Chapter 508: Champion

The Iranian didn’t know what was happening on the other side, but the moment his opponent let go, he hugged the steel pipe again. With a slight push, he could feel that the other guy must have fallen.

The result was self-evident. The Iranian ultimately claimed victory with his strength and wits.

However, his victory did cause many viewers to curse him for being cunning!

Of course, the referee didn’t call a foul. The biggest rule in the Titan Game is to win; the process doesn’t matter.

After jumping down from the platform, the Iranian wiped the sweat from his body, walked over to the other side, and shook the Kazakh’s hand. “I’m really sorry, brother!”

The Kazakh wasn’t angry. He just clapped the Iranian’s shoulder magnanimously. “Brother! Give it your all in the final round!”

With that, he let go of the Iranian’s hand and walked toward the rest area.

“What a spectacular match! Our competitors have both brains and brawn! Who ever said that strong limbs mean a simple mind?!…” The host launched into a long spiel.

Two or three minutes later, he finally said, “We still have one last final match! For the sake of fairness, we have scheduled a 15-minute rest period!”

“Next up, please enjoy a Guzheng performance of Huaxia’s *Ambush from All Sides*!”

…

「In the blink of an eye, the rest period was over.」

After a massage from the official therapists, the Iranian felt as if his stamina had fully recovered. He eagerly stood up and started loosening up on the spot.

Zhang Ye, on the other hand, had been conserving his energy for a long time. He gazed at the keyhole standing tall on the high platform, ‘and his heart burned with anticipation!’

“Old Zhang! Your son is really making you proud!” Sitting in his living room, Zhang Jianjun grinned as he watched his son on the screen.

But what he said was, “So what if he’s impressive! As long as he doesn’t bring home a daughter-in-law, he’s still a wimp!”

In the past, Zhang Jianjun had told Zhang Ye many times to take some time out of his daily training to chat with girls.

But every time, the girls introduced by Zhang Jianjun or other family members would go silent after chatting with Zhang Ye a few times.

This went on until Zhang Jianjun asked one young woman for the reason. He only heard her say angrily, “I asked him one question: ‘If we were to date, and you had to choose between working out and me, who would you pick?'”

“He actually told me he’d pick working out! He said a woman would only slow down his explosive speed.”

After scolding Zhang Ye a few times, Zhang Jianjun helplessly gave up on pressuring him and decided to just let nature take its course.

A middle-aged woman asked with a smile, “I heard tonight’s champion gets a US$ 500,000 prize! That’s like 3.5 million RMB!”

“Old Zhang! With that money, you can have Zhang Ye retire! There’s no need to be a firefighter anymore! He could run into danger at any time! And firefighters are always on call, what time does he have to meet young ladies?!”

The middle-aged woman’s suggestion sparked an idea in Zhang Jianjun’s mind.

—

“Ladies! And gentlemen! Welcome back to the Titan Game Asian Region Finals!”

“The most exciting moment is upon us!”

“Let’s welcome the competitors to the arena~~~!”

Accompanied by loud background music, the two men entered the competition grounds from opposite directions.

With no referee to guide them, the two well-prepared men took their places at the starting line as if by unspoken agreement.

For a moment, the entire stadium fell silent.

Following the referee’s command: “Are you ready!”

The starting gun fired.

Zhang Ye once again used his speed to dash to the front. Reaching the wooden wall, he leaned in, placed his hands as high as he could, and the wall immediately fell onto the mat with a thud.

As Zhang Ye climbed onto the toppled wall, the sound of another wall falling echoed from not too far away.

Using both his hands and feet, Zhang Ye quickly crossed the wall. He gripped the steel bars of the wooden boxes fixed on a track, pushed off hard with his legs, and the boxes began to slide slowly up the track.

As the two boxes came together, Zhang Ye clearly felt immense pressure!

The muscles all over his body were taut, showing that Zhang Ye was already giving it his all.

At this moment, the Iranian also caught up, but he was still slightly behind Zhang Ye.

BANG~ The three wooden boxes converged, and their upward speed became slower and slower.

