Chapter 28: A Death Group? Just Finished It.

It is a bit windy today. I heard there might be a typhoon coming soon, though I am not sure if that has anything to do with it.

Since we only need to run once, the preliminary heats are relatively relaxed. Both Su Shen and Zhou Bing easily qualified from their respective groups. The standard in these preliminaries varies significantly, with a wide gap in skill levels. The fast ones, like Su Shen and his peers, clock in at the low 11-second range, while the slower ones might trail into the high 11s.

Zhou Bing clocked an 11.22 in the preliminaries to advance to the semi-finals, and Su Shen did the same, finishing with an 11.28 to take first place in his heat. During this period, they observed that the athletes mentioned by Ning Debao were essentially the top two in their groups. Advancing to the semi-finals was not a major issue. In these groups, the leaders were all finishing between 11.2 and 11.3 seconds; as long as you were in the top two, you didn't have much to worry about.

As for the others, Zhu Huanjun ran an 11.37, which was a bit off-form; had his group not been so weak, he certainly wouldn't have taken the top spot. Yi Xiaoqiang, however, was a bit of a surprise. In his first race since returning from injury, he managed an 11.09. That raw capability is quite formidable. It seems his recovery is going very well. It is said that he had already broken the 10.80 barrier this year, entering the 10.70+ range, but unfortunately, he got injured during training. Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't be participating in a meet like this; he would be crushing everyone if he were at his best. Even so, choosing the Pearl River Delta Invitational for his comeback was intended to ensure he secured a victory right away to help him regain his form as quickly as possible. And indeed, he was the champion of this year’s invitational.

However, he did not run well in the final because the wind speed was quite high on the day of the race. This had a significant impact on the athletes, especially those like him who had just recovered from injury; their bodies are certainly not as adept at handling headwind as athletes who have remained healthy throughout.

...

"This guy from Hong Kong is quite fierce. They say he’s the rising star of the Hong Kong running scene," Zhou Bing remarked. Su Shen had no interest in chiming in, as he knew very well that Yi Xiaoqiang’s potential would soon be exhausted. Forget about reaching the Olympics; he wouldn't even end up reaching the national "Master Athlete" level. He only appeared strong in the early stages. His personal best in history was a mere 10.54.

In the world of gaming, he would be nothing more than a common minor elite monster, the kind that guards a starter village at best. In the world of track and field, there are far too many examples of those who showed early promise only to fade away.

Seeing that Su Shen still had no particular reaction, Zhou Bing asked, "Are you confident you can beat him?"

"No. If he were in his pre-injury state of 10.70+, none of us could take him," Su Shen replied honestly, without any hesitation. Running is a process of improvement, and since he is still far from his peak, it is perfectly normal to lose to an athlete who is older and has been training longer.

"He doesn't look like much, can he really run 10.70+?" Zhou Bing felt a bit discouraged; Yi Xiaoqiang’s strength made him feel insecure.

"He should be able to," Su Shen said, knowing a bit about this person’s data. "But we just need to perform well. He just recovered from an injury, his strength hasn't fully returned, and his race rhythm is rusty. We have a chance if we keep a good mindset."

"He’s on the same level as us right now, at most half a tier higher."

In a world of 100-meter sprints where victory is often decided by 0.01 seconds, being half a tier ahead is frequently enough to cause an upset. If having a higher limit meant guaranteed victory, there would be no point in racing; they would just announce the winner based on previous times. Unless you are... well, you know what I mean.

"By the way, Tian, you still have the 200-meter prelims in a few hours, right? I’ll cheer for you. Try to make it to the final and take down that cocky guy from Beijing." Su Shen smiled. It seemed his first impression of Zhang Peimeng wasn't great, but to be honest—Su Shen lacked confidence.

Sports are about strength and science. Zhang Peimeng is over two years older than him and has had professional coaching since childhood; you don't think he's just been idling away, do you? This developmental gap is too significant. If he had another two years, he certainly wouldn't think this way. The 15–17 age range is a period of rapid growth, and trying to compete now would be sheer folly. He remembered that Zhang Peimeng would join the national team next year, in 2005, while he was still struggling for a spot on the provincial team.

