"Is this what you call the other way?"
At the same moment, sitting among the crowd of contestants at the bottom of the arena, a woman named Xue Ling Huan Bing turned to look at Liangchen Meiyu beside her, with a bit of surprise in her cold eyes: "Let Duan Feng Lei To provoke him?"
"Duan Fenglei knows a lot more about him than we do."
With a confident smile still on her face, Miyu Ryōtatsu, who had a completely different reaction from the other players around her, looked at the scene happening in the center of the arena with admiring eyes: "Those who have the same level of understanding are Arashiyama's Sky Barrier, Viza. The Blossoms of Virtue, The Dream of Dawn and Glory, and many other older generation game characters who once dominated the professional world... If Toho Ramen hadn't retired, the Sword of Justice who is now in the same group with them would have been better. A choice, because no matter which amateur team it is, it is not surprising to be mistreated like this by the top players in the active league..."
"But, but this..."
"I have discussed with them the matter of humiliating Team Zhushan."
Interrupting Xue Ling Huan Bing's hesitant words, Liangchen Meiyu still maintained a proud smile: "Neither Han Sanshi nor Huanmeng agreed, only Duan Fenglei agreed. He said that he was also very interested in Duan Tianfeng's reappearance, and also I’m really looking forward to what the qualifiers with him in it will look like in the end.”
"...Is this method really feasible?"
As if he accepted the other party's insincere explanation, the struggle on Xue Ling Huan Bing's face slowly disappeared: "That guy...will he really accept it?"
"Since Duan Fenglei has achieved this step, let's just trust him." Still staring at the domineering old man in the center of the arena looking up at the sky, Liangchen Meiyu replied in a low voice: "Anyway If it were me, humiliating my team members like this... I wouldn't be able to bear it."
"According to my past memories, Duan Tianfeng has always been ruthless to his subordinates." Xue Ling Huan Bing lowered his head and whispered: "I'm afraid... he won't show up for such a thing."
"Then there's nothing I can do." Liangchen Meiyu spread her hands with an innocent face: "Your wish, my order, since you wanted to fight him so strongly before... I will naturally do whatever it takes to do it. Force him off the stands.”
"..."
"I know it's against the rules, but it's all for you."
The corner of his eye rested on Xue Ling Huan Bing's silent face for a moment, and Liangchen Meiyu turned to an affectionate face: "I am your teammate and friend now, and he is your enemy now. For To deal with our common enemy...of course I will give everything I have, I..."
"I am the man who treats you best." There was a hint of light in his eyes: "You should... understand."
"..."
"...I'm glad you understand my heart."
Looking at the other party's gradually dull pupils and slight nodding, the corners of Liangtatsu Meiyu's mouth raised up together with his chin when he turned back: "In order to solve your inner demons and solve our common 'enemy'..."
"I will also give everything for you."
He smiled and looked at the center of the arena again. The figure belonging to Mengzhu who was trampled under his feet had disappeared into the arena together with the results of her death and the other corpses around her. The Jianghu team that stayed in place then accepted the announcement of victory from the commentator and the cheers like a tsunami from the surrounding audience. At the same time, they also quietly let go of Duan Qing's back, who turned to leave, from the scene, with the expression on his face. With no change in his expression, he then walked out of the arena gate and stopped in a corner where no one was paying attention: "...he...we..."
"it's all me……"
"The reason for... is that we are..."
"...We had no chance of winning, and those at the back didn't even take action in the end."
As the discussion gradually approached, five or six members of the Fool's Adventure Group slowly emerged from the same direction that Duan Qing had walked out before. They deliberately avoided the eyes of others and exited the arena while still discussing the previous discussion. The process and details of that game: "They forced a five-on-five team fight into a King of Fighters format, and asked five of us to fight together. We couldn't beat this, so what else can we say..."
"At first, I thought that guy was trying to replicate the opening game of the UEFA Cup. But... I really didn't expect that he was so strong. The five of us couldn't beat him together."
"Brother Knight is already the one who can stand up the most. He survived for at least two minutes under those iron fists, right? It's a pity that the rest of us had nothing to do, and we didn't seize any of the opportunities we had..."
"Stop being delusional. It won't cause any harm if you grasp it. Don't you see? Some of the methods that guy used are similar to our coach... Huh?"
The conversation stopped when several people noticed Duan Qing's gaze. At the same time, there were also unnatural looks on several people's faces. Even the smiling person who was discussing the topic with the evil young man from Jie City was beaming. Hongchen also noticed the indescribable atmosphere at this moment: "Then, that... coach - no, brother, it's not that we don't want to win, it's really..."
"If you don't play, don't talk."
The person who answered him was not Duan Qing who was looking at the crowd, but Heimai who stepped forward across the crowd: "...I'm sorry, but you should have seen what happened just now. We...although our performance was not good. How about it, but we haven’t been eliminated yet…”
"We will not make excuses for our failure. The next game is the highlight." The evil young man from Jiecheng who also came forward said in a firm voice: "After we go back... we will continue to train well."
"Duan Feng Lei... he is indeed very strong." Lost Dream, who had been silent all this time, put his eyes on the surface of the shield he slowly raised in front of his chest: "And those people behind him... they all need to use all their strength to fight. The opponent to go to."
"Yes, yes, if we practice more, we will be fine!" Qianzhihe, who had been following behind with his staff in his arms, also swung his red hair and ran to the silent Duan Qing: "So Brother Qingshan... just don't be angry, okay?"
"……I'm not angry."
Duan Qing said this lightly and smiled as he twitched the corner of his mouth and touched the other person's head. Then, in the silence where the others were silent, he passed between them: " ...Is there anything you want to say?”
