https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-136-The-First-Day-of-Competition/13028731/
Chapter 137: The Battle Begins
Chapter 137: The Battle Begins
May 6th.
The second day of the Provincial Tournament in the High School League.
Since the first match was scheduled for 9 a.m., Lu Wu and his team arrived at the venue early in the morning.
After a brief rest, as the time approached, Lu Wu led his squad to Arena 33.
At the same time, the live broadcast channels on the official website were all opened.
However, due to Lu Wu's sensational performance of surrendering three times in a row yesterday, the live streaming room, as well as the audience at the arena, was unusually large.
Especially the spectators at the arena.
Fearing that Lu Wu might surrender again, only a few people actually showed up to watch the match.
On the other hand, the live streaming room attracted a wave of attention because Lu Wu's opponents today were also a seed team, and more importantly, a seed team that had impressively secured three consecutive victories yesterday.
But due to Lu Wu's squad having a glorious history of surrendering, the number of viewers in their live streaming room was still slightly less than that of the other seed teams.
The audience was cautious, fearing they might witness another surrender and miss out on the exciting matches of other teams.
However, as the match time drew near, the number of viewers in Lu Wu's live streaming room skyrocketed.
This was because when the camera in the live streaming room panned to the audience seats, some sharp-eyed viewers noticed that in Arena 33, two teams from Group B with exceptionally eye-catching members were sitting there.
One team was Hengheng Monster's team.
Their performance yesterday had been highly captivating, effortlessly securing three consecutive wins.
Moreover, the trio's visuals were naturally appealing, and they had gained a surge of fans overnight.
However, while Hengheng Monster's team was eye-catching, the real reason for the surge in viewers in the live streaming room was not them but the other team in the audience seats.
This team was one of the four overlord teams in this tournament and also one of the three teams from outside the province.
These three teams, as outsiders challenging the locals, were the center of attention, and wherever they went, the audience followed.
In just a few minutes, the popularity of Lu Wu's live streaming room soared from under 100,000 to over 500,000 and continued to rise.
The live streaming room's chat was filled with various speculations and discussions.
"Is that Team 044 from Group B, the one from Jing City?"
"Yes, the one with glasses and a mischievous smile is their leader, Wang Jun. The one with the spiky hair and fierce look is Li Kui, and the one with no presence is Zhang Unknown!"
"In yesterday's match, they only deployed one person and still won decisively. They are one of the top teams among the three."
"Why would such a strong team come to watch? Could it be for Team 042?"
"Impossible! This team fought hard for our Jiangsu Province yesterday. They are the only seed team that didn't immediately surrender against the outsider teams, and they are also the only seed team to surrender three times in a row! I heard they got their seed status through the back door, so it's unlikely that they came for Team 044."
"Then they must be here for Team 004! This team is also a seed team, and their performance yesterday was impressive, winning three matches easily. Team 044 must have come for them."
"How can it be simple? If it were simple, Team 044 wouldn't have come. But Team 044 might be disappointed; Team 004's opponents are already weak, having surrendered three times in a row yesterday. Today, with Team 044 here, Team 042 might surrender again due to the pressure!"
...
As the online audience mocked and ridiculed Lu Wu, in the audience seats, Hengheng Monster's team kept glancing over at Team 044.
Hengheng Monster's teammates were a bit concerned.
"No way, is Team 004 that strong? Even they came to watch?"
"If so, doesn't that mean Lu Wu and his team are going to lose again?"
Hearing this, Hengheng Monster expressed her fatigue.
Her teammates had already shifted their focus to Lu Wu.
However, Hengheng Monster had a different opinion about Team 044's purpose.
"They came for Lu Wu!"
Hengheng Monster's statement shocked her teammates, who covered their mouths in surprise and patted her head.
"Hengheng, are you feeling okay? Are you sure they came for Lu Wu?"
"I admit Lu Wu is handsome, but you shouldn't be so smitten that you've lost your mind!"
"Get lost! Don't call me Hengheng!"
Hengheng Monster was trembling with anger. Her teammates, who had added her as a friend just yesterday, were already addressing her as Hengheng today.
"If you call me Hengheng again, I'll break off our friendship!"
"We won't call you that anymore!"
Seeing Hengheng Monster's anger, her teammates had no choice but to surrender.
"Hey, the match is about to start over there. Let's watch!"
"Lu Wu is really unlucky. Yesterday he faced two powerful teams, and today he encounters a team that has Team 044's attention. It seems he's headed for four consecutive surrenders."
Hmph! That jerk won't lose!