To put it bluntly, whether in the 100 meters or the 200 meters, he was no match for a Zhang Peimeng who was two years older. That guy had already run a 21.53 in Tianjin half a year ago in the 200 meters, extremely close to the Master Athlete level. Therefore, Su Shen’s primary goal for this trip was only the 100 meters. The 200 meters was just to gain experience and recover his feel for competition.

When Zhou Bing heard that this guy had run a 21.53 half a year ago, he was shocked. He never imagined that this "Beijing guy" would be so formidable.

As the 200-meter heats began, Su Shen frowned as soon as he saw his group. Was his luck really that bad? Running into Zhang Peimeng in the very first round? Advancing to the semi-finals might be precarious now. Because there were so many participants in this invitational, only the top two from each group moved on, which was different from the usual top three. Regardless of the final, he at least wanted to make the semi-finals; otherwise, being eliminated in the first round of the 200 meters wouldn't sound very good. Given his current strength, even that was not easy to guarantee.

At this time, Ning Debao walked over after taking Chen Juan to compete in the women's 200 and 400 meters. One look at the introverted girl's expression told them that she hadn't been "eliminated in the first round" like in her previous life, but had instead reached the second round. This boosted her confidence just a little bit.

Seeing the 200-meter groupings, Ning Debao also frowned; it seemed he was also aware of Zhang Peimeng’s general ability. This meant Su Shen had to at least take second place to enter the semi-finals.

"Xiao Tian, come here. Your group is a bit dangerous. Zhang Peimeng is in it; don't even think about beating him. Our main goal should be to focus on second place, which is Zhu Huanjun," Ning Debao said. "Zhu Huanjun is already at a quasi-first-level standard in the 200 meters; he just ran a 22.32 a month ago. His current raw strength in the 200 meters might be slightly better than yours, so be careful of his technical characteristics."

"I've watched some of his invitationals. In the 200 meters, he is like you—strong on the curves. Be careful not to challenge him on the bends. Mind your own rhythm. If he performs poorly, there’s still a chance for you to take second and enter the semi-finals."

"Coach Ning, why not talk about Zhang Peimeng? That's really boosting the enemy's morale," Zhou Bing, a typical hot-blooded teenager, couldn't stand being provoked. But Ning Debao, acting as the team coach, remained very calm. He looked at Zhou Bing and said, "He is already infinitely close to the national Master Athlete level. I can even tell you that he will be entering the national team for training in the first half of next year."

"Now, do you still want to go head-to-head with him?"

"This... the national team? Uh, okay, alright." Zhou Bing had only heard Su Shen say Zhang Peimeng was strong, but he didn't expect this guy from Beijing to be on the verge of entering the national team, while they... were still proud of just trying to enter the provincial team.

Damn it, why is there such a gap between people? He was mentally venting like crazy. First a Su Shen, now a Zhang Peimeng—it was simply making it impossible for "ordinary people" like him to live.

"No need to rush," Su Shen didn't seem panicked at all about being in the "group of death." He even had time to comfort Zhou Bing: "He’s much older than us. Give us two years, and then we'll see."

That’s the national team. You think it’s a piece of cake? That’s a level I might never reach in my entire life. Yes, in my past life, I certainly didn't reach it. This is the "short life" of the vast majority of ordinary athletes and sports school students. Even the provincial team is a limit that is hard to reach.

But... why does this guy say it so nonchalantly? As if catching up to Zhang Peimeng is just a matter of time. Is this another difference between a genius and a mortal? Zhou Bing felt a wave of "heartache."

"So, Xiao Tian, remember, just run your own rhythm and don't get thrown off by them. Performing to your own ability is enough." These are standard, comforting lines coaches usually give when they know the athlete doesn't have much of a chance. Having spent so many years in the athletics world and encountering so many setbacks, how could Su Shen not understand that?

Although he nodded and appeared to agree with Ning Debao, in truth... Su Shen didn't tell anyone. Setting aside Zhang Peimeng, at the very least, this Zhu Huanjun was the perfect material for him to practice his 200 meters against. He would use this to see exactly what level his 200-meter training results had reached in this lifetime. Whether it had met his expectations.

As for the curves? Am I afraid of him? Two words: Bring it.