Chapter 473: Qiaomu Private High School |
After the announcement that Killer Sequence was forfeiting the doubles match, the entire audience was in an uproar.
Doubles was a strong suit for Killer Sequence. To forfeit a match in their conventional area of expertise right after losing the singles match—at a time when they most needed audience support—was a very unexpected choice.
This meant Killer Sequence had lost two consecutive matches to the newcomer guild, Wandering Circus.
The audience whispered among themselves. Mu Shicheng, who was sitting on a wooden stool preparing to head out, was also completely dazed: “What? I don’t have to go up and fight the doubles match?”
Bai Liu rolled up his collar and adjusted the bandages on his wrists, giving a flat “mm”: “We’re going straight to the team battle.”
“Guild Leader.” Looking at Bai Liu’s calm demeanor, Wang Shun couldn’t help but interject, “Although Spades, the ace player of Killer Sequence, is absent and their core tactician, Judge, is seriously injured, making it look on the surface like our winning chances are high…”
“But personally,” Wang Shun hesitated for a moment before speaking out, “I feel their winning chances are still higher than ours.”
Bai Liu’s gaze swept over: “Do you have new data to tell me?”
Wang Shun scratched his face and gave a bitter smile: “It’s not exactly new data; it’s just that I’ve been analyzing the big star teams, especially their performance in team battles, so I have a relatively good understanding of their win-loss rates.”
Wang Shun tapped the system panel: “Spades has always been a floating player in team battles, and his coordination with the other four has never been high. I’m sure you all know this; in the game pool, Spades usually trained alone most of the time.”
“During those times, the person actually training with the other four members of Killer Sequence was someone else. He is a member of the Killer Sequence reserve team, called [Zhou Gong].”
Wang Shun tapped the panel again, and a photo popped up. The photo showed a young man with a clean face and some acne on his forehead, looking quite young.
“He doesn’t look very old, why is he called [Zhou Gong]?” Mu Shicheng couldn’t help but complain.
“Supposedly it’s related to his skill.” Wang Shun looked at Bai Liu with a complex expression, “I heard a rumor that during the early stages of the postseason, when Spades’ coordination with the team remained low, Judge was prepared to have [Zhou Gong] join the team battle as a fixed member.”
“Because his coordination with the other four was very high.”
“But in the end, Spades caught up, so they didn’t swap.” Wang Shun took a deep breath, “But this already illustrates the problem.”
“This shows that in the eyes of a tactician like Judge, [Zhou Gong’s] role in a team battle might even be greater than Spades’.”
Bai Liu glanced at the photo out of the corner of his eye: “Then the member replacing Spades in the team battle should be him. Is there any other information about him?”
“No, he rarely appears on the field, so he doesn’t have a Death-Exemption Gold Medal.” Wang Shun shook his head, “I didn’t get any other information about him either. The only thing I know is that he and another member of Killer Sequence, Liao Ke, seem to have an unusual relationship.”
Bai Liu asked back: “Unusual in what way?”
Wang Shun said: “[Zhou Gong] and Liao Ke seem to be players of the same skill system. He calls Liao Ke ‘Teacher’.”
“Then that means Judge is going to use two control players this time?” Liu Jiayi frowned, “Is he going to fight a long-distance offensive and defensive battle?”
“Right.” Tang Erda seemed to remember something. He leaned into Bai Liu’s ear with a serious expression and asked softly, “Did you get Spades’ soul in that match just now? Can you use his panel?”
“I didn’t completely get it.” Bai Liu opened his system panel, looking down at the soul currency data on it, “I have to wait until he completely realizes who he is before I can use his panel.”
At the very end of his system panel, the soul currency bore the image of Tawil with his eyes closed. He was lying in a white baptismal pool with his hands over his chest, clutching the coin hanging over his heart.
—That was the coin Bai Liu had given him.
On the Killer Sequence side.
Judge patted the shoulder of the young man with acne, his expression natural: “Zhou Gong, I’m leaving Bai Liu to you in the next match.”
Zhou Gong took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes filled with a sense of determination: “Leave it to me, Captain!”
