Chapter 33: Once they cross that mountain, they will behold our story!

Regarding the competitors in this race, Karim Engel never took anyone seriously.

After all, whether in terms of stamina, acceleration, or anything else, he was absolutely dominant.

As for that Wang Xiaoming, to him, he was nothing more than a clown seeking attention.

A shooting team athlete daring to enter a swimming competition—just participating was one thing, but to boldly claim he would sweep all the gold medals was laughable.

At that moment, Karim was thoroughly amused.

If the Chinese athletes were reckless, that was one thing, but were the Chinese coaching staff and organizing committee equally disorderly?

Truly, just a bunch of yellow-skinned monkeys!

In his heart, he held Asians in contempt.

And the facts bore this out; from the start, he maintained an absolute lead.

He paid no heed to the outside world, fully immersing himself in the competition.

This was his approach to every race.

Of course, though he never regarded any competitor as a threat, every time he turned and dove at the 50-meter mark, he’d cast a sidelong glance at those beside him.

In that moment, he saw that no one could surpass him.

Even the kangaroo-country athlete closest to him lagged behind by a full head.

Hmph, as expected, the gold medal was his for the taking!

Once he secured the swimming grand slam, he would be the new Michael Phelps.

Then, money, women, luxury cars, mansions—all would be his.

With only 100 meters left, he had the leisure to let his mind wander to the spoils awaiting him after victory.

But things did not go as he wished.

At the moment of his final 100-meter turn and dive, he noticed something startling: someone seemed to be catching up in a distant lane.

This was impossible.

How could anyone catch up to him?

Focused solely on the kangaroo-country athlete in the lane beside him, he had not noticed the situation in the other lanes.

Even if he had, it would have been futile; the splashing was too great, and the kangaroo-country athlete obscured his view.

Yet now, the kangaroo-country athlete who had been pressing him suddenly slowed dramatically, falling behind.

The other competitors had not even reached the turning point.

This caught Karim’s attention, directing his gaze toward lane eight in the distance.

“That is—”

“That’s lane eight!!!”

“That’s the Chinese athlete Wang Xiaoming?”

In an instant, shock flooded his heart.

When did he catch up? Impossible!

But the fact was undeniable.

In just one turn, Wang Xiaoming had already overtaken him!

“No, no, no, how is this possible?”

Unable to accept reality, Karim unleashed his speed once more.

He no longer cared about exhausting his stamina; even if it meant collapse, he didn’t care.

He would reclaim this gold medal.

The race situation shifted rapidly as the athlete from Beautiful Country pushed hard again, fiercely contesting first place with Wang Xiaoming.

Meanwhile, the crowd’s enthusiasm had been utterly ignited by these two competitors.

The battle for first and second place had officially begun!

“Oh my, Wang Xiaoming has already overtaken the Beautiful Country athlete, Wang Xiaoming!”

“He’s in first place now!”

“He’s created a miracle, a miracle!”

“In just the blink of an eye, Wang Xiaoming is sprinting toward the gold medal—I can hardly believe what kind of race we are witnessing today!”

“And the Beautiful Country athlete hasn’t given up either; his speed is relentless!”

“The gap is closing, the distance shrinking—Wang Xiaoming’s lead is being chased down!”

“Can Wang Xiaoming hold on to this lead?”

Viewers watching from home were filled with excitement.

They watched Wang Xiaoming, who had initially lagged a full body length behind the Beautiful Country athlete, now, through sheer effort and unyielding will, surge ahead in the final 100 meters.

Their spirits were inexplicably lifted.

It was exhilarating, truly exhilarating!

The live scene of Wang Xiaoming and Karim Engel chasing one another in the final lap became the talk of the event.

Neither yielded an inch, unwilling to ease even for a moment.

In such critical moments, to relax even briefly could mean total defeat.

Having fought hard throughout the race, no one was willing to give up at the last second.

Thus, their battle was one of sheer willpower: whoever persisted to the end would emerge victorious.

The Beautiful Country’s audience also cheered wildly for their athlete.

They refused to believe that a Chinese athlete’s stamina could match theirs—especially since Wang Xiaoming was still holding his breath.

But then, considering his breath-holding, they suddenly realized:

“How long has Wang Xiaoming been holding his breath?”

“Let me see… looks like over three minutes!”

“Oh my god, is he a monster?”

“No way, it’s impossible. He must be about to collapse!”

At the crucial moment, nerves were taut as everyone watched.

But the previously evenly matched contest was completely shattered at the final turn.

Spectators fretted about their stamina, but Wang Xiaoming never once thought about fatigue.

From his perspective, once the last turn was complete, the final sprint would begin.

And the final sprint demanded unleashing all remaining speed.

From the audience’s view, just after the turn, where the two had been neck and neck, the gap suddenly widened.

“Wang Xiaoming is still accelerating—this is unbelievable!”

“Is he a superhuman? Or the reincarnation of Sun Wukong?”

“I can hardly believe what I’m seeing!”

“In the last 50 meters, Wang Xiaoming is like a divine warrior descending from the heavens!”

“In the blink of an eye, he’s already half a body length ahead of the Beautiful Country athlete!”

“And the lead keeps growing and growing!”

“Oh my god, he’s still accelerating—he’s completely distanced himself by a full body length!”

“What kind of stamina and speed is this?”

“Ahhhh!”

“The finish line, the finish line is right ahead!”

“We’ve won, we’ve won!”

“We are the champions, we are the champions!”

“Once we cross that mountain, they will see our story!”

“Congratulations to Wang Xiaoming for winning gold in the 800-meter event, the first gold for the Chinese swimming team!”

The commentator from China Central Television was ecstatic beyond measure.

When Wang Xiaoming touched the finish, he leapt up in excitement.

And this time, there was no suspense, no need for a replay.

The lead was simply too great!

“Also congratulations to the Beautiful Country athlete for silver… wait!” Suddenly, the commentator seemed to notice something.

“It looks like the Beautiful Country athlete is having some trouble!”