Chapter 26: Netizens Burst Into Laughter! Is Teacher Huang Burnt Out? No, He’s Just Asleep! [Monthly Votes Requested]

Seeing this, the three members of the Yellow Team changed color.

Li Chen prepared to step forward to support him: "Teacher Huang has fallen!"

"Nonsense!" Lu Ming grabbed the warm-hearted old Li: "Teacher Huang just performed a fancy, acrobatic hurdle over the obstacle. Don't you know the saying, 'an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand miles'?"

"He is actively increasing the challenge difficulty to make himself even more exhilarated!"

Li Chen: "..."

Chen Chichi exclaimed in admiration: "Amazing, my Huang!"

Teacher Huang: "..."

*F*** off, you washed-up loser.*

*You'd better not fall into my hands later!*

"Ahhh!" Teacher Huang, his face contorted in pain, rolled on the ground several times before scrambling to his feet to continue his charge toward the next obstacle.

"Teacher Huang grabs his crotch with both hands, launches into a high jump with a crotch-supported vault—the elderly flying man, undying to the end!"

"Teacher Huang jumps again, old but vigorous, pressing forward with indomitable will!"

"Teacher Huang is actually using his forehead to cushion the impact of his high-altitude landing—absolutely brilliant! This strategy is genius!"

"Some people live, light as a feather; others die, heavy as Mount Tai. Teacher Huang's fearless spirit, his drive to find life in the face of death, has elevated this game to a height it never belonged in!"

"Where is the applause?!"

*Clap, clap, clap, clap!!*

At this moment, the thunderous applause drowned out the heartfelt laughter of the crowd, so much so that Teacher Huang, who was giving his all on the track, couldn't help but lift his head and chest, his brows radiating a hint of arrogance!

Amidst Lu Ming's passionate commentary, Teacher Huang stumbled to the next relay point and began attempting to climb over a platform that reached his chest, over and over again!

But due to the stinging pain in his feet and his exhaustion, he fell repeatedly. He was now dizzy and disoriented, stumbling around like a drunkard, as if he were about to be knocked unconscious by the little bamboo shoots beneath his feet.

Lu Ming took the opportunity to gulp down some Erguotou liquor. The sharp heat of the alcohol in his throat made his emotions even more high-strung and intense:

"Teacher Huang!"

"The moment you give it your all, you will have everything!!!"

"Life must be full of Passion!"

Teacher Huang: ?!

*This goddamn washed-up loser is actually encouraging me with such fiery enthusiasm?*

"Go! Go!" Cheers erupted from the crowd. Baby was also waiting anxiously ahead. With the atmosphere built up to this point, Teacher Huang was truly fired up. He took five steps back, hunched his back, and launched his final sprint toward the obstacle ahead!

Lu Ming howled at the sky, his voice cracking:

"The twisted features are the passing of youth; the grimacing face is the echo of passion!"

"Burn, youth!"

"Burn, Teacher Huang!!!"

Amidst his heart-wrenching screams, netizens watching the live stream saw Teacher Huang, whose face was being poked every which way by the bamboo shoots, inexplicably feeling a sense of heroic grandeur in their hearts...

Under everyone's gaze, Teacher Huang, sprinting with all his might, pushed off with his hands and vaulted high over the obstacle. Captured by the close-up, this stylish move truly moved countless viewers!

The next moment...

"Ga!!!"

Because he exerted too much force, Teacher Huang lost his balance. He flipped over the platform with his feet in the air, did a somersault, and then, driven by momentum, crashed heavily onto the ground, lunged forward, and 'bang'—smashed headfirst right in front of Baby!

Dizzy and disoriented, Teacher Huang rolled his eyes and fainted on the spot!

【Holy! Cow!】

【Teacher—Huang—!!】

【A flying corpse from the heavens!!】

【He literally kowtowed in front of Baby!】

Baby looked at Teacher Huang, who had just "thumped" and kowtowed to her before collapsing into a state of shock right in front of her. Her face turned pale, and she was so scared she started crying: "Ahhhhh, Teacher Huang, are you okay?!"

Heaven knows what kind of intense shock this sudden scene caused to her young heart!

"Teacher Huang has burned himself out!" Reba screamed.

"What are you saying?" Lu Ming glared at Reba, then spoke calmly: "Teacher Huang has just 'fallen asleep'!"

Wang Baoqiang quickly went up to check Teacher Huang's pulse: "He hasn't burned out, Teacher Huang still has breath!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Old people sleep quite early, especially after strenuous exercise, which makes them more prone to drowsiness. It’s early in the morning; what’s wrong with Teacher Huang taking a nap after finishing his task?" Lu Ming spoke eloquently, then looked at Reba: "Don't be so dramatic in the future."

Immediately after, he looked at Baby:

"Teacher Huang is already at such an advanced age, and you actually accepted a loud kowtow from him in public. Girl, your official authority is quite something!"

Reba: "..."

Baby: "..."

Teacher Huang, held in Wang Baoqiang's arms, still had a shred of consciousness left. In his daze, he heard Lu Ming gossiping about him. Overcome with fury, he twitched twice, then his body went limp, his neck tilted to the side, and he passed out completely!

