Ozawa Gonno's words directly angered the Chinese spectators present, igniting a firestorm of rage in their hearts, making them want to slap him.
He was the one openly provoking them on Chinese soil, and now he dared to accuse the Chinese of double standards!
Hah, the words "shameless" were practically written on his face.
Someone pointed at his nose and cursed, "You dog from Sakura Country, this is China. We are holding this event to commemorate our fallen soldiers, and you wear the Sakura flag to this occasion. Isn't that an insult and provocation to us? Double standards? We are making a just demand!"
*Tsk!*
Ozawa Gonno said disdainfully, "Raging with incompetence."
He shrugged and said, "Am I provoking you by wearing my country's flag? Are you Chinese people so thin-skinned? From where I stand, you simply don't have the ability to beat me, so you've come up with this rotten idea to force me to withdraw. Fine, I'll withdraw. When I return to my country, I will expose your despicable tactics to the world!"
This was not a good situation.
If Ozawa Gonno withdrew, he could go back and maliciously smear China, claiming that the Chinese, knowing they couldn't compete with him, used underhanded tactics to force his withdrawal.
In that case, China's reputation worldwide would be ruined!
"Raging with incompetence" would become synonymous with China.
This would not do!
But the problem was, they couldn't just stand by and watch Ozawa Gonno participate in the competition wearing the Sakura flag, could they? Where would China's dignity be then?
Caught between a rock and a hard place, unsure of whether to move left or right, a group of people didn't know what to do.
Some wanted to resort to force, but looking at their unconscious comrade lying on the ground, they suppressed the impulse; if they were to fight, they might not be Ozawa Gonno's match.
At this moment.
Lu Ming calmly stepped forward and said in a composed manner, "Everyone, please calm down. It's a small matter, no need for all this fuss."
He looked at Ozawa Gonno and asked, "Do you insist on participating in the competition wearing this attire?"
"Yes!" Ozawa Gonno replied firmly.
Lu Ming nodded. "Alright, then wear it. However, in doing so, you will be representing your country. If you lose the competition, it will mean that Sakura Country has been trampled underfoot by us Chinese!"
Huh?
Ozawa Gonno's brow furrowed, and he became displeased.
But the other Chinese spectators were delighted. This was a brilliant move. You love wearing it? Fine, wear it, and we'll associate you with your country!
If you lose, Sakura Country loses. If you can afford to lose, can Sakura Country afford to lose?
Ozawa Gonno, you may be strong, but with so many Chinese people here, can you defeat all of them?
Ozawa Gonno sneered, "Fine, if I lose, it means Sakura Country loses, and I will take off this outfit and kneel to apologize to you all publicly. But if I win, it also means Sakura Country has won against China. I will trample all of you tens of thousands under my feet. I don't need your apologies, I just need you to give me a round of applause for first place, hahahaha."
Looking at his arrogant demeanor, it was as if he had already secured first place.
Everyone was indignant, their minds filled with a thousand wild horses running, wanting to severely teach this ignorant brat a lesson.
Some even secretly planned strategies, preparing to form a human wall to block Ozawa Gonno's path and prevent him from winning.
Ozawa Gonno saw through this at a glance.
He said, "I'm facing tens of thousands alone, shouldn't I get some special treatment? If you thousands of people gang up on me, blocking my path, holding me, pulling my clothes, tripping me, how can I win?"
His few words completely blocked the crowd's retreat.
Lu Ming said faintly, "Don't worry, we Chinese will win against you fair and square, without resorting to such despicable tactics. Also, we can give you the front row seats, so you'll be at a leading position from the start. What do you say, anything else to add?"
Ozawa Gonno smiled, a cunning smile.
As long as it was a normal competition, he was confident of winning first place, let alone getting the front row seats, which would further benefit his strengths.
"Alright, you Chinese mongrels, just wait to be trampled by me!"
"Prepare to welcome the arrival of first place, hahahaha."
Ozawa Gonno walked towards the front row seats with a loud laugh, as if first place was already within his grasp. If he truly managed to win first place, then the dignity of the tens of thousands of Chinese spectators present would be lost.
"Everyone, try your best, give it your all. Anyone can win, but this Sakura dog absolutely cannot win first place!"
"We may not fight for bread, but we must fight for our honor. We must bring glory to our motherland."
"Damn it, there are tens of thousands of us. We don't believe we can't outrun one person. Today, we'll definitely strip that dogskin off him!"
A group of people were rubbing their fists and eagerly anticipating the start of the competition.
Things had reached this point; it was a life-or-death situation, and there was nothing more to say.
The mayor picked up a hammer and struck a bronze gong heavily. The sound reached everyone's ears, signaling the official start of the marathon.
"The race has begun, Chinese people, bear witness to my strength!"
Ozawa Gonno took the lead and dashed out first. His speed and reflexes were top-notch, not just empty boasts.
Those behind him followed closely.
However.
To everyone's surprise, Ozawa Gonno's speed only increased, showing no signs of slowing down, as if he were sprinting at full speed.
This was very strange.
After all, a full marathon is 42 kilometers. Such a long distance is not about speed, but about endurance!
No matter how fast you sprint, how long can you sustain it?
A sprint would last about two or three minutes at most; it was impossible to sprint continuously. The most problematic aspect was that sprinting consumed a lot of energy. For such a long race, sprinting should only be done at the very end. Otherwise, if all your strength is used up at the beginning, how can you possibly finish the race later?
Therefore, when everyone saw Ozawa Gonno running so fast, showing no signs of slowing down, they all laughed.
"Heh heh, I thought he was a master, but it turns out he's just a weakling."
"Who sprints in a marathon right from the start? If you exhaust your energy at the beginning, what are you going to run with later?"
"I estimate he won't even be able to run half a lap."
"People from Sakura Country are like this, all talk and no substance."
However.
One person did not think so.
Lu Ming, instead of thinking like the others, accelerated and kept pace with Ozawa Gonno. The two of them didn't look like they were running a marathon, but rather a 100-meter dash.
This scene made everyone exclaim that they were amateurs!