Chapter 40: The 4x100m Relay Begins!

With some time remaining before the competition, Wang Xiaoming received a secret call.

As soon as he picked up, he knew it must be someone from State Security.

"Hello?"

"Xiaoming, don't worry about the competition. We will handle everything behind the scenes for you!" Hearing this voice, Wang Xiaoming understood immediately. It was indeed Chen Xiao.

"Rest assured, Chief Chen, I don't have a glass heart!" Wang Xiaoming chuckled.

Chen Xiao laughed as well. "I know that, of course. I just didn't want Phelps's nonsense to lead to you being discriminated against at the Olympics. After all, he still carries some weight in the swimming world!"

Wang Xiaoming paused for a moment and said, "Don't worry, I will make sure Phelps has nothing left to say!"

"Wait, what are you doing? Let me tell you, Xiaoming, don't do anything dangerous!" Hearing this, Chen Xiao was startled and hurriedly warned him not to act recklessly.

Wang Xiaoming simply shook his head. "Come on, Chief, I'm at the Olympic venue right now. How could I possibly act recklessly?"

"As long as you don't," Chen Xiao said, breathing a sigh of relief.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they hung up. However, Wang Xiaoming didn't think the matter was over. He pulled out his phone and logged into a website: the Global Dark Web. Using his identity as the assassin "Seven," he posted a new contract.

Meanwhile, Phelps was still in his villa, surrounded by a few sexy women, puffing away. He then took out his phone to continue sharing his "profound" insights:

[Wang Xiaoming's performance in the second half of the 800m was clearly abnormal. Anyone who has seen his 50m knows his start is very slow, yet he becomes like Superman in the second half!]

[Who can explain this? The only explanation is that he's doping, which causes neural excitation but hurts his reaction time at the start, only to have him frantically chase points in the second half thanks to the stimulants!]

[If you don't believe me, just watch his upcoming races—4x100m, 200m—he will absolutely be a step behind everyone else at the start!]

As soon as this was posted, it instantly gained support from countless foreign spectators. In their eyes, Wang Xiaoming was definitely doping. Watching the Chinese fans and international viewers bickering incessantly online, Phelps wore a smug, satisfied smile at home. He looked at Wang Xiaoming on the screen and curled his lip in disdain.

"A yellow-skinned monkey like you thinks you can challenge me?"

A Chinese person trying to occupy his position in the swimming world? That was absolutely forbidden. Just like Sun Yang years ago—he would never allow such a thing to happen.

At a hospital in Kyoto, Wang Xiaoya was watching the Olympic live broadcast with a nurse.

"Next up is the men's 4x100m freestyle relay!" the CCTV commentator announced.

As the Chinese team appeared on the track, the stadium erupted in thunderous noise. The first figure to emerge was Wang Xiaoming—the man who kept creating miracles, the man supported by the entire nation so he wouldn't have to fight alone.

Phelps's nonsense had pushed Wang Xiaoming into the eye of the storm, and the 4x100m relay was his best chance to prove himself to the world and slap Phelps in the face. He was going to make Phelps shut his mouth forever.

"The 4x100m race is about to begin!"

"We can see that our Chinese team's lead-off leg is... wait, it's Wang Xiaoming? What is the coach thinking?" The CCTV commentator was completely baffled.

Wang Xiaoya, watching the screen, was equally confused. Why would her brother choose the first leg? That wasn't his strength at all!

The nurse beside her grew anxious. "What is going on with this Wang Xiaoming? Why choose the first leg? This clearly isn't his strong suit!"

Wang Xiaoya said nothing, holding onto her faith in her brother. "I believe he will win!"

"Win? My dear, this isn't the 800m. It's only 100m. The race will be over before he can even utilize his advantage! Starting so far behind the others, how are his teammates supposed to catch up?"

Wang Xiaoya remained silent, staring firmly at the television.

At the venue, the audience and those watching the livestream were equally perplexed. Everyone knew Wang Xiaoming's advantage lay in his stamina and his acceleration in the latter half of a race. Putting him on the first leg of a short-distance sprint seemed like using his weakness to challenge others' strengths.

On the sidelines, Pan Zhanle had somehow gotten into an argument with relay swimmers from other countries.

"Hey, you're letting him swim the first leg? Are you guys just giving up?"

Hearing the mockery, Pan Zhanle retorted, "Don't you worry about it. I just hope your teammates aren't eating my Brother Ming's exhaust!"

"Ha? I'm afraid our lead-off swimmer will leave your Wang Xiaoming in the dust the moment they start!"

"Hahaha, then let's see!"

The atmosphere between the nations was thick with tension. The foreign spectators were filled with disdain. Even without direct proof of doping, Phelps had spoken, so he must have seen something. This Wang Xiaoming was definitely suspicious. And to make matters worse, he was swimming the first leg—had the doping fried his brain?

Did he not know his own starting speed? They had all seen it clearly: he lost a full body length at the start. How could he possibly overtake anyone in the later legs? It had to be a joke.

As the starting whistle blew, everyone stood on their blocks, ready. In a 100m race, there was only enough time for one underwater turn.

*Ding!*

The starting gun fired, and all the lead-off swimmers dove into the pool. The 4x100m had begun.

The big screen displayed the reaction times. Wang Xiaoming's time was still not fast: 0.66 seconds. The fastest was the Australian swimmer at 0.47 seconds—nearly the human limit. Just based on the start, Wang Xiaoming was already trailing.

The audience let out disappointed sighs, though everyone was secretly rooting for him. After all, the first leg was the most crucial.

Just as everyone was fretting, a few sharp-eyed spectators suddenly noticed something wrong.

"Wait, look at Wang Xiaoming!"

"Holy crap, how is that possible?"

"He started so slow—how is he in third place?"

Everyone watching the pool was stunned. Wang Xiaoming, who had the least advantageous start, had completely overturned their assumptions. He was already in third place!

"How is this possible?" Pan Zhanle, despite his immense trust in Wang Xiaoming, was shocked the moment he saw him surface.

He had gone from trailing to third place in a single underwater phase. It was unbelievable. After all, his Brother Ming's diving technique and details were still a mess. How did he do it?

That question consumed the minds of everyone in the stadium.