"……No."
Pursing his lips and lowering his head, Mengzhu, who was at the back of the team, finally said his first words after walking out of the arena: "If you lose, you lose. I..."
"I don't want to hear that scene stuff right now."
Severely interrupting the other party's suppressed voice, Duan Qing's eyes lingered on the little girl's iron-like expression for a while: "You are inferior to others because you are not as skilled as others? We will continue to work hard in the future? What you just said, In fact, this is not your current mood and thoughts at all...right?"
"..."
"Angry, loss, unwillingness, regret... Unless you are saints, this is how you should feel now."
The weather is still sunny and sunny, and the elegant sea breeze blows from the sea far away from the arena, and then passes through the cold air between the few people present. Duan Qing, standing in the center of this atmosphere, is like this with those people. The little leader of the Fool's Adventure Group looked at each other indifferently until the other party lowered his head again. Her fists slowly clenched and unclenched, Mengzhu's breathing gradually became thin and rapid, and then under the gaze of Duan Qing, who was a head taller than her, she let out an imperceptible sob: " me……"
"Everything is my fault."
Reaching out to take the girl into his arms, Duan Qing, who had his back to the others, gradually concealed the expressions of Mengzhu and himself: "I'm sorry for getting you involved in a dispute that doesn't belong to you. Although in the past I have given you enough reminders and training during this period, but... this is obviously not fair to you."
"This world shouldn't be so unfair. It's me who has brought you such suffering."
Amidst the increasingly louder cries, Duan Qing continued in a low voice: "If you want to blame... then blame me."
"Everyone has their own difficulties, just like the bald knight...right?" Black Corn, who was silent for a while again, was the first to respond: "We won't blame you."
"There is no need to hide one's heart now...I should have said this just now." Duan Qing still shook his head: "And I have to remind you that since they have chosen such a method, what I have said is The trouble it brings is far beyond what it is today.”
"..."
"The first rule of the alliance: It is absolutely not allowed to use any real-life means to interfere with related matters in virtual reality games."
After whispering such a sentence, Duan Qing's deep voice echoed in everyone's ears like a rising muffled thunder: "In order to prevent those families and chaebols from controlling the gaming world, the alliance at the beginning of its establishment took this first step It has been written into the alliance's laws. Although no one dares to violate this iron law openly from now on,... it is still very easy to do it as a sideline."
"They are using this against me now." He stroked Mengzhu's head, and then looked at the latter's dull eyes with tears: "And now... I have to admit, they are going to do it right away. arrive."
"Uncle..."
"I will participate in the next competition."
Reaching out to cover what the other party wanted to say, Duan Qing's voice finally revealed a few fluctuations: "You can go to the official list later and add the four words Mo Shang Qing Shan."
"Really, really? But..."
"No hesitation, I had to do it."
Patting the other person's shoulder hard, Duan Qing put on a smile again: "Everything happened because of me... Since you can't hide from it, you have to take it up like a man, right?"
"..."
"You and Qian Zhihe have performed very well in the past period."
Facing the girl's expression of not knowing what to say, Duan Qing turned to look at the face of Qian Zhihe, who was also at a loss: "Leave it to me, I just hope..."
"You can gain something from what happened just now."
He turned around and walked gradually towards the opposite direction of the arena: "Then... let's re-understand the meaning of competitive games."
"...Hey, hey!"
Mengzhu stood there dumbfounded for a long time, and finally reacted, wiping his tears and shouting: "Where else are you going? Aren't you going to train with us?"
"...I don't need those things, and I have some things of my own to deal with."
Without looking back, Duan Qing spoke in a voice that was getting farther and farther away from them: "I've already taught you what needs to be taught, so you... just do whatever you want."
"Hey, hey!" Then Mengzhu's little face finally showed her unique angry expression: "I haven't finished speaking yet! I just listened to you talking for a long time..."
"If you have anything to say, we'll talk about it later. I can guarantee...we have plenty of time."
In the flash of white light, Duan Qing, who walked into the avenue, was logged out of the competition server: "Now I announce..."
"Have a holiday."
**********************
"Really, have you decided to do this anyway?"
"Yeah, they're just riding on my face, teach me how to bear it."
"The relationship between you and that little girl is really deep. You asked me to protect her all the time before..."
"Don't make blind suspicions. She should have nothing to do with those people, so... the result of finally participating in the competition should be regarded as some kind of trick of fate."
After typing on the keyboard for a long time, Duan Qing finally completed a conversation on the screen, and then with a faint sigh, he took the coffee handed to him by a certain maid through the dim sight. As if he didn't get anything from the other person's smiling face, Duan Qing finally withdrew his gaze from the direction of the secret language Ninglan, and then in the other person's silence, he whispered calmly: "What do you want to say? Just ask.”
"Sir...do you really want to participate in the competition?"
"That's right. How is the situation over there?"
"...That person should have been away from home. He has not shown up for a few days." The smile on the face of Ningyu Ninglan slowly faded a bit: "The situation... is very serious, sir."
"……It doesn't matter."
After lowering his head in silence for a while, Duan Qing raised his head and drank the last half cup of bitter liquid: "Although I personally can't do much in the face of the general trend, but... I still have some time."
"Sir, would you like Ninglan..."
"No, it won't do me any good."
Duan Qing hurriedly interrupted the other party, not daring to look at him. Duan Qing reached out and removed the system interfaces in front of him: "Believe me, I will take care of all this, like... um."
"Next... let's get things done in the game first."
He pressed the button that closed the game bay door and replied with a smile.
