Chapter 31: Why do my eyes often brim with tears? Because I love this land so deeply.

In just a few dozen seconds, the foreign coaches had been caught off guard. Wang Xiaoming’s performance had surged so dramatically that he had already climbed to third place!

"How is this possible? Impossible, absolutely impossible!" They couldn't believe what they were seeing. They understood exactly what Wang Xiaoming was doing in the water: he was swimming while holding his breath! In a race that demanded such extreme physical exertion, refusing to come up for air was madness. Weren't you afraid of suffering a shock from oxygen deprivation?

Yet, Wang Xiaoming seemed entirely unconcerned. After overtaking the third-place swimmer, he kept his head buried, showing no sign of surfacing for a breath. He just pushed forward, his arms flailing frantically, closing the gap between him and the leaders. The sight was deeply moving, stirring the crowd.

The CCTV commentator was shouting wildly. "This frantic move by Wang Xiaoming shows us that he hasn't reached his limit yet! No one expected him to have such a trump card up his sleeve! It is awe-inspiring, it makes one's blood boil!"

No one had anticipated this. It was a strategy never seen before in their competitions. Many in the audience who understood swimming felt their hearts tighten for him. What Wang Xiaoming was doing looked heroic, but what would happen later? He couldn't keep this up forever. When his energy finally bottomed out, what then? Everyone harbored this doubt, but no one dared to question him. All they could do was cheer for him from the bottom of their hearts.

The foreign spectators who had been jeering so loudly before were now pale with fear. By this logic, was Wang Xiaoming actually going to take first place? Soon, however, some foreign "experts" appeared in the live chat to steady the nerves.

"Don't worry everyone, this Chinese athlete has reached his limit. Swimming like this, he definitely won't last much longer!"
"Exactly, trust me, I'm a swimming enthusiast. People like us only hold our breath for two or three seconds to get a burst of speed! Swimming recklessly like he is, he’ll be exhausted in no time!"
"Hahaha, exhaustion is good. I hope he passes out in the pool so no one can compete with us for the gold!"
"To the guy above, while we don't want the Chinese athlete to win, isn't that a bit too cruel?"
"Let me check his ID... oh, it's a Japanese fan!"
"Hey, isn't your team already destined for eighth place? What right do you have to speak here?"

Viewers across the internet were waiting for the moment Wang Xiaoming would collapse. Since they didn't know when that would be, they could only watch the screen in silence.

The atmosphere at the venue had shifted from frantic cheering to tense silence. Everyone gripped their fists, eyes locked on the pool. Every second, the situation on the track shifted in the blink of an eye. No one dared to look away.

"Wang Xiaoming is still accelerating, he is still holding his breath! Could this be his ultimate move?"
"It's incredible! Wang Xiaoming's stamina has once again overturned everything we thought we knew!"
"It’s been a full 87 seconds since he started holding his breath, and his speed is actually increasing instead of dropping. It's unbelievable!"

Generally speaking, even for a seasoned swimmer, holding one's breath for a minute is an impressive feat. To do it under such intense physical strain and pressure was unheard of. Wang Xiaoming had not taken a breath for two full minutes! After a 50-meter turn, relying on a burst of explosive power, he kicked off the wall and instantly overtook the second-place swimmer!

"It's happening! The signature underwater overtake that belongs only to Wang Xiaoming!"
"Nobody can replicate this!"
"Wang Xiaoming has moved into second place! My god, second place!"
"Wang Xiaoming has secured the silver! He has secured the silver!"
"Two hundred meters left! Only the final two hundred meters! Will Wang Xiaoming create a miracle?"

The CCTV commentator’s voice was raspy and broken, but no one blamed him. Anyone in his position would be just as moved. They were about to witness a miracle.

However, to Coach Wang Mu, seeing Wang Xiaoming still holding his breath was heart-wrenching. "This is bad, this is bad! The kid is throwing his life away!" Coach Wang Mu pounded his fist repeatedly. Looking at Wang Xiaoming fighting for his life in the pool, he wished he could stop the race right then and there.

"What's wrong, Coach? Brother Ming is giving it his all; we should cheer for him!" Pan Zhanle said.

"Cheer? You want to cheer? Cheer until he loses his life?" If Wang Mu had previously seen Wang Xiaoming as just a talented young swimmer, at this moment, his image had been elevated. He was a hero who would sacrifice his life for the glory of his country! A lonely, heroic figure.

"He's not considering his physical state at all!" Wang Mu’s voice trembled. "He is pushing his body's potential to the limit, holding his breath, accelerating, burning through his stamina recklessly! Even if he lasts until the end, even if he wins the gold... so what? Can this gold medal compensate for the permanent physical damage he’s inflicting on himself?"

Wang Mu spoke with a mix of heartache and anger. Pushing one's body to this extent was powerful, but once the adrenaline faded, the body would collapse like a deflated balloon. If he recovered well, he might be fine in a few days. But if not, he could suffer shock or even lifelong complications.

Hearing the coach's words, the other swimmers froze. They hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. Suddenly, everyone's eyes grew red. Was it really necessary to go this far?

The Chinese spectators nearby heard Coach Wang Mu’s words, and the cheering died down, replaced by a lump in their throats. They took out their phones and posted what the coach had said online. As they typed, tears began to fall onto their screens.

"Why are there always tears in my eyes? Because I love this land so deeply."