"...After decades of development, the 'Ice and Fire Transit' league has grown into a massive sports industry. Each year's competition season lasts for three months, divided into three stages: preliminaries, regular season, and finals. The preliminaries are held on Mars and Mercury respectively, selecting the best athletes for the regular season. The regular season consists of high-difficulty extreme competitions, where athletes complete a series of challenging events on their respective planets. The finals are set in the mysterious Kunlun Mountains, considered a magical place connecting the two worlds.
The number of participants has grown from a few dozen initially to thousands today. Among them are athletes from Earth and other colonized planets, giving the competition a more interstellar flavor. The audience scale is astonishing, with statistics showing that over a million spectators watch the competition live each year, while tens of billions watch via holographic broadcasts..."
Allie sat in the classroom, listening to the introduction of the upcoming roller skating competition, but her mind kept drifting back to scenes from the previous night. She secretly opened her terminal, where she had sneakily taken a photo of Ryan yesterday. In the photo, Ryan stood at the center of the crowd, wearing the Red Child Festival attire, looking gallant, mysterious, and noble. This version of Ryan was no less impressive than any model or celebrity. Remembering his slightly reluctant expression when he first joined the ceremony, Allie smiled and named the photo: "Cosplay of a Cutting-Edge Scientist" - a moment that belonged only to her.
At noon, when Allie passed through the campus square, she was greeted not by the usual tranquility, but by a commotion. Students were gathered in front of the information wall, discussing animatedly. Allie keenly sensed an atmosphere of unease, as if an undefined danger lingered in the air.
"Allie, come look at this!" Fiona was waving at her from in front of the screen.
"Fiona, is your event over?" Allie quickly walked over to her.
Fiona, with a complex expression, pulled Allie into the crowd. Allie looked in the direction Fiona was pointing and saw an explosive news item scrolling on the information wall:
"Shocking! Catherine Wilson Embroiled in Scandal, Professional League Preliminary Qualification Revoked!"
Below the news headline was a video clip showing Catherine, pale-faced, standing before the league committee's review panel, facing questions from several authoritative judges. The video content revealed that Catherine had been anonymously reported for misconduct in her private life, and subsequent investigations uncovered that she had used illegal mechanical modifications to enhance her performance in past competitions. These actions directly violated the professional league's regulations.
Allie stared in disbelief at all this. Although she hadn't had much interaction with Catherine, she knew Catherine held a significant position in the school. Such a scandal was undoubtedly a devastating blow to Catherine, not only potentially ending her sports career but also meaning her status in the school would instantly crumble.
"I never expected it to turn out like this," Fiona said in a low voice, her tone carrying an indecipherable emotion. "The situation in the school is likely to undergo a drastic change."
Allie nodded thoughtfully, her gaze not leaving the information wall. She vaguely felt that Catherine's incident was no coincidence, but she couldn't be sure what forces were driving it all behind the scenes.
Just then, Allie's terminal suddenly beeped with a notification. She looked down to find a notice from the academy's coaching team. The notice stated that due to Catherine Wilson's disqualification, after an emergency discussion by the coaching team, it was decided to hold a school-wide preliminary qualification race this afternoon. Participants would be recommended by various coaching teams, and below was the list of participants:
Extreme Speed Racing Category:
Jackson Coaching Team: James Rodriguez
Allie Raine
George Anderson
Sarah Lee
...
Allie rubbed her eyes. She was just a newcomer who had recently entered the school, and suddenly she was chosen to participate in the preliminary qualification race.
"That's great, Allie!" Fiona excitedly hugged Allie, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "If you can enter the preliminaries, then next month we can go together to participate in the Binary Star League preliminaries. Allie, we're closer to our dream!"
Allie felt her heart racing, this sudden opportunity both excited and nervous her.
"I've only just come to the school, and I can participate in the Binary Star League? Am I dreaming?"
"Allie, you should know that if you didn't have real ability, Coach Jackson wouldn't have broken the rules to accept you into the team. Few people can keep up with your speed."
"Also, why do you think those big idiots like Jason stopped giving you a hard time so quickly? It's because your ability crushes them, they have nothing to say!" Fiona analyzed for Allie.
"But I don't feel like I'm that good."
"Alright, Allie, excessive modesty is like showing off. To prepare for the afternoon's race,"
The training ground of Mars Speed Academy was bustling with people, the air filled with tension and excitement. Allie stood at the starting line, taking a deep breath, feeling the flow of the Kunlun Force within her. She wore a form-fitting silver training suit, her silver hair tied up high, her purple eyes sparkling with determination.
With the sound of the starting gun, Allie shot out like an arrow leaving the bow. Her start was as fast as lightning, instantly leaving other competitors behind. Allie felt the Kunlun Force surging within her, as if an invisible energy was propelling her forward.
The first obstacle was a series of uneven jumping platforms. Allie leaped gracefully, tracing beautiful arcs in the air, landing precisely on each platform. Her movements were fluid as if she had merged with the track. The audience let out gasps of amazement, and even the usually serious judges couldn't help but nod in approval.
Next came a section of sharp turns. Allie leaned forward slightly, lowering her center of gravity, and with the aid of the Kunlun Force, she flew around the turns as if glued to the ground, without slowing down at all. Other competitors clearly fell behind here, while Allie only got faster.
In the final sprint, Allie unleashed the Kunlun Force to its fullest. Her figure became a silver lightning bolt, speeding along the track. The audience could barely see her movements, only a blurred shadow quickly passing by.
When Allie crossed the finish line, the entire venue fell silent, and everyone was completely stunned. When the timing board showed that she had qualified for the preliminaries with the best time in her group and broken the academy's record, the stands erupted in countless cheers. Allie stood at the finish line, breathing slightly heavily, her face beaming with the joy of victory.
Allie looked around, Fiona was running towards her, and the coach was also applauding her. She saw the excited crowd in the stands, she was happy but also felt an indescribable sense of loss. At that moment, she wanted to see what expression that person would have...
After the race, as Allie and Fiona were walking back to the dormitory, Allie's terminal kept ringing. Many schoolmates sent congratulations, and many students became her fans, cheering her on. Allie happily replied to each one. Suddenly, a familiar avatar flashed:
Ryan: Allie, congratulations on being selected.
Allie: Thank you.
Ryan: Tonight's training will be assisted by my assistant.
Allie: Oh, okay.