Chapter 96
On the day the elimination rounds began, loyal fans of the Bounty League were already waiting in the live broadcast room. Amid the passionate commentary, the barrage had already begun to heat up.
Yes, commentary.
As the tournament entered its latter half, the official channel had invited the world-renowned StarCraft commentator Brother Douzi to the scene.
The first match of the afternoon was in Group A.
At this moment, Brother Douzi was enthusiastically introducing the players who were about to take the stage.
Because there were many players in this free-for-all mode, and there was still some time before the match, the explanations didn’t seem rushed at all.
In fact, the audience had already seen the player list on the official website. So, while listening to the introductions, they were also chatting in the barrage.
“Why aren’t Bai-Lu teaming up today?”
“Are those in front the shippers of Bai-Lu too? Allies! I was planning to finish this match and then continue waiting for Bai Chen’s game!”
“I suspect the official groupings are intentionally splitting our CP, making a big fuss about it!”
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Although Bai Chen isn’t in this match, we have Xiao Zou Zou. I feel like Zou Zou and Ning Ning are strangely compatible!”
“Now that you mention it, in the previous matches, they were indeed quite favorably treated…”
“Forget about Lan Yuan, wherever Lu Jingning stands, I think he can match well with anyone!”
“Cultists, retreat! I firmly stand with Bai-Lu for ten thousand years!”
While this discussion was in full swing, a batch of new viewers suddenly flooded into the live broadcast room within a short time.
At first, these newcomers clearly weren’t familiar with the environment and didn’t pay attention to the CP combinations displayed on the interface. After a while, they began to post barrage messages.
“Hey hey hey, where are the Imperial Navy’s big brothers and sisters?”
“Right here! Is everyone ready with our cheering slogans?”
“Wen Xingchen, Lu Jingning, and Yan Hebin, all the way! Imperial Navy, let’s go!”
“Ugh, I’m here to root for the main characters! The Xing-Jing duo is fantastic! You two must stay in love forever!”
“Absolutely insane, the Imperial Navy’s deadly duo! When Xing-Jing appears, who can contend with them? Lu Jingning, Wen Xingchen, charge ahead for us!”
After a series of comments, the original audience members were a bit bewildered, and the CP fans on both sides began to “communicate” through the barrage.
Bai-Lu shippers: Hey hey hey, new comrades, have you got it wrong? It’s clearly Lu-Bai. What’s Xing-Jing?
Xing-Jing shippers: What? What’s this Bali-Lu combination? Our school forum has already exposed the details of the main characters’ relationship, no exaggeration, it’s for real!
Bai-Lu shippers: You big-headed ghost! Where did these cultists come from!
Xing-Jing shippers: You all can just get lost! We’re the real deal here! What’s going on with the Bounty League? Can the Imperial Navy just freely form CP? Who are these bunch of ignorant fans!
This exchange almost escalated into a full-blown argument on the main screen.
The room administrators, realizing that things were getting out of hand, quickly imposed a chat restriction.
After a while, they cautiously reactivated the chat, and someone stylishly posted a link on the main screen: “Tsk tsk tsk, go check it out for yourselves. Inside, you’ll find all the details! Open your eyes and see who is truly Lu Jingning’s official partner!”
The Bali-Lu shippers, who had been infuriated, clicked on the link one by one. They had come to pick a fight but found themselves shrinking back as they read through the detailed relationship revelations.
How could this be? Lu Jingning already had a partner all this time?!
The Bai-Lu shippers felt like they had gone from owning the world to having nothing in an instant. Only they knew what they had been through!
The Imperial Navy’s students, seeing the “cultists” finally quiet down, happily took over the barrage market once more, cheering wholeheartedly.
After a long while, the live broadcast room’s screen finally lit up.
At this point, all the participants in Group A were already on the map.
Using a god’s-eye view, Brother Douzi briefly analyzed the players’ positions, and after a while, the camera switched to the players on the field.
Then, what caught everyone’s attention was not the intense battle they had imagined, but two hands tightly holding each other.
The barrage became unexpectedly quiet for a moment.
All the billions of viewers across the interstellar space: ???
If it weren’t for the title of the live broadcast room flashing prominently in front of them, they might have mistaken this for a romance show.
Even Brother Douzi, who had commented on countless matches, was at a loss for words for a while. Finally, he managed to say, “As we all know, every season of the Bounty League always brings numerous highlights to capture our attention, and this year’s league is no exception. At least, for the first time during a live broadcast, we get to taste something fresh, uh, lovey-dovey? Well… all I can say is that this is indeed a different kind of spectacle.”
The barrage was full of ellipses.
Some things are better left unsaid.
For Lu Jingning, the beginning of this match was exceptionally lucky. Although the spawn points were random, he was not far from Wen Xingchen. After crossing one intersection, they met directly. Now, all that remained was to find Yan Hebin.
However, Lu Jingning didn’t expect Wen Xingchen to make such an intimate gesture during the live broadcast.
