Run Forward

Ten days later.

Saturday morning, Civic Square, Cloud City.

As the starting point of Civic Avenue, Civic Square was exceptionally lively today, banners fluttering and gongs and drums roaring.

The vast square was a sea of people. Tens of thousands of marathon participants had gathered here, waiting for the race to officially begin.

The Cloud City Summer International Marathon had been held for nine editions. Its history was not long, and whether in scale or professionalism, it was far inferior to similar events in top-tier megacities such as the Imperial Capital and Demon Capital.

Events held in supercities like the Imperial Capital and Demon Capital were of the highest level, with the strictest regulations. Registration began at least half a year in advance, and applicants had to pass layer upon layer of screening before qualifying.

Even so, the final number of participants often reached tens of thousands, or even exceeded one hundred thousand.

The Cloud City Marathon was a fair bit lower in stature, with only a little over thirty thousand participants this year.

In truth, Cloud City mainly treated the marathon as a marketing project, focusing on turning it into a calling card for the city.

After all, tourism was one of Cloud City's key pillar industries.

But because the prize money for first and second place had been increased this year, not only had registrations broken records, it had also attracted more professional athletes.

Hidden among the crowd, Gao Jing spotted more than a dozen black figures at the very front of the pack.

They were long-distance running aces from Africa.

In the eighth, seventh, and sixth Cloud City Summer International Marathons, the top three finishers in the men's full marathon had all been African runners. The champions of the fifth and fourth editions had likewise been black-skinned runners.

The same situation appeared in international marathons held in other domestic cities.

It could not be helped. African runners had always held a major advantage in long-distance events.

So if Gao Jing wanted to take first place today, his opponents would inevitably be those African contestants!

Though he knew they were formidable, Gao Jing was eager to try at this moment, brimming with the desire to take on the challenge.

As usual, there was a ceremonial process before the race. During it, a huge flock of pigeons was released, flapping into the sky in a great rush.

The officials gave their speeches, then announced that this year's Cloud City Summer International Marathon had officially begun.

Bang!

With the crack of the starting gun, the enormous formation of people in Civic Square began to move.

Like a raging flood, they surged onto Civic Avenue!

The race included a 42.195-kilometer full marathon, a 21.0975-kilometer half marathon, and a 6-kilometer fun run.

The fun run had the fewest participants, but the most "demons and monsters." Contestants dressed up as all kinds of anime and movie characters—Iron Man, Spider-Man, Deadpool, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Calabash Brothers, and everything in between.

They truly cared about participation above all else. Many gleefully held up selfie sticks to take pictures, while others livestreamed the event.

However, most of the event's prize pool had been prepared for the winners of the full marathon.

The full marathon runners were also the first to set off.

Of course, Gao Jing had registered for the full marathon. Since he was not a seeded runner, his starting position was far back.

Gao Jing did not care. The long forty-plus-kilometer course had only just begun!

This was not his first time participating in a marathon.

But it was his first time running a full marathon.

According to the race plan, contestants needed to travel along Civic Avenue through the city center, enter the Cloud City CBD Business District, and head straight to the end of Wanhai Road. After reaching the shores of Yunlan Lake, they would circle the lake along Lakeside Avenue.

The final finish line was at Victory Memorial Square.

This route had been carefully planned. It met the requirements of the race while blending the prosperity of a modern metropolis with natural scenery, making for excellent publicity.

Lakeside Avenue in particular offered exceptionally beautiful scenery all along the way.

At the start, Gao Jing mingled among the runners at an unhurried pace, neither pulling ahead nor falling behind.

His gear was simple. His race shirt had been issued by the organizers, with a bib containing a built-in timing chip pinned to it, while his running shoes were cheap ones bought from Taobao.

The broad, straight Civic Avenue and the surrounding areas had long since been placed under traffic control. The lead broadcast vehicle drove at the front, with countless runners following it forward.

Both sides of the road were packed with watching residents.

They waved little colorful flags and enthusiastically cheered the participants on.

"A9274, go!"

All of a sudden, a crisp, pleasant shout rang out from the crowd.

It drew quite a few eyes.

