Chapter 1667: with translation of chapter title

NO．282：The changeable protagonist on the Saichang

At the moment of the howl, it was already one horse length.

One more step, and it was one and a half horse lengths; add another step, and it was two horse lengths!

The astonishment of being overtaken by someone she had never imagined made Wanshan Siji hesitate longer than other opponents deep under pressure.

A full second!

And what that second decided was not only being unable to catch up to that earth-shaking silhouette, but also being overtaken by those behind.

Dazhenhan, Golden Master, Qianming Representative, Ludaofu Xiangzheng, Gechengwangpai, Good Opera……

In common knowledge, the final stretch of an escape horse is relatively weak.

Because they have been pacemakers from the very start, their energy consumption is faster than other running styles, making the polishing of stamina especially important.

Although Wanshan Siji's most famous legend is that in her debut race, which was not an escape horse but she ran with the momentum of a great escape, famous to the point that… after that, in every race, everyone carefully pondered whether she was running an "escape" or simply a "lead" due to excessive speed.

But in this race, she indeed chose the escape runner's running style.

Because she clearly knew she could not recreate in this race the scene of 'just relying on speed to turn a lead run into a great escape' from years ago, but she also happened to lack none of the quality of running at the front.

Indeed, she could simply settle for an ordinary lead, burst out of the gate and merge with the initial pace, matching the noblewomen's steps, and lie in wait for a final burst.

By comparison, escaping is like a grand gamble, betting that no one will focus on first place, betting that everyone will engage in a tug-of-war while mutually targeting each other.

Thus, she could instead rely on the escape horse running style to gain some distance advantage; by the final lap, even if the field was full of strong finishers capable of surging forward at once, she could still stake a claim on a slim edge at the finish line.

In fact, she did indeed bet correctly on the premise.

On this Saichang where each round's move is a few pages of skill table, indeed there was no red skill group focusing on her. She smoothly led in the early and middle stages, without having to worry about the dragon-tiger struggle behind, the huge waves rising to the sky.

But in the crucial final-stretch strong contender segment, she encountered a terminator far beyond expectations.

Bai Ren?

At that instant, it was like seeing a small robot win the championship at the eagerly awaited annual game selection, but the attitude the next second seemed different.

Narita Bai Ren?

That person, even if placed under Little Aomo's training, would be like a decadent little sister riding Luna and Qianming's fan-filter windmill; in Wanshan Siji's eyes, she had always been nothing more than the title of vice president of the Central Student Council.

Moreover, this title was just an added bonus. Because everyone knows that this lone-wolf vice president's lifestyle is also like a lone wolf; she dislikes crowded places, and the student council is one of those crowded places.

Also considered to be of the same level as Qianming in terms of wide connections, Wanshan Siji, who comes to play at the student council every time she visits her alma mater, thus has little interaction with Narita Bai Ren because of this, and moreover does not insist on such interaction.

Those who cannot play together cannot be forced—precisely because of her outgoing, sociable nature, Wanshan Siji realizes this earlier; once the other clearly shows they do not welcome her stepping into that 'territory', she simply gives up effort, maintaining only a nodding acquaintance.

This relationship continued afterward; even if hearing that she and Qianming together became Little Aomo's horse girls, aiming for the Dream Cup, everything remained unchanged, and Wanshan Siji even had little wariness toward her—despite recent reports on the Sirius Symbol being reviewed, the only thing not reviewed was Narita Bai Ren.

Of course, Narita Bai Ren indeed had nothing to be found—after announcing her comeback to participate in the Dream Cup, she hadn't participated in any race for several months, and even her training seemed to be conducted in secret; Wanshan Siji, on the other hand, knew that Aomo would take them to train somewhere, but actually going to probe would be less effective than just running a bit herself and attending a car race to switch her competition state.

Such pride and self-confidence, for horse girls aiming to compete in the Dream Cup, are more or less to be expected; therefore, the task of gathering information falls to the trainers.

But in the process of Aomo investigating those athletes and their trainers, achieving an anti-detection result as it were……some trainers also have the high-and-mighty gaze of horse girls, appearing unmoving, as if they had already deemed certain athletes harmless.

Then it's no wonder a surprise comes from this side.

Wanshan Siji was so surprised she was speechless, gazing at Narita Bai Ren's ever more distant back while also forming an estimate of speed in her heart.

Really fast……

There can be many excuses for a horse girl losing a race, such as poor condition, insufficient preparation, injury, poor physical state, or even the opponent's conspiracies and tricks……

But……

Precisely because she lacked confidence in comparing her final-stretch burst, she would try to stake everything on the escape horse running style; facing such a run, what else could she think of?

She won the bet at the start, yet still lost due to the gap in actual strength.

She even made the mistake she shouldn't have—zoning out at the moment of being overtaken, merely letting her running instinct control her legs.

In the successive overtakes, she could come to her senses, look back at the gradually pulling-away sprinting group, and feel the rear group easily tearing through the wind, making the ground's tremor feel even clearer in her footsteps.

Then overtaking her was……

"Hahaha~Today's me……"

Good Opera?

The seemingly self-praising voice was drowned by the wind because of the distance between several numbered tracks, yet a voice rang in her heart.

Cannot……

Just like this……

Give up!!!

The shout echoing in her heart, even if heavy, would still further quicken her step frequency, at the moment when that former 'monster' roared thus.

"Hello, Wanshan."

She suddenly heard such a familiar voice.

A clear voice, an off-key tone, which used to come from afar in the past, but this time it was close, as if right by her ear.

"... Qianming?"

In that turbulent airflow, amidst the grass clippings flying with last night's raindrops, she saw another figure that left her astonished.

And Luna and the Ace on the adjacent lanes, fighting for every inch.

"I'll go ahead first~"

"I haven't admitted defeat yet."

"Qianming Representative!!"

Casual, steady, and that shout on the Saichang which is always so exhilarating.

During the two years of 607 and 608, such a scene always appeared in the most noteworthy matches, leaving a deep memory for her in the stands at that time.

But now, having this scene right before her eyes instead enables her to summon strength once more, accelerating her footsteps.

Really shameful……ashamed of having won the basics yet constantly falling behind in the most crucial running.

But precisely because she is completely behind, losing indisputably, she should all the more strive to catch up!

Toward those three people, toward those three people who were approaching the Overlord and Tyrant.

And also the even further ahead Dazhenhan.