Something was wrong!
What had he overlooked?!
Shi Ran pinched his chin, staring fixedly at their figures. Some crucial condition had been cast to the back of his mind without him noticing.
It was not until the warning light on the first-place runner's battery pack lit up red once again that he seemed to get electrocuted. A flash of Electric Light crossed his mind, and he finally realized it, slapping the armrest in annoyance as he understood just what a stupid mistake he had made!
"...You really are something else!"
Shi Ran's expression twitched. He was utterly, completely impressed!
And under everyone's watchful eyes, with all gazes fixed upon him, at the final kilometer... the leader's battery pack was completely drained. Yet at that moment—no, a second before it—he finally smiled.
So exhilarated.
As though... The diagram reveals the dagger!
Snap!
In the midst of his sprint, the buckle came loose, and the battery pack that every contestant regarded as their lifeline actually fell from his body... followed immediately by a series of cracking sounds.
The instant he tore free the steel wire entwined around his wrist, the motor, transmission, and everything else that had ceased functioning all fell completely away from his legs!
As if he had cast off every burden!
He had adopted the most unwise strategy, exhausted all his power, and pushed himself into the predicament of being unable to finish the race just for a brief lead. Yet at the edge of this final kilometer, having lost all power, he directly threw away every assisted structure.
Relying on the most primitive remaining mechanical transmission and force-feedback mechanisms, relying on his own strength, he raised his legs once again and sprinted toward the finish line close at hand!
With every ounce of strength!
In that instant of