Chapter 29

Yang Kechang walked out with a look of satisfaction on his face, and the reporters waiting quickly gathered around him.

"Director Yang, have you found anything?"

"Director Yang, did Zhang Guan fake his results?"

"Was the sports administration involved in the athletes' results being faked this time?"

"Is it true that Zhang Guan has a powerful background, which is why he was able to join the national team?"

"Is Zhang Guan's father the richest man in a certain province, surnamed Zhang?"

"Is Zhang Guan the illegitimate child of a famous director?"

"Is Zhang Guan...?"

The reporters asked questions in a cacophony, more chaotic than a one-dollar clearance sale at a large supermarket. However, Director Yang was not at all flustered, still wearing a satisfied smile. He raised his hands to signal for quiet and said, "Everyone, please calm down, please calm down, calm down."

After saying this more than ten times, the reporters finally quieted down. Then, Director Yang took a document from a colleague and continued, "Since so many journalists are here, I will take this opportunity to announce some good news to everyone."

The reporters looked at Director Yang in confusion. They had come here to expose the dark side of athlete selection, which was not good news for the sports administration. However, driven by curiosity, everyone was unusually quiet, waiting to hear what Director Yang would say.

Director Yang cleared his throat and said, "In the just-concluded men's 100-meter final of the Asian Athletics Championships, our athlete won the championship with a time of 9.99 seconds, breaking the Asian record of 10 seconds set by Japanese athlete Itō Kōji. This is the first time an Asian athlete has run under 10 seconds! And the athlete who broke the Asian record is—"

Director Yang deliberately paused, looked around at the reporters, and then said with a victorious tone, "Zhang Guan!"

One second, two seconds, three seconds... silence, such profound silence that even the wind could be heard.

The entire venue erupted in chaos!

All the reporters were suddenly at a loss, while Director Yang smiled, looking at the reporters with a sense of vindication.

Finally, a reporter asked, "Director Yang, is what you just said true? Did Zhang Guan really break the Asian record?"

"Of course it's true. The official website of the Asian Athletics Championships has already released the latest news. Since the race just ended, the specific details have not yet been released, and we don't know them either. If you don't believe me, you can check online yourselves." Director Yang paused and continued, "I know you all came here to question our country's athlete selection. I have said before that our athlete selection is absolutely fair, just, and transparent, with no dark side! As for whether Zhang Guan has the qualifications to join the national team and represent the country in international competitions, I think you all should have no doubts now, right?"

Doubts? What a joke! An athlete who can break the Asian record, the fastest man in Asia, someone who can run under 10 seconds, would not have the qualifications to join the national team? Would not have the qualifications to participate in international competitions? It's more likely that the national team would beg Zhang Guan to participate in some international competitions!

Faking results? That's an international event, with coaches, athletes, and journalists from all over Asia watching. There are several timing devices, and even slow-motion replays. How could anyone fake the results?

All the rumors, doubts, and smears were shattered by the 9.99-second result.

The reporters were now in a state of embarrassment. They had come here with a sense of righteous indignation, as if the athlete selection process was riddled with corruption, and they would expose some shocking dark secrets. But now, they had uncovered the truth, and the truth had cruelly knocked them down.

However, the reporters were not entirely without gains. They had at least learned that Zhang Guan had won the gold medal and broken the Asian record, becoming the first Asian to run under 10 seconds. This was a big news story, worthy of a front-page headline, and in the sports section, it could be a series of special reports.

But the key issue was that the media they worked for had just recently questioned Zhang Guan, and now they would have to report that he had broken the Asian record, which was like slapping their own faces.

...

At this moment, the Japanese media was in a state of despair. Endō Shingo, who was a national hero last month, had lost to Zhang Guan in a live broadcast to the entire nation. The impact of this defeat was far more severe than a few online insults.

More importantly, Zhang Guan had broken the Asian record, a record held by a Japanese athlete, and this had also shattered the pride of the Japanese people. There were even calls in Japan for the establishment of a dedicated sports ministry.

Although Japan is a sports powerhouse in Asia, it does not have a centralized sports administration like the Chinese Sports Administration. Various aspects of sports are managed by different central departments, such as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) for youth sports, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) for sports facilities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for international sports exchanges, and the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) for disabled sports. The public's call for a sports ministry was also a demand for the government to take sports more seriously.

At the same time, the Japanese media decided to temporarily cancel the live broadcast of the remaining events of the Asian Athletics Championships. Endō Shingo's injuries were still unclear, and it was uncertain whether he could participate in the men's 200 meters and the 4x100 relay. If he lost, it would further damage the national confidence, so it was better to wait until he won and then show the recordings.