In that moment of tightly clasped fingers, he suddenly understood the meaning of their chat conversation from yesterday.
So, the best way to make Wen Ge even happier was to publicly display affection in front of the live broadcast audience?
Lu Jingning subconsciously looked up at the sky, which was clear without a single cloud. However, there might be an invisible camera silently watching them.
He gently touched the tip of his nose and, unusually, felt a bit shy.
The display of affection was quite significant, and even with his thick skin, it was a bit embarrassing. However, after some thought, he decided not to resist it.
They walked hand in hand, and along the way, they encountered other participating players. Wen Xingchen dealt with them effortlessly.
In this process, it felt like they were glued together. Their hands never parted. Every time the camera focused on their tightly clasped hands, the audience felt as though they had been force-fed dog food, choking but unable to deny that Wen Xingchen’s strength was quite intimidating.
After all, the competitors in the same arena had all entered the elimination rounds and were no longer the uneven mix of skills seen in the preliminaries. When it came to elimination, it was like child’s play for Wen Xingchen.
If not for the corpses scattered all around, their stroll through the forest would have resembled a romantic date during the honeymoon period.
The Imperial Navy’s Xing-Jing fans couldn’t help but cheer loudly in the barrage, feeling utterly satisfied with the CP show they were witnessing.
They could keep this going a little longer!
In stark contrast to their excited mood were the Bai Lu CP fans.
Just a moment ago, their CP had been forcefully dismantled, and now, they were faced with what was supposedly the real main couple. Their cheeks felt a burning sensation, and their emotions were complex.
What was even more unbearable for them was that, at this moment, they were strangely starting to see the two people on the screen as a compatible couple?!
If it wasn’t for the exceptionally bright stars in the holographic map or the fact that the Imperial Navy’s fans were exceptionally passionate, they might not have been influenced, but they couldn’t deny that even they were somewhat swayed. It was truly hateful!
The Bai Lu CP fans remained silent, watching the match, determined to hold onto their last bit of stubbornness.
Even if they couldn’t shout cheers for the CP they supported, they had to stay steadfast and unwavering until the very end! What’s wrong with being a cult? Cults have their dignity too!
Just at that moment, in the map of the match, Lu Jingning and Wen Xingchen finally found Yan Hebin, and the three of them met successfully.
Yan Hebin glanced over at their hands held tightly together but quickly looked away as if he hadn’t seen anything. He asked, “What’s the plan for next?”
Lu Jingning thought for a moment. “Wen Ge has enough points already, and I’m not in a hurry. Let’s help you eliminate some players first. After you secure enough points as a safety net, we’ll decide what to do next.”
Wen Xingchen added, “Sounds good.”
Yan Hebin looked at the three of them and asked, “So, who’s going to go?”
Lu Jingning was just about to consider this question when he faintly heard a sound in the distance. He suddenly turned his head to look and saw a figure emerging not far away.
Seeing that Wen Xingchen was about to take action, Lu Jingning swiftly used his grip to pull the person back to his side and said, “Don’t act, he’s one of us.”
As soon as Lan Yuanzhou’s face appeared, he was immediately labeled as “one of us.” He looked at the three people standing side by side and couldn’t decide whether the situation was a blessing or a curse.
Lu Jingning maintained his friendly attitude, “Lan Yuanzhou, what a coincidence. We meet again.”
Lan Yuanzhou’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
It was indeed quite a coincidence, but they really didn’t need this much coincidence!
Upon seeing Lu Jingning’s name in the same group list, he had prayed all night that he wouldn’t run into this guy. But fate was clearly not on his side.
Lu Jingning remained warmly welcoming, “Are you here to team up with us?”
Lan Yuanzhou choked for a moment and then, after a long pause, nodded heavily, “Yeah, let’s team up.”
“Well, that’s great!” Lu Jingning said happily and pointed at Lan Yuanzhou while addressing Yan Hebin, “He’s the one! Lan Yuanzhou is an excellent catcher!”
Yan Hebin replied, “That’s fine.”
“???” Lan Yuanzhou had a puzzled look on his face. “Catch what?”
“Yan Hebin is my roommate. He’s not very good at close combat, so we need to protect him and ensure he advances. We’ll go catch a few players for him to get some kill points,” Lu Jingning explained and then smirked, “You were so eager to join our team, right? Since we’re not exactly close, it wouldn’t be too much to request a life-and-death pact or something like that, would it?”
His attitude was so friendly, and his tone was so matter-of-fact that Lan Yuanzhou almost coughed up blood. When did he ever want to team up willingly? Wasn’t it all because of that damn coercion?
He had never seen such shamelessness before!
However, given the current situation, just dealing with Lu Jingning alone was challenging enough. Additionally, Wen Xingchen, who was from another region, was clearly a formidable opponent.
In this disadvantageous position, Lan Yuanzhou reluctantly agreed, “Fine, you guys wait here.”
