Chapter 59: After All That, This Is It?
Let us return for a moment to the day before the promotion tournament.
Hunters from all corners of Winter City were preparing themselves, ready for action.
At the subway station, a short-haired girl dressed in azure carried a large backpack as she exited the gate. Her beautiful eyes lingered on the city’s architecture for a while, then she moved forward through the crowd.
Ye Lin hailed a taxi, instructing the driver to head for the sports center.
“You said the sports center? Tomorrow, the Disaster Association is holding the promotion tournament there,” the veteran driver remarked curiously as she got in. “Are you a contestant, young lady?”
“Yes… I’m from out of town. I need to arrive a day early to arrange accommodation and prepare for tomorrow’s competition.”
“So it’s true. Impressive. At your age, I wouldn’t have guessed.”
“Thank you…”
As he drove, the driver, noticing the girl’s pure and delicate looks, struck up a conversation: “I watched the tournament three years ago, and let me tell you, it was spectacular. But I could also see how brutal the promotion matches are for the participants.
After every match, there are always losers who end up severely injured, sometimes barely making it through.”
“…I know.”
In the back seat, Ye Lin twisted her fingers together and gently bit her lower lip. “But I’ll win. This time, I’m here for the championship.”
Championship?
Judging from her age, she probably hadn’t been a hunter for more than two years. Looking at her slender, delicate frame, the driver felt she was only headed for trouble on the arena.
To put it bluntly, someone as frail as her might get knocked out with a single punch, perhaps even accidentally killed.
But these were only silent musings; after all, the rules stated that contestants must not endanger each other’s lives—though accidents had happened in past tournaments.
Through the rearview mirror, he saw the determination in the girl’s eyes.
Young people these days…
He refrained from discouraging her, instead adopting a kindly tone: “Well then, young lady, I wish you the best of luck.”
“Thank you…”
Ye Lin gazed at the retreating road outside the window, murmuring to herself, “Only if I win the championship will I have enough qualification to face that person…”
Ye Lin, contestant number 30 in the promotion tournament.
…
Winter City’s Affiliated Hospital, inside a medical room, in one of the wards.
A woman in a patient’s gown lay on the bed, covered with a white blanket, an IV drip attached, her face pale, her sleeping expression serene like a sleeping beauty.
Outside the ward, a clean-cut man in an orange jacket frowned and questioned the attending physician: “Doctor, how is my sister’s condition?”
“Your sister has fallen under a vampire’s curse. Normally, a large injection of serum should reverse it, but…”
The male doctor in a white coat sighed, “She came too late.”
“You mean… there’s nothing you can do?”
“Ah, let me be frank. The curse has penetrated deep into her organs. It’s incurable, and the chances of saving her are minuscule, almost nonexistent.”
The man’s heart ached. “…Will my sister become a vampire?”
“No. In fact, it’s worse. She already has a heart condition, and this may threaten her life.”
Seeing the man’s face grow more troubled, the doctor tried to comfort him: “We’ll do our best to help, but the medical fees amount to two hundred thousand. Please be prepared.”
“Two hundred thousand.” The man furrowed his brow.
“Xiao Ming…”
His sister’s call sounded, and the man quickly entered the ward, sat at her bedside, and looked at Wang Xinyao. “Sis, you’re awake.”
“Aren’t you going to participate in the promotion tournament tomorrow?”
Wang Xinyao weakly reached out, placing her hand on his. “Don’t worry about me… Just focus on the competition…”
“But…” The man wanted to stay to care for her. Her condition required companionship.
“You’ve waited three years for this…”
Wang Xinyao spoke seriously: “I don’t want to drag you down. That tournament has always been your dream…”
The man fell silent, then after a long moment, forced a smile. “I understand. Wait for me—I’ll bring back the championship for you.”
The man, contestant number 50.
…
Sports Center.
Preparation Zone.
Every hunter waited in the hall, their hearts burning with passion.
After the vice chairman descended from the stage, the elimination round officially began.
All the contestants present held their breath, focusing on the giant screen.
