Ascot is packed, loud, and tense as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes begins.
From the VIP box, Elizabeth is openly worried about Xingyun Liuge. On paper, Liuge has already defeated many of the runners in this field, but that actually makes Elizabeth more concerned, not less. A first loss would be especially meaningful here: the other girls have every reason to unite against Liuge, both to erase their past defeats and to be the ones who end her perfect streak.
Elizabeth's other concern is more practical: this is Liuge's first time racing this specific course, and some qualities of a track can only really be understood by the runner standing on it. Since Liuge apparently skipped serious public preparation, Elizabeth had even secretly checked with Qianzao Youyi a few days earlier to see whether Liuge might be injured or unwell. Medical tests came back clean, which only deepened the mystery.
When the two girls had tried to ask Liuge directly, Liuge had simply pulled them close and whispered:
"A secret makes a woman woman."
That cryptic answer left both of them flustered rather than enlightened, and Elizabeth still cannot stop thinking about it.
Then the race begins.
All runners break cleanly from the gates. Can't Agree immediately rushes to the front and establishes herself as the pacesetter, quickly opening about a two-length advantage because no one challenges her early. Behind her, the main pack settles in.
The order behind the leader is carefully watched:
Labor Force takes second on the rail.
Invincible Vanguard follows just behind.
Kahyasi comes next.
Glory sits fifth, deliberately taking an outside path to avoid being trapped by the British runners.
Xingyun Liuge is only sixth — but more notably, she chooses to run even farther out, on the extreme outside.
This choice confuses almost everyone.
Steel Queen, who had expected to help hem Liuge in, had imagined two possible scenarios:
either Liuge would try to cut inward and be boxed in,
or she would stay on the outer lanes and force the others to form a pressure net around her.
But Liuge does neither in the expected way. Instead, she goes all the way wide, as if she is willingly giving up the efficiency of the ideal line. That means she may end up running several extra meters compared to everyone else. Steel Queen cannot understand why Liuge would make such an inefficient choice unless she is doing something deliberate.
The narrator notes the one obvious advantage of the far outside: better visibility. From there, Liuge can clearly observe the movement of the whole pack.
Steel Queen, suspicious that this must be some kind of hidden plan, follows Glory and keeps a close watch on Liuge, determined to see what she is really trying to do.
Even the commentators are baffled. With no better explanation, they start calling Liuge's position a possible "secret weapon."
As the field passes the opening 300 meters and approaches the gentle uphill section, the question hanging over the whole race is:
What exactly is Liuge planning to do from that strange position?
Send Chapter 188 when you're ready.
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Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 280
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Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
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The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
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My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
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The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 90
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
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What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 90
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 105
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 85
After Maxing Out Every Class 85
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I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
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From Trilobites to Titans 55
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 66
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 70
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 50
Honkai: The Fire Devil 30
Honkai Transformation Cards 35
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 45
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