【Hahahaha, *hiccup*!】

【I'm dying of laughter!】

【One second he's fired up, the next he's lying like a corpse. Are variety shows this high-octane now?!】

【If domestic variety shows had this kind of entertainment value earlier, they would have been legendary long ago!】

【The washed-up loser is the god of variety shows!】

【It's genuinely good to watch, but it's a bit life-threatening. Does the production team really not plan to have medical staff on hand?】

【Forgive me for laughing unkindly. I used to empathize with such situations, but now that I see something similar, I’m just laughing like a goose!】

【*Honk honk honk honk honk*...】

【Teacher Huang could have held on, but he heard the loser's voice in his delirium, couldn't catch his breath, and just left right then and there!】

【Reba, you'd better stay away from the loser, lest his blood splatter on you when he dies later!】

【Baby: Who understands, guys? On a bright morning, we were in the middle of a relay race, and then a middle-aged senior flew over a wall half a person high, did a head-first somersault, and 'splat'—knocked himself out right in front of me! Friends, does anyone know if I need to go to jail for this? Waiting online, it's quite urgent!】

【No worries, nothing happened.】

【...】

The live stream room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

The members of the "Brothers" group stepped forward one after another to check on Teacher Huang. Although his final act as a "flying man" was a bit cool, he had wasted too much time, and because Baby was too scared to move at first, the Red Team's challenge ended in failure.

Everyone tried pinching his philtrum and shaking him violently, but Teacher Huang was like a goner—he just wouldn't budge.

Lu Ming stepped forward: "Everyone move, my turn!"

"Are you planning to give Teacher Huang CPR?!" Reba widened her eyes, as Black Bull and Brother Chao were currently debating who should make the sacrifice.

Lu Ming: "Why go through all that trouble? I have a better way."

Everyone looked over: "Tell us!"

"My urine is yellow; let me 'water' Teacher Huang awake!" Lu Ming looked at Reba and, thinking it inappropriate, added a reminder: "You're a girl, you should look away for a moment!"

Reba: "???"

Baby: "???"

The brothers: "!!!"

【What the hell, 'urine is yellow'? Do you hear what you're saying?】

【Settling personal scores, are we!】

【Saying things like that in front of Reba and Baby, as an idol who relies on your face, do you really have no idol baggage left at all?】

【Are you meeting the loser for the first time? Why do you think he's called a 'washed-up loser'?】

"What do you take Teacher Huang for?!" Wu Qian shouted and questioned: "Loser, Teacher Huang is like this because of you. Now that the man hasn't even been cleared of danger, you still have the heart to make sarcastic remarks here!"

"Do you have a heart?" Wu Qian accused sharply: "You don't have a heart!!"

Lu Ming: "Who did I harm? I didn't touch Teacher Huang, nor did I hit him. I was cheering for him the whole time. If I hadn't been there waving flags and shouting, Teacher Huang would probably have given up and laid down after two steps!"

"So he should be thanking you, is that it?!" Wu Qian glared.

Lu Ming sneered: "If you care so much about Teacher Huang, then hurry up and give him CPR!"

Wu Qian: ?

"That's right, Wu Qian, you have the best relationship with Teacher Huang, you should do it. In this situation, every extra second of delay could lead to danger. Don't worry, we'll turn around and not look!" Baby urged.

Wu Qian: ???

He gritted his teeth and then silently retreated behind the crowd.

"You're full of high-sounding words when it comes to blaming others, but you're hesitant when it comes to making a sacrifice. You throw heavy punches at me, but you're ungrateful when asked to step up. You're just full of it!" Lu Ming sneered.

Wu Qian: "..."

Lu Ming took a step forward: "Fine, I'll do it."

"You can't be that rough!" Reba stopped him.

Lu Ming smiled: "Don't worry, I have a better way to wake Teacher Huang up—absolutely scientific, effective, and decent!"

Everyone skeptically made way.

Under a series of astonished gazes, Lu Ming squatted down and gave the unconscious Teacher Huang two resounding, loud slaps to the face!

*Smack!*

Teacher Huang’s already red cheeks swelled up instantly...

Seeing that the old man on the ground still wouldn't wake up, Lu Ming immediately increased the intensity.

*Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!*

In an instant, the loud sound of slapping echoed incessantly.

"!!!!!"

Everyone was stunned!

"What are you doing?!" Wu Qian shouted.

Deng Chao was shocked: "This is the scientific, effective, and decent method you were talking about?!"

"Ming, we asked you to save him, not kill him! Stop now!" Chen Chichi grabbed Lu Ming's arm: "If you keep slapping him like this, you'll slap Teacher Huang to death!"

"Don't worry, science shows that when a person is unconscious, they wake up if they smell the scent of their favorite food. Teacher Huang's favorite thing to 'eat' is big slaps to the face. If you don't believe me, you can go check the archives of the final episode of the Mushroom House!"