With a roar from Zhang Ye, as if from a burst of adrenaline, the boxes’ upward speed suddenly increased.

In the end, he was the first to reach the third obstacle.

Facing the rolling drums, Zhang Ye already had a plan. He fully extended his body and began to slowly crawl up along the top of the rollers.

The pursuing Iranian, being in another lane, couldn’t see Zhang Ye’s technique. He quickly climbed onto the first drum, but whether due to a lack of stamina or technique, he fell directly into the gap after crossing it.

Amidst the cheers of the audience, just as Zhang Ye had predicted, he widened the gap on the rolling drums obstacle.

The remaining high wall and iron ball were no longer a challenge for Zhang Ye.

As the stone slab holding the key was smashed open, Zhang Ye glanced back at the Iranian, who was still climbing the wall. He raised the huge metal key and smiled for the camera.

After a brief smile, Zhang Ye hugged the key and trotted toward the keyhole up ahead.

“Zhang Ye!~”

“Zhang Ye!~”

Amidst the crowd’s cheers, Zhang Ye inserted the key into the hole, gripped it with both hands, and twisted with all his might! Fireworks immediately erupted all around!

And with that, Zhang Ye, living up to everyone’s expectations, became the champion of Asia!

Cheers were everywhere! Applause was everywhere.

In places Zhang Ye couldn’t hear—at his fire station! In his home!

“Congratulations, Zhang Ye!” Wu Yun and Rock Johnson came onto the platform where Zhang Ye was standing.

The two of them flanked Zhang Ye. Wu Yun looked at Zhang Ye’s heaving chest; it seemed the recent obstacles had taken a huge toll on him as well.

Seeing this, Rock Johnson said with a smile, “Then let’s let our champion rest for a bit! Stage crew, please bring our champion’s prize money over!”

Instantly, a crew member who had been ready and waiting came over, holding a large plaque printed with the Huaxia characters for “US$ 500,000” and the number “$500,000” below it.

The director had originally considered awarding the prize money directly after the match, but Wu Yun remembered a scene from a show he used to watch, *Fun-filled Trip*, where the organizers presented the prize, which led to this little prank.

When the live audience saw Wu Yun take the large plaque, the Huaxia viewers all broke into knowing smiles.

By this time, Zhang Ye’s breathing had gradually returned to normal.

Just then, Rock Johnson spoke in clumsy Huaxia: “Hello! Zhang Ye! Congratulations!”

Then Johnson switched to English. “You are one of the most physically fit people I have ever seen! At least in terms of speed and other aspects, I’m no match for you!”

Seeing the confused look on Zhang Ye’s face, Wu Yun smiled and began translating for him.

“I sincerely congratulate you on winning the Asian Region championship. I hope you train hard and win the title of Titan at the world finals in one month!”

Johnson shook Zhang Ye’s hand and posed for a photo with him for the cameras.

“Alright! Next up is the awards ceremony that everyone loves to see!”

Wu Yun smilingly handed the plaque representing the US$ 500,000 prize to Zhang Ye, and they took a photo of the three of them together.

“Hahaha! Such a high-class event, and they just use a plaque to represent the prize money!”

“Wu Yun: Can’t be helped. The landlord’s got no spare grain. Gotta save where you can!”

“Compared to medals and trophies, I’ll take the practical prize money any day!”

…

After the photos, Wu Yun slapped his forehead and said, “Oh! I almost forgot! There’s also a trophy, just for show!”

“Keep it up! Better prizes are yet to come! I hope you can show the people overseas that we Huaxia people are just as physically capable as them!”

At this point, the host began the final ceremony, calling all the competitors onto the stage. After everyone was given their respective prizes, the more than one hundred people stood on the steps for a large group photo.

Afterwards, under the direction of the on-site staff, the audience, still wanting more, began to slowly file out.

“Tonight’s ticket price was totally worth it! We got to see a concert and a competition! This trip was well worth it!” a member of the audience said to a stranger next to him as they walked.

His words immediately earned the approval of those around him. “Totally! My friend just texted me asking how it was live! I just replied with one word: ‘Awesome!'”