Chapter 41
Lu Jingning was delighted by the cheer and turned around, walking towards the stage. The sudden change in his attitude left others a bit stunned, and it took them a moment to shout, “Brother Lu, D group! We must draw a D!”
Lu Jingning didn’t respond but raised his clenched fist towards them from a distance, slowly extending two fingers to make a peace sign. His departing figure exuded an air of wildness and freedom.
Meanwhile, representatives from other schools’ exchange teams had also taken the stage. Without surprises, they were all team captains, dressed in their respective school uniforms, exuding a commanding presence.
The commentator introduced the exchange teams from other schools to the audience, and when the last figure appeared on the screen, the focus shifted to the lineup of the Imperial Navy University’s team for this year.
“This year’s captain for Imperial Navy University should be familiar to everyone, as he has been highly regarded in recent years. He entered the Imperial Military University with the highest score in the Empire’s military exam and is one of the few junior-level S-class pheromone holders. It’s no surprise that he’s leading the team. However, the recent upheaval at Imperial Navy might have had some impact on their team, and the list of other team members seems a bit unexpected.”
“In addition to several members who participated in the exchange competition last year, there are many new faces in the Imperial Navy’s team this year. Based on our current statistics, there are three freshmen, among whom one is an Omega player, Lu Jingning. We don’t have much information about this student, and we wonder if his appearance will completely change the dominance of Alphas in military competitions. Let’s wait and see!”
Hearing the commentator’s enthusiastic introduction, the team captains on the stage exchanged glances.
Although…
Fine, sometimes this kind of competition indeed needs some unrelated gimmicks.
At that moment, the commentator’s tone suddenly rose, “Oh, Imperial Navy University has sent this Omega player directly to represent the team for the pre-match draw!”
All eyes turned to the stage.
Lu Jingning enjoyed the attention, smiling as he waved to the surrounding crowd and then stood next to the captain of the Silver Star team, Tang Jiaze.
After a moment of silence, Tang Jiaze asked, “Where is your captain?”
Lu Jingning replied, “He’s in a bad mood, so I’m here to draw the lot instead.”
Tang Jiaze: “…”
The excuse was too straightforward; there was no room for counterattack.
The representatives of the other teams took their positions on the stage, and the audience in the stands looked somewhat puzzled.
An Omega? An Omega was actually participating in the military academy exchange competition?!
Most people’s first reaction was that Imperial Navy University had given up on winning this year, opting for a cute and attention-grabbing route. Or perhaps they simply included an Omega to fill the roster and create a distraction for other teams?
After all, most teams had a few substitutes who often had little chance of playing in the end. Maybe Lu Jingning was just there as a mascot, making an appearance to complete the team.
But even as a substitute, he was still an unprecedented presence in the history of the joint competition.
Therefore, when Lu Jingning appeared, the other Omega participants in the audience were instantly excited. Their eyes sparkled with admiration and adoration.
Wow, this Omega can actually participate in the exchange competition! He’s so cool!
Backstage, the team from Imperial Navy observed the reactions of the crowd with meaningful smiles.
Cen Junfeng shook his head as if reminiscing, “Oh, look at those Alphas. I feel sorry for them. Looking down on Lu Jingning, they might end up getting their faces swollen.”
Wen Xingchen glanced at him casually, “Are you speaking from experience?”
Cen Junfeng choked for a moment, recalling the scene where he was humiliated by Lu Jingning near the trash can. He looked at the ceiling with complex feelings, “Don’t bring up the past, okay? It was a painful realization… I’ve already learned my lesson!”
Lü Shen reminded, “Pay attention, it’s time for the draw.”
All eyes turned to the stage.
In the midst of all the attention, Lu Jingning appeared calm. When the virtual screen was presented before him, he lightly pressed the draw button without hesitation.
In the next moment, a letter appeared behind Imperial Navy University’s emblem on the large screen.
Lu Jingning heard a faint stir around him and couldn’t help but turn around, smiling confidently. But when he saw the letter, his smile froze.
