Umamusume's days are numbered

Platinum thought that at such a distance, no one could hear her mutterings, which was her way of distracting herself. But to her surprise, the scammer's eyes actually turned this way, and then he exhaled a breath.

"Originally, yes, I could. But it seems the rules are stricter here, so I can't bring them."

No... there really is! Platinum's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Someone was carrying a weapon on the field!

Did all the female racehorses in the US who raced with con artists receive death threats? They raced alongside con artists, and once they were ahead of her, the con artist would pull out a gun from his waist.

One, two, three, four...

By the time they finished running, they had run out of bullets, and the entire track was shrouded in blood.

"Finally, there's the Golden Gun Sixty, known as the King of Hong Kong Horses, who achieved a sixteen-race winning streak! After her recovery, will she recreate her legendary feat?"

Before they could even see Jinqiang Liushi, Zhaoye Yushi, who was standing next to Baijin, stroked Liu Hai.

I don't know when it started, but the wind picked up.

Her cloak fluttered behind her as Jinqiang Liushi tossed aside the cloak's ties, causing it to soar into the air like a great owl. She was still wearing that plain-colored robe, without any other embellishments, which perfectly outlined her figure.

The Golden Spear Sixty Generals raised one arm high, the water sleeve falling over her shoulder, revealing her entire pale arm. She slowly bent her fingers, leaving only her index finger raised towards the sky.

“I’m back,” she said softly.

The audience couldn't hear Jin Qiang Liushi's voice, but they could clearly see her movements. A deafening roar of cheers erupted throughout the stadium. The entire Sha Tin Racecourse was enveloped in the sound of the crowd because of Jin Qiang Liushi's single action.

This is the Golden Spear Sixty, this is... an era.

And now, an entire generation has leisurely withdrawn its fingers and walked briskly toward Platinum.

Platinum frowned immediately, as if to say, "Wow, you're like a persistent ghost."

Unexpectedly, Jin Qiang made sixty-one turns, his right hand embraced Bai Jin, and his left hand embraced Zhao Ye Yu Shi Zi, who was standing next to him with a blank expression.

"My lovely little sister, may I ask what your name is? You are such a lovely child." Jinqiang Liushi whispered sweet nothings in Zhaoye Yushizi's ear, his eyes full of tenderness.

"...No, what what what?" The Jade Lion was clearly stunned, standing stiffly in place like a straight tree root.

So you're so open to anyone just because you're fair-skinned?

"Now that all the contestants have arrived at the arena, the competition is about to begin..."

"No, we're still missing one." Golden Spear Sixty released his hands and looked towards the entrance of the passage.

One more is needed. Jinqiang Liushi believes there will definitely be one more contestant coming.

Sure enough, a racehorse girl dressed entirely in black emerged from the dark passage. As if deliberately contradicting Golden Spear Sixty, she wore a long robe adorned with red floral patterns, her boots peeking out from beneath the hem of her skirt. Following the cascade of her black hair upwards, a Chinese-style academic cap rested on her head, giving her a scholarly air.

Jinqiang Liushi stood grinning in front of the newcomer, reaching out to pat her on the shoulder: "I knew you'd come—"

As a result, Jin Qiangliu's hand was pulled away. The tall figure raised his head and, for the first time, looked at the same height as the person he had always looked up to.

Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate maintained a bright smile and gave Golden Spear Sixty the middle finger.

"I came here today just to say one thing to you. That is..."

"Fuck you. Fuck you very very very——much."

Episode 104 - Exiting the Gate

As the racehorses took to the track one after another, a group of female racehorses entered the gate.

Gate number two... Platinum had a bitter face; he had never run on the inside lane before.

Including his debut match and the Saudi Arabian Royal Cup, he always entered the game from the outside, with a vast field ahead.

While both the inner and outer lanes have their advantages and disadvantages, it's clear that Platinum is not suited for securing advantageous positions in the early game. It seems that even just getting out of the gate is difficult for Platinum.

And coincidentally, the Jade Lion was assigned to gate number one.

Hai Dushi stood inside the gate, gently stroking the cold metal, a nostalgic expression on his face: "I never imagined I'd ever be able to step onto the competition field again..."