“Under Teacher’s guidance, I have been preparing for today’s battle against Bai Liu for a long, long time!”
Liao Ke also nodded. He looked at Judge with a complex gaze: “We have been preparing for ten years.”
“We won’t lose, Captain.”
The host raised a hand and slashed it downward toward the center, shouting passionately: “Both teams, please take the field!”
“Let’s go.” Judge picked up his uniform jacket, putting it on with one hand, his gaze clear and resolute, “To face my greatest opponent.”
“Let’s go.” Bai Liu stood up. He tightened his gloves and looked up, his face devoid of any expression, his tone calm, “To face my best friend.”
“This is a battle that decides life and death. The loser’s league career will end here!” The host raised his left hand high and slammed it down, “Let’s see if this year’s dark horse, Wandering Circus, will continue their high-spirited advance, or if our strongest combination, Killer Sequence, will continue to maintain their championship glory!”
“Will both tacticians please step forward and shake hands!”
Bai Liu and Judge walked up the steps. They approached each other step by step, their faces holding flat and natural expressions, as if this were not a crucial final, but a common game they played every day in their daily lives.
Judge looked at Bai Liu and smiled, reaching out his hand: “So we still ended up coming here to play a game together.”
Bai Liu looked down at the hand Judge extended. He gave an “mm” and reached out his own hand, suddenly speaking: “We’ve played all sorts of messy games for almost ten years now, haven’t we?”
Judge froze for a moment. He smiled understandingly and also gave an “mm”: “Almost ten years.”
The two men shook hands. This should have been a tense, explosive atmosphere, but the two of them were too familiar with and understood each other too well. They couldn’t be wary of each other, nor could they be tense.
—It was as if they instinctively believed the other wouldn’t hurt them, so this was just a game.
“You are a Prophet.” Bai Liu looked up and asked abruptly, “Then have you seen the final ending of the game between you and me?”
Judge was silent for a long, long time. He looked down at his hand clasped with Bai Liu’s and answered very softly: “No.”
Bai Liu asked: “Why?”
“Because of fear.” Judge looked up with a smile, scratching his face and sighing as if it were a bit embarrassing to admit, “I am a very cowardly person. When I fear a certain future, I won’t predict it.”
Bai Liu continued to ask calmly: “What do you fear in the future? Fear that I’ll win? Fear that I didn’t die as you wished?”
“Don’t make me sound so cold.” Judge looked at Bai Liu, smiling brightly, but his eyes were filled with a layer of light as if he might shed tears in the next second, “I watched you grow up. I watched for ten years. I know that in your heart, I am your best friend.”
“But you are also my last friend.”
Bai Liu’s breath hitched.
*(T/N: WTF does that mean?!?)*
Judge stepped forward and gave Bai Liu’s shoulder a forceful one-handed hug. He closed his eyes and whispered in Bai Liu’s ear:
“I feared two kinds of game endings in the future at the same time.”
“I am afraid of you losing, and I am also afraid of me losing.”
The host shouted loudly: “The game officially begins!”
“Both teams, please log into the game.”
Judge and Bai Liu released their clasped hands. They turned and left without lingering, walking further and further away with their backs to each other. Neither turned back, their gazes straight as they walked toward their respective teams.
—Walking toward their own [Future].
>[System Notice: Game Loading…]
>[System Notice: Both players have logged into the game 《Qiaomu Private High School》]
>[System Notice: (Killer Sequence) VS (Wandering Circus), five-person team competition game, officially begins.]
—
*(T/N: Does Lu Yizhan even see Bai Liu as his actual friend? Greatest opponent vs. best friend… has Yizhan only ever seen Bai Liu as a heretic to manipulate? Ya’ll don’t take this as Lu Yizhan hate, I’m not hating. I’m just sad at the idea that maybe Yizhan doesn’t actually think Bai Liu is his friend. Even if he says Bai Liu is his “last friend”, whatever that means.
But also, can a smarter reader explain to me why winning matters to Lu Yizhan here? What’s the point in him still competing? Even if he wins and gets the wish, the wish will be made to Bai Six. He won’t actually win anything. So what’s the point in competing against Bai Liu? I just don’t understand.)*