He didn’t draw the most favorable D group, nor the relatively easier B or C groups. Instead, he ended up with the group no one wanted to draw, the dreaded A group.
The other team captains couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Lu Jingning could feel the eyes of his teammates on his back. He cleared his throat, maintaining a calm demeanor even though he was secretly nervous.
This can’t be right. This doesn’t feel like the draw I made. Could it be that I accidentally absorbed some of Tang Jiaze’s bad luck when I toasted with him yesterday?
Beside him, Tang Jiaze pressed the draw button while smiling mockingly, “Overwhelming bad luck?”
Lu Jingning’s expression remained placid as he turned to look at the groups revealed behind the Silver Star’s emblem. He smiled slightly, “Being able to directly crush all of you at the beginning of the match, would you call that overwhelming bad luck?”
Taken aback by his harsh words, Tang Jiaze’s face turned dark, “You talk a big game, but don’t you think you’re too overconfident?”
Lu Jingning blinked, “Is it overconfidence, or is it strength? You’ll find out when we meet on the field.”
Tang Jiaze sneered, “We’ll see on the battlefield, then.”
In an instant, the other schools completed their draws, and the commentator announced the final groupings: Group A – Imperial Navy University, Group B – Silver Star University, Group C – Heavy Cloud Defense University, Group D – Grand War University.
With Group A being the worst draw, being followed by Silver Star in Group B, the situation for Imperial Navy University seemed even more challenging.
Although Lu Jingning appeared calm on stage, he was adaptable and knew when to yield. After coming down from the stage, he proactively apologized to his teammates, “It’s my fault, I drew the death group.”
And he was right; both Silver Star in Group B and Grand War in Group D were formidable opponents in combat. Being sandwiched between them indeed increased the difficulty significantly.
No doubt, being Group A was the most tragic.
Bing Yunlin patted Lu Jingning’s shoulder gently and reassured him with a senior’s love, “Don’t worry about it; with Wen Ye as the captain, it was almost destined for us not to get a good draw.”
Wen Ye: “…”
He didn’t even draw the lot, so why is it about him again?
Hearing this, Lu Jingning could feel the gazes of his teammates on his back. He cleared his throat and said in an apologetic tone, although his face was calm and slightly arrogant, “It’s okay; we got the death group.”
What he said was true.
With Wen Ye as the captain, it was destined for them to get a challenging draw.
The final lineups for the first match were set. As the team leader, Jihan quickly made the last adjustments to the lineup. “For the first match against Silver Star, Zhang She, you will go first.”
Hearing this, Wen Ye slightly furrowed his brows and suggested, “Teacher, let me go first.”
The first match often significantly impacted the team’s morale. Since they were facing Silver Star and didn’t know their opponent’s lineup yet, he felt that as the captain, it was necessary for him to lead the team to ensure a better outcome.
However, Jihan shook his head, “No, if you go first, who will be the anchor?”
“As long as I can secure as many victories as possible, it doesn’t matter who the anchor is,” Wen Ye replied calmly, his tone exuding a sense of extreme arrogance.
Though his words sounded calm, they carried an overwhelming arrogance.
Hearing his words, Jihan fell silent for a moment but finally agreed, “Alright, you’ll go first then.”
Lu Jingning, who was listening nearby, couldn’t help but glance at Wen Xingchen.
Wen Xingchen sensed his gaze, lowered his eyes, and lightly hooked the corner of his mouth, “Why are you staring at me? Am I that good looking?”
Lu Jingning sighed, “I was thinking, you and the captain are indeed real brothers. Just a few words, and both of you have that annoying vibe.”
Wen Xingchen wanted to smile but held it back, “Thanks for the compliment.”
Lu Jingning: “…”
How did you hear that as a compliment???
After the starting lineup was determined, the Imperial Navy team headed to the rest area to prepare for the match. The remaining players for subsequent matches would be adjusted according to the situation.
Half an hour later, the first match of the military academy exchange competition finally began.
To avoid casualties, the matches were conducted using virtual battle technology. The players from Imperial Navy and Silver Star entered their respective virtual cabins under the guidance of the staff.
