Chapter 321
"Don't forget what we're here for. Whatever mission we assign, even if it means dying, you have to carry it out immediately. You're not allowed to be picky."
After saying that, Monique cut off the communication.
Platinum felt extremely wronged, but there was nothing she could do. She rolled her eyes at Charnet and said somewhat dejectedly:
"Alright, alright, I got it. You just wanted me to keep an eye on the Lucky Knight, you didn't intend to get rid of him, did you?"
"That's hard to say, Miss Platinum. If he affects the interests of the Commercial Union, we might need to rely on your help."
Platinum, too lazy to say anything more, stormed off in a huff.
Only a layman would think that Lucky Knight lives up to his name and is just lucky. But he's already made it to the main tournament of the Special Tournament, so where does his luck come from?
Those who can understand it know how terrifying it is.
Platinum took out his phone on the street to check the Live Broadcast of Lucky Knight's afternoon match.
In this round of 64 to 32, his opponent was Kisaragi Tomoe, a contestant from the Holy Flower Women's Knights.
As soon as the match began, Kisaragi quickly created distance to launch a ranged attack. The previous four duels had proven that engaging Lucky Knight in close combat was suicidal.
But no matter how far she runs, the arena is only so big, how far can she go?
As Ruyue raised the Mechanical Crossbow, the same situation as in the previous duels occurred.
When she aimed at the unarmored Lucky Knight, she couldn't fire no matter how hard she pulled the trigger. But as soon as she moved the crosshair away, a single pull would unleash the arrow!
This situation is incredibly bizarre and cannot be explained by scientific means, leaving people completely baffled.
When Kisaragi noticed the Mechanical Crossbow malfunctioning, she removed some of the mechanical parts and switched to manual operation. However, judging from her sweating profusely, she seemed unable to draw the bowstring.
Platinum, being a ranged assassin, instantly understood what this meant.
Archers typically have stronger arms than other troop types. The stronger the arms, the more powerful the arrows.
But now that he can't draw the bowstring, the archer is essentially useless. This is definitely not because Ruyue lacks arm strength, but rather due to the influence of the Lucky Knight's abilities.
Seeing the Lucky Knight closing in, Ruyue had no choice but to create some distance between them. But she managed to fall even on flat ground, and once she did, she couldn't get up again.
It's as if I've been tainted by a curse called misfortune.
Platinum, through the Armored Unarmored Alliance's channels, specifically investigated Lucky Knight and his opponents.
According to these losers, it felt like they were being crushed by a huge rock, unable to move.
This is why Platinum reacted so strongly to the idea of monitoring the Lucky Knight. It's because this guy is too sinister that they don't want to mess with him.
These days, jobs are getting harder and harder to do.
Platinum wanted to meet its performance KPIs but didn't want to antagonize Lucky Knight. After much deliberation, it finally came up with a compromise.
It would be better to delegate the surveillance to subordinates. She could stay further away and slack off during work hours.
Anyway, Monique and Roy were dealing with other important matters. Since she couldn't handle this thorny problem, she could only pass it on to her subordinates.
Ha, plan in motion!
After realizing she couldn't struggle, Kisaragi shouted "surrender" to avoid being humiliated in public.
Shi Lei easily won the round of 64 to 32 and left the arena through the player tunnel. No media dared to approach for an interview, unless they didn't want their camera lenses anymore.
In the corridor, he encountered Rebecca, who had returned to work. Charné's attempt to reap the rewards failed, leaving him no choice but to let the intern continue.
"Congratulations on winning this match, Mr. Lucky Knight!"
Seeing that she was in much better spirits, Shi Lei asked:
"Are you feeling better after a few days of rest?"
"Thank you for your concern, it's much better now."
Rebecca did not mention the kidnapping, so Shi Lei had no reason to ask, lest he arouse suspicion.
"Mr. Lucky Knight, I've come to see you because the Commercial Union has just issued new rules."
"Oh?"
"They're all here, please take a look."
He reached out and took the other person's notebook. The handwriting was very neat, indicating that the person had practiced diligently.
In summary, the new rule is that in the round of 32 to 16, players must team up with other main event Knight. If they don't form a team, they will not be allowed to participate in the subsequent matches.
This new rule won't affect Shi Lei much; he can easily make it into the top 16 by partnering with any player. As long as he doesn't run into Maria early on, everything will be fine.
It's a pity that Flame Tail Knight and Grey Fur Knight were disqualified from the competition by the Commercial Union. Otherwise, we could have easily passed the test by simply bringing one of them along.
"Mr. Lucky Knight, do you have any players you'd like to collaborate with? I'll try to help you make the deal."
Compared to other agents, Rebecca does very little, so she tries her best to help.
Shi Lei used his Psychic Scan to discover a fairly strong opponent standing in the shadows ahead:
"Anyway, it's still one-on-one matches in the round of 16, so it doesn't matter who you partner with, right?"
"That's true."
The Knight emerged from the shadows, his fiery red armor as vibrant as fresh blood, captivating all who beheld him.
Rebecca stared in astonishment, mouth agape, at the reigning champion of the Knight Competition.
"Blood... Blood Knight!?"
The Blood Knight stepped forward and formally extended the invitation:
"I agree, it doesn't matter who I team up with. Of all these players, you're the most interesting. I'd rather face you in an individual match than a team match. How about we team up?"
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Seeing the previous year 'Knight Competition champion extend an invitation to the Lucky Knight, Rebecca covered her mouth with one hand, almost shouting with joy.
Among the 32 main players in the Special Tournament, is there a better partner than Blood Knight?
Shi Lei didn't care who he teamed up with, jokingly remarking:
"You're so good, then I'll just let you take on two opponents in the next team match, so I don't have to lift a finger."
"No problem, leave it to me."
