Chapter 13: Twenty-Five Rapid Shots! Is He Actually Controlling the Score?
A whistle blew—the men's 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event was about to begin!
All the contestants stood ready, prepared to settle the score in a single round.
The venue was packed, voices roaring in anticipation.
Soon, everyone took their positions on the platform.
Right beside Wang Xiaoming stood his previous opponent, Kojima from the Sakura Nation.
Kojima stared fixedly at Wang Xiaoming, his eyes burning with competitive fire.
“Mingjun, this time, I will definitely defeat you!” he declared.
Wang Xiaoming merely cast a sidelong glance at the seemingly absurd Sakura Nation player, then turned his head away, clearly dismissing him.
This blatant disregard infuriated Kojima, who immediately fired all his shots in the first round with a bang, then arrogantly gazed at Wang Xiaoming.
Yet Wang Xiaoming remained motionless, standing firm.
The crowd was puzzled.
The rapid-fire event is divided into three phases.
The first phase lasted only five seconds.
Wang Xiaoming waited until the very last second—after all the competitors’ scores appeared—before he began shooting.
He fired thirteen shots in one second!
However, his score was not outstanding.
After all, he had broken the world record in the 10-meter event.
Fortunately, the other competitors did not perform well in this first phase either.
Wang Xiaoming’s result was neither poor nor outstanding.
The Chinese audience fell silent instantly.
Meanwhile, Kojima’s face twisted into a mocking smile.
He led the first phase.
The second phase began, and once again Wang Xiaoming waited until everyone had finished before taking his shots.
At the last second, his score appeared—still moderate, ranking in the upper middle.
Some began to worry.
“This is bad, Ming is underperforming in the first two rounds!”
“The next phase has to be perfect if he wants a chance!”
Kojima’s smirk grew wider—he was still in first place this round.
Confident, he believed the gold medal was his.
Then came the third and final round.
As before, Wang Xiaoming waited patiently until all results were out before shooting calmly.
“Bang bang bang…”
The last shot rang out, and everyone awaited the scores.
When the numbers flashed on the screen,
With a thunderous roar,
The crowd erupted into overwhelming applause and cheers!
Kojima’s face froze in disbelief.
Wang Xiaoming’s score was exactly 0.1 points higher than his!
“Impossible, absolutely impossible!”
He had been behind by four or five ranks in the first two phases.
How could Wang Xiaoming suddenly surge ahead in the final stage?
Kojima was momentarily shaken to his core.
Meanwhile, the Chinese audience was elated.
The anger born from foreign mockery and disdain vanished in an instant.
Only pride and joy remained.
“Laugh all you want! Why so quiet now? You were having such a good laugh earlier!”
“Hahaha, some people are just born not to smile!”
“Amazing! We are the champions, once again!”
Another gold medal brought the Chinese nation not only pride but a resounding rebuke to those who doubted Wang Xiaoming.
This victory pushed China to the top of the gold medal tally at the international Olympics.
All doubts and ridicule washed away like the tide.
In a flash, Wang Xiaoming earned the nation’s apology and respect for their previous disbelief.
When he stepped onto the podium, the question he was asked most was:
“Mr. Wang, you always shoot last. Is there a particular reason for this?”
Viewers eagerly awaited his answer.
Wang Xiaoming smiled and replied, “It’s just a habit. I usually observe my surroundings before taking action.”
His words were true.
As a professional assassin, he never acted without first understanding his environment.
Yet to the audience, his answer carried a different implication.
“What? Ming means he’s actually controlling the scores?”
“No way! Controlling scores at the Olympics? That’s insane!”
“Gotta admit, Ming’s good at everything except hiding his arrogance—it’s too obvious!”
“He’s young; cut him some slack!”
“Hahaha, maybe he really is controlling scores. Why else would he win by just 0.1 points over second place?”
“Well, when you put it like that, it does seem possible.”
“Holy cow, if that’s true, Ming’s a god!”
“Let’s wait for the next competitions and see what he does.”
Unlike the respect and pride of the Chinese netizens, international forums were already ablaze with criticism.
Everyone knew Wang Xiaoming’s arrogance, but this was next level.
“You will pay for your arrogance!” Kojima, the silver medalist, taunted Wang Xiaoming from the podium.
But facing the national cameras, Wang Xiaoming couldn’t openly confront him, so he simply grabbed Kojima by the neck.
“Cut the crap and get over here for a photo!”
Intimidated, Kojima reluctantly complied.
With the rapid-fire pistol event concluded, it was time for the 10-meter air rifle competition.
The two events were held back-to-back, which explained why many had low expectations for Wang Xiaoming.
After pouring himself fully into the first competition, it’s nearly impossible to quickly recalibrate in such a high-stakes international setting.
Shooting demands extreme precision; a single breath or blink can affect the outcome.
Because of this, Kojima did not participate in the air rifle event.
But upon learning Wang Xiaoming was competing, he eagerly requested to join.
His coach firmly rejected him, insisting he focus all his energy on the men’s single trap event.
Thus, Kojima ended up competing in three events—quite the all-rounder.
Only unfortunate to face the “monster” Wang Xiaoming.
Soon, the men’s air rifle competition began.
Everyone watched eagerly for Wang Xiaoming’s performance.
Air rifles differ greatly from air pistols—in weight, aiming precision, and shooting feel.
Yet Wang Xiaoming did not disappoint; his first shot scored a perfect 10.9.
The crowd stirred with excitement.
This showed he was unaffected by the previous event, and this competition could very well yield another gold for China.
But after his first shot, Wang Xiaoming’s next movements once again caught the entire internet’s attention and sparked heated discussion.