Chapter 14 Accidental Encounter

Li Ang didn't go out for a bike training session today, for he has a race to attend tomorrow. Eric has told everyone to rest for the day to maintain their condition.

Therefore, Li Ang's training volume was reduced considerably today. He even slept in a little extra this morning before heading out to jog slowly to exercise his cardiorespiratory function.

No sooner had he started running than he ran into Sheila, who was also out and about.

Today, she wasn't in a dress but had switched to a professional black suit, a black pencil skirt, flesh-colored stockings, and a pair of dark gray high heels.

As Li Ang slowed down, Sheila also noticed him and waved at him from a distance.

"Long time no see! Busy little guy."

Sheila said with a smirk, with a bit of a deliberately elevated tone.

Li Ang was surprised for a moment, then quickly realized she was teasing him, so he replied with a slight smile,

"In our country, there's an old saying that goes, 'One day apart feels like three years,' meaning if one misses someone deeply, even a day apart can feel as long as three years."

Sheila was taken aback for several seconds, and then her cheeks turned slightly red. She finally realized she had been flirted with by a minor.

She quickly changed the subject,

"Are you going out for a run?"

Li Ang nodded and asked back,

"How about you?"

"I have a meeting to attend in the city center today."

"Oh, by the way."

Sheila seemed to remember something and continued,

"I have an event to attend tomorrow. Are you free? You could accompany me."

As if worried she wasn't tempting Li Ang enough, she quickly added,

"There will be all kinds of food! And exciting games to watch, even the girls with the hottest figures in the entire city, really don't want to consider it?"

Sheila leaned in close to Li Ang, squinting her eyes, the spitting image of a creepy uncle luring young girls.

"Sorry, I have something very important to do tomorrow as well, but next time for sure."

Li Ang firmly declined Sheila's invitation.

Joking aside, what's food and beauties compared to the US Dollar at hand.

"That's such a pity, but don't worry, if I can't bring home a girl, I'll try to bring you back some food."

After saying that, Sheila waved to Li Ang again and sashayed off toward her 'bird of prey'.

"I will thank your kind deed on behalf of my mouth, my tongue, and my stomach."

Li Ang shouted back, continuing his jog from earlier.

This time, the running lasted longer than usual.

Seeing that the proficiency in [Running] had finally filled up, Li Ang switched from running to walking, taking deep breaths of air as he began to head back.

[Running] 1/400 (Mastery)

(Trait: Lung capacity increased by 20%)

As an aerobic exercise, biking performance is naturally affected by lung capacity.

An increase in lung capacity means he can sustain a higher power output for longer during cycling.

Although Li Ang felt pretty confident about securing a good position with his current strength, there can never be too much certainty, only more.

Li Ang arrived early the next morning at the race venue to participate in the pre-race ceremony.

The number of spectators at the venue was more than he had anticipated, with even many local homeless people coming over to watch.

Of course, they hadn't come to watch the race, they were there for the many free meals provided at the venue.

Though the relief station distributed food on regular days, the quality was worlds apart from what was offered here.

Li Ang hadn't expected this bike race to bring him face to face with several acquaintances.

"Eric's team, didn't someone get hurt? He actually found another poor soul."

A tall Caucasian youth sipped his hot coffee while coldly looking ahead as he spoke.

The slightly shorter Caucasian youth next to him, who was diligently trying to hand over a hot dog, also shifted his gaze upon hearing this.

His expression suggested he'd noticed something odd, squinting slightly before taking a few more seconds to take another look, then turned back with a big laugh, and said to the tall young man:

"I know the new cyclist who joined, it's the nerd Li."

"All you need to tell me is how good his strength is, Barber."

The tall youth's gaze remained unchanged, speaking coldly.

Barber, as if having thought of something hilarious, struggled to suppress a grin wider than an AK, forcibly organizing his words before replying:

"I don't even know how to describe it, you know, his performance in PE class is even worse than Mike with one lame leg."

"If he'd ride his bike to school, I bet he could make it before we leave, even if it's just a ten-kilometer distance."

The tall youth finally nodded with a smile, murmuring to himself:

"Looks like they just found someone to make up the numbers."

He then turned to a youth beside him who was barely 1.7 meters tall and seemingly not even old enough for high school, dressed in professional riding gear, and asked softly:

"Arthur, how are you feeling today?"

"Not bad."

The boy answered quietly, head bowed.

When their gazes had found him, Li Ang naturally noticed them too.

He had originally thought the idea that gazes could wield strength was nonsense, but at this moment, he could actually sense others' gazes to some extent.

It seemed that the improvements from the rise of [Spirit] weren't limited to better memory and stronger cognitive abilities.

He certainly recognized Barber, and his impression of him was fairly memorable.

That little group in school often made fun of him, and Barber was part of it.

However, at the moment, Li Ang didn't bother with them and instead walked towards the grandstand of the racing field.

He looked at the elegant lady in a black dress seated towards the right in the middle of the grandstand, and spoke slowly:

"Is this the place you wanted to bring me to, Lady Sheila?"

Sheila was quite surprised to see Li Ang here.

She had come only because an old friend invited her to help boost the atmosphere for this dull event.

But now that Li Ang was here, it wouldn't be dull anymore.

Eric and his group watched in stunned silence as Li Ang actually started chatting with someone on the podium.

Although they didn't know the lady well, the person beside her was the principal of the well-known local high school; evidently, the lady's status couldn't be far off.

The tall Caucasian youth seemed to understand now; this wasn't someone Eric had dragged in just to fill numbers but someone shoved in to pad the results.

But no matter what, the outcome would be no different.

Even though a four-person team's result is based on the top three scores, every member is crucial; any weak link can affect the final outcome.

Soon, all the cycling teams gathered at the starting line, and the atmosphere of the event reached its first peak.