The screen scrolled, displaying the matchups for Arena One.
[First round of elimination begins]
[Arena One, Contestant 22 (Cheng Feng) vs Contestant 14 (Li Jie)]
As number 22, Cheng Feng was momentarily stunned, not expecting his turn to come so quickly.
[Arena Two, Contestant 40 (…) vs Contestant 57 (…)]
[Arena Three, Contestant 71 (…) vs Contestant 84 (…)]
[Arena Four, Contestant 30 (Ye Lin) vs Contestant 49 (…)]
[Arena Five, Contestant 33 (Jiang He) vs Contestant 31 (…)]
There were five arenas, five groups of hunters battling simultaneously. Only by defeating five opponents would a contestant advance to the formal competition in tomorrow’s plaza.
Only those who advanced could reach the quarterfinals… semifinals… and ultimately, the championship.
“It’s my turn.”
Cheng Feng took a deep breath, calming his excitement. Yes, not only was he not nervous, he actually felt exhilarated.
At this moment, Cheng Feng even wondered if he possessed a fighting gene, like a Saiyan, longing to face powerful opponents.
He stood and walked toward Arena One.
Behind him, Liu Shiyu raised her fist in encouragement, “Go for it!”
Facing countless eyes from below, Cheng Feng stepped onto the stage. His opponent soon followed, with the referee standing between them.
Among the waiting contestants below, Luo Ke—an acquaintance—was present, along with Gu Yan. They, too, had come to compete in the promotion tournament.
There were so many contestants in the preparation hall that they hadn’t run into Cheng Feng.
But as Cheng Feng stepped onto the stage, Luo Ke recognized him instantly: “That’s Brother Cheng—didn’t expect him to be here, too.”
“It’s him?” Gu Yan, sitting beside him, blinked. “Looks like you might meet on the field.”
“Cheng Feng…”
Jiang He was also competing. He stared at the figure on stage, muttering under his breath, “This is great—finally, a chance to face you head-on… If I beat you, Shiyu will surely see me differently.”
Arenas Two, Three, Four, and Five had already begun; Arena One seemed out of sync.
On Arena One, Cheng Feng and his opponent stood facing each other, their gazes locked.
The opponent summoned a spirit blade, introduced himself, and cupped his hands: “Li Jie, currently an intern member. Please guide me.”
Electric sparks flashed in Cheng Feng’s hand; his spirit blade, Thunder Cutter, appeared. He replied courteously, “Cheng Feng, also an intern of the association. Please guide me.”
“Heh, I hate to break it to you, but I’m about to defeat you and claim the prize.”
Li Jie grinned confidently. “You’d better be ready.”
“Is that so? I’m looking forward to it.”
Cheng Feng couldn’t understand his opponent’s peculiar confidence. He poised his spirit blade; members of the Disaster Association all possessed awakened superpowers, though he didn’t know what his opponent’s was.
No matter how strong the opponent, if he couldn’t even unleash his spiritual power, he couldn’t be a threat.
“Are both sides ready?”
The referee glanced at them, and seeing no objections, stepped back. “Very well, let the battle… begin!”
“Hah!”
Li Jie shouted, unleashing a powerful aura; winds surged around him, impressive enough to command respect.
He charged straight at Cheng Feng, swinging his spirit blade down from above.
Faced with Li Jie’s fearless assault, Cheng Feng decided to meet him head-on.
Clang!
Cheng Feng raised his blade to block. A tremendous force pressed down the length of the blade, nearly bursting the vessels in his body. This strike almost caused internal injuries.
The stone beneath his feet shattered and cracked—testament to Li Jie’s strength.
“I am a power-type hunter. My superpower… is pure strength! Strength greater than any hunter! Enough to split mountains and shatter stone!”
Li Jie saw Cheng Feng’s expression and thought he was intimidated.
In fact, Cheng Feng’s expression was dismal, but not because he was scared. Clearly, he was thinking: Is that all?
ps: Thanks to kun, Yun, and Book Friend 20200224123236406 for their rewards