Seeing Lan Yuanzhou’s desolate departure from the screen, Brother Douzi fell silent for a moment and said, “You can tell that Lu Jingning and Lan Yuanzhou have already established a deep friendship during their previous partnership. At least, for someone of Lan Yuanzhou’s caliber, willingly taking on such an errand is a very sincere display.”
The audience fell even quieter.
Willingly? Are you sure???
Brother Douzi intentionally ignored the rapidly scrolling barrage, cleared his throat, and changed the topic, “But I’m curious. If Lan Yuanzhou hadn’t shown up just now, how would they have allocated tasks? Would Lu Jingning have taken matters into his own hands, or would it have been Wen Xingchen?”
This was indeed a profound question, but unfortunately, the audience’s attention was fully focused on the two individuals on the screen.
Since Lan Yuanzhou had departed, they decided to take a rest.
Yan Hebin’s gaze was still fixed in the direction Lan Yuanzhou had gone, and he asked, “Aren’t you worried he won’t come back?”
Lu Jingning replied, “No, he’ll come back.”
Yan Hebin inquired, “Why?”
“Because if he doesn’t come back, at most, we’ll lose one player. But at the same time, he’ll have to face a chase from both me and Wen Ge over a long distance,” Lu Jingning said with a smirk. “It’s a very practical issue. Having one more enemy is not as good as having one more friend, after all. Isn’t it nice to stay alive?”
Yan Hebin simply said, “…”
That made sense.
Wen Xingchen, seeing that Lu Jingning was about to continue talking to Yan Hebin, used a bit of force in his hand to pull him closer.
Lu Jingning, taken by surprise, bumped into a broad chest and momentarily looked puzzled. He raised his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Wen Xingchen slightly lowered himself and pressed Lu Jingning against a tree trunk. His voice carried a hint of tempting ambiguity, “Didn’t you say yesterday that you wanted to make me happier? Well, we have some free time now, and since it’s something we agreed on, can we consider fulfilling it?”
Lu Jingning, hearing his suggestive words, blushed slightly, and he tried to push away, but Wen Xingchen’s grip was firm.
He was caught off guard and hesitated, “We’re still in the middle of a match.”
“It’s better to do it during the match,” Wen Xingchen’s voice was low and seductive. His slender fingers gently lifted Lu Jingning’s chin, making their gazes meet. “Besides, I have some questions that need answers. For example, what does ‘tenderly gazing’ look like? Is it something like this?”
His words brushed past Lu Jingning’s ear, and the touch felt so real that it ignited a subtle spark throughout his body.
The gesture was too seductive, and even though they were in a holographic map, Lu Jingning couldn’t help but become a bit distracted. His throat made a faint, involuntary noise.
Wen Xingchen seemed to notice his small reaction, and the curve of his lips became even more pronounced. He leaned in closer and said, “Actually, my boyfriend always has too many admirers, and it’s something that bothers me. So, I thought we should take a chance to assert our dominance. Do you think it’s feasible?”
Although he was asking, his tone sounded more like a statement.
Amid Wen Xingchen’s somewhat forceful attitude, Lu Jingning couldn’t help but smile. He gently placed his hands on Wen Xingchen’s shoulders and hung his body softly against him. Tilting his head, he said, “What can I say? Can I say no?”
Saying that, he raised his head and kissed him deeply.
A long and lingering kiss.
As their tongues entwined, Lu Jingning’s waist softened, and he momentarily lost his balance, but Wen Xingchen’s grip held him steady. The live broadcast froze at this excessively ambiguous moment.
The entire live broadcast room had already fallen into complete silence. After a while, it was completely covered by the sounds of gopher-like squeaks.
Xing-Jing shippers: Ah, we can handle this PDA! Keep it going! Continue! We can totally handle it!!!
Bai-Lu shippers: We were wrong! What’s Bai Chen compared to this? Wen Xingchen is the real deal! He is way too flirtatious!
…
At this moment, everyone was immersed in this beautiful and unparalleled love… How absurd!
In a remote galaxy, Lu Kongbin, who was secretly watching the game in the corner of the battleship, almost smashed the communication terminal in his hand.
A passing robot asked with great concern: “Sir, your face is dark and your blood is surging. Do you need to arrange medical treatment?”
Lu Kongbin didn’t say a word, he just raised his foot and kicked the blind robot far away.
It’s a pity that he is in a place too remote. Otherwise, he would have wanted to fly directly to the scene and pick out the little bastard named Wen Xingchen and give him a good beating.
Lu Kongbin’s sudden irritable attitude attracted other soldiers on the battleship to look over.
The adjutant came over with concern and asked, “What’s the matter? Is there anything going on?”
Lu Kongbin rubbed his fists fiercely: “Yes! I really want to kill someone!”
Seeing that he was clearly on the verge of going berserk, the adjutant turned around and left without saying a word: “Err…please continue.”
After all, no one has any interest in seeking death.
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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