【Do you hear what this guy is saying?!】

【'Favorite thing to eat is slaps to the face'—are you trying to laugh me to death?!】

【I seriously suspect the loser is just looking for an excuse to slap Teacher Huang!】

Everyone turned to look at Wu Qian.

"No, why are you all looking at me? I ate those mushrooms at the time and was hallucinating!" Wu Qian cursed: "And you actually believe the nonsense he’s spouting?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Teacher Huang's body twitched. Lu Ming reflexively retreated into the crowd. After three seconds, Teacher Huang muddledly opened his eyes.

Wu Qian: "..."

Everyone: "..."

Teacher Huang saw everyone's strange expressions and couldn't help but be amazed: "What's with those expressions?"

"Nothing, Teacher Huang, it's just great that you're okay." Everyone offered words of comfort.

Teacher Huang touched his swollen face: "What happened while I was unconscious? Why does my face feel like it's burning..."

"Nothing happened!" Everyone answered in unison.

Wu Qian sneered and grabbed Lu Ming: "Teacher Huang, the loser just took advantage of you being unconscious to settle a personal score. He slapped you several times, I saw it clearly!"

"???" Teacher Huang's eyes immediately turned fierce: "LO! SER!"

"Teacher Huang, I did that to save you!"

Teacher Huang immediately lunged at Lu Ming like a hungry wolf:

"When I was running on the acupressure mat earlier, you were gossiping on the sidelines, and you dared to attack me while I was unconscious! You son of a b*tch, I’m going to tear that sharp tongue of yours out today!!"

Lu Ming quickly ran away: "Teacher Huang, if I didn't act, Wu Qian was going to give you CPR!"

"Teacher Huang, you know me, I didn't do it!" Wu Qian hurriedly defended himself: "I'm an idol, if I did that, my life would be ruined!"

"Loser, you stop right there!"

"..."

The two chased each other, running two laps around the square. The old and weak Teacher Huang couldn't catch Lu Ming, and with the others intervening to persuade them, the furious old man let out a "for the sake of the others" and stepped down, but the look in his eyes when he glared at Lu Ming remained vicious.

The second team to challenge the acupressure mat was naturally the Blue Team.

Wu Qian looked at Lu Ming and warned: "Loser, you'd better keep your mouth shut later!"

"Don't worry, with our relationship, I'll definitely blow you up until you're shining bright!"

"Does a Tianyu prince like me need a washed-up loser like you to blow me up? You have time for that, you might as well think about how you're going to survive after you retire from the industry in two days!"

"That's none of your business!"

"In short, you're not allowed to mess with my mentality!"

"I'm a commentator, freedom of speech!"

"You're a son of a—!"

"..."

After bickering for a while, the three members of the Yellow Team quickly agreed on their order.

To prevent Lu Ming from pulling any more stunts in the first stage, the Black Bull, representing the strength of the Running Man team, took responsibility for getting everyone off to a good start. As for Chen Chichi, he chose the second leg, and Wu Qian, who was wary of Lu Ming, waited in the third position.

*Ding!!!*

With the director's whistle, the timer started!

The Black Bull rushed out like a madman. The stinging pain from the acupressure mat made him instinctively scream: "Ahhhhh!"

Lu Ming, just like before, picked up his megaphone and shouted, praising the Black Bull's ferocity.

Li Chen heard him and got even more fired up, performing with even more intensity!

At the same time, the other members of the Red and Blue teams were also jeering from the sidelines, and Baby and Reba cast looks of admiration at Li Chen.

"Old Li, the wind is blowing into your mouth, be careful your dentures fall out!"

"Is this a person running? It's clearly a wild bull having a seizure!"

"At this speed, won't they pass on the first try?"

Deng Chao and Wang Baoqiang were both a bit worried.

After all, there were only two rewards, and the team that arrived at the next task location first would surely pick the best ones. Naturally, they didn't want to fall behind.

"Ow ow ow, woohoo, it's so painful..." Chen Chichi, on the second leg, screamed repeatedly, but the process wasn't too bumpy. After all, the second stage didn't require climbing over half-person-high obstacles, nor did it require grabbing onto a high bar like the third stage—it was clearly designed for the two female members who were physically weaker.

When it was Wu Qian's turn to start, Lu Ming began:

"He's coming, he's coming, my ever-striving Qian-bao, he's walking over with firm steps!"

Hearing the noisy chatter from afar, Wu Qian cursed "Ming-divide" and then lunged forward, preparing to prove that he was a powerhouse idol. But his grand ambition lasted less than three seconds. Not long after his soles stepped on the little bamboo shoots, he stumbled and let out a shrill scream: "Ow-woo!!!"

"Pain, it's too painful!!"

This sudden, intense stimulation made his crotch feel a chill; he almost peed himself on the spot!

"Quick, not much time left!"

"Speed up!"

Li Chen and Chen Chichi urged him anxiously from behind.

"It hurts!" Wu Qian yelled.

Li Chen urged: "I know it hurts, just endure it and you'll pass on the first try, hurry and charge!!"

Wu Qian had no choice but to suppress his urge to pee and sprint forward with a grimacing face.