NABC Chapter 32 The Villain's Bet! Those whom Heaven wishes to destroy, it first makes mad!
Chapter 32 The Villain's Bet! Those whom Heaven wishes to destroy, it first makes mad!
"7 minutes and 28.88 seconds," Guo Hao answered casually.
"What about last Sunday?"
"7 minute 32.2 seconds".
Su Chen nodded.
"Well then," he said, "if I can't beat you in speed in a month, I'll give you a million!"
The scene fell silent for a moment.
"Holy crap! One million?"
Several people who were stretching their legs stopped and turned to look at them.
"What?" Guo Hao thought he had misheard.
"One million!" Su Chen repeated, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the weather. "You win, the money is yours! I win, I don't want anything."
Guo Hao frowned even more as he looked at Su Chen, as if trying to determine whether the man was serious or just saying things out of anger.
"Are you serious?"
"Seriously!"
"Why?" Guo Hao asked.
Su Chen thought for a moment and said, "It's simple. You think I'm a 'stubborn' student in the top class. Your grades are terrible, so you look down on me from the bottom of your heart."
Guo Hao was about to defend himself when Su Chen waved his hand, telling him not to say anything, and continued, "You don't need to explain! Your disdainful look betrays everything, so everyone knows it, and there's no need to save face."
"Since you think I'm just rich and incompetent!"
"Then I'll bury you in money, and I'll also surpass you in strength! Any problems?"
After a few seconds of silence, Guo Hao took a deep breath and his expression returned to normal: "Fine! If you really surpass my speed within a month, I'll compensate you with something of equal value."
"No need!" Su Chen waved his hand. "I said, you take the money if you win, but I don't want anything if I win."
"Heh~ Is it necessary to act all magnanimous? Besides... I can't lose this bet!" Guo Hao's tone hardened.
Su Chen chuckled: "Haha~ I told you, this bet is a gift from me to you."
"After all... you can't possibly cross the threshold of the Opening Meridian Realm within this month. If you do manage to cross it, then I'll give you this million for free!"
Guo Hao naturally knew what the hurdle Su Chen was referring to was.
He immediately said, "Fine! Let's prepare to split into teams then. I want to see what your actual performance is, with such a big mouth!"
"If you win, I will definitely give you something of equal or even greater value! After all, if this were a bet, the odds between us would be worlds apart!"
Su Chen didn't bother to argue any further and walked to the side.
Behind them, Wang Yichuan caught up and whispered, "Brother Chen, are you really going to bet with him?"
"Um."
"What if...?"
He really wanted to say, "How is it possible to win?"
"Don't worry! There's no chance of anything going wrong!" Su Chen said, his tone soft but firm.
Wang Yichuan glanced at him and didn't ask any more questions.
Zhang Yan jogged up to Su Chen and whispered in his ear, "Wow! You were so cool just now, you know?"
Su Chen rolled her eyes at her: "Come on! You, were you doing that on purpose just now?"
"What do you mean, intentional?"
"You dragged me here knowing this would happen."
Zhang Yan blinked, looking completely innocent. "I just wanted you to go for a run. Who knew Guo Hao would be so petty?"
Su Chen didn't press further. Zhang Yan was indeed quite naive, not that 'cunning'.
He glanced at the pet space, then at Guo Hao, who was warming up on the track.
To be honest, a month is really tight!
But... he now understands why some villains in novels are so eager to give money to the protagonist.
You can lose money, but you must fight for your face and dignity!
.......
On the runway.
Liu Xiangdong's team disbanded.
He himself joined Guo Hao's team, while Su Chen was assigned to Wang Yichuan's team.
Twenty-five people set off in three groups, with half a minute intervals between them.
There are only ten tracks, and who gets which track is determined by drawing lots.
Su Chen drew the first group, track number two.
The inner path is considered a good location.
Zhang Yan is on track number three to his right.
Liu Xiangdong was also in the first group, on track number five.
