Chapter 29: Acceleration Regardless of Stamina! Has Wang Xiaoming Gone Mad?

From a god's-eye view, the spectators watched as Wang Xiaoming began to accelerate, only for the Japanese swimmer in the adjacent lane to immediately match his pace.

The Japanese athlete was pushing relentlessly, refusing to give Wang Xiaoming the slightest chance to pull even. To the spectators in the stands—with the exception of the Japanese fans—this behavior was utterly contemptible.

What was this? It was clearly a desperate attempt to drag Wang Xiaoming down with him! Even if it meant ruining his own race, he was determined not to let Wang Xiaoming have an easy time. After all, by sprinting so recklessly and exhausting all his energy now, how could he possibly survive the remaining seven hundred meters and fourteen turns?

"Despicable! The Japanese are truly despicable!"

"Only they would resort to such self-destructive, spiteful tactics!"

"Absolutely shameless. It’s a good thing there aren't any South Korean athletes here this time, or who knows how nauseating this would have become!"

Meanwhile, the swimming team coach, Wang Mu, was in a state of panic. He had only one theory: that Wang Xiaoming was pushing himself to the brink of collapse for the sake of the gold medal. But if he went all out now, how would he manage the second half of the race?

"Sigh, he’s still too young, getting provoked so easily!" Wang Mu felt both furious and helpless. "And to make matters worse, having only one lane of reference on the side... it's just..."

Wang Mu sighed repeatedly. This was where the disadvantage of being in lane eight truly manifested. In the middle lanes, a swimmer has competitors on both sides to use as reference points. In Wang Xiaoming’s current situation, he could only observe the movements of the Japanese swimmer. When he accelerated and the Japanese athlete mirrored him, it was all too easy to be goaded into a rivalry, burning through all his energy in the first half of the race. If that were the case, the second half would be...

"Holy crap, Coach, look at Brother Ming!" Pan Zhanle’s sudden shout drew Wang Mu’s attention.

As he focused, he was shocked to see that Wang Xiaoming, who had just overtaken the Japanese swimmer after the turn, was already closing in on the seventh-place runner, Jalen Tadell from Canada!

"Is this Wang Xiaoming really not concerned about his stamina at all?" Unlike the excitement of the other swimmers, Coach Wang Mu saw the deeper implications.

In the eyes of the spectators, Wang Xiaoming had just utilized his turn and a powerful kick to surge past the Japanese swimmer. In the next second, he accelerated once more, closing the gap on the Canadian!

"We can see that Wang Xiaoming is closing in on the Canadian athlete! He’s getting closer, closer!"

"My God, he’s pulled even with the Canadian!"

"He’s passed him! He’s passed him! Wang Xiaoming has overtaken another opponent!"

"Wang Xiaoming is now in sixth place!"

"Can Wang Xiaoming perform another miracle? Let’s keep watching!"

Wang Xiaoming’s speed had fully ramped up. He was pouring every ounce of his stamina into the pool without reservation!

The Japanese athlete, who had been determined to drag Wang Xiaoming down at any cost, caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye and was so shocked that he choked on a mouthful of water.

"Na... Nani? How is this possible?" In his view, it had only taken a split second—the moment he dove in and surfaced for a breath—for Wang Xiaoming to surge past him! And no matter how hard he tried to accelerate, he only seemed to fall further behind.

"What kind of monster is he?" As he thought this, the Japanese swimmer felt a wave of crushing defeat. His movements slowed, and in the next second, he fell behind the main pack.

*He’s finished,* everyone thought.

"Alright, we see that the first 100 meters are complete. All the athletes are evenly matched, except for the Japanese swimmer, who seems to have given up on the race!"

"Wang Xiaoming is currently in sixth place, but we can all see he is still accelerating!"

"Will he pull off another hat trick at the next 50-meter turn and overtake the Italian athlete?"

"However, looking at the previous race and this one, we can see that Wang Xiaoming is an endurance athlete!"

"Perhaps the 800-meter is actually his specialty!"

"Let’s cheer for Wang Xiaoming once again!"

Suddenly, the livestream chat exploded like snowflakes, with messages of support flooding the screen.

But Wang Xiaoming could not feel the encouragement from the Chinese fans outside the pool. His mind held only one thought: accelerate, accelerate, and accelerate again!

However, catching a glimpse to his side, he suddenly wondered: where did the Japanese swimmer in the lane next to him go? He didn't have the luxury of worrying about that, though. Swimming was not like shooting.

Shooting was his specialty; it was how he made his living. He could afford to underestimate anyone in a shooting match because he knew that with his [Perfect Aim Lv. MAX] ability, if he still lost, it would only mean that he, Wang Xiaoming, was a total failure.

Swimming was different. So many athletes trained day and night, and every one of them was incredibly talented. If he underestimated them, he risked celebrating too early and losing the race.

It wasn't until he came back from his third turn that he noticed the Japanese swimmer in the next lane arriving late. *So, I’ve already pulled ahead by nearly two body lengths,* he thought. *Did he give up?*

After a brief moment of pity, Wang Xiaoming prepared to continue his charge. He was in sixth place, only half a head away from fifth!

"It’s incredible! Wang Xiaoming is continuing to widen the gap between himself and the seventh-place swimmer!"

"The distance is still growing!"

"And now, he is about to overtake the fifth-place swimmer! He’s going to pass, he’s going to pass!"

"My God, he’s surpassed the fifth-place athlete! Wang Xiaoming is now in the lead pack!"

The CCTV commentator roared with excitement. "The race has reached the 350-meter mark. What’s wrong with Wang Xiaoming? Is he out of stamina?"

From the god's-eye view, Wang Xiaoming’s acceleration had clearly slowed. The raw intensity from the start was gone. After all, the race was past the halfway point! Every athlete's stamina was waning; they were all straining to maintain their peak speed. Wang Xiaoming was no different, no longer displaying his previous ferocity.

"Could this be Wang Xiaoming’s limit?" The commentator’s voice was filled with regret. The swimming team members watching from the side felt a deep sense of frustration. They had come this far, and the race was more than half over; Wang Xiaoming had already done everything he could.

Just as the spectators thought Wang Xiaoming had reached his limit, he made an astonishing move.

"No, this is incredible! Wang Xiaoming, he... what on earth is he trying to do!"