Chapter 504 - 410: Elimination Match, Wu Yun Takes the Stage

At that moment, a lean firefighter stood up and said, "No way! I have to introduce my sister to him. After this competition, that kid Zhang Ye will probably even have an RV! Who knows, he might even go on to win the US$5,000,000 prize for being world champion!"

"Heh heh! Then I’ll have a multimillionaire for a brother-in-law!"

The lean firefighter had barely finished speaking when a teammate mocked him. "Sun Xin! Take a look at yourself, not an ounce of meat on your bones. I’ve seen your sister, and she’s just as skinny! Our Squad Leader Zhang likes them curvy!"

"How do you know that?!"

"He said so himself!"

In an instant, the hall was filled with laughter.

"Quiet! The competition is about to start!"

-----------------

"On your marks! Ready!"

"BANG!"

This time, Zhang Ye didn’t use the two-legged backward push from the previous round. Instead, he slung the iron chain over his right shoulder, leaned his body forward, and started running.

Zhang Ye was even faster this time. With his astonishing explosive power and long legs, he quickly pulled into the lead.

CLANG! The chain hit the ground. With no time to register the pain where the chain had dug into his shoulder, Zhang Ye snatched the sledgehammer and began to strike the iron plate on the mechanism in a swift, steady rhythm.

"BANG!"

"BANG!"

...

The sound of metal on metal could be heard clearly even over the noise of the arena.

By the time Zhang Ye struck for the fifth time, the man in second place was just beginning to swing his own sledgehammer.

His precise strikes quickly hammered the mechanism’s plate into position. Instantly, a three- to four-meter-long battering ram dropped from the steel structure above.

Thanks to the reflexes honed by his long-term emergency response training at the fire department, Zhang Ye immediately figured out how to handle it.

He dragged the battering ram by its long rope, running away from the gate. After pulling it back to its highest point, he rapidly hauled it forward to crash into the gate.

As the battering ram swung toward the midpoint of its arc, Zhang Ye used his momentum to leap and grab the rope, adding the force of his own body weight to the impact.

"THUDD~"

A deep thud echoed from the wooden gate as it shook violently.

Zhang Ye landed, quickly pulled the battering ram back, and repeated the process.

On the fifth attempt, the sound of a wooden crossbeam splintering echoed from the gate, which immediately flew open.

Zhang Ye released the rope and, using his forward momentum, leaped up to grab the pull-ring behind the gate.

Fireworks erupted. The winner of the heat was decided.

Zhang Ye’s fluid and decisive performance instantly earned a roaring applause from the audience. The arena was in an uproar while the second-place competitor was still struggling to break down his gate.

"This Zhang Ye is really strong!"

Wu Yun looked at his bodyguards, who were all itching for a fight. Da Xiong, in particular, had been pumping his fists and burst into excited applause the moment Zhang Ye pulled the ring.

Wu Yun said loudly, "You guys should sign up for the new season next year! Who knows, that US$5,000,000 prize might end up in your hands!"

Hawkeye gave a wry smile. "Boss, you’re overestimating me. Compared to these muscle-bound hulks, I’m as skinny as a monkey!"

Beside him, Poison Thorn nodded in solemn agreement.

Hearing Hawkeye’s surprisingly standard Sichuan accent, Bai Yue laughed. "Ah Yun, this game of yours is clearly designed for bigger guys. Body weight is definitely an advantage!"

Da Xiong, who usually only admired Wei Wu’s strength, grumbled, "Boss, if all the opponents are like this Zhang Ye guy, we can give it a shot, but we can forget about becoming champion."

"That’s right! We’ve watched the broadcasts from the other regions. This Zhang Ye is on a whole other level compared to the average contestant," Caviar added.

Wu Yun turned to Wei Wu, whose physical build was similar to Zhang Ye’s.

Wei Wu thought for a moment before replying, "Boss, Zhang Ye’s physical conditioning and technique are incredible. I can’t match his skill with the tools. Plus, he’s young, which is a definite advantage. Still, we could give it a shot next year."

