Chapter 326
"You..."
Shi Lei stood up, ready to leave.
He glanced at the astonished Blood Knight and explained casually:
"I did that just now to make you understand the gap between us. If we meet in a future Knight Competition, it's best to surrender now. It would be even more embarrassing to surrender on the field."
After saying that, Shi Lei turned and left.
More than thirty members of the Red Mug Knights had gathered outside and in the square. Seeing the Lucky Knight emerge first, someone immediately went inside to check on their leader.
Blood Knight was a shrewd and pragmatic man. Upon learning that his guild members were lying in wait outside, he quickly came out to help them out. He was extremely respectful and escorted them all the way to the entrance of the residential area.
As they parted, Shi Lei waved goodbye:
"I'm entrusting the care of Farfang Knight to you."
"Huh? Justina isn't with me. I heard she's been taken away by the Pinecone Knights."
July 7th, 5:36 pm
Cavaleria, an area where infected individuals are concentrated.
"Little Grey, how is her injury?"
The Grey Fur Knight gently closed the door and explained:
"It's alright, Commander. For injuries like Justina's, a few days of rest will do the trick. Just make sure she doesn't do any strenuous exercise for a while, or the wound will tear."
"Phew, that's good."
Upon hearing this, Sona breathed a sigh of relief.
Since learning of the attack on Farfang Knight, the Pinecone Knights have been contacting various channels to gather information about her in the city and Slums.
The Armored Unarmored Alliance was, after all, just an assassin organization, not a law enforcement agency that could be openly recognized. Furthermore, they were relatively unfamiliar with the environment of the settlement area and dared not indiscriminately commit murder.
The Pinecone Knights used the money they earned from the competition to buy many infected people who had been sold to mines and arenas. They enjoyed extremely high prestige within the settlement area.
Upon learning of this, many people mobilized and began a large-scale search. Ultimately, they found the Farfang Knight lying in the alley before the Armored Unarmored Alliance could reach him.
They carried the man to an underground clinic, where they cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Only then did they notify the Pinecone Knights, instructing them to take the Farfang Knight away.
The Grey Fur Knight looked up at the gloomy sky, his face revealing barely concealed anger:
"The Armored Unarmored Alliance is getting more and more outrageous, actually launching a surprise attack in broad daylight!"
"There's nothing we can do, Little Grey. This isn't the first time they've done something like this. That's why we need to gather evidence and expose the Armored Unarmored Alliance."
"Commander! Commander!"
As the two were talking, a member of the Pinecone Knights quickly ran up and reported:
"Captain, the Lucky Knight has come knocking. Should we see him or not?"
Why would he stay in a nice, upscale hotel and come to an area where infected people congregate?
We'll have to meet in person to find out the truth.
"Little Grey, keep an eye on Justina and don't let her wander around. I'll be right back."
"Okay, be careful."
Sona followed the group members to the outpost and found the Lucky Knight. Upon meeting him, she politely asked:
What brings you here?
"I heard that the Farfang Knight were attacked, so I came to check it out. Also, do you want to bring down the Commercial Union? Perhaps I can lend a hand."
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395, let's go for a big 3K
Ah?
Seeing Sona's blank expression, Shi Lei glanced at the Pinecone Knights member next to her and asked:
"Can we talk in private for a moment?"
"Okay, this way please."
Sona led him to a nearby residential building that was only three stories high, and went straight up to the rooftop.
Sometimes, it is only in places where the light can be seen that we can say things that cannot be said in the light.
"Mr. Lucky Knight, don't you spend all your time in the hotel? How did you know I was here?"
Shi Lei disagrees with this stereotype:
"Although I often stay in my room, it's not like I don't go out for days at a time. This afternoon, I heard on TV that Farfang Knight had been attacked and gone missing. I haven't had any matches for the last two days, so I thought I'd go out and look for him. That's how I met Blood Knight and found out his location."
Sona nodded to herself, having roughly understood the reason why the Lucky Knight had come here.
The Armored Unarmored Alliance's pre-match raid on Justina, disguised as fans, was a setup to trap Maria Saria.
Even if the Snowheel Knights don't forfeit the match, they will still be brutally beaten by the Bright Knight Margaret stormed into the arena.
Furthermore, before the start of the special tournament, the Commercial Union expelled her and the Grey Fur Knight. From an outsider's perspective, it would seem that the Pinecone Knights were retaliating.
However, the Lucky Knight once said that he came from Liyue City on the border of Ursus and did not belong to any faction. But the Commercial Union's mortal enemy is the Supervision Committee.
Could he be a member of the witness council?
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Moreover, the Pinecone Knights are currently on good terms with the Lucky Knight.
Sona had no reason to refuse the aid that was offered to her; she should at least listen to what he wanted to do before making any plans.
"I see. We do have some issues with the Commercial Union recently. Their decision to send the Armored Unarmored Alliance to Justina today was really going too far!"
"The Armored Unarmored Alliance, what is that?"
Seeing that the Lucky Knight didn't even know this, she ruled out the assumption that the other party was a member of the Supervision Committee.
"The Armored Unarmored Alliance is a secret assassin organization that colludes with the Commercial Union. They create accidents and eliminate Knight who disobey orders. Speaking of which, you should be on their assassination list."
Upon hearing this, Shi Lei understood.
It seems that one of the two squads monitoring the area near the hotel is from the Armored Unarmored Alliance.
"Understood, Miss Sona. So, back to the main point, is your only goal now to take revenge on the Armored Unarmored Alliance?"
