Chapter 32: Underhanded Maneuvers, Wang Xiaoming Faces Imminent Denunciation

In an instant, the video views for that viewer surged past 100,000. And the popularity continued to climb steadily. By now, more and more people had realized that Wang Xiaoming was willing to risk permanent damage to his body just to secure the gold medal. A heavy silence fell over the viewers behind their screens, until one person, unable to contain their emotions any longer, fiercely typed "Go Wang Xiaoming" into the public chat. In a flash, the screen was flooded with a blizzard of comments.

The CCTV commentator noticed this as well. Choked with emotion, he found himself unable to continue his commentary and was forced to temporarily suspend the broadcast.

Watching Wang Xiaoming, a viewer in front of his screen felt his own eyes grow moist. Wang Xiaoming reminded him of his younger self—back when he, too, had been full of spirit and ambition. He had been just a hair's breadth away from achieving a swimming grand slam, but due to external circumstances, he had been forced to retire in his prime. Now, looking at Wang Xiaoming’s desperate, all-out struggle, he wished with all his heart that Wang could fulfill the dream he had left unfinished.

"Go for it, friend! You can do it!"

Just then, his friend’s voice came from beside him. "Sun Yang, do you think Wang Xiaoming can win?"

Meanwhile, in a villa in the United States, a black man was staring intently at the 800m freestyle race on his screen. Seeing Wang Xiaoming move as if a god had descended to earth, he let out a cry of disbelief. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

At that moment, a woman in a sexy swimsuit walked in from the pool outside. She sat down directly on his lap, causing him to yelp. "Oh~~"

The woman teased him, saying, "Looks like this Chinese kid is going to steal the show in this race. At this rate, the 800m gold is China's. What a pity! If you were in there, you wouldn't let them be so arrogant."

Hearing her words, the fire in the man’s chest cooled significantly. His hands, which had been wandering restlessly over her, stopped. He pointed at Wang Xiaoming on the television and said, "You’ve reminded me—this guy must be cheating!"

"Cheating? Really? The Olympics are very strict, you know."

The man shook his head, saying nothing, and picked up his phone.

"What are you doing?" the woman asked.

"I'm going to report him," he replied coldly. "He must be on some kind of performance-enhancing drug."

Wang Xiaoming, of course, was unaware of everything happening outside the pool. With his "Xuanwu Stasis" skill activated, he felt that his current breath-holding state was no different from breathing normally. Although he wasn't using his nose, it seemed as if every pore in his body was participating in gas exchange. Because of this, he felt none of the discomfort associated with holding one's breath, let alone the risk of going into shock from physical exhaustion.

While the other swimmers grew increasingly drained, Wang Xiaoming only grew stronger as the race progressed. Everyone had assumed that his earlier burst of speed would have depleted his stamina, leaving him exhausted by now, but the reality was that Wang Xiaoming was still accelerating, closing the distance between himself and the leaders.

The distracted CCTV commentator noticed the situation on the track. Though shocked, he did not forget his duty. He quickly regained his composure, took a sip of water to soothe his throat, and resumed his passionate commentary.

"Some say that in the face of despair, the most sensible choice is to accept one's fate! But I have never believed that is the choice a passionate youth should make! Today, Wang Xiaoming is leading by example, using his actions to show us what we can do when faced with despair! That is to give everything you have and leave no regrets! Let us cheer for Wang Xiaoming once again!"

The Japanese swimmer who had sacrificed his own performance to try and wear Wang Xiaoming down had long since been left several body lengths behind. Having completely given up, he could only watch in stunned silence as Wang Xiaoming surged past him during the next turn.

"Wh—why!"

He could not comprehend how the young Chinese swimmer could still have such stamina so close to the end of the race. Was he really willing to throw his life away just for an Olympic gold medal? For the sake of so-called national honor? Was he completely disregarding his own physical well-being?

It was something he couldn't fathom. They weren't like the South Koreans, who had to win a medal to be exempted from military service. "Is it really worth it?" he could only ask himself in silence, for Wang Xiaoming had already pulled far beyond his reach.

"We thought Wang Xiaoming was just a substitute, a shooter here for a bit of fun. But now we know—he is the powerhouse of our swimming team! We can see that Wang Xiaoming has completely overtaken the second-place swimmer! And he is extending his lead. Oh, my god, the Australian swimmer in third place can no longer handle the pressure—his speed is plummeting!"

"The only swimmers left on the track who haven't held anything back are our own Wang Xiaoming and the United States' Karim Enger! As far as I know, Karim Enger is the favorite to win this 800m race! Can Wang Xiaoming create a miracle? Can he create a legend? He is less than half a head away from the leader now!"

"The final stretch of the 800m, less than 100 meters to go! Go, Wang Xiaoming!"

With less than 100 meters left, Karim Enger, the U.S. favorite, was living up to the high hopes placed upon him. His strength was undeniable; he had led from the very start. As the swimmer in lane four, he could catch glimpses of his rivals in his periphery. Seeing them fall away one by one, he had felt that the gold medal was already in his pocket.

Only 100 meters left! If he could just hold on, he would be the champion! He would be the next Phelps!

However, as he dove underwater after the penultimate turn and kick, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye. In an instant, the figure surged ahead of him.