Chapter 51: Hitting the Ten Rings with Eyes Closed
After the first round, William didn't feel tired at all. For the next round, he decided to show off a little. He planned to shoot two arrows at each of the next three targets, then attempt the final arrow of each set blindfolded. His mental power couldn't scan that far yet.
A few days ago, his scan range was only 20-30 meters, but now it had increased to about 40 meters. To shoot blindfolded, he would need to shoot the first two arrows normally to get a feel for the shot, then attempt the final arrow with his eyes covered. He was confident he could hit the target, but he couldn't guarantee a 70-meter bullseye.
William talked and laughed with Wilson and Harry, who were standing nearby. Having grown up in the spotlight, the two princes knew how to play to the cameras. After William finished his first round of 15 perfect shots, they jumped up and cheered enthusiastically.
As soon as William put down his bow, Harry ran over and hugged him, shouting with excitement as if he had been the one shooting the arrows.
William didn't mind this kind of mutual publicity to boost their fame. He wasn't disgusted by fame at all; it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Didn't Roman Abramovich buy Chelsea to enhance his global reputation, making governments hesitant to touch him? He spent money freely, and his reputation was built on that money. Who had even heard of Abramovich before he spent hundreds of millions of pounds on Chelsea and its players?
Reputation couldn't protect him from villains, but it could offer some protection against gentlemen or people who cared about their own image. It could make some people hesitate, which might save him trouble.
William wasn't afraid of villains anymore; he had the power to defeat them. What he feared most now was the government. After all, he wanted to live in the real world, not hide in the shadows like a mouse. He wasn't reborn to become a villain, and he had never entertained thoughts of world domination.
Who would be willing to hide in the dark when they could enjoy life in the open? William high-fived Prince Wilson, and the three of them chatted happily in the center of the venue. The camera flashes were relentless, capturing the three of them together, broadcasting their close friendship to thousands of households across England.
Everyone was surprised but also relieved to see that Wilson and Prince Harry had such a good relationship with William. They approved of the two princes befriending an English genius like him.
After all, William's current public image was very positive, and what adults wanted most was for their children to make smart and sensible friends.
After a few minutes of celebration, a BBC staff member signaled for them to continue. William high-fived the two princes and stood back at the shooting line.
William took the bow and checked the arrows the staff had returned to him. Seeing no issues, he assumed a horse stance, drew his bow, and fired, hitting the ten-ring.
The crowd gasped. The English public had never seen such a stance outside of martial arts movies.
The hosts and guests in the studio all shouted, "This is unscientific! How is that possible?"
For his second arrow, William nocked it, turned his head to look directly at the audience, and then suddenly released. The audience only realized he had deliberately looked away when they saw the second arrow appear on the target on the screen.
This shot was even more incredible and unscientific than the last one. It was hardly different from shooting with his eyes closed.
The people at the BBC were grinning from ear to ear. Today's ratings were going to surpass their prime-time gold-medal programs. And all they had to pay for was the archery range rental. William's status in the minds of the BBC executives soared to that of a superstar.
For the third arrow, he performed a "parting shot," twisting his body to shoot backward over his shoulder. By now, the crowd was applauding, but the initial shock had worn off after the second arrow. In their eyes, this shot wasn't as impressive.
Only those in the know understood that this was a combat technique, used in ancient times by horsemen to shoot at pursuers.
Moving to the second target, William nocked three arrows at once, drew his bow, and fired them in rapid succession. They landed on the target's ten-ring in a perfect triangle. The audience roared again. This was a legendary skill. To not only shoot three arrows into the ten-ring but also arrange them in a perfect triangle was, in the minds of the audience, true magic.
The shouting at the scene was about to break through the roof. Some female audience members were so excited they nearly fainted. If security hadn't stopped them, some girls would have rushed onto the field.
The police at the scene hurriedly called for backup on their radios. The scene became chaotic for a moment, and William had to stop at the signal of the staff.
William took the megaphone offered by a staff member and asked everyone to calm down. He didn't want anyone to get hurt; that would turn a good thing into a disaster. If someone was injured, both he and the BBC would be in trouble. Finally, more police arrived to control the chaos.
One girl who was nearly removed by the police began to cry loudly in distress.
William hurried over to intervene. He shielded the young girl and spoke with the police. After the girl repeatedly promised to behave, the police, not wanting any incidents, agreed not to press the matter.
William hugged the little girl and escorted her back to the audience section. The crowd praised William's actions with a spontaneous round of applause, and many people shouted, "Good job, William!"
William kept waving to the audience and shouting "thank you." Finally, after more than ten minutes, the scene quieted down.
He gave a thumbs-up to a worried Wilson and Harry to show he was fine, then turned to Diana Rigg and nodded with a reassuring smile.
The camera focused on Diana, who was smiling with her eyes crinkled. Girls in front of their TVs cursed her under their breath. They didn't want William to have a girlfriend, and if he had to have one, it should be them.
The male viewers, seeing the tall, blonde, and sweet-faced Diana, were instantly jealous of William, thinking how great it would be if she were their girlfriend.
The chaos had taken up too much time, and the 40-minute live broadcast slot had long since passed. However, the BBC's on-site director had no intention of rushing William. He had just received a call from the station; the ratings were through the roof, and the BBC was eager for them to keep broadcasting.
So, the director came over to ask William if he wanted to take a break.
William looked at his watch. It was almost 5 o'clock. If he delayed any longer, he'd be late for dinner with Prince Charles, and he didn't want to keep them waiting.
William shook his head and said, "It's okay. I'm in good shape now. This has taken too long. It's better to end it early to avoid any more problems."
"Okay, you're the boss, William," the director said.
William picked up the bow again and signaled to the audience that he was about to start. The crowd immediately fell silent.
William took the blindfold from Diana Rigg, put it on his head, and gestured to everyone that he would now shoot with his eyes covered.
As the audience watched in anticipation, William shot two sighting arrows. Then, he pulled the blindfold down over his eyes, drew the bow, took a few deep breaths, and with a soft release of his fingers, the arrow flew out and hit the target with a *thump*.
William pushed the blindfold back up onto his forehead and looked at the large screen. The arrow hadn't hit the ten-ring, but it had scored an eight. The audience still applauded enthusiastically. In their eyes, hitting the target at all while blindfolded was amazing, let alone scoring an eight.
William shook his head in slight disappointment. He had felt the shot was off the moment he released it.
He smiled and waved to the audience, signaling for quiet. He stood at the shooting line again and shot two more arrows, both hitting the ten-ring. Then, as William pulled the blindfold down once more, the venue became completely silent. Everyone was afraid to disturb him.
The arrow flew out with a 'whoosh' and struck the ten-ring. The scene erupted in deafening applause and piercing screams.
Hearing the applause, William knew he had succeeded. He pushed up his blindfold and looked at the big screen. Three arrows were stuck in the ten-ring of the fourth target, all of them in the center.
William waved happily to the audience. The applause grew even louder. The entire audience looked at him as if they had seen a god. No one had expected him to really hit the ten-ring with his eyes closed. They couldn't imagine how many records he had broken today.
There was only one target left. After interacting with the crowd for a few minutes, William stood at the shooting line with his bow. The audience spontaneously quieted down, waiting to see if he could do it one last time.
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