The Blood Knight readily agreed, then turned to Rebecca and asked:
"Are you Lucky Knight's agent? Can you register with the association now and say that I want to team up with him to participate in the round of 32 to 16?"
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
Rebecca was genuinely happy for Shi Lei, and she bowed to the Blood Knight in thanks. She then skipped off with great joy to the registration location. She would call the Lucky Knight later after she was done.
The Blood Knight stood still, watching Rebecca disappear at the end of the corridor before turning his gaze away.
Shi Lei used his Psychic Scan to confirm that there were no outsiders around to disturb them. This meant that the other party had come here specifically to wait for them, and had something else to discuss.
He wasn't in a hurry and waited for the Blood Knight to continue.
"Mr. Lucky Knight, I recently heard about how you saved the Pinecone Knights. Thank you so much for extending a helping hand to the infected in distress."
Despite being allowed to participate in competitions by the Commercial Union, the infected in Kazimierz still remain at the bottom of the social hierarchy in the country.
Most citizens hold discriminatory and contemptuous attitudes towards those infected. Knight willing to treat them equally and offer help without fear of risk are even rarer.
Blood Knight Dikaiopolis is the leader of the Red Mug Knights. He has connections with other Infected Knight orders in Kazimierz, which is how he learned of this matter.
They seem to be here to form a team today, but they are actually here to repay a debt of gratitude on behalf of other Infected Knight.
Shi Lei doesn't care who his partner is; he won't be eliminated in the top 32. Since Blood Knight wants to repay his debt by taking on the next team match, he has no reason to refuse.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it. I looked up your information online; you're a Minoas who's been stranded in Kazimierz. In recent years, you've been advocating for the infected here. If you ever have nowhere to go, you're welcome to visit or settle in Liyue City."
Upon hearing Dikaiopolis's bull-like eyes widened as if ringing out:
Where is Liyue City?
Blood Knight's reaction, Shi Lei immediately realized that Sona hadn't told him about these things. Taking this opportunity, he gave a brief overview of the location:
"I've been to Liyue City, and it's truly a wonderful place. As long as you're peace-loving, you can get along well with anyone, whether they're infected or not. If you ever find yourself without a place to stay in Kazimierz, you might consider visiting Liyue City. Whether you stay or leave then is entirely up to you."
The Blood Knight nodded; after all, no one would refuse an extra escape route.
Moreover, agreeing now doesn't mean you have to go. On the contrary, refusing outright is more likely to cause unpleasantness.
"Okay, I'll remember that. If the day really comes when we go to Liyue City, I'll treat you to a drink."
"Okay, let's exchange phone numbers. It'll be easier to communicate in case of emergencies and avoid being out of touch with each other."
Kazimierz wasn't Shi Lei's stronghold, and intelligence channels were extremely scarce. Since he was using a locally purchased SIM card, exchanging contact information wouldn't have any impact.
After exchanging phone numbers, Shi Lei saw no need to stay any longer. He said goodbye to the Blood Knight and turned to leave the arena through the corridor.
A few minutes later, Shi Lei returned to the Star Hotel. Just as he entered the lobby, he received a call from Sophia. He looked around and went to the fire escape on the first floor to answer the call.
Shi Lei has always been cautious about information confidentiality. Taking calls here ensures he won't be caught on camera or eavesdropped on.
"Hello?"
From the other end of the microphone came Sophia's congratulations:
"Congratulations on making it into the top 32. I even feel like you have a very good chance of winning the championship..."
Shi Lei didn't want to exchange pleasantries and interrupted directly:
"Stop chatting and get down to business."
"Okay, there's a new rule for the round of 32 to 16. It requires two players from the special tournament's main draw to team up for the team competition. I hope you'll team up with Maria."
"No, I've already teamed up with someone else."
Finally, Shi Lei added:
"It's best if we don't run into each other too soon. In this team competition, she's in the upper half and I'm in the lower half. The Knight, who I'm teaming up with, are also in the lower half. As long as she finds a teammate in the upper half, we won't meet in the round of 32. Also, don't worry. I'll watch every single one of her games."
The implication is that Shi Lei will provide protection for her in every match, so she can relax.
Having received Doctor Zhong's promise, Sophia felt much more at ease. Now that he had teamed up with someone else, the possibility of cooperating with Maria was eliminated.
"Okay, I'll think of something. Oh, sorry to bother you, goodbye."
Shi Lei hummed in agreement and hung up the phone.
When he took the elevator to the top floor, he found that the infected people who used to live there were gone.
Sona cleared the living room table and placed a note on top of it in an ashtray. It indicated they were transferring the infected person out of the city and thanked him for his care during this time.
After reading the contents, Shi Lei threw the note into the ashtray and lit it with a lighter. The flames grew stronger and stronger, like the flames in people's hearts.
It spread like wildfire.
July 5th, 6:27 pm
Cavaleria, the outskirts of the Grand Knight Territory' Domain.
Sona, leading thousands of infected individuals, hid behind various shipping containers. In front of them, large corporate ships were moored.
"Sona."
A Knight in armor asked:
"So, we're all going to Rhodes Island for treatment next?"
"Let me correct you. It's not that everyone has to go, but that you can go. Once Rhodes Island's guide arrives, I'll give everyone the freedom to choose. Whatever the future holds, you must be responsible for your choices."
"That's true. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we've received proper treatment for Originium-related illness."
"You are still young and your bodies can handle it. But among these people, there are many elderly workers and citizens. I can't bear to see them suffer from illness. I just hope that the tragedy of the Originium explosion will never happen again."
"Sona, how much longer until we reach Rhodes Island?"
"Let me check the time, it should be soon. Oh, Little Grey, you're here. Evona contacted all the infected she could reach, and she's taking them all away while she has the chance."
The Grey Mane Knight nodded and asked: