Chapter 35: IOU
For these young boys who had been exercising since the age of five or six, running was not a difficult task. However, long-distance running was still a great challenge for them.
Su Hao estimated that one lap around the martial arts training field was about 1,500 meters, and running twenty laps would be a total of thirty kilometers. This was not a task that ordinary people could accomplish.
By the time Su Hao reached the fifth lap, some students had slowed down and were eliminated due to their slow speed.
When Su Hao reached the eighth lap, some students collapsed from exhaustion and were eliminated.
When Su Hao reached the tenth lap, some students started to give up, cursing and lying down on the ground, resulting in their elimination.
By the time Su Hao reached the twelfth lap, around 80 people had already been eliminated, including his new roommate, Hua Wanli.
As time passed, the number of eliminated people continued to increase.
At this point, Su Hao noticed that Xiao Pang and He Qingqing were already struggling.
When they reached the fifteenth lap, the line of runners had stretched indefinitely. Each of them was panting heavily, almost reaching their limit. At this point, around one hundred people had been eliminated.
Jin Dayan was leading the pack, running at the front. His face was flushed, and he was panting heavily. However, despite his appearance, he still had a lot of energy left. Based on his observation, except for a few individuals who were hard to judge, most people were already close to their limits. In other words, winning first place this time was almost a certainty.
"Hmm?" Jin Dayan suddenly noticed a familiar figure. Wasn't that the guy he had encountered in the restaurant that day? Why did he look so relaxed, not even out of breath? Could he be pretending?
Jin Dayan furrowed his brow as he observed for a while but couldn't come to a conclusion. He calculated the distance: "He has a difference of more than half a lap from me, and there are still five laps left. Regardless, he can't catch up to me!"
Jin Dayan felt assured and no longer paid attention to anything else, focusing solely on running.
...
After the fifteenth lap, Su Hao noticed something. Once they exceeded the fifteenth lap, even if they reached their limit and were exhausted, they wouldn't be eliminated. Those who were eliminated were actually the ones who gave up before reaching their limit.
With this understanding, Su Hao approached He Qingqing and said, "Qingqing, as long as you have a trace of strength left, keep running. Trust me."
He then slowed down and went to Xiao Pang, repeating the same words he had said to He Qingqing.
At this point, Xiao Pang had no energy left to respond to Su Hao. He was like a walking corpse, running forward without knowing who he was, where he was, or what he was doing. He only knew he had to keep running; otherwise, he would never be able to lift his head and would remain a coward.
Seeing this, Su Hao felt a bit relieved. His greatest fear was that Xiao Pang would suddenly give up due to exhaustion, which would undo all their previous efforts.
He carefully observed the state of the people on the field and nodded to himself.
Indeed, these were martial artists who had been exercising since childhood. There were many strong individuals among them. Being eliminated only meant that they were too weak.
At this point, there were still around a hundred people maintaining a relatively stable state while running. Some of the front-runners were even more impressive, with only slight redness on their faces and heavy breathing but not much sweat.
When Su Hao reached the eighteenth lap, 118 people had been eliminated, but Jin Datong was still going.
Suddenly, Xiao Pang stumbled and fell forward, losing consciousness even before hitting the ground.
Su Hao, with quick reflexes, reached out and caught Xiao Pang, gently placing him on the ground. He didn't waste a moment and continued running.
This action caught Jin Datong's attention.
Jin Datong followed Su Hao's movement, furrowing his brow and pondering, "Who is this guy? Among over five hundred people here, everyone is panting heavily and sweating profusely, but this kid doesn't even sweat or breathe hard. Could it be an act?"
Jin Datong observed for a while but couldn't draw any conclusions. He calculated the distance, thinking to himself, "He has more than half a lap's difference from me, and there are only five laps left. No matter what, he can't catch up!"
Jin Datong regained his composure, no longer paying attention to anything else, and continued running.
...
After the fifteenth lap, Su Hao noticed that everyone had stopped running and was watching him as he ran farther and farther. Wherever he ran, the other students made way for him, creating a scene reminiscent of a school sports meet.
"What's going on?" Su Hao was also puzzled for a moment. However, he couldn't be bothered with that many questions. It was the last lap, and the ten gold coins were within his grasp.
He wasn't interested in money; that was for his past life when he almost had more money than he could spend. But now, he was poor and couldn't afford to be disinterested in money. Until he earned enough, he would maintain a high spirit for making money.
Su Hao maintained his high speed and quickly reached the starting point, completing twenty laps.
Then, without breaking a sweat, he jumped onto the platform and walked up to Jin Datong, extending his hand. "Teacher Jin, I finished first. The ten gold coins, thank you."
Jin Datong's mouth twitched. He didn't have any money on him. He turned to the eight teachers behind him, seeking their help, but they all turned their heads slightly, pretending not to see.
Jin Datong awkwardly coughed and said, "Um, very good, Wu Xiangwu. I remember you. Well done."
Su Hao extended his hand again and said, "Teacher Jin, what about my ten gold coins?"
Jin Datong could barely keep his composure. This kid had the audacity to ask twice. His cheekiness exceeded even his own.
He had spontaneously decided to add money to the reward, having a plan in mind. According to his calculations, his brother Jin Dayan would undoubtedly take first place, and then he could easily evade paying this money. But he hadn't expected a lunatic to appear out of nowhere and astonish everyone present. It seemed that these ten gold coins were firmly in his grasp.
What a foolish brother Jin Dayan was!
After regaining his composure, Jin Datong said, "Wu Xiangwu, rest assured, you won't be short of the ten gold coins. Tomorrow, we'll still be here, and I'll personally hand over the ten gold coins to you in front of everyone. I keep my word!"
Su Hao furrowed his brow. When it came to money, once it was postponed, various uncertainties would arise, and the probability of it all going to waste would be high. If Jin Datong hid away tomorrow, where would he find someone to hold him accountable?
Thus, in front of everyone's eyes, Su Hao took out a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket and began writing
"swish swish" on the ground.
Jin Datong curiously asked, "What are you writing, Wu Xiangwu?"
"IOU!"
Jin Datong's face turned green instantly. How could Jin Dasye be treated like this?
The eight teachers behind him could no longer contain their laughter and burst into laughter.
(translated by begs)