undeniable strength.

"Zhou Xuan, I know who you are." Wang Wen, at fifteen, already stood at one meter eighty—a remarkable height for his age. Zhou Xuan was just over one seventy, coming up short next to Wang Wen. Wang Wen looked down with a smug grin. "You may be good at academics, but if you want to race me in running, you’ve picked the wrong event. Sprinting isn’t something you can master in a month. With that scrawny frame of yours, I’d say don’t bother."

Indeed, Zhou Xuan had been a rather slender youth. Although he had trained for over a month, compared to someone like Wang Wen, he was still a tier below in both height and build.

"Heh! Since you know me, you should know how I climbed from 250th place to first in the grade at the midterms in just a month. I don’t fight battles I’m unsure of. First place today is already mine."

Wang Wen couldn’t help feeling uneasy, recalling how Zhou Xuan had blazed like a dark horse through the past month, dazzling the entire junior high. But now, there was no turning back. "Anyone can talk big, Zhou Xuan. You think you’re truly all-round? If you get humiliated in front of the school beauty later, don’t blame us—you simply weren’t good enough."

Zhou Xuan glanced at Liu Yixue and the others watching from the sidelines. "We’ll see who’s humiliated."

"Hmph!"

Just then, the whistle for readiness sounded. "Second group, get ready."

"On your marks... chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp..."

The second heat of the boys’ 100-meter dash began.

Students flooded over to watch, leaving other events deserted and their athletes and teachers speechless.

Most of the students crowded both sides of the 100-meter track, held back only by ropes—otherwise, they might have surged onto the lanes. Those not tall enough craned on tiptoes, straining for a view of Zhou Xuan and his rivals.

Confident in his speed, Zhou Xuan did not unleash his full power, instead sticking close behind Wang Wen, trailing by only half a body.

Wang Wen was startled to find Zhou Xuan so close behind; he hadn’t expected such strength. Zhou Xuan seemed just a hair weaker.

With Zhou Xuan right behind, it would depend on the others. Only if they overtook Zhou Xuan before the finish could they keep him out of the finals.

Fortunately, during their earlier discussion, Wang Wen had learned that the other two competitors were nearly his equals. For a hundred yuan, they’d surely give their all.

Spectators saw Zhou Xuan right on Wang Wen’s heels, and the cheers grew louder.

"Go, Zhou Xuan! Go, Zhou Xuan!"

Not only Zhou Xuan’s classmates from Class Six, but even girls from other classes cheered him on, leaving the other students at a loss.

"Look! Zhou Xuan is in second place!" Yu Xiaoling called out.

Liu Yixue hadn’t expected Zhou Xuan to be so fast. At this rate, he’d surely make the finals—and at that thought, she relaxed; she’d been afraid he’d join and not even make the final round.

"Oh no, they’re speeding up—Zhou Xuan’s in fourth!" Suddenly, the race turned.

With fifty meters left, the previously matched runners suddenly shifted gears. Wang Wen and two others just behind Zhou Xuan surged forward, overtaking him in a flash and tearing toward the finish.

They had all held back until now, catching Zhou Xuan off guard with their sudden burst.

Zhou Xuan dropped from second to fourth place in a heartbeat, now a body length behind third.

"Damn! Zhou Xuan’s been overtaken—he’s in fourth now!"

"So sneaky. They held back at first to lull Zhou Xuan, then accelerated all at once—he was powerless to stop them."

"Yeah! Look at him straining to catch up, but he just can’t."

"Only twenty meters left."

"It’s over. Zhou Xuan’s out of the running."

"Ha! I told you Zhou Xuan running the 100 meters was overestimating himself, but you wouldn’t listen!"

"Honestly, Zhou Xuan didn’t pull off a miracle today. What a waste of time."

Just as everyone was certain Zhou Xuan would be eliminated, Li Yunxi, the PE teacher acting as referee, burst out laughing. "Ha! That Zhou Xuan! How entertaining! Always showing off!"

He knew Zhou Xuan’s true capability—this performance was all for show.

Sure enough, when Wang Wen and the others thought victory was in their grasp, with only ten meters left, Zhou Xuan accelerated.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Xuan muttered, "It’s time to end this."

As classmates outside the track sighed in disappointment, Zhou Xuan and the frontrunners all burst into a final sprint.

But against Zhou Xuan’s speed, Wang Wen and the others were like trucks facing a supercar—instantly left in the dust.

Zhou Xuan shot past third place, second, and then Wang Wen himself, leaving them all far behind.

At the finish, the teacher barely glimpsed a shadow streaking by before reflexively pressing the stopwatch to record the result.

Wang Wen and the others, arriving at the finish, were stunned—never expecting such an outcome.

With ten meters to go, they had believed victory was theirs. The two hundred yuan prize was as good as in their hands—until, suddenly, it slipped away.

Nothing is more crushing than this, they thought.

Seeing Zhou Xuan again, their gazes had changed. They’d been played—Zhou Xuan’s speed could annihilate them. He’d paced them for ninety meters, then in the final ten, shattered their hopes just as the finish line drew near.

"Wow..."

The entire field erupted in excitement. The race could not have been more dramatic.

The ending caught everyone off guard—Zhou Xuan had fooled them all.