Chapter 502 - 409: The Titan Game Asia Finals Begin (2)

"Seeing so many people cheering, I feel like if I don’t give it my all and win a spot, I’d be letting myself down! I’d be letting down this whole audience!"

Zhang Ye seemed to be talking to himself. When no one responded, he turned and saw Huang Zhong sitting in his seat, shaking slightly, his eyes a little red.

The sports student beside them, Li Wei, seemed perfectly normal, though he was staring intently at the competition props in the large, open area at the center of the venue.

Zhang Ye patted Huang Zhong on the shoulder, signaling for him to relax a little.

In the middle of the arena were twelve competition lanes. A steel scaffold stood at the center of it all. Above each lane, a rope hung from the structure, attached to a massive, plain concrete ball at the bottom.

At the opposite end of each lane, a thick iron chain was wrapped around an iron ball that was about half a man’s height. The other end of the chain was connected to a large sledgehammer.

Just then, the host began to announce the rules of the competition to the audience. "The first elimination round will be held in six heats! For each heat, 24 contestants will be chosen from the 48 national representatives. The four fastest from each heat will advance!"

"As you can all see, the equipment is laid out on the field! These are the props for the elimination round. Contestants will first complete a 4x15 meter shuttle run, placing the small wooden stakes on the ground into their designated areas!"

"After returning to the starting line, they must drag a 150kg hollow iron ball by its chain for 15 meters to the finish line. Then, using the sledgehammer attached to the chain, they must smash the concrete ball on the ground. Finally, they must pull the rope to hoist the remains of the concrete ball eight meters up until it locks into place at the top! The four contestants with the fastest times in each heat will advance!"

The audience gasped. This was a true all-around test of a competitor’s abilities. Speed, explosive power, and technique—not a single one could be lacking!

Just then, Johnson’s booming laugh echoed from the speakers. "Of course, if anyone is confident enough to pull this 150-kilogram stone ball straight up to the sky, we won’t mind if you skip the second part!"

As the translation came through, the whole audience broke into laughter.

"Now, let’s welcome the contestants for the first heat!"

On that command, Zhang Ye shot up from his chair. "I’m up! I’ll make sure to get us off to a roaring start!"

The competition order had been determined by a drawing much earlier, making it impossible for teammates from the same country to face each other in the preliminary heats.

Zhang Ye was 188cm tall, with a lean, powerful build and clearly defined muscles. The moment he stood up, clad in a tight singlet designed for powerlifting and weightlifting, he was met with a roar of enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

The shrieks were particularly loud from somewhere not far behind him. Without even turning around, Zhang Ye knew they were from women. This got him a little excited. ’Looks like I might not be single for long!’

Zhang Ye had drawn lane 24 in Heat A, which was at the very end. A screen on the ground displayed his national flag.

Zhang Ye walked directly onto the two-meter-wide lane. After chalking his hands, he stood at the starting line and began warming up his muscles.

The other contestants were also starting their warm-ups. For a moment, it felt to Zhang Ye as if all the noise of the arena had faded away, leaving only the increasingly prominent thumping of his own heart.

"BEEP! Contestants, to your marks!"

Hearing the call, Zhang Ye moved to the starting line, fixing his entire focus on the referee giving the commands.

"On your marks! Get set!"

"BANG!"

Zhang Ye shot off like a crimson bolt of lightning, flying back and forth along the lane.

Zhang Ye was confident. Shuttle runs were a regular part of firefighter training, only this one had an added element of precision.

In an arena filled with muscular strongmen, Zhang Ye was confident that his speed was second to none.

And he was right. Zhang Ye was the first to finish the difficult shuttle run. He bent down, grabbed the thick iron chain, and executed the move he had already planned in his head. Facing away from the finish line, he gripped the chain with both hands, dug his feet in, and leaned forward. The massive iron ball began to slide slowly behind him, moving toward the goal.

Zhang Ye had built a two or three-second lead during the shuttle run. By the time he had dragged the iron ball a third of the way, the man in second place was only just picking up his chain.

What did the Huaxia audience love to see most? Their own country’s athletes fighting for first place. In other words, they just loved to see a win.