Gao Jing could not help turning toward the source of the voice.

Because A9274 was his race number!

There, behind the barricade, four or five girls of seventeen or eighteen were huddled together. They wore pretty dresses; some waved at Gao Jing, while others excitedly raised their phones to take pictures of him.

Their youthful smiles bloomed beneath the summer sunlight.

Although Gao Jing was not at the front of the pack, his height and looks made him stand out among the surrounding runners like a crane among chickens!

That was why he had caught the girls' attention, prompting them to cheer specifically for him.

Gao Jing smiled and waved back at them.

In return, he got a burst of screams.

"He's so handsome!"

Gao Jing wiped away the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and continued running forward.

Though more than two weeks had passed since he completed his transformation of life, Gao Jing still had not fully adjusted to life as a tall, handsome man.

For instance, whenever Gao Jing walked down the street now, the number of people turning to look back at him had increased at least tenfold!

When he took the subway or bus, girls often secretly snapped photos of him too.

If he were not a little too old, and if he knew how to act, sing, or dance, Gao Jing would have wanted to try becoming a celebrity.

Ah!

The sensation from the Copper Anchor in his chest made him smack his head hard.

What a pig!

Gao Jing had come to participate in this marathon first to earn living expenses, and second to earn faith power for the Copper Anchor.

Just now, the Copper Anchor had received several "raindrops."

Big ones!

That faith power clearly came from those adorable, youthful girls.

Since gaining attention and affection could earn him faith power, why was he hiding in the crowd and merely keeping pace with everyone else?

In truth, Gao Jing had been influenced by his old habitual way of thinking.

He had thought that following the pack was the best strategy.

Fortunately, it was not too late to come to his senses.

He immediately picked up speed, stretching out his long legs and overtaking the runners ahead of him like a flying arrow.

During this period, Gao Jing had eaten and drunk with wild abandon every day, burning through vast amounts of fat and sugar.

Yet although he had grown taller, he had not put on an ounce of excess fat. His weight remained around seventy kilograms, while his movements had become more agile and nimble than before.

In merely two or three minutes, Gao Jing successfully forced his way into the leading pack!

The leading pack consisted of more than a dozen African runners, European and American runners, and domestic athletic elites, with African runners making up the majority. Their advantage was obvious.

They had not opened much distance from the second pack behind them, but they ran steadily.

Under normal circumstances, this formation would remain unchanged for a long time, until someone fell behind or someone caught up.

But Gao Jing, who had suddenly emerged, was like a lively catfish, instantly stirring up a small commotion.

Several African runners watched speechlessly as Gao Jing rapidly passed them.

The European and American runners' eyes were filled with contempt and disgust.

The two domestic long-distance aces showed embarrassed irritation.

One look at the number on Gao Jing's back told them that he was not a professional seeded runner.

Charging to the front while disregarding his stamina could only mean that he wanted to grandstand and steal the spotlight.

The two felt ashamed of Gao Jing's behavior.

They had participated in many races and often encountered people like him.

In the end, not a single one of them could finish the entire course.

Of course, whether they disliked or loathed him, no one could say that Gao Jing had violated any race rules.

These experienced runners were not thrown off their rhythm by Gao Jing. Following their predetermined tactical strategies, they continued maintaining a steady pace.

Having surged into first place, Gao Jing immediately drew countless eyes!

The cameras mounted on the lead vehicle turned toward him, while spectators along the road burst into cheers.

This was mainly because Gao Jing's looks were exceptionally striking now. Otherwise, he could not possibly have caused such a huge response.

Handsome guys were always popular.

Gao Jing felt a light rain falling inside the Copper Anchor.

It felt simply wonderful!

His delighted mood made his steps even lighter.

Gao Jing widened the gap between himself and the few runners behind him to around twenty or thirty meters, tightly following the lead vehicle.

After running several kilometers, he did not feel the slightest fatigue.

He had complete confidence that he could keep this up until the finish line.

Then forward he would go.

Run forward, and run out a brand-new life!

Please vote. My heartfelt thanks to friends such as Huang Weiyi, Li Shugen, and UP Cheng_Puleier for their tips and support.

Thank you, everyone!

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