Chapter 33: Li Chen is Wounded, Gu Qing Explodes with Power

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Due to the unexpected "death" of the *Deceased*,

Chen Chichi, wielding the power of the Great Black Bull, secured the final victory.

After receiving their mission rewards,

they had to head straight to the beach without a moment's rest,

to engage in a rock-paper-scissors competition with the original tour guide NPC.

The rules were incredibly harsh: all seven members had to win for the mission to be considered complete; if anyone failed midway, they would have to start all over again.

Furthermore,

the lower halves of their bodies were all submerged in seawater.

With the tide nearly coming in, every wash of the waves felt bone-chilling.

The most miserable ones,

had to be the underwater camera crew, whose entire bodies were soaked in the sea.

Gu Qing was truly afraid something would go wrong.

For seven people to play rock-paper-scissors and all win, the success rate was a mere 1/128.

They certainly wouldn't win within a few hours!

However, the greatest reason why the first season of *Running Man* was so brilliant,

was the reduction of "scripted interference."

While it existed, it wasn't much.

Take this rock-paper-scissors match, for example.

In any other variety show, after the members failed a few times, the producers would have secretly tipped them off regarding the order of the game.

As long as they put on an enthusiastic performance, the challenge would be considered complete.

But what about Lu Hao?

He made them endure the seawater for over ten minutes,

only to announce directly: "Mission failed!"

They received no rewards,

and instead moved straight to the final mission: "The Aviation Museum!"

As soon as they arrived at the venue, the announcement began to blare

"Today's mission challenge is the China-Korea Running Man Team Name Tag Ripping Duel!"

"What?!"

Deng Chao's mouth hung open. "Doesn't that mean we have to face Kim Jong-kook again?"

Li Chen also looked solemn.

It was only after watching the program later,

that he could clearly feel the physical disparity between himself and Kim Jong-kook.

To put it bluntly, the man was more than two sizes larger than him.

If Deng Chao hadn't provided a distraction back then, he would have undoubtedly lost.

At the same time,

the members of the South Korean Running Man team began to enter.

In contrast to the cheerful expressions of his teammates, Kim Jong-kook's expression was far more serious.

Losing to Li Chen in the first episode, only to have the opponent tear his shirt open to show off,

had left Kim Jong-kook simmering with rage!

Not to mention,

underneath his Instagram account, there were many aggressive South Korean fans cursing him for bringing shame to the country.

Was it really worth it for the sake of a variety show effect?

But for a peculiar country like South Korea, it actually was.

It was quite a curiosity how a celebrity walking a red carpet abroad could be widely publicized on shows as "bringing glory to the nation."

So today,

Kim Jong-kook was there not just for revenge, but to "bring glory to the nation"!

With a whistle blow,

the "Golden Tiger" broke away from the group alone to search for the "Black Bull."

"Baby! Baby Luna, where are you?!"

On the other side,

Li Guangzu, claiming to be the number one fan of "Big Baby," was shouting and making a scene to meet his idol.

"Guangzu, look at how pathetic you are!"

Haha slapped the back of his head and said with disdain.

But immediately,

his expression changed. He nudged Kang Gary beside him with his elbow. "Hyung, to be honest, I also want to see what the real Baby looks like, to see if she's really that beautiful."

"I want to see her too,"

Kang Gary nodded excitedly.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort rang out.

As part of the "Monday Couple," Song Ji-hyo naturally had to express her dissatisfaction.

"Ji-hyo, don't be jealous. In my heart, you will always be the most beautiful."

Kang Gary quickly resorted to cheesy pick-up lines, coaxing Song Ji-hyo until she was beaming with joy.

Although the museum was large, it couldn't withstand the sheer number of people.

The first ones to encounter each other,

were the South Korean "Big Nose" and Lin Gengxin.

"One by one, OK?"

"OK, OK!"

The two "noobs" met as if they had waited a lifetime for each other and began their "duel of the century."

The Monday Couple, walking hand-in-hand, suddenly spotted a charming figure at a corner in a corridor.

"Baby? It's Baby!!"

Kang Gary's eyes lit up. His gaze shifted to Yang Ying's delicate face, and he exclaimed, "So beautiful!!"

"Aish, beautiful my foot! Hurry up and catch her!"

Seeing Yang Ying flee in a panic,

the "Delinquent Ji-hyo" appeared and gave Kang Gary an angry slap to wake him up.

In the original world,

Zheng Kai's "Cheetah" persona was actually derived from Kang Gary.

The man like the wind pushed his speed to the limit, rapidly closing the distance to Yang Ying.

"Don't chase me!!"

Yang Ying, looking terrified, ran toward a slender white partition and hid behind it.

"Haha, Baby, I won't..."

As Kang Gary laughed and prepared to round the partition to grab the "Big Baby,"

*Clang—*

The white wooden door in the middle of the partition wall was suddenly twisted open.

Hearing the sound,

the sprinting Kang Gary instinctively looked back, his heart nearly stopping!

Gu Qing appeared from the door, gave him a slight smile, grabbed the name tag on his back, and tore it off with force!

"Kang Gary Out! Kang Gary Out!!"

The announcement echoed through the entire floor.

"Mwoya (What?!)! Where did you pop out from?!"

Kang Gary collapsed to the ground, clutching his heart which felt like it was about to jump out of his throat, shouting in shock.

"Ta-da~"

Yang Ying peeked her head playfully from the door, hopped out to high-five Gu Qing, and proudly claimed credit: "Qingqing, was my 'honey trap' effective?"

