Chapter 55: The Field Operations Team

Wu Qiwei.

Du Bin sensed her anger. He understood that with Aunt Lan injured and unable to compete, only he and Hu Guozheng—two rookies—remained, and Ye Tang’s abilities were greatly reduced.

Bored, Hu Guozheng stood outside the hospital room, lit a cigarette, and started smoking. Just then, a nurse passed by, saw him, and approached, extending her hand, “Sir, smoking is prohibited in the hospital.”

Seeing her assertive attitude, Hu Guozheng deliberately took a drag in front of her and blew smoke right in her face. The nurse, irritated, snatched the cigarette from his hand and extinguished it. “Sir, did you not hear what I said?”

“If you want to flirt with me, just say so! Unfortunately, I have no time for small talk.” Hu Guozheng smugly returned to the room, oblivious to the nurse gritting her teeth behind him.

“What a lunatic I ran into today! He accused me of flirting—what’s wrong with him?” The nurse tossed the cigarette stub away and stormed down the corridor.

Sitting nearby, Qin Ling browsed team profiles endlessly on her tablet. The competition teams did not participate in order, but were chosen randomly.

“Many groups have already reached the quarterfinals, such as the Elite Alliance from America, the Mest Group from France, the Four Saints from Nanjing, the Heavenly Kings from Russia, and the Heavenly Dragon Group from Guangdong.”

“Those who make it to the top eight are formidable, especially the Heavenly Dragon Group led by YOYO. By the way, who’s our next opponent?”

“Tomorrow at nine in the morning, two matches will take place. Michelangelo from Britain faces the Eastern Eagles from America, and Malaysia’s Rising Stars take on Germany’s Wild Force. Whoever wins the latter will be our opponent in the quarterfinals.”

“The battle for the semifinals,” Ye Tang’s gaze darkened.

Early the next morning, Du Bin and Hu Guozheng followed Qin Ling to the spectator seats. Ye Tang, worried that Aunt Lan would skip watching, feared she might be attacked by Wu Qiwei and others during her hospital stay.

In the first match, Michelangelo’s team used their skills to defeat the Eagles and secured a spot in the quarterfinals. The next match began as Xiao Xue stood at the center and announced, “This match between Rising Stars and Wild Force will determine who advances—let’s see who prevails. Round one begins now.”

First up were Mai Leji from Rising Stars and Weasel from Wild Force. Right from the start, Mai Leji was overwhelmed by Weasel and knocked off the stage in less than three minutes.

With Wild Force winning the first round, their leader Panther led his team on a relentless assault. Hornet and Lolita Panther finished their rounds in under five minutes.

In just fifteen minutes, Wild Force had thunderously crushed Rising Stars and claimed the final quarterfinal spot.

Faced with such powerful rivals, Du Bin and Hu Guozheng grew anxious. They knew their abilities well; making it to the top eight among so many masters was already a miracle.

“Heh, this match was unnecessary. Wild Force could never lose,” Weasel laughed loudly, hands on his hips.

Panther, with a wicked smile, snatched Xiao Xue’s microphone and pointed at Du Bin and Hu Guozheng, “Wild Force are championship material, and next up is your Hunting Group. Don’t say I didn’t give you time to prepare for your last rites.”

Panther’s declaration almost made the two jump up in anger. Hu Guozheng gritted his teeth, “That guy’s got quite the mouth.”

Panther returned the microphone to Xiao Xue and left with his team. As she recovered, Xiao Xue announced, “Tomorrow marks the start of the quarterfinals. The first match will see Hunting Group face Wild Force in the battle for a spot in the semifinals.”

After the match, Du Bin and Hu Guozheng left with burning rage. Qin Ling watched them, worried their anger might jeopardize her fiancé, the sponsor.

Leaving via the VIP corridor, Zeng Yilong passed the lounge and saw Wu Qiwei alone, watching a war film on the sofa. He walked over, “Wu Qiwei, sitting here alone watching war movies—how dull. Why not watch the matches?”

“No matter who wins, none can challenge Heavenly Dragon Group. What’s the point?”

“By the way, Wild Force taunted Hunting Group just now. Seems interesting.” Zeng Yilong lit a cigar and took a drag. Wu Qiwei snorted coldly and said nothing.

That evening, everyone gathered at the hospital. Du Bin recounted the day’s events to Ye Tang but, seeing Hu Guozheng’s expression, said, “Fatty, don’t worry so much about Wild Force tomorrow. Our real fight is against Heavenly Dragon Group. We must win for Xiao Tang’s inheritance.”

“I know. But besides YOYO, the other Heavenly Dragon members haven’t shown themselves. Everything about them is a mystery.”

“I suspect this is Wu Qiwei’s strategy—to keep us ignorant of their members’ abilities while they know everything about us.” Du Bin shared his thoughts, and Ye Tang agreed.

Just then, the hospital door opened. The four looked up to see Wild Force’s members. Alert, they watched as the newcomers laughed, “Forgot us already?”

“They’re Wild Force, our opponents tomorrow,” Hu Guozheng said, displeased, hands on his hips.

Suddenly, starting with Panther, the team introduced themselves one by one. Du Bin scoffed, “Did you come to the hospital because your bodies are failing? Even if you’re sick and beg for mercy, we won’t go easy on you.”

Weasel spat, “Tch, do you think you’re something special? A bunch of losers—disgusting.”

Du Bin and Hu Guozheng glared at Weasel, itching to tear him apart.

“Listen up. Your Hunting Group is nothing but our stepping stone to fame.”

“Haven’t even fought and you’re declaring victory—are you mentally ill?”

“That’s right, you’re the stepping stone. There’s a psychiatry department here—you should check yourselves in.”

“If you’re so eager to be famous, go shoot a porno, idiots.” Du Bin and Hu Guozheng traded barbs, their flippant tone enraging Wild Force’s members.

Panther pointed at them, speaking coldly, “You’ll pay for your words tomorrow in the ring.”

Watching them leave, Hu Guozheng scoffed, “Who cares who they are? Compared to Heavenly Dragon Group, they’re nothing.”

“Exactly, just fifty percent effort and we’ll knock them flat,” Du Bin agreed.

Ye Tang worried about their careless attitude. She sensed Wild Force’s members were far from ordinary. Their brazen arrogance suggested real skills. “Don’t be so overconfident, you two. Don’t let a couple of lucky wins make you arrogant. They may not match YOYO’s Heavenly Dragon Group, but they’re no pushovers. Tomorrow will be another tough battle for us.”