Chapter 136: The Tug-of-War Competition

Wang Dawei nearly lost his mind at the sight of the acupressure mats, kneeling down to complain to the production crew, "Acupressure mats again! Can't you come up with something fresh? I hate these things! How are we supposed to play tug-of-war standing on these? Why don't we just settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors?"

Xiao Qiang chuckled and waved him off, gesturing for them to get ready and hurry up, as the recording schedule was tight today.

The first official event, acupressure mat tug-of-war, was a best-of-three series; the first team to win two rounds would be declared the winner. The members of the Infinite Team had stepped on these mats plenty of times throughout the season; for them, these things were "old friends." Even so, exerting enough force to pull a rope while standing on them remained a formidable challenge. Although the mats were agonizing, the team’s core members—Lu Cheng, Lu Kai, and Feng Sheng—had silently resolved to crush the guest team in the first round. They wanted to show those arrogant newcomers whose home turf this really was.

The guest team had been high-spirited minutes ago, but once they took off their shoes and stepped onto the mats, feeling the sharp sting of the "bamboo shoots" against their soles, Bai Xinhong, Peng Liang, and Fazai all began to whine. Even their captain, Luo Zhikang, started to lose his nerve, constantly reminding everyone, "Safety first, guys. Don't go too crazy. The Infinite Team members are lunatics; we aren't going to beat them."

Zhang Qiyang spoke up, visibly displeased, "We might not be able to out-pull them on flat ground, but on these mats, we're on equal footing. As long as we can endure the pain, I believe we have a chance. Don't lose heart!"

Although Zhang Qiyang's attitude was firm, Bai Xinhong and the others still looked miserable and ready to give up. Bai Xinhong kept groaning, "Oh man! This is too painful, I can't even stand!"

The two women, however, did not complain. It was Li Xuan's first time stepping on such prickly mats. Being tall and slightly heavier, she felt the pain acutely as her full weight pressed onto her tender soles. Yet, she could feel that Zhang Qiyang, provoked by Pan Ziwen’s opening taunts, was burning with a competitive fire; he was clearly prepared to give his all against the Infinite Team. As a teammate, she couldn't help him with anything else, but she could support him with her attitude.

She encouraged the group, "Everyone, just bear with it. Xiao Jing isn't complaining, and you guys are grown men—isn't it a bit much to keep whining?"

Bai Xinhong looked at Zhao Lijing, who was already sweating from the pain, and muttered with a bitter smile, "Xiao Jing isn't complaining because she's in too much pain to speak."

Peng Liang and Fazai burst into laughter. Zhao Lijing, left speechless, pursed her lips in a stubborn arc and declared, "I'm going to give it my all anyway. You guys... do what you want."

Luo Zhikang, understanding the drive of a newcomer like Zhao Lijing, advised her kindly, "We’ll definitely give it our all, everyone will. But we have to have limits. Safety first; no one get hurt."

Li Xuan agreed, "Right, safety first. Just do your best."

Zhang Qiyang held out his hand and said, "Come on, let’s go! We can lose the match, but we can't lose our spirit!"

Spurred on by Zhang Qiyang, the guest team shouted their cheers—some with vigor, others with grimaces: "One, two, three... Go! Go! Go!"

Lu Kai, Pan Ziwen, and the others looked at the motley crew of "old, weak, sick, and disabled" guests cheering and couldn't help but laugh. Wang Dawei taunted the guests, "Be careful! Our 'Big Demon King' will wipe you out the second we start. Try not to get pulled over!"

Luo Zhikang retorted, "Tug-of-war isn't just about strength; it's about weight! We're just as heavy as you are. It’s not over yet!"

Lu Kai said haughtily, "Ha! Then let's see you pull!" He then shot a look at Feng Sheng, a clear signal to show no mercy and hit them hard from the start—to show them the true power of the Infinite Team.

Feng Sheng, standing like a tower of black iron at the end of the Infinite Team’s line, wrapped the rope around his waist, held his breath, and braced himself.

After much deliberation, the guest team had followed Zhang Qiyang’s advice to have him anchor the back. They had originally wanted the heaviest member, Bai Xinhong, to take that spot, but seeing his cowardly stance on the mat, Zhang Qiyang couldn't entrust the critical anchor position to him. He would have to stake his own life on it. Although his feet hurt, his superior physical control allowed him to suppress the pain with sheer willpower. If he pushed his body to its limit, he might just be able to put up a fight against the Infinite Team. In any case, he was determined to give them a real battle. Since they were already facing off, he wouldn't let those people be arrogant in front of him.

Soon, both teams were ready on either side of the rope. With the red ribbon in the center as the marker, the team that pulled the rope over one and a half meters would win. The female celebrities from both teams stood at the front. The guest team was lined up: Li Xuan, Zhao Lijing, Bai Xinhong, Luo Zhikang, Fazai, Peng Liang, with Zhang Qiyang anchoring.

The Infinite Team was lined up: Sophie, Xu Xian, Wang Dawei, Lu Cheng, Pan Ziwen, Lu Kai, with the "Big Demon King" Feng Sheng anchoring.

Tug-of-war depends largely on the strength of the anchor. Comparing the lean Zhang Qiyang to the burly Feng Sheng, the difference in build was immediate. It seemed the match had no suspense.

As the start approached, everyone stood barefoot on the mats, harboring their strength with various expressions. The women didn't complain, enduring the pain out of a sense of dignity. The men, being thicker-skinned, complained quite a bit. Wang Dawei looked miserable, nearly sitting on the mat as he shouted, "Where is the referee? Start it already! If you don't start, my feet are going to shatter!"

Bai Xinhong was no different, sweating profusely as he groaned, "My feet are already shattered!"

The production crew took pity on them. A staff member in a referee's uniform walked onto the mats, grabbed the red ribbon in the center of the rope, raised a hand, and blew the whistle.

"Tweet!"

The pull began!

Upon hearing the whistle, the experienced Infinite Team leaned back in unison, focusing their power. A ferocious force surged into the rope, catching the unprepared guest team completely off guard! Several guests were nearly yanked forward and off their feet. Combined with the sudden sharp pain under their soles, a few almost collapsed to their knees. In an instant, the red ribbon was pulled over a meter toward the Infinite Team!

With less than 30 centimeters left, the ribbon was about to cross the Infinite Team's victory line!