...

The Philippine media was also in a state of embarrassment. They had previously mocked Zhang Guan's declaration of victory and confidently stated that breaking the Asian record was an impossible dream. But just two days later, Zhang Guan not only won the championship but also broke the men's 100-meter Asian record.

When Zhang Guan ran 10 seconds flat the previous day, the Filipinos could pretend it was due to favorable wind conditions and avoid reporting it. But today's 9.99 seconds left them speechless, and they couldn't even pretend to be ostriches. The 100-meter dash is the most prestigious event in track and field, and breaking the Asian record was the highlight of the Asian Athletics Championships. As the host country, the Philippines had to report it, even if they didn't want to.

The Filipinos, however, found a way out by finding a scapegoat. Logically, the Japanese, who lost the race, would be a good scapegoat. The Philippine media could have said that the Japanese incompetence led to the Chinese victory, but Japan is a close ally of the Philippines, so they dared not criticize the Japanese.

As for the Chinese team, they had won the race, so they couldn't be criticized.

So the Philippine media could only criticize themselves. The Filipino-language newspapers criticized the English-language newspapers for lacking foresight, the English-language newspapers criticized the Filipino-language newspapers for being vulgar and sensational, and the Chinese-language newspapers criticized both. The Philippine Star criticized the Philippine Daily Inquirer for insulting athletes, the Philippine Daily Inquirer criticized the Manila Times for lacking sportsmanship, and the Manila Times criticized the Manila Bulletin for spreading false news and misleading readers...

In short, all the Philippine media were trying to shift the blame, claiming that their initial negative reports about Zhang Guan were influenced by other "irresponsible" media and were not their own fault.

...

At the national team's base.

Zhang Guan lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, but his mind was already immersed in the system.

"Strengthen Body, increases physical strength. Description: Growth skill. Endurance, increases physical endurance. Description: Growth skill. It costs 3 skill points to learn one skill, so two skills cost 6 points. That's really expensive! The bigger the investment, the greater the return. I'll learn them!"

At the recent award ceremony, Zhang Guan had won the championship at the Asian Athletics Championships and received 2 skill points. He finally had enough to learn the Strengthen Body and Endurance skills.

Zhang Guan stood up, stretched, and tried a few punches, muttering to himself, "Why don't I feel any effect?"

At that moment, a message box appeared in the system.

"Task completed. Reward: 1 skill point."

"These growth skills don't show immediate effects. Their effects gradually increase over time and decrease as the body ages."

"Also, some skills can be combined to form new skills with more powerful effects. The Strengthen Body and Endurance skills you just learned can be combined into a new skill: Strengthen Body and Endurance. You can try it. Task hint: Combine the Strengthen Body and Endurance skills into the Strengthen Body and Endurance skill."

A combination icon appeared in the system. Zhang Guan clicked on it and dragged the Strengthen Body and Endurance skills into it, and a new skill icon appeared.

Zhang Guan immediately checked the skill description: Strengthen Body and Endurance, increases physical strength and endurance, and accelerates the recovery speed and quality of tissue damage. Description: Growth skill, combination skill.

"Compared to the original two skills, this new skill adds the ability to accelerate the recovery speed and quality of tissue damage. Does that mean faster and better recovery from injuries?" Zhang Guan immediately realized that this was a godlike skill.

For an athlete, the biggest fear is not age but injury. Many older athletes maintain good competitive form, while many young, talented athletes retire early due to injuries. Injuries are the biggest enemy of athletes.

For an athlete, every minor injury represents a decline in competitive form, and every major injury could end their career. Good recovery from injuries means a longer career.

"This godlike skill must be combined!" Zhang Guan chose to combine the skills without hesitation but received a system prompt.

"What? Not enough skill points? Combining skills also requires skill points? And 6 points? That's a lot! Who designed this system? It's so unfair!" Zhang Guan was almost angry enough to jump.

At that moment, Zhang Guan suddenly thought of some later online games where equipment was not expensive, but gemstones became progressively more expensive. Gemstones were common, but the scrolls to combine them required a purchase. At critical moments, there was a "success rate" that made you fail a few times. The most unfair part was that spending money could increase the success rate. Some rich players spent hundreds of thousands on such games, and if they had that money, they could have tipped the author.

"My system should not have a success rate, right? It must be 100% successful. It must be 100% successful, or it would be a huge loss!" Zhang Guan silently prayed.

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