The con artist consciously slowed her breathing. Unlike other retired racehorses, she dreamed of returning to the track. She was fully prepared; today, the thunderous roar would once again echo across the track, heralding her resurrection.

Even Aili Digital held her breath, as if she were a completely different person. Standing on the Sha Tin track again, one wonders if she was recalling the scene of winning the Hong Kong Cup.

Finally, Jinqiang Liushi stepped through the gate. To her right was her younger sister, Li Yue Longmen. Jinqiang Liushi glanced sideways at her sister, who was clutching her chest, but said nothing.

Tension and fear are non-violent stimulants; there's nothing wrong with that. Even Jinqiang Sixty's own fingertips were icy cold, and his whole hand was trembling slightly.

The loss in the competition not only broke her winning streak, but also made Golden Gun Sixty have a slight doubt about herself.

Can I do it?

Am I still number one?

This match was an experiment. Could Golden Gun Sixty truly retire gracefully and bid farewell to his professional career...?

In the audience, Uncle He folded his round-framed sunglasses and hung them around his neck, clenching his fists, his palms covered in cold sweat.

"Do you mind if I stand next to you?" A lazy voice drifted through the noise of the audience. Alice stood beside Uncle He, and the two leaned against the fence together.

"What's wrong? Do you want to get some fresh air?" Alice asked with a smile, looking at Uncle He's clenched hands. "Why are you more nervous than the contestants?"

“Isn’t that obvious?” Uncle He said in a low voice. “The weight of the competition is different for the audience and for you and me.”

"For the audience, what they are looking forward to is the exciting competition and the final winner... Just like Sixty said, they don't really need a Golden Spear Sixty or a Horse King."

"There were other pillars before Golden Gun Sixty, and there will be after Golden Gun Sixty. Among all the Hong Kong horse racing champions, is Golden Gun Sixty considered outstanding? I don't know."

"But for me... for someone who has attachments on the field..."

Alice, holding the canned black tea in her hand with amusement, looked at the arena and said, "Yeah, it's really... a novel experience."

A few hundred meters to the right of Elise, several horse girls gathered together. The one in the lead, with short black hair, held her hands together like a megaphone and shouted at the arena, even though her voice was mixed with the noisy crowd within a dozen meters and could not reach the arena at all.

The young girl didn't seem to be a local either; although she spoke Mandarin, she also had a regional accent: "Sister Yu-zi—"

"Left leg push, right leg whip, run with all your might—"

"The coach said—if we beat her, she'll treat us to a big meal—"

And looking further afield, there are many more people like this.

Even on the other side of the vast ocean, there are people who are also eagerly waiting.

Judging by the timeline, it should be about time...

Rudolph symbolically put down his pen, which he had been using to review documents, and turned on the television in the student council room, which was rarely used.

"Hey, Golden Ship, you're too tall..." Megumi McQueen's entire field of vision was almost completely blocked by the Golden Ship's broad silhouette.

"There's nothing I can do, McQueen, you're too short." Golden Ship twisted its body with difficulty, which did create a small space in Megumi McQueen's field of vision, but the part that could be seen just now was blocked again.

The entire Spica team huddled together in the break room like sardines, staring intently at the old, outdated television they'd somehow acquired.

At this moment, not only the stadium, but also the audience, including those sitting in front of their televisions far away abroad, fell silent, their eyes glued to the screen, not daring to utter a sound.

Platinum could hear nothing more inside the gate. All the competitors had entered, like bullets already loaded, just waiting for that sharp whistle to be released.

Her heart began to pound. Half from nervousness, half from fear. She tried desperately to suppress these two emotions, but it was as if there was a high-pressure water gun inside her heart, and she couldn't hold them back no matter what she did.

At times like this, you should think about random things... like memorizing pi, or striking up a conversation with the girl next to you... like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. Platinum opened her eyes wide and desperately tried to expand her thoughts.

Speaking of which gate is the carp leaping over the dragon gate at? Why can't we see her anywhere...?

"---The match begins!"

The gate opened with a roar, and the path ahead was immediately clear.

The competition, as dazzling and fleeting as fireworks, has officially taken its first step.

It was a synchronized, unified first step. The nine racehorses present stepped out almost simultaneously, their feet striking the grass at almost the same instant, the crisp, continuous sound of horseshoes striking the ground echoing throughout the entire arena.