He stood there, head down, looking at his phone, seemingly oblivious to what he was looking at, his expression indifferent.
Guo Hao was in the second group and had to wait half a minute before starting.
"On your marks!"
The starter's voice echoed across the runway.
Su Chen took a deep breath, walked to the starting line, and squatted down.
In that instant, he glanced at Liu Xiangdong, who was a few meters behind him.
Liu Xiangdong was looking up when his gaze met Su Chen's.
Then... it was quickly moved away.
Su Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't think much of it.
Zhang Yan glanced at Su Chen, thinking he was looking at her, and grinned foolishly, even clenching her fist as if to say, "Come on, let's have a go!"
Su Chen looked at him like he was an idiot and smiled helplessly.
He refocused his attention and his consciousness sank into the pet space.
Learning machine! Start!
Shadowless Step! Loading!
A warm current of air rose from the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the foot and spread upwards along the meridian.
His breathing rhythm adjusted accordingly, and every muscle in his body entered a state of readiness.
"Ready~"
"Bang!"
The moment the starting gun fired, ten figures shot out simultaneously.
......
Su Chen did not rush to the front.
He ran at his own pace, with a steady stride and a calm, unhurried rhythm.
The Yin Valley acupoint has been stabilized, and spiritual energy flows smoothly within it. With each push of the ground, one can feel the feedback of that power.
But he didn't sprint at full speed.
In the first group, there were several people who were much faster than him!
This naturally includes... Liu Xiangdong.
As Su Chen ran past the first bend, he glanced at the right front out of the corner of his eye.
Liu Xiangdong ran noticeably faster than last week.
And his serious and earnest demeanor made it seem as if... he himself had made the bet with him.
Su Chen withdrew his gaze, not letting him disrupt his rhythm.
Zhang Yan, on the other hand, kept close to his pace from the moment they set off.
Su Chen could hear her footsteps, which were fast and rapid, and the sound of her ponytail swinging could be clearly heard in the wind.
She is not tall, less than 1.6 meters, and speed-related events have always been her weakness.
This physiological difference is difficult to completely eliminate even in the era of martial arts.
But after eating the Mythical Spirit Fruit, her overall attributes improved significantly!
She had clearly put in a lot of practice after losing to Su Chen last time.
At this moment, Zhang Yan followed Su Chen's rhythm closely, not daring to fall behind even for a moment.
"Huff... huff..."
Her breathing, which started steadily, gradually became rapid.
Su Chen's pace remained unchanged, but the distance between the two gradually increased.
Zhang Yan gritted her teeth, her face flushed red, but her legs just couldn't keep up.
……
When the signal for the second group to start sounded, the first group had only run a quarter of a lap at most.
"Bang!"
After Guo Hao started running, his eyes immediately locked onto the figure in front of him: Su Chen.
Wang Yichuan was positioned slightly behind and to the side of him, the two almost side by side.
In the joint exam of ten schools, the difference between Wang Yichuan and Guo Hao was less than a second.
The two were evenly matched in strength.
But this time, Guo Hao ran exceptionally fast!
In the first lap, he pulled away from Wang Yichuan.
Wang Yichuan frowned, but did not force the speed up.
He ran very steadily.
Guo Hao, however, was different.
His gaze remained fixed on Su Chen ahead.
.........
The last lap!
After two kilometers, Su Chen gritted his teeth and accelerated a bit more.
But then came Zhang Yan's voice from behind, panting, her words broken and fragmented: "They...they've caught up!"
Su Chen didn't turn around.
But he sensed it!
There's someone right behind me, getting closer and closer!
Guo Hao!
Thirty meters.
Twenty meters.
ten meters.
Su Chen gritted his teeth and, under the strong control of his willpower, suddenly accelerated!
The finish line is right ahead!
"Beep~!"
At the moment he crossed the finish line, Su Chen almost lost his balance and staggered two steps before regaining his footing.
He braced himself on his knees, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his chin onto the track.
Raise your head.