As they were talking, the top four finishers of the heat were decided. Of the eight remaining contestants, some threw their ropes to the ground in frustration, burying their faces in their hands.

For tonight’s Asia finals, the first-place prize was US$ 500,000, second was US$ 300,000, and third was US$ 200,000. Everyone else would only get a consolation prize.

Therefore, all those who failed to advance were utterly dejected, but there was nothing they could do. It wasn’t that they weren’t strong, but that their opponent was a monster.

As Zhang Ye left the course and headed for the rest area, the audience gave him a generous round of applause. A particularly crazed female fan in the stands next to the rest area even screamed, "Zhang Ye, I want to have your babies!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ye felt a bit awkward. He glanced toward a curvaceous woman in the stands and gave an unconscious wave.

"Zhang Ye! You’re the man!" Huang Zhong stood up and gave Zhang Ye a thumbs-up.

Zhang Ye replied humbly, "Brother Huang, you flatter me. I just had an exceptional run today! If you’d had a normal run, you would’ve qualified just the same!"

Huang Zhong smiled, looking relieved. "A loss is a loss. I’m content just to have made it this far! From here on, it’s up to you and Xiaoli!"

Zhang Ye patted the shoulder of Li Wei, who was getting up. "Good luck! Don’t lose your momentum! Try to hit the very center with the hammer, and use your body’s inertia more when you pull the battering ram!"

Listening to Zhang Ye share his experience, Li Wei nodded repeatedly. "Brother Zhang! I’ll do my best! But my weight isn’t really an advantage anymore!"

Li Wei was muscular and well-built. Years of weightlifting had given him explosive power, but it had also stunted his height.

Although Li Wei was much stronger than an ordinary person, his height and weight placed him in the bottom tier of competitors in this event.

Just then, a Korean song that had been playing ended. The competition venue was reset, and the broken crossbeam on the gate was replaced with a new one.

The next heat, however, was a surprise to everyone. Several of the "smaller" contestants qualified, including Li Wei. In fact, Li Wei performed exceptionally well and managed to barely clinch first place.

The crowd was even more excited! Two representatives from their own country had made it into the top eight for the semifinals! This was a great point of pride, as tonight’s competition was truly a gathering of titans.

The large screen then began to display the provisional rankings for the eight semifinalists.

Ranked by completion time, Zhang Ye was far ahead in first place. Li Wei was surprisingly tied for third with the contestant from Kazakhstan.

Just then, Rock Johnson’s voice boomed through the arena. "Tonight’s competition has been absolutely thrilling! It’s got my blood pumping!"

"I’m sure many of you in the audience are curious about our props!"

"It’s only been a little over two hours, which means it’s time for a short break. Our staff needs to set up the course for the semifinals!"

"We’re going to draw ten lucky audience members to come experience our course! There are surprise rewards waiting for you! So, who wants to sign up?"

The moment Rock Johnson finished speaking, the already fired-up crowd threw their hands in the air.

Rock Johnson laughed heartily. "So many people! Alright, I’ll start the draw! Hit it, spotlight!~"

A large spotlight beam immediately shot out and landed on a spot in the venue, with the image appearing on the big screen.

"The lady in the hat! Yes, you! Stop looking around!" Rock Johnson’s voice rang out, and laughter erupted from all corners of the arena.

The chosen woman hesitated for a moment before standing up. Guided by a staff member, she made her way onto the course.

"Next!~ Stop!" Another burly man was chosen.

"Next!~ Stop!" A man in Arabian attire was chosen.

Next, they actually picked a "King Kong Barbie"—a female bodybuilder! The audience leaned forward in anticipation.

...

Nine people were chosen in a row, a mix of men and women, though men were the majority with seven in total.

"And who will be our final lucky audience member?"

The spotlight scanned randomly across the entire arena. After a few seconds, it finally came to rest on the VIP section, and a face familiar to countless online viewers appeared on the big screen.