She sensed the hidden meaning in his words and, hesitant to confront him directly, tentatively asked:
What do you mean?
"In Kazimierz, I have seen many people lose everything and have their families torn apart because of gambling."
They can run Knight Competition, no problem. They can have business partnerships, no problem. They can advertise, no problem.
However, manipulating the game and exploiting human greed to empty the pockets of ordinary people is going too far.
I want to pull off something big, completely destroy public confidence in the entire Knight Competition arena. I want to tarnish the reputation of the Commercial Union and severely impact its business.
If they become enraged and send the Armored Unarmored Alliance to deal with me, it would be a perfect opportunity to wipe out all the assassins in one fell swoop.
"The Farfang Knight is safe with you, so I don't need to see her anymore. I've come today mainly to discuss the general plan with you, to avoid any fundamental conflicts in future arrangements."
After confirming that the Lucky Knight and the Pinecone Knights were on the same side, Sona revealed part of the plan:
"At that time, do it this way and that way."
July 8th, noon.
The Commercial Union Live Broadcast the event live on television, having the host draw slips of paper from a box.
The above player names will be used to determine the Round of 16 matchups for this year's Knight Competition Arena.
Whether there was any foul play involved is unclear. In any case, the note was very small, and could be easily manipulated by hiding it in the palm of one's hand.
Countless viewers and Knight sat in front of their televisions at the same time, silently waiting for the host to start drawing lots.
"The first match in the round of 16 is between Candle Knight and Grey Fur Knight!"
"The second match in the round of 16 will be between the long-absent Bright Knight and the Hammer Knight!"
Shi Lei was reading a book in his hotel room, and he could hear the news broadcast on TV even from several meters away.
"There are so many strong players this year, it wouldn't be surprising who we draw next. Who will be in the third match? Let me see... Wow, it's Lucky Knight!"
"Wow, I'm so nervous, my palms are even sweating a little. His opponent is..."
As a burst of rapid drumbeats accompanied the background music, the host unfolded a piece of paper and showed it to the camera:
"Blood Knight! His opponent is actually the Blood Knight, the champion of the previous Knight Competition! I wonder if this is Lucky Knight's good fortune or misfortune?"
"The fourth match, the round of 16, is against Nightmare Chaser Knight..."
The first four matches are in the upper half of the bracket for the Round of 16. The winners from the lower half will meet in the finals.
"The seventh match will be between Maria Saria, the youngest daughter of the Nearl Family, and the Rust Copper Knight's good friend Divine Crane Knight! The last match didn't go smoothly, but will she be able to get revenge this time? Please stay tuned!"
Maria is in the seventh match, which is in the lower half of the draw.
This is good news for Shi Lei, because he won't face her before the finals.
The matchups for the Round of 16 in the Special Tournament have been a mixed bag, with some happy and others worried.
Blood Knight's face darkened upon seeing the result. He was extremely unwilling but helpless, and began preparing to withdraw from the competition.
The Candle Knight from Sargon was in no better mood. No matter how much encouragement and comfort the spokesperson offered, she didn't believe that a single candle could defeat the Bright Knight, whose brilliance was like the sun.
What chance does a candle have against the sun?
At the same time, at Martin's Bar.
Maria and Margaret were not surprised by the draw for the round of 16.
"See, sister. I knew the Commercial Union was up to something, deliberately putting me in the lower half of the bracket."
They were manipulating things behind the scenes to ensure my advancement even before you showed up. It was either a forfeit or an act.
Now they've crammed all the favorites for the championship into the upper half of the draw. They're clearly trying to make us sisters meet in the finals. Honestly, sister, I'm even considering withdrawing from the competition.
Margaret participated in the competition because of the Supervision Committee.
How could an older sister sit idly by and watch her younger sister participate in such a dangerous competitive sport without doing anything about it?
"Maria, if it were six years ago I would definitely have advised you to withdraw from the competition. But now, it's up to you. Whatever decision you make, I will support you."
"Hehe, I knew my sister was the best."
Sophia, standing nearby, chimed in:
"If it were before a special tournament, I would advise Maria to quit while she's ahead and stop when she's ahead. But now, I think you'd better stick it out for a few more matches."
Maria, still suspicious of her aunt's changed attitude, asked:
Why do you say that?
Sophia crossed her arms and gently raised her chin, gesturing for everyone to look at the round of 16 match schedule on the television screen.
"The players in the lower bracket are generally weaker than those in the upper bracket. If Maria can give it her all, she might be able to make it all the way to the finals. The match between the Nearl Family sisters would generate a lot of buzz."
But have you ever thought about it? Both teams in the finals are from the Nearl Family, which perfectly reflects the competitive level of the current Nearl Family Knight.
Furthermore, you two know your limits and won't recklessly risk your lives. This way, even if Maria loses before the finals, she'll still gain valuable combat experience.
In fact, Sophia had considered having Maria withdraw from the competition, and even called Doctor Zhong for his opinion.
But he said he wanted to ensure Maria made it to the finals, and there could be absolutely no mistakes during that process.
This is no longer a simple commission; Doctor Zhong seems to have a bigger plan behind it.
"Aunt, you're right. Flowers in a greenhouse won't grow big without going through hardships and dangers."
Margaret looked at her sister and gave her a motherly smile:
"The Nearl Family motto is to be undaunted by hardship. If you feel you haven't reached your limit in the Special Tournament, then go for it!"