Seeing Zhang Ye with such a commanding lead, the entire arena erupted. Cries of encouragement and cheers were everywhere.

The previously nervous Huang Zhong watched Zhang Ye’s performance on the big screen and instantly forgot his trembling. He and Li Wei both jumped to their feet to cheer Zhang Ye on.

Living up to everyone’s hopes, Zhang Ye soon dragged the massive iron ball across the finish line.

Panting heavily, Zhang Ye quickly regulated his breathing, dragged the sledgehammer over to the plain concrete ball, and without a second thought, swung it down with all his might.

Thanks to his firefighter training, Zhang Ye was skilled at landing the hammer on the exact same spot. He quickly smashed away a third of the concrete ball.

According to the event description, the remaining portion still weighed at least one hundred kilograms, so this was no time to get complacent.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Ye saw that another competitor had started smashing his ball, so he didn’t pause, continuing to swing the sledgehammer in a steady rhythm.

The chain attached to the sledgehammer slightly impeded his movements, but even so, Zhang Ye maintained his significant lead.

With a loud CRACK, the hammer fell again, smashing away most of the remaining ball.

Zhang Ye immediately dropped the hammer, leaped into the air to grab the rope hanging more than two meters above, and used his body weight to hoist the remnants of the concrete ball off the ground.

He landed, quickly pinned the rope with his foot, then stood up and grabbed a higher section with both hands, using his body weight to pull down again.

Repeating this motion, Zhang Ye quickly pulled the rest of the ball to the eight-meter mark. A device at the top of the steel frame instantly shot out a jet of red smoke, and the entire arena erupted.

On the online broadcast, the sports channel’s bullet-comment stream exploded, with countless congratulatory messages flying across the screen.

"Congrats to Zhang Ye on advancing! He’s so damn strong! Look how far behind the other countries are!"

"This is the kind of show a real man watches! What’s so great about all those sissy dance shows!"

"I agree, I can’t stand those pretty boys either. A guy like Zhang Ye is more my type!"

"Willing to pay big money for Zhang Ye’s contact info!"

...

Soon after, the second, third, and fourth qualifiers were determined one by one.

The remaining contestants disappointedly stopped smashing their concrete balls or pulling on their ropes.

The referee then began to announce the results. "Advancing from the first heat are Zhang Ye from Huaxia, Nur-Sultan from Kazakhstan, Jaejoong Kim from South Korea, and Habi from Iran! Congratulations to them!"

"Athletes, please clear the field. Stage crew, clean the site and replace the props! Contestants for Heat B, get ready!"

During the break between heats, a melody familiar to all the young Huaxia People in the audience suddenly blasted from the speakers.

As the sound of an electric bass kicked in, sparks erupted on the main stage, and Zhang Jie rose into view on a platform lift.

"On this battlefield of rising storms,

The tempestuous youth appears.

Amidst the roars of conquering fire,

Shaking the entire world.

..."

The spectators went wild. They hadn’t expected their tickets, which cost several hundred yuan, to also include a live concert. They had assumed there would only be performances during the opening ceremony.

"Nizhan" was an incredibly high-energy song to begin with, and soon, all the audience members who knew the words were singing along at the top of their lungs.

The energy was infectious, and many of the foreign spectators soon found themselves humming along to the melody.

"AHHHH! I regret it so much! I should have fought for a ticket to see it live! It’s Zhang Jie!"

"This song is great, so fitting for the event. It perfectly captures the fighting spirit of our Huaxia men. Those foreign competitors are built like tanks!"

"President Wu is really one of a kind! If he can make a continental final this epic, I can’t wait to see the world finals and the World Cup for his game!"

"Wait, does this mean there’s going to be a star performing to warm up the crowd after every single elimination heat?"

"Now that you mention it, I have even more regrets!"

The internet was flooded with comments from people regretting they weren’t there to watch the competition and the performance live. Indeed, the atmosphere in the arena had been brought to a fever pitch.

As the music faded, Zhang Jie took a bow. "Thank you, everyone!"

Thunderous applause followed. Then, the lights in the arena brightened, and the now-empty stage was restored to its pre-competition state.