Chapter 233: Headlong Charge: Diversified Sporting Events

As more and more people arrived by boat,

the racecourse gradually became a sea of vibrant colors.

Chen Jianhai had heard news reports before,

that in large events like this, many participants would cosplay as their favorite anime characters during the race.

Seeing it today, it truly opened his eyes!

Minions, Green Fish Head, Gingerbread Man, Pikachu, Genie, Lina Bell…

All kinds of characters were present!

Standing not far away was essentially the Demon Slayer team!

A family of four caught his eye,

the husband was dressed as Tanjirou, and the wife wore Kanao's clothes,

their young son, with yellow hair, was dressed as Zenitsu, standing there in his yellow robe.

He was nibbling on his fingers, his big eyes adorably observing the other participants.

But that wasn't the most impressive part.

The most amazing thing was the husband's box, which actually had a two or three-year-old Nezuko inside!

Many participants went over to take photos with the family of four,

even Chen Jianhai and Xiaolang couldn't resist going over to gently pinch Nezuko's little hand.

"Boss!"

Just as Chen Jianhai was admiring Nezuko, a heavy panting voice came from behind him.

Chen Jianhai turned around to see

a massive boar head right behind him.

The participant in front of him was bare-chested, with two sword handles protruding diagonally from his shoulders,

his race bib was pinned to his legs with safety pins,

clearly cosplaying as Inosuke from Demon Slayer!

"Who are you…"

Chen Jianhai raised an eyebrow. He didn't know any of his employees who were into this kind of thing?!

"Boss, it's me, Sheng Yipian!"

As he spoke, the man lifted his boar head slightly and gave Chen Jianhai a thumbs up.

Who else could it be but Yide!

Chen Jianhai: "?!!!"

"You watch anime??!"

Chen Jianhai exclaimed.

Sheng Yipian, who didn't even know who actor Wu Kai was, actually watched anime?!

Sheng Yipian responded matter-of-factly: "What's wrong with watching anime? It's much better than TV!"

That shut Chen Jianhai up.

No argument there!

"But how did you get your swords through security?"

Chen Jianhai pointed in amazement at the sword handles sticking out of Sheng Yipian's back.

Sheng Yipian reached out and flicked the sword handles,

shrugging:

"These are props,"

"Just the handles, they're empty inside."

With Sheng Yipian's arrival,

the Demon Slayer team was complete.

The scene instantly exploded!

Within moments, the four of them were surrounded by people wanting to take photos,

even Tang Tangtang excitedly squeezed into the crowd, holding up his phone, "click click click" taking a dozen photos!

...

On the podium,

Mayor Sui, dressed in sportswear, was giving the final speech for the opening ceremony.

"One city, one sport, one spirit!"

"I sincerely hope that all the marathon enthusiasts on Xiaomajia Island's track will challenge themselves, surpass themselves, and demonstrate the openness and vitality of Nanjiang's island through running and speed,"

"Making 'Xiao Ma' a distinctive and top-notch sporting event,"

"Showcasing the charm of Nanjiang and the island's unique character!"

"Let's run together, thank you all."

As Mayor Sui finished his speech,

a signal gun fired with a "bang,"

and countless people enthusiastically started running on the island's racecourse.

"Headlong charge!!!"

Sheng Yipian roared, "Explosive Awakening!!"

He then extended his Baji fists straight behind him and charged forward,

his legs, trained in the Hunyuan stance, filled with explosive power and speed,

in an instant,

Sheng Yipian surpassed Mayor Sui, who was leading the run,

and shot ahead,

appearing in the cameras of the front-runners.

Chen Jianhai was stunned.

Xiaolang was stunned too.

The nearby staff were also stunned.

"Zenitsu" sucked his thumb, laughing at Sheng Yipian's back.

"He's really taking advantage of the headgear to hide his identity and act as wild as he wants!"

Chen Jianhai clicked his tongue,

while running,

he heard someone behind him mutter:

"Is Inosuke's running stance like that? Why do I feel like it's from Naruto?"

"Is it from Naruto? It looks like it's from Scissor Seven."

...

At this moment, on the TV broadcast,

no one paid attention to the mayor.

All eyes were on the "boar" crazily charging at the front.

"Dear viewers, as we can see through the camera, this year's 'Xiao Ma' participants are incredibly lively."

"With our cultural market continuously expanding, cultural elements have become more diverse,"

"More young people are incorporating their favorite cultural elements into everyday sporting events, expressing themselves through sports,"

"For instance, today's lead runner is a popular anime character."

...

In the broadcast studio,

Sun Chicheng, wearing a headset, was live broadcasting to the national audience watching "Xiao Ma."

According to the schedule, he was supposed to introduce the beautiful scenery of Nanjiang and Xiaomajia Island,

but unexpectedly, this scene appeared on camera,

forcing him to improvise,

when the camera refocused on Mayor Sui,

Sun Chicheng smoothly returned to reading the speech.

...

Fortunately, Mayor Sui was only leading the run,

after about three kilometers, he voluntarily stepped out.

Chen Jianhai and Xiaolang mingled with the crowd,

the familiar Xiaomajia Island had undergone a significant transformation.

Brightly colored directional lines marked the roads on both sides,

every so often, there were supply stations along the route.

Besides the usual energy bars, salt tablets, bananas, oranges, water, and sports drinks,

there were also large amounts of chilled "Xiaocaishen" craft beer.

The local islanders, to better promote the island,

even funded ice and fresh fish themselves,

allowing participants to enjoy the joy of eating sashimi.

Next to each supply station, there was a gift table adorned with pink and navy colors.

On the table were the featured "star-shaped frosted cookies" of this year's "Xiao Ma."

As the camera zoomed in on the "star-shaped frosted cookies,"

Sun Chicheng's voice provided commentary:

"Chilled beer, sashimi, frosted cookies… this year's 'Xiao Ma' supplies are quite unique."

"For a marathon event, besides a smooth track, enthusiastic reception, effective road clearance and guidance, what attracts most is the along-the-way supplies."

"Many cities use their local specialty foods as track supplies."

"These star-shaped frosted cookies are this year's featured food in Nanjiang."

"I remember when I participated in the 'Inner Marathon,' the track supplies included local specialty jerky, which tasted very good and was quite chewy."

"A small piece of that jerky accompanied me for nearly half an hour of running."

"Dear viewers, what interesting or bizarre track supplies have you encountered?"

"Please follow our official account and send your comments actively."

"We will select 10 lucky viewers to receive a special gift pack from this year's 'Xiao Ma.'"