The cheers from the audience could only be for the animals from the Xihong Zoo.
As the crowd roared with excitement, the host's voice echoed through the venue once more.
"Next to appear is the animal contingent from Xihong Zoo."
"This time, Xihong Zoo has sent a total of 78 animal athletes who will compete in 18 events."
"As you can see, leading the parade is our African elephant, which is also the largest participant in this competition."
As soon as the host finished speaking, the African elephant, holding the Xihong Zoo flag with its trunk, let out a loud trumpet call.
The other animals following behind responded with their own unique sounds, announcing their presence.
These animal calls propelled the opening ceremony into a true climax.
Even the official online livestream for the games was abuzz with excitement.
"It's real! They actually let animals be athletes. I thought it was just a gimmick."
"Now this is a truly star-studded lineup: elephants, tigers, lions, cheetahs, black bears, and even a crocodile."
"They even have their own uniforms. Even the elephant has one. This is too funny."
"I can understand the animals in front, but what about those two black swans? What event can they possibly participate in?"
"Don't you see the pigs next to them? What can pigs do? Is there a 'King of Eaters' competition this time?"
"Then can you explain what those two chipmunks are doing here?"
"Hilarious! These animals look so serious, and yet so cute."
"No matter what events they compete in, just this opening ceremony alone is worth the ticket price."
"I'm suddenly a bit excited."
.....
After the entrance ceremony concluded, the host announced the schedule for the upcoming days.
When the audience heard the first event, their eyes lit up.
"The next event will be the 50-meter rifle shooting. The first round of contestants includes Lin Feng, captain of the Ningnan City Criminal Police Detachment; Sun Cheng, an armed police shooting instructor; Yu Yang, a former Olympic shooting champion; Ma Chao, a retired sniper; and our animal contestant, Li Wei from Xihong Zoo."
To everyone's surprise, the games were kicking off with such an intense showdown.
A captain of the criminal police, a shooting instructor, an Olympic champion, a retired sniper – what a lineup of legendary contestants.
If not for this special sports event, no one would have ever seen these individuals gathered together.
"Holy cow, this is high-stakes! I've always wondered who would be better between professional snipers and Olympic athletes. Now we'll finally find out."
"I thought it was just for fun, but it turns out so many masters are participating."
"After watching Grandpa Wei's training videos, I thought Grandpa was a sure winner. But now, I'm not so sure."
"Exactly. No matter how accurate a slingshot is, it's still an animal. How can it compete with professional snipers?"
"I think among these contestants, the retired sniper is probably the most likely to win, followed by the shooting instructor, as they are professionals in this field."
"Don't underestimate Olympic athletes; they've been training since they were young."
"It's just different areas of focus. Olympic champions train with the same firearm for years, developing muscle memory."
"So, you guys don't think Grandpa Wei has a chance?"
"Grandpa might be in trouble this time."
.....
As the contestants were announced, the audience's opinions began to diverge.
Soon, the formal competition phase began.
Slightly different from Olympic rules, each contestant has 10 shooting opportunities, and the one with the highest total score wins.
Five minutes before the competition started, the contestants began their pre-game preparations.
The cameras focused on each of them.
"Hello everyone, I'm Chen Ping, your commentator for this competition. We can see all the contestants are diligently making their final preparations."
"Captain Lin from the criminal police is completing his warm-up. Instructor Sun seems very interested in the shooting firearm."
"And our sniper, Ma Chao, appears to be gauging the wind speed on site."
In the livestream, a male commentator wearing glasses was passionately describing the scene.
However, when the camera panned to Shi Di Fu, he froze.
Following the camera's gaze, Shi Di Fu reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a pack of red Zhen Long cigarettes.
After tapping the bottom of the cigarette pack, a slightly crumpled cigarette fell out.
The next second, he expertly placed the cigarette in the corner of his mouth. To the shock of countless viewers, he then produced a one-yuan lighter from the hat on his head.
*Click!*
With a pale yellow flame, the cigarette he held in his mouth was instantly lit.
*Hiss!*
After a long drag, Shi Di Fu's face displayed a look of pure satisfaction.
At that moment, everyone present, both at the venue and in the livestream, was stunned.
They had absolutely not expected Shi Di Fu to do something like this.
While others were preparing, he was smoking.
Soon, the smell of tobacco filled the shooting range.
It took nearly half a minute before the commentator's voice rang out again.
"Ahahaha, it's okay, it's okay. It's understandable for contestants to relax before a competition."
"Besides, there's no explicit rule against contestants smoking on the field, so please don't mind it."
"And children, please don't imitate this. Shi Di Fu is showing everyone that smoking is harmful to health."
Before he could finish, the commentator himself burst into laughter.
If the commentator was laughing, the audience was roaring with laughter.
"As expected, only Grandpa can be Grandpa. He doesn't forget to have a smoke even in this situation."
"Grandpa is very considerate, not flicking ashes around."
"Looking at Grandpa's posture, this pack of cigarettes must have been hidden for a long time."
"Zhen Long, pay up! I strongly suspect Grandpa has taken an advertisement deal."
"Before, Grandpa used to smoke Hong Shuang Xi and Yu Xi. Why did he switch to Zhen Long now?"
"The commentator's point is valid. There's no explicit rule against smoking on the field, so it's not a foul."
"Grandpa, you need to remember your identity! You are the mascot of the sports event now."
"Grandpa is being very careful. Usually, at the zoo, he smokes three at a time."
"Let's hope Grandpa performs well."
.....
Just as the audience was about to explode with laughter, Yang Lin, sitting in the stands, had a face ashen. He clearly remembered confiscating all of Shi Di Fu's cigarettes before entering.
He never imagined there would be any stragglers.