"It was effective, but this isn't good..."

Gu Qing reached out to pull Kang Gary up and gave him a friendly shoulder bump as a greeting.

"Why isn't it good?"

"It's dangerous."

"Are you worried about me?"

"No, I'm just afraid you'll be eliminated before you even reach me."

"Liar!"

Yang Ying's eyes curved into crescents.

Song Ji-hyo: "Did you guys forget there's still one more person?!"

"Luna, why don't you just surrender?"

Gu Qing spread his hands toward Song Ji-hyo, unmoved by her coquettish beauty.

"Luna? Why don't you call me Luna!"

Yang Ying suddenly grabbed Gu Qing's arm, shaking it vigorously, and said longingly, "I want to hear it, I want to hear it."

As a heavy "Hallyu fan," she was clearly quite addicted.

Gu Qing: "Is this the time to discuss that?"

Just then,

"Li Chen Out! Li Chen Out!"

The announcement rang out once more.

"Brother Chen was eliminated?!"

Gu Qing's expression changed drastically; he didn't even have time to care that Song Ji-hyo was taking the opportunity to escape.

"Who could possibly eliminate Li Chen? He's so strong."

Yang Ying also covered her mouth in surprise.

"Something seems wrong."

Gu Qing looked down and saw a large group of staff members rushing toward the area; even the filming had been paused.

Li Chen was clutching a split corner of his eye, blood dripping from his palm.

Only after Kim Jong-kook unleashed his full strength did he realize how terrifying the man's power truly was.

A forceful push sent him crashing into a wall; a violent shake nearly sent him flying.

"Muscle! I need to build muscle!!"

The comfort of the staff and the worried gazes of his brothers,

made Li Chen feel an unprecedented desire at that moment.

He wanted to become a true Great Black Bull!!

As Li Chen's eye was split open, forcing him to go to the hospital for treatment,

the remaining members, including Deng Chao and Gu Qing, were filled with rage.

Being less skilled was one thing,

but after spending these days together, they might not be brothers, but they had certainly reached the level of friends.

Seeing Li Chen injured and eliminated, they naturally had to fight to reclaim his honor.

The relaxed atmosphere vanished instantly, and the true name-tag-ripping battle began.

"Liu X Shi Out! Liu X Shi Out!"

"Chen Chichi Out! Chen Chichi Out!"

"Wang Baoqiang Out! Wang Baoqiang Out..."

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But the South Korean Running Man team, possessing superhuman abilities, was a step ahead.

As Lin Gengxin and Big Nose were successively eliminated,

and Gu Qing tore off Haha's name tag amidst a struggle,

only four people remained on the field!

Kim Jong-kook, Song Ji-hyo,

Gu Qing, and Baby.

"Girls first?"

"We're going upstairs."

"No problem."

Kim Jong-kook nodded absentmindedly.

In his view, the outcome of this match was already decided.

"Qingqing..."

Yang Ying was worried.

"It's okay, Sister Baby, we will definitely win."

Gu Qing pumped his fist for encouragement, his mind racing to find a way to win.

If he tried to engage Kim Jong-kook in close-quarters combat, he would likely be eliminated in a second.

"Unless, like in the first episode, I can get a chance for a sneak attack from behind."

Gu Qing recalled the first episode.

If it hadn't been for the VJ behind Kim Jong-kook making a sound to provide a timely warning, he would have definitely torn the man's tag.

"From behind... from behind..."

A light began to shine in Gu Qing's eyes.

"Come on."

Kim Jong-kook took an offensive stance, preparing to attack.

However, he found that Gu Qing only left him a view of his back.

Kim Jong-kook: "???"

He ran?!

"Hey kid, do you have any masculinity left? Have the guts to duel me one-on-one!"

He strode forward to give chase.

But his heavy weight meant his speed was destined to be inferior to Gu Qing's.

"Is he trying to run me to death?"

Kim Jong-kook laughed.

Although he didn't run fast, in terms of endurance, he could easily surpass this thin kid.

Meanwhile, below,

the battle between the two girls was far more intense than the one above.

The "Tough Girl" Yang Ying VS "Delinquent Ji-hyo."

The two were locked in close combat, pulling clothes and grabbing hair;

aside from eye-gouging, they had used almost every move a woman could employ.

The final result,

after fighting until they were exhausted, was that both women grabbed each other's name tags and went down together.

"Huff... huff..."

Panting heavily with sweat pouring like rain—this was the state of the cameramen on both sides.

As for the participants themselves, they were still moving swiftly, showing no signs of fatigue.

"We've already circled almost five times, aren't you going to stop?"

Kim Jong-kook was exasperated.

Finally,

Gu Qing's pace slowed down.

"You can't run anymore, can you!!"

Kim Jong-kook's eyes lit up. His thick thigh muscles provided powerful momentum as he charged forward like a heavy tank.

Just as he rounded the long white partition,

"Got you!"

A back was right in front of him, and Kim Jong-kook's large hand grabbed the person.

"Where's the name tag?"

Kim Jong-kook froze, only then noticing the cameraman looking at him with an innocent expression.

"Right here."

The moment he heard the footsteps approaching, Gu Qing twisted through the handle to pass through the wall and appear behind Kim Jong-kook.

*Rip—*

The name tag fell.

"Kim Jong-kook Out! Kim Jong-kook Out!"

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(End of Chapter)