Chapter 1228: 1227 is being watched/targeted

The first race ended, and after the athletes in the second group finished warming up, they took their places at the start line. Normally, athletes would look ahead at the track and think about how they were going to run, but those who had sneaked in were thinking about whom they would knock down later.

Tan Rou had already spotted two troublemakers. They had set their sights on a very tall girl, who wore a sporty outfit and had muscular calves, making it evident that she was quite athletically gifted.

The tall girl seemed oblivious that she had become a target; she had a smile on her face and was looking straight ahead, fully prepared to run.

Tan Rou didn’t go over to warn her. If Tan Rou approached the girl now and said, “You’re going to be in danger soon,” not only would the girl not appreciate it, but she would also call Tan Rou crazy.

The starter reminded them, “Competitors, check your clothing and shoes to make sure they don’t affect your running.”

Tan Rou didn’t look; she adopted an indifferent attitude, even showing impatience on her face, as if she was about to abandon the race and leave any second.

As expected, her act worked. The last person watching her moved away, probably thinking that Tan Rou posed no threat and didn’t want to waste time on her.

Tan Rou walked to the last position, which enabled her to observe the actions of the other competitors, especially those who were there to cause trouble.

The race started, some sprinted out quickly, while others started off slowly without any hurry.

A long-distance race tests endurance. Those who sped up at the very beginning were certainly not going to last until the end, so there were basically no competitors around them.

However, those who maintained a steady pace from the start were clearly trained; their speed was very steady, their breathing was regular, and they had a high possibility of winning. Plus, their pace wasn’t that fast, which made it easier for them to be caught up to.

Tan Rou lingered at the back. She could have sped up, but her goal was not just on running.

Three meters ahead of Tan Rou, there was a strong competitor, each of her steps stable and equally spaced, a clear sign that she had received long-distance training.

However, she was followed closely by several others, two of whom intentionally moved in close to her, occasionally leaning their arms toward her.

The competitor didn’t notice her surroundings at all, her focus entirely on the track, never suspecting that someone might bump into her.

By the third lap, the athlete’s breathing was still quite smooth, but the ones following her were different—they appeared to be struggling to keep up, their pace slowing.

Just when everyone thought the two followers were about to fall behind, those two competitors suddenly sped up and sandwiched the athlete in front from both sides.

The athlete in front had no chance to notice the situation behind her and was suddenly struck by them.

The two troublemakers purposefully fell down, landing on top of the girl, who couldn’t move and had no choice but to give up the race.

Yet the competitors who had caused the collision didn’t stop; after a while, they got up and switched targets.

Tan Rou witnessed their tactics firsthand and devised a plan.

They only targeted the more promising runners, preferring to sacrifice a few laps of their own race to eliminate others. If Tan Rou could speed up and make them realize she had potential too, would they also come after her?

No sooner said than done, Tan Rou stopped holding back and started running at her normal pace. Her regular runs started at five thousand meters, so three thousand was nothing to her.

After she picked up the pace, someone immediately took notice of her. They seemed surprised by Tan Rou’s sudden acceleration, as her earlier performance had been uninspiring, as if she really were just filling a spot.

However, her acceleration revealed she had been bluffing, so they quickly adjusted their focus and started following Tan Rou.

Tan Rou knew she was being pursued. She deliberately ran towards less crowded areas—if others ran on the inside, she ran on the outside; when someone caught up on the outside, she switched to the inside. Her aim was simply to prevent anyone from getting close to her. With fewer people around, the saboteurs dared not act, well aware that it would be easy to get caught.

Tan Rou’s running strategy baffled everyone watching. Who would run on the outside in a long-distance race?