The gun was fired.

The fierce competition began immediately. The racehorses, like soldiers on a forced march, scrambled for advantageous positions.

As the smoke from the gunshot gradually dissipated, the racehorses trotted out in different strides, like the trajectories of shotgun shells. Golden Gun Sixty-One took the lead, vying for the top spot; closely following were Alice Digital, Swindler, and Sea City, slightly behind Golden Gun Sixty-One, but only by a negligible margin, clinging tightly to him like sharks smelling blood.

Behind these top-tier racehorse girls lie the raw, youthful memories of a newcomer from Australia. Her chest heaved, her eyes fixed solely on these racehorse girls who symbolized the pinnacle of their careers.

About a horse's length behind the youthful memories, a group of young racehorse girls galloped across the dragon gate. They ran a little further away, avoiding the clashes of the top racehorse girls, but they remained tightly bound together, trying to overtake each other even by a little bit.

Where is Platinum? Platinum is at the very end of this line.

The moment the gate opened, she was still lost in her own divergent thinking and didn't react immediately.

In other words, she was late in exiting the gate.

Episode 105 Chase

Rudolf symbolically pinched his brow and let out a long sigh of relief.

Indeed, such a competition might be a bit too early for Platinum. She should be allowed to take it step by step.

Just facing such a big event is a real test of one's abilities.

Some people blush even when singing a song in front of their classmates at a Christmas party, let alone in a stadium with tens of thousands of people. Making mistakes is normal.

"Oh dear, oh dear—"

"Don't try to emulate the Golden Ship at a time like this!"

"Why am I being dragged into this again?"

In contrast, things were far from peaceful inside the Spica event room. Yamato and Akagi were tugging at each other's sleeves and exclaiming in surprise; Meguro McQueen was also dejected, while only the Golden Ship, who had been unintentionally slandered again, looked on with a face full of question marks.

"Aren't you in a hurry?" At the scene, Uncle He turned around and looked at Alice. Alice was slowly opening another can of black tea, the pull tab on her fingertip and shaking it.

"I'm anxious, but there's no use being anxious." Alice took a sip of black tea. "Anyway, there are still ways to remedy the situation. In the end, we'll do our best and leave the rest to fate."

"You're quite calm." Uncle He withdrew his gaze, and Alice smiled as she placed the jar at her feet.

This is a lie. In truth, Alice's heart is about to explode.

That idiot, that idiot, that idiot—how could he be so late! So late at such a crucial moment!

What are you thinking about?

If she could, Alice would love to turn the tables and drag Platinum down to run the game herself.

"Never mind..." Alice forced herself to calm down. Just as she had said, there was still a way to salvage the situation.

For a team that starts late, being late puts them at a significant disadvantage. However, for a team that starts late and then chases, the impact of being late is relatively less pronounced.

Platinum felt beads of sweat getting into her eyes, and she blinked hard.

This sweat wasn't from running, it was from being scared.

Right now, she has only one thought in her mind.

Oh no, oh no, oh no... Alice is going to kill me!

I can already imagine what Alice is going to say.

"I told you to run behind me, not to be the last one!"

My legs are probably in danger now!

What can I do? I really don't know how to seize the opportunity. What's the point of chasing or leading? I don't know any of that. I just kept charging forward!

—This time, you need to learn to grasp the rhythm and timing of the race.

Platinum recalled the words Alice had told him.

—Golden Spear Sixty: They are unlike any of the opponents you have encountered before. Do not confront them; you cannot defeat them. Avoid their sharp edge for now.

—In other words, they decide later, hiding among the groups that are chasing them, always looking for a possible opportunity to turn the tide.

There was still a way to remedy the situation. Platinum wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Putting aside those retired old guys... I should be able to handle these new generation guys, right?

In short, let's establish our advantage among these little pony girls first.

Platinum's confidence wasn't unfounded. Given her physical condition, she certainly had the right to think that way. However, when it came to putting it into practice, Platinum ran into a problem.

Because what stands in front of them is not just one racehorse girl, but an entire racehorse girl group that is closely connected!

Like a black cloud blocking Platinum's path, the racehorses spread out, forming a wall in front of her.