An Uninvited Guest

Wang Chao set his paddle on the table, placed his left hand on his right elbow, raised his right arm, curled his middle finger, drew in a breath, and shouted, "You... come here!"

Well, that was an Earth meme. It didn't exist in this world, so Han Feng couldn't appreciate its deeper meaning. He only felt that his friend was being outrageously arrogant today. "Fine, I'll come. I don't believe your luck can be this good."

But at that moment, a commotion erupted outside, accompanied by what sounded like cheers. Then a huge crowd surged in, filling the small court where they were playing. Before Wang Chao could turn around, someone slammed hard into his shoulder. He staggered sideways several steps and nearly fell.

When he turned to look, he saw a line of young men in identical sportswear entering in formation and taking positions on either side of the table. They looked highly disciplined. Several middle-aged men in formal suits followed behind them, each carrying an air of authority. And wasn't that bald old man beside them, smiling as he spoke, none other than Mingyue Stadium's manager, Yan Feng?

Yan Feng knew Han Feng. He came over with a smile and said, "How about we discuss this? Our stadium has a temporary event. Could we borrow this area for a while?"

Han Feng's expression darkened. He snorted. "Can I say no?"

"Why say something like that, kid..." Yan Feng was acquainted with Han Feng's father, Han Tiande, so he remained fairly polite. However, his attitude was firm as he smiled and said, "How about you sit down and rest for now? You can watch the Jiangcheng City Table Tennis Team's experts play."

Yet Han Feng remained standing by the table, refusing to move. He did not look at Yan Feng. Instead, his gaze settled on someone standing beside the table.

Wang Chao had been facing away from the entrance and hadn't seen clearly, but Han Feng had. It was this person who had bumped into his friend.

And it was hard to call that bump an accident. It had felt rather deliberate.

"He..." Han Feng raised his hand and pointed. "Just now..."

"Han Feng, forget it." Wang Chao quickly stopped him and shook his head.

Reality was not a novel. There weren't so many opportunities for grandstanding and face-slapping. Wang Chao knew very well that Yan Feng was being polite only because there was no real conflict yet. If Han Feng truly made a scene, he definitely would not come out ahead.

Just from the way Yan Feng had nodded and bowed before those middle-aged men earlier, it was clear what he considered more important.

If Han Feng's father had been here, perhaps there would have been room for discussion. But Han Feng himself...

Heh.

A forty-year-old soul naturally understood the coldness of the world more clearly than an eighteen-year-old soul.

So Wang Chao merely glanced over, wanting to see who had bumped into him.

The man was exceptionally tall and muscular, with bulging muscles on both arms. He had a fierce face and a full beard. He looked less like a table tennis player and more like a boxer. Noticing Wang Chao's gaze, he gave him a provocative look.

Wang Chao noticed a small name tag pinned to the man's chest. It read: Tian Zhengguang.

"What a bore..."

Wang Chao yawned.

"Some people always like to bully the weak by relying on their strong bodies, as if that proves how powerful they are."

"Could it be that the more developed the muscles are, the smaller the brain capacity?"

"Even after changing worlds, humanity's worst instincts remain as persistent as ever."

The courts were quickly rearranged. The barriers on all sides were moved outward to form a larger playing area. At the same time, the two neighboring courts were set up as well, with five tables in play at once. They used the current standard competition rules: best of seven games, eleven points per game.

More people from the stadium soon gathered to watch, while Yan Feng picked up a microphone and began hosting on the spot.

After listening for a while, Wang Chao understood what was going on.

Strictly speaking, these people were not members of the Jiangcheng City Table Tennis Team. They were substitutes for Jiangcheng City's main squad.

That was a huge difference.

And the three coaches present were merely the coaches in charge of these substitutes.

Even so, to amateur players, these people were still absolute experts.

After all, they were "professional" players.

From amateur to trained, then from trained to professional, there were two whole tiers in between.

As the world's table tennis hegemon, the Dragon Kingdom had a population of over a billion. Everyone played table tennis. In schools, workshops, high-rises, plazas, and alleyways, table tennis tables could be found everywhere. Those who cared about quality would get wooden tables; those who did not would build cement ones and play just fine. Some people even got a sudden urge, took the door off their homes, laid it across some stools, and played on that...

Just think about how many experts there had to be.

The old man walking his bird on the street, the security guard at the gate, or the grandma doing square dancing in the plaza—once they stood by a table, they would instantly transform into former legends who had once dominated their neighborhood and remained undefeated.

The legends of the "sweeping monk" and the "librarian" were real in the land of table tennis.

But no matter how amazing a sweeping monk was, if you were an amateur, then even if you had gone undefeated through more than a dozen nearby neighborhoods, you would still get beaten when facing a professional player.

That was the cruel hierarchy of Ping Pong World.

To borrow a phrase from the world of cultivation: "Below the professional level, all are ants."

That was precisely why Yan Feng had acted so excited and ingratiating after these substitutes arrived.

After all, if he could build a good relationship with them, then even if they only occasionally came here to play, teach a few techniques, put on exhibition matches, and interact with the club members, it would be enough to keep the stadium's popularity soaring.

The exhibition matches began soon afterward.

Though they were called exhibition matches, they were really just a routine internal assessment for these substitutes.

There had been a problem with the city team's training venue today, leaving them nowhere to conduct the assessment. That was why the coaches had contacted Mingyue Stadium at the last minute. As soon as Yan Feng heard the news, he agreed without hesitation and even promised that the entire venue would be free of charge.

His only request was that spectators be allowed to watch the assessment.

Very quickly, waves of exclamations and applause rose from around the tables.

"Wow!"

"He can even counterattack that ball directly!"

"So fast!"

"It's dazzling! I can barely see what's happening."

"The ball is moving way too fast!"

"Wow, he actually returned that one."

"What kind of serve was that?"

Wang Chao yawned.

As someone who had once been a national-level coach in the truest sense, he had watched matches far more intense than this in person. He could not really get excited watching these people play now.

What was more, this body of his had gradually begun to reveal its extraordinary nature. He could clearly see the little ball flying through the air at high speed, including the angle of its spin and its trajectory. As a result, he spotted even more openings...

Yes, there were some openings that he would not have been able to see before his transmigration, but he could see them now.

At least eighty percent of those serves could have been attacked directly!

Yet these people looked so cautious, as if their opponents were flawless. They kept probing, kept playing short balls, and kept solemnly changing tactics.

On the surface, the match looked evenly matched and full of excitement, but in reality...

It was just rookies pecking at each other.

Wang Chao yawned again.

He rubbed his face with both hands to wake himself up, but he did not plan to leave.

After all, his three friends were genuinely absorbed in the matches. They were shouting excitedly and gesturing wildly, having completely forgotten the earlier unpleasantness.

What else could he do? He could only wait.

At that moment, he vaguely sensed a cold gaze. His heart stirred, and he turned to look. Sure enough, Tian Zhengguang was staring at him coldly, seemingly angry.

Hm?

Angry?

What was he angry about?

Wang Chao was somewhat baffled. Then he noticed that his mouth, which he had opened to yawn, had not closed yet.

Could this guy... think I was deliberately insulting them by yawning?

Wang Chao did not know whether to laugh or cry.