The numbers on the big screen jumped.
[First Group - Lane 53 - Su Chen: 7 minutes 77 seconds]
7 minutes and 53 seconds.
It's almost nine seconds faster than last week!
It was a full half minute faster than the joint entrance exam!
One week! A half-minute improvement!
Guo Hao's results have also been released.
He stood in front of the timer screen, hands on his hips, breathing steadily.
On the large screen next to us, the numbers have frozen.
[Second Group - Lane 24 - Guo Hao: 7 minutes 08 seconds]
This broke his previous record.
Su Chen did the math.
He set off half a minute earlier than Guo Hao.
Subtract that half-minute from the time difference between the two crossing the finish line.
0.31 seconds!
Su Chen let out a soft breath.
Almost there!
One after another, people crossed the finish line. Some were so tired that they lay down on the track, some supported their knees and panted, and some walked slowly to relax.
Guo Hao turned around and looked at Su Chen.
His expression changed from calm at the beginning to a scrutinizing look that was hard to define.
He had not paid attention to Su Chen's grades.
But if what happened before was true...
This improvement is truly astounding!
He spoke, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for those around him to hear.
Are you sure the deadline is one month?
Su Chen straightened up, wiped the sweat from his face, and didn't say anything.
Guo Hao continued, his tone not exactly harsh, but with a condescending ease: "The gap will only widen now! Don't try to act arrogant just to save face."
He paused, as if giving Su Chen a way out.
"Okay, you just admit your mistake, and that'll be the end of it. I don't want to take advantage of people or seem too domineering; other people who don't know the situation might misunderstand me."
Su Chen looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then smiled.
"I told you, I'm giving you a bet!"
"If you can beat me in a month, this million is yours for free!"
"I think no one would refuse free money, right? Unless they're not confident of winning."
Guo Hao looked at him, his brows furrowing slightly.
Then he laughed and shook his head, as if looking at a naive and ignorant child.
"I hope you can put some pressure on me," he said, "otherwise it'll be very boring!"
Su Chen's expression remained unchanged.
"Whom Heaven wishes to destroy, it first makes mad!"
"I'm not 100% sure I'll win, but I'm willing to pay this million. Pressure is what motivates me! I hope you'll put enough pressure on me."
Guo Hao frowned even more deeply.
He looked at Su Chen, as if trying to find a flaw, a hint of guilt, or a hint of bravado in his expression.
But they found nothing.
"Heh~" Guo Hao withdrew his gaze. "Fine! Say what you want."
"Anyway, if you win, I'll give you something of equal value!"
"I hope you won't come out later with ridiculous excuses like you were planning to give it away for free and put some pressure on yourself!"
He turned and left.
Su Chen stood there, watching his back, and the smile on her face slowly faded.
But then another question suddenly came to mind.
Guo Hao is so concerned about his reputation that he keeps emphasizing that even if he loses, he will compensate with something worth no less than one million.
If I win, he won't be shameless, right? Although his family's financial situation is only average, he's a top student and currently in his final year of high school. He earns a lot from his training missions, so he can afford it.
"It was originally just about saving face, but it seems like it's turned into a business deal? Like a performance-based agreement."
"Haha, isn't this much more reliable than independent women on Xiaohongshu starting businesses based on dowries?"
.........
Liu Xiangdong stood at the edge of the crowd, holding a water bottle in his hand, but did not drink it.
His gaze fell on the timer screen.
7 minute 32.2 seconds.
Seven days, half a minute!
Guo Hao, who had sat down, also tightened his grip on the water bottle slightly.
He wondered to himself: How did he do that?
For a fleeting moment, he wavered slightly about winning the bet.
But thinking about it carefully... so what if it's only half a minute a week!?
In the speed subject, the difficulty increases exponentially for every 10 seconds that you improve!
There's still a 30-second difference!
Moreover, is he going to stop making progress?
"Ha~ That momentary wavering just now proves that my resolve in the Dao is not firm!"