Hengheng Monster firmly stood by Lu Wu's side. After all, she had lost to him once, and if he lost repeatedly, it would be a significant loss of face for her. However, thinking about Lu Wu's three consecutive surrenders yesterday, especially the last one to an ordinary team, made Hengheng Monster feel incredibly complex.
Amidst the eager anticipation, all eyes were on Lu Wu, hoping for a remarkable performance.
Meanwhile, at Arena 33...
Under the watchful gaze of the audience, Lu Wu's fourth match commenced.
The teams exchanged greetings and handshakes below the arena, a customary pre-match ritual.
Lu Wu had experienced this ritual just the day before.
He approached with enthusiasm, ready to face Team 003, only to encounter an unexpected dark horse opponent, leaving him disheartened.
Today's ritual, however, wasn't any more pleasant.
The captain of Team 004 had a sly streak.
Instead of immediately shaking Lu Wu's hand, he first glanced at Team 044 in the audience, nodding slightly before turning to Lu Wu with an apologetic expression and extending his hand.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't expect Team 044 to actually show up. I was just spacing out."
His words seemed like an apology for his earlier rudeness, but he was actually seizing an opportunity.
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He was leveraging Team 044's presence.
In truth, although Lu Wu's team had surrendered three times the day before, they hadn't actually fought; they had conceded.
Therefore, Team 004 wasn't aware of Lu Wu's team's true strength, and they couldn't afford to be careless.
Despite their confidence in defeating Lu Wu's team, their opponents were a seed team, and a real fight could lead to injuries, excessive card reveals, and unnecessary exhaustion, which would disadvantage them in subsequent matches.
The previous day's match had revealed Lu Wu's team's weakness to Team 004's understanding of this weakness led them to consider using it to their advantage.
They hoped to leverage Team 044's presence to win without a fight.
After all, while the audience might be dissatisfied with Lu Wu's team surrendering, their opponents were eager to witness it.
So, as they shook hands, Team 004's captain began his act.
"I watched your match yesterday, and although people online are calling you cowards, they don't understand the pressure you're under. They're just spectators, ignorant of the challenges you face."
"In my opinion, Captain Lu made the right choice yesterday."
"In a match like this, against a similar team, it's better to preserve strength for future matches rather than fighting for pride."
"Captain Lu's wisdom is befitting of a captain of one of the 14 seed teams."
His words were so sincere that even the usually gullible Dudu behind Lu Wu was convinced, her mind swaying with each sentence.
Yes, yes, yes, their Lu Wu is indeed wise!
Lin Jianying, standing nearby, was no longer surprised by Dudu's naivety. This girl was easily swayed by flattery, believing anyone who said something nice about Lu Wu was a good person.
However, the captain of Team 004's nice-guy act quickly crumbled.
After setting the stage, he got straight to the point.
"Captain Lu, both our teams are seed teams, and this match is our first real test. If we fight, it will undoubtedly result in mutual damage, which will hinder our performance in subsequent matches, regardless of who wins or loses."
"Oh, so what are you suggesting?"
Lu Wu narrowed his eyes, feigning confusion, while the captain of Team 004 spoke directly.
"I'd like to ask Captain Lu for a favor—to concede this match to us."
To emphasize his request, he glanced at Team 044: "If you could do this for us, we'd be forever grateful. But if you refuse, with them watching, we wouldn't want to disappoint them, would we?"
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Lu Wu's hand.
He was exerting pressure from all angles, determined to make Lu Wu agree.
He was confident that given Lu Wu's performance the day before, there was an 80% chance he would concede.
Unfortunately, he miscalculated.
"I can't concede this match."
"Huh?" The captain of Team 004 raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Captain Lu? This isn't a wise decision for your team!
If you don't concede, and we fight, resulting in mutual damage, it's not a big deal for us. We won yesterday, so the worst outcome is not getting these points or losing them. But it's different for you. If you lose three matches in a row today, you might be eliminated from the top 8."
"No way!"
Lu Wu smiled. "Don't worry, we won't lose!"
The captain of Team 004 fixed his gaze on Lu Wu's eyes, and upon confirming that Lu Wu's gaze was steady and unwavering, he stopped resisting. "We, Team 004, don't want to fight, but we're not afraid to either!
Since you want to fight, we'll fight with you. Just don't regret the choice you've made!"
With that, Team 004 raised his hand to signal the end of the conversation.
The referee on the arena announced the start of the match.
"The preliminary round of the High School League begins! Team 042 versus Team 004, please choose your summoners!"
At that moment, the live stream chat erupted.
Finally, Team 042 was showing some spirit, and the match was officially underway!
(End of Chapter)
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