Once the virtual simulation started, after a moment, the holographic images were projected onto the center of the arena, appearing incredibly lifelike. This battle simulation technology could fully reproduce all the real battle effects, including pheromone interactions, making it almost indistinguishable from actual combat. It was currently the most sophisticated combat application system in the entire interstellar community.
The members of Imperial Navy turned their attention to the field.
As they saw the lineup of Silver Star University, Jihan furrowed his brow slightly, “I haven’t seen this person from Silver Star before.”
Cen Junfeng looked optimistic, “A newcomer? He’ll probably be crushed by the captain.”
Bing Yunlin turned back to look at Silver Star’s rest area and happened to meet Tang Jiaze’s smiling eyes. Under a vague bad feeling, he couldn’t muster his usual smile, “I hope so.”
As the match started, all eyes were drawn to the field. However, the expectation of a competitive match was quickly shattered by the completely one-sided situation.
Wasn’t Silver Star supposed to be strong? Why were they suppressed from the very beginning?
It was evident that Silver Star’s team members were no match for Wen Ye. Throughout the entire match, aside from intense pheromone clashes, they were constantly on the defensive, with hardly any counterattacks.
They were resilient, but the situation continued until the end, with no surprises or excitement.
Imperial Navy easily secured victory in the first match.
Cen Junfeng couldn’t help but smile, “See? The captain won, just as I said!”
With their first victory, the team’s morale soared.
However, what surprised them was that the atmosphere in Silver Star’s rest area wasn’t at all low. Instead, it was filled with a cheerful ambiance.
Lu Jingning didn’t join in the celebration but exchanged a glance with Wen Xingchen in silence.
They won, but it took them a rather long half-hour.
Wen Xingchen waited for Wen Ye to return and handed him a bottle of water. Wen Ye drank a few sips, wiped the sweat off his face with a towel, and his chest heaved with some heaviness.
Wen Xingchen watched him and furrowed his brows slightly.
He rarely saw Wen Ye like this, and this level of physical exhaustion seemed worrisome in these rules.
…
After Silver Star’s first loss, according to the rules, they needed to send their second player to continue the match against Heavy Cloud Defense University from Group C.
At this moment, an unexpected figure slowly stood up from Silver Star’s rest area.
Tang Jiaze.
According to the usual order, a player of his caliber should have been in the starting lineup or the anchor position, and it seemed rather unusual for him to go second. However, no matter how you looked at it, it didn’t fit the usual pattern.
As Tang Jiaze passed by Imperial Navy’s rest area, he suddenly stopped in front of Wen Ye. Looking at his fatigued appearance, he smiled insincerely, “Wen Ye, do you like the newcomer we specially prepared for you? We put a lot of thought into it just to make sure you enjoy this exchange competition.”
His words caused a momentary silence among the surrounding people.
However, Tang Jiaze seemed not to sense the clear hostility and casually waved his hand, “Well, I’ll go now. Looking forward to meeting you on the battlefield in the second round.”
With that, he turned and headed towards the combat zone.
Lu Jingning couldn’t help but find his figure annoying, and his expression seemed a bit profound. He spoke with a cool tone, “Oh, it looks like he’s trying to play some tricks.”
Wen Xingchen didn’t say anything, but from his expression, he didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.
After Tang Jiaze’s provocation, they finally understood where that sense of unease had come from earlier.
Silver Star had undoubtedly made targeted arrangements for their lineup.
In the first round, they used the special physique of the newcomer to exhaust Wen Ye’s stamina to the maximum. If they managed to win against Grand War University from Group D in the second round, they would then have to face Tang Jiaze, the formidable opponent.
Although Tang Jiaze’s personality was extremely unpleasant, they had to admit that he was indeed very powerful. Unless he lost to Heavy Cloud Defense University in the first round, otherwise, given Wen Ye’s current state, facing Tang Jiaze would undoubtedly lead to a tough battle.
If Wen Ye lost in the second round, then the situation for Imperial Navy would become incredibly difficult.
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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Thank you for the chapter! Seems like our MC has to be the anchor 🙂