bookcurios Chapter 434 Competition (2)
Chapter 434 Competition (2)
The situation is that, with less than 20 meters underway, dentist Jonathan Brook, one of the top contenders, has been disqualified and withdrawn from the race. The current leader is still the Joker on his bicycle. His mountain bike seems specially designed; even now, it hasn't slowed down. He's a full 60 lengths ahead of the second-place finisher, and the gap to the lagging group has reached lengths.
You can still see their figures in your field of vision, just ahead—you just missed it. You're actually in sixth place. Dio Brando, who just disappeared for a while, has actually ridden along the side of the cliff, a precipice only wide enough for one person to pass, traversing the sheer cliff face and taking a shortcut, unknowingly closing the gap with the Joker. Seventh and eighth are Washington and Barrett Allen, respectively, who are following closely behind you. Ninth is the sole remaining car racer, Wally West from the United States.
The leading group chased each other, but they maintained restraint. With Jonathan Brook's experience as a lesson learned, there was no need to fight so early in the race. Before you knew it, you had reached the 1-meter mark. Only the final 8000 meters remained of the 2-meter first stage. The uphill section would be followed by a series of downhill sections.
But just then, second-place Dio Brando veered off the track, heading toward a small forest to the side. He was ready to take a shortcut! If he could just get through this forest, he could shave 800-1000 meters off the distance and completely overtake the Joker!
However, the trees in this forest are too dense, making this shortcut difficult to take. With a person on the horse's back, dodging obstacles would expend considerable energy. Led by Dio Brando, many others followed, including Jonathan Joestar and you.
If one pigeon goes right, all the pigeons will follow. Many more riders followed, heading towards the woods. But navigating this woods is not easy! Only the most capable can make it through! When riders lack confidence in navigating obstacles, their mounts will also sense the fear signal. Many riders will fall off their mounts, and the horses will often be injured and disqualified from the competition.
[Since entering the woods, Snowy began to sprint. Using horsemanship, you flipped under the horse's belly, no longer needing to worry about the rider, and could easily pass through the narrow gaps in the trees. So, you used this forest to pass Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando in front of you in one breath, successfully making it out of the woods and even running ahead of Joker, a full head ahead of him.]
You now have 4500 meters to the finish line of stage one. Next up is a 2500-meter downhill section, which is likely part of San Diego's Mission Valley. The elevation difference is nearly 50 centimeters, with slopes up to 30 degrees.
On this steep slope, all riders are forced to slow down. Even the best horses, if they rely too much on their weight on this downhill slope, will inevitably be crushed by the acceleration of gravity on the final straight. Therefore, the key to success lies in how to control speed while conserving energy to prepare for the final straight.
But the Joker's bike, Diana's feet, and Bruce Wayne's fake horse didn't have that problem! Bruce Wayne actually accelerated at this point, and everyone was astonished to see a burst of blue nitrogen flames erupt from his horse's heels. It instantly accelerated, its wings spread, and with a swish, it glided ahead, surpassing you and becoming the new leader. All the competitors attempting to accelerate downhill were knocked off their horses and eliminated. Just by passing through the woods and the devilish downhill section, nearly 2000 competitors had already been eliminated!
Bruce Wayne is in first place, you're in second, followed closely by the Joker and Diana. Dio Brando and Jonathan Joestar are in fifth and sixth place, respectively. These few form the leading group, each separated by a hair's breadth. Washington, Barret Allen, and the One Car rider Wally West are in the second group. All of these are considered elite riders. Dio Brando and Jonathan Joestar, in particular, are constantly colliding. They originally thought they were just ordinary people, but now they realize that each other is also a skilled professional rider!
[However, at this point, the 2500-meter downhill section has also ended. As long as we turn the last corner, the next 2000-meter straight sprint will begin.]
At 1973:1 PM on January 1, 12, after more than 37 minutes of riding, the Catholic Church, teeming with people, came into view. By this point, nearly all the competitors' horses had reached their limits. Horses were constantly falling, dragging down the following horses and forcing them to withdraw from the race. Some also abandoned the race. The rest of the race offered no room for tricks; it was all about the horses' strength.
[At this moment, you can sense the faint hostility coming from the others, but as you remain vigilant, Treading Snow also begins to accelerate.]
Because you'd been running with a conserving style for the first half of the race, you still had plenty of energy. You gave it your all, sprinting forward with all your might, racing like crazy. Finally, in the final acceleration, you overtook Bruce Wayne again—just 50 meters from the finish! Finally, you crossed the finish line first, to the cheers of the crowd.
You won the first stage with a time of 38 minutes and 17 seconds, becoming the leader of the event! You also received a $1 prize for each stage winner, a one-hour time bonus, and 1 points for your ranking!
At this point, the remaining runners also crossed the finish line. Several of the top group reached the finish line almost simultaneously, making it almost impossible to determine the winner with the naked eye. Ultimately, the race organizers decided to initiate a review, inviting five judges and, for the first time in sports history, using video and photography to determine the ranking order.
Ultimately, Bruce Wayne finished second, Diana third, Dio Brando and Jonathan Joestar fourth and fifth, respectively. The Joker, who had been leading the race, fell to sixth. First place received 100 points, second place 50 points, third place 40 points, and so on, all the way to 21st place. When all the competitors reached the finish line of the nine stages, the total points would be calculated to determine the final standings.
[Even though you dropped from first to sixth, the Joker didn't feel bad. Instead, he congratulated you graciously.]
[After camping here for one night, the runners will continue with the second stage tomorrow morning, and you will become the biggest favorite among all the runners. From the second stage on, it will all be long distance races.]
To your slight surprise, Bruce Wayne approached you that evening and invited you to form a team. He expressed his intention to join forces and win the championship and runner-up in this tournament.
You agreed without hesitation. After observing them today, you've vaguely sensed that this tournament isn't as simple as it seems. Some might be truly aiming for the championship, but judging by Joker, Washington, and Barrett Allen, you've noticed they don't really care about winning or losing. Inexplicably, you can't help but think of the Holy Grail War